Antenna News in English 260996

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

News in English, of 26/09/1996

TITLES

• The prime minister's call for all Greeks to help take the country forward.
• New Democracy searches for a unity formula.
• And, Olympiakos and Pao come up short.

CABINET

The new cabinet members arrived at the presidential mansion together and on foot, to take their oathes before president Kostis Stephanpoulos, and with the blessing of orthodox archbishop of Greece, Serafeim.

Prime minister Kostas Simitis said his government's goal now is to work quickly and effectively at sovling the nation's problems.

But he added that the government alone isn't enough to take Greece forward into the 21st century. All Greeks need to make an effort. "It's everyone's battle", he explained, "It belongs even to those who didn't vote for us".

People can contribute to making the country stronger by presenting ideas for improvements in their workplace, and through their actions.

The prime minister also made a direct appeal to those on the left side of the political spectrum. "Our election victory", he said, "belongs not just to us, but to other forces, to the centre-left, to all those who want progress, who want the country to play a different role" in the world.

With his election victory, Kostas Simitis is now fullly in control of the government. The ministers are now his ministers, he has a direct mandate from the voters. The foreign policy challenge before him now, as he sees it, is to contribute to expanding Greece's regional influence economically and diplomatically, and giving the country a stronger voice in Europe. On the home front, he says his task is to continue rationalising the economy, while taking care of those in society who need assistance.

DEFENCE MINISTRY

Gerasimos Arsenis handed the ministry over to its new boss, Akis Tsochatzopoulos, on Tuesday, stressing the need to be ever-ready to deter Turkish aggression.

Arsenis said, "I can't hide my belief that there is danger ahead". The doctrine that 'Greece is small, Turkey strong' is a thing of the past, he added. Arsenis said the joint Greece-cyprus defence doctrine is a strong deterrent of Turkish aggression. Turkey, he explained, understands only force, and must understand that Greece will defend itself when necessary.

Tsochatzopoulos said that the Greek people believe the armed forces are essential to defending their country. The armed forces are a guarantee against all threats, he added.

The incoming defence minister had special praise for the young people in uniform.

PANGALOS-CHRISTOPHER

Pangalos met with US Secretary of State Warren Christopher on the sidelines of the 51st UN General Assembly meeting.

Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus issue were at the centre of their discussions.

Asked about expressed US intentions to help solve the Cyprus problem, Pangalos said Greece welcomes all positive efforts to end the Turkish occupation of the northern part of the island.

As for US mediation of Greek-Turkish differences, Pangalos said that concerns only getting Turkey to take its territorial claims against Greece to the international court. It has nothing to do with getting Greece to negotiate over its sovereign rights.

Christopher told Pangalos the US will continue to support Greece's view, internationally-accepted, that international treaties determine borders, and that any interpretation problems should go to the court.

PAPANDREOU/ARSENIS

Announcing the new cabinet, the government spokesman said Tuesday that Gerasimos Asenis was being made education secretary, because Pasok believes special attention must be given to the needs of the country's youth.

That didn't go down well with outgoing education minister Georgos Papanadreou, who was made alternate foreign minister.

Feeling his education work was being degraded, Papandroeu reportedly considered refusing a place in the new cabinet.

The misunderstanding was cleared up when the prime minister talked to him. Later, Kostas Simitis said publicly that Papandreou had done well at education, and was being moved to foreign affairs because of the country's growing need for more personnel, especially younger people.

PAPANTONIOU

Iannos Papantoniou is the man at the wheel as far as the economy goes. He will stay with the policies he implemented during the last Pasok government.

Taking over the finance ministry from Alekos Papadopoulos, and renewing his tenure at the national economy ministry, Papantoniou said Pasok has been successful in its fight against inflation, and will continue efforts to lower it still further.

Explaining the rationale behind merging the two economy-related ministries, Papantoniou said that joining them will contribute to making sure the government's policies continue to bear fruit.

N.�.

Now, for New Democracy, the question is twofold: what kind of leadership image does the party want to project, and who would be able to best preserve party unity as party leader?

MP Dora Bakoyianni, who often criticised effort for lacking political clarity, has already said she would like to be party leader.

So has hard-line monetarist Stefanos Manos.

But Evert has not said he won't seek the leadership mantle again. some 60 New Democracy MPs are said to have signed a petition supporting him as leader.

If Evert does throw his hat into the ring, then former prime minister Constantinos Mitsotakis could do the same.

Iannis Kefalloyiannis says its Mitsotakis's right to run for the party leadership again.

But Manos says it's time to put the Evert- Mitsotakis feud in the past.

He told reporters Wednesday, "For six years, there's been a civil war between Mitsotakis and Evert. It's cost us two electoral defeats. That's enough". Manos believes that if the feud goes on, there is a danger of a split in the party.

Bakoyianni, Mitsotakis's daughter, proposes that a transitional, or temporary, leader be chosen now, and a permanent leader selected by the party's congress later.

She argues that that would give the candidates time to get their views across to party members, and that it would thus be a solution in the best of democratic traditions.

She would like former prime minister Tzannis Tzannetakis to be the transitional leader. She says he is the man Evert chose to head the party's election committee, and is a man famous for his democratic sensibilities.

But the Bakoyianni proposal has been roundly rejected. After a meeting of top party members Wednesday, Stavros Dimas, head of the party's parliamentary group, said that the party charter does not allow for transitional leaders.

Dimas is accepting nominations for the leadership. All a nominee requires is the signatures of five MPs in support of his or her candidacy.

The election of the new leader is expected next week.

SOCCER

Up against Warsaw's Legia in Poland, Pao goes down to a 2-nil defeat. The home team gets its first goal in the 60th minute.

As time winds down, Pao looks safe though. Its earlier 4-2 victory in Athens will give it the aggregate advantage if the scoring stops there.

But the Poles score again just before the final whistle blows. Legia goes on to the next round because of its two goals on the road in Athens.

It's the same story for Olympiakos, playing the return match against Budapest's Ferentsvaros.

Olympiakos lost 3-1 in Budapest, and can't turn that around at home. The Hungarians scrape through to the next round with a 2-2 draw and the better aggregate.

BASKETBALL

Iraklis is undefeated in its 6-team group after two games.

Apollon is 1 and 1 in the same tourney, after dropping 74-71 decision to another Belgian team, Ostende.

© ANT1-Radio 1996

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