Antenna News in English 130996

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From: Antenna Radio <http://www.antenna.gr> - email: [email protected]

News in English, of 13/09/1996

TITLES

• Two wills of the late Andreas Papandreou submitted to the Court.
• Intense preparations for a hot television debate.
• And, Greece's Olympic winners awarded by the Greek president.

WILL

These were his last wishes, as expressed in the two wills, which were submitted Thursday morning to the First Instance Court.

The first will was handed in by Dimitra Papandreou, and the authenticity of its maker's signature was confirmed by Andreas Papandreou's close partner, Antonis Livanis. In this will, which was made in November 1990, Papandreou included two notes, one referring to his son-in-law Thodoros Katsanevas, and the other to his widow, Dimitra.

"Thodoros Katsanevas is a disgrace to our family", Andreas Papandreou wrote in the will. The late president of Pasok was referring to an incident that occurred in November 1990. When his secretary at the time, Angela Kokola had gone to his old residence in the Athens suburb of Kastri to pick up his archives, Thodoros Katsanevas didn't let her do it.

Andreas Papandreou, leader of the opposition party at the time, intended to have the law on his son-in- law as soon as this could be allowed by the political circumstances. In his will, he also determined the attitude he wanted his three sons to adopt. "They have the moral obligation", he said, "as carriers of our family's tradition to reveal in public the role and the character of Katsanevas and to cut any bond with him".

In the same will, Andreas Papandreou expresses his deep feelings for his wife, Dimitra. "When I'll be away, Dimitra will be in danger", he said. "She will be laid blames of any kind. That's why I call all of my friends to support her by all means".

And, he added, underlining the sentence, "Dimitra is the big love of my life".

Later in the day, Andreas Papandreou's daughter, Sofia, wife of Thodoros Katsanevas, said that his father never used such words against her husband, with whom he had close relations of deep respect and love. Sofia Papandreou Katsanevas also disputed this will, saying that it must have been made by her father in a state of pressure.

The same day Sofia submitted to the Court another will, asking for it to be granted probate of. This will, made in May 1993, declares again Dimitra Papandreou as the only heiress of his fortune. Andreas Papandreou specified that he's leaving his name to his children, Giorgos, Sofia, Nikos and Andreas.

DEBATE

The two parties' spokesmen met on Thursday to discuss further details for the debate and agreed on the presence of three journalists that are commonly accepted by the parties.

The debate will be broadcasted on a national level. The journalists will pose questions to the politicians, who will have to answer within two minutes.

New Democracy spokesman Prokopis Pavlopoulos commented that he was sorry that the proposal of his party's leader for three television debates, wasn't finally accepted, and called Friday's debate "a monologue", not a dialogue between the two politicians.

SIMITIS

In the day's briefing, environment minister Kostas Laliotis confirmed to reporters, that Pasok will continue following firmly on its pre-election strategy, showing off its work in the past and its social and financial plans for the future.

Laliotis strongly attacked New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert, who met with the Athens mayor Wednesday. The environment minister blamed Evert for the financial bankruptcy of the municipality of Athens when he was mayor of the city in the 1980s.

"We insist on positive communication and the proper briefing of the citizens", Laliotis said.

"That's how we reply to the provocations and the lies of New Democracy", he added.

EVERT

New Democracy spokesman Prokopis Pavlopoulos referred to the recent polls which were published and which showed that the top two parties are neck and neck. "New Democracy is satisfied ofthese polls' results", he said.

Three new surveys, two conducted for newspapers and one for a TV station, came up with the same result, once again : Pasok and New Democracy are in a dead heat going into the final stretch. The polls, carried out by the companies Dimel, ICAP and Research International, show that all of the small parties could gain seats in the parliament, while the percentage of the

SAMARAS

From Thessaloniki, where he went on Thursday morning, he criticised both Kostas Simitis and Miltiades Evert for exploiting Greece's national issues and economy to gain more votes. Samaras visited the city's local market and talked with shop owners.

Later on Political Spring leader went to the town of Serres, northern Greece, to held a speech in a rally of his party later in the day.

SMALL PARTIES

Left Coalition leader Nikos Konstantopoulos was in Thessaloniki, where he expressed once again his optimism for the results of the elections. He said, "These elections will confirm that there have been major changes within the greek society". His party hadn't achieved the necessary percentage to get seats in the parliament, after the last elections.

Konstantopoulos visited the Thessaloniki's Trade Fair, the city's Labour Center and the Northern Greece's press agency.

Democratic Movement's leader Dimitris Tsovolas continued his tour in the Peloponese, visiting the towns of Pyrgos and Argos.

UNIVERSITIES/REACTIONS

There were strong reactions from the main opposition party, as well as by some university deans, who say the plan's too close to the the start of fall term to be making changes.

New Democracy is accusing George Papandreou, the eduction minister, for attempting to buy the votes and hopes of the greek people, only ten days before the elections.

The education minister has sent a note to the university deans, asking them to tell him how many additional students their institutions could take in this year. Their answers should be given until Friday. But, some of them have already answered time is too short for being able to examine the issue.

The education ministry promises that every higher education institution will get additional money for each additional student it takes in. George Papandreou's goal is to get an increase of at least 30 per cent in first-year enrolments until the year 1999.

OLYMPIC WINNERS

"I'm giving this medal to you Pyrros Dimas. You made us proud twice. I thank you one more time", he told Dimas, who has got two Olympic gold medals up to now in the weight-lifting.

Greeting Yiannis Melissanides, who gave Greece a gold medal in gymnastics, Stefanopoulos said, "You were fantastic, we all admired you. I wish you every progress, my boy, not only in sports, but also in the rest of your studies". 19-year-old Melissanides is a also a medical student.

Nikos Kaklamanakis, who picked up gold number four in wind-surfing, said, "It's very touching to see the state as well as the common people to honour you, but for us the greatest satisfaction is to see more and more young people being involved with sports".

And, Niki Bakoyianni, silver medalist in the women's high jump, wished Greece to honour even more Olympic winners every four years.

Several politicians attended the awarding ceremony, most of whom refused to make any political comments on the upcoming elections. New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert said "All of Greeks, and especially we, the politicians, should do what our Olympic winners did : to raise the Greek flag". And, New Democracy MP Fani Pali Petralia added, "Greece's Olympic winners showed us the way to consent, a way that we all should follow in other fields of our country's life as well".

TRAIN BOOK

Greece's Train Organisation, in cooperation with Northern Greece's Book Editors Association, launched an original campaign for Greek books.

Thousands of books will be travelling on the "Book Train " from Thessaloniki to entire Greece, reaching the Balkan countries by the year 1997.

Giorgos MarandElos, vice-president of the Northern Greek Book Editors Association, explains, "This train is carrying civilisation, education, art".

The train will travel to all of the Greek remote areas, where book lovers will have the chance to get closer to thousands of editions.

© ANT1-Radio 1996

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