Antenna News in English 081096

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

News in English, of 08/10/1996

TITLES

• The Greek prime minister calls on the EU to defend its members' territorial rights.
• Archbishop Spiridon's White House visit.
• And, Panathinaikos gets back on the basketball track.

PARLIAMENT

Pasok has 162 deputies in the new parliament. New Democracy has 108. The communist party has 11 MPs, the Left Coalition 10, and the Democratic Movement, 9.

The 296 Christian deputies present took their oath under the guidance of Serafim. They promised to "uphold the constitution" and execute their duties conscientiously.

Three of the MPs are muslims, one each from Pasok, New Democracy and the Left Coalition. Placing their hands on the Koran, they took the same oath.

Pasok MP Franglinos Papadelis was the only deputy absent. He remains in an Athens hospital, where he is recovering from a stroke he suffered last month.

On Tuesday, the MPs will elect a new president of parliament. Pasok's nominee is Apostolos Kaklamanis, who held the post in the last parliament. New Democracy is expected to nominate one of its deputies, Athanassios Tsaldaris.

SIMITIS

Whether they will meet that deadline is uncertain, and there will be a lot of negotiating before then, as the various members promote their own agendas.

For Greece, one priority issue is that of border guarantees. Prime minister Kostas Simitis told his colleagues in Dublin that the new Treaty must contain a clause stating that the borders of EU members are considered EU borders. In other words, that when a member state's borders are threatened or questioned by a non-member state, the whole of the EU will side with the EU member.

Simitis says he has made progress in bringing his colleagues around to Greece's view, but that there's much work ahead.

He told reporters in Dublin that some EU members fear being dragged into a conflict over a border issue that has nothing to do with them.

But the Greek prime minister says all he's asking for is a border clause similar to those found in all international treaties.

That is but one of many issues that will have to be resolved before the EU can put together a new charter.

In Dublin, the members tried to ensure that issues of importance to them are included in the new charter.

Another matter of great significance to Greece is unemployment. It wants the EU to make a priority out of creating jobs, and it wants the environment and EU foreign policy to be high on the agenda.

In Ireland, Germany and France argued that institutional issues should be given the most attention; namely, monetary unification. Other members, like Britain and Italy, have reservations about that.

Mr Simitis says he isn't optimistic that the EU will be able to complete its Maastricht revision by next June, but he adds that it must do its best to meet the deadline.

SPYRIDON

Spyridon, who replaced retired archbishop Iakovos in September, talked to reporters about his upcoming visit with US president Bill Clinton.

Archbishop Spiridon said he will raise a number of issues of importance to Greeks and Greek-Americans in his first visit with US president Bill Clinton.

The archbishop also called on Greeks living in the US to coordinate their efforts to promote Greek interests with the church.

"A religious leader also tends to his flock's political worries", he said.

N.D.

Andreas Andrianopoulos, industry minister in the last New Democracy government, left the party last year, unhappy with the direction the party was moving in.

Calling the Pasok election victory a "centre-left invasion of the government and its left-wing allies, which is torturing the middle classes with taxes", Andrianopoulos says the country needs something different.

Many New Democracy members believe Evert's leadership style is too soft and vague to take on Pasok. His opponent in the recent party leadership battle,

Giorgos Souflias, appears set on continuing his alliance with Stephanos Manos and Dora Bakoyianni.

Leading party member Yiannis Kefalloyianis says he believes Kostas Karamanlis, who intends to claim the top slot at the congress, would be a good leader.

But other MPs, like Vassilis Michaloliakos, believe that Evert is still the best guarantee of party unity.

TZOUMAKAS

New Democracy promised to give them big tax breaks if elected. Now, the Pasok government says legislation designed to ease the farmers' cooperatives' debt burden, will be making its way to parliament. Meeting with the prime minister, agriculture minister Stephanos Tzoumakas said the new agriculture bill will help make sure the 160-million dollar debt mountain doesn't turn into a landslide for the farmers.

The agriculture minister and the prime minister also discussed cases of bad financial management in a number of agriculture ministry offices - they agreed that those problems have got to be sorted out.

KKE / DIKKI

The communist party, which, with 11 deputies, is the the third-strongest party in parliament, says its deputies are already working on four bills to be discussed in the legislature.

Party spokesman Orestis Kolozov says the bills call for the implementation of a proportional representation elecoral system; inflation-linked pay raises for workers; and pension increases.

The 9 Democratic Movement deputies met for the first time Monday. Party leader Dimitris Tsovolas said his party's priorities are defending the interests of the Greek people. Tsovolas says many people are have serious economic problems following 7 years of economic austerity under Pasok and New Democracy governments.

MILITARY EXERCISES

Kostas Iliades made the comment following the Cypriot military exercises "Victorious". Four Greek air force F-16 fighters tood part in the exercises, held 11 miles southeast of Nicosia.

Turkey has been in occupation of northern Cyprus since 1974, and ignored United Nations calls for it to get its troops out.

In August, Turish soldiers shot dead a Greek- Cypriot man protesting the continuing Turkish military presence. There was an international outcry over that, but Turkey's aggressive behaviour continues.

Turkish fighters violated Cypriot airspace during the Greek-Cypriot exercises, shadowing Greek craft taking part in them.

Greece and Cyprus are working together to confront Turkish hostility. They've signed a joint defence agreement, and Greek government officials will visit Cyprus in November, to discuss American and European plans to resolve the Cyprus issue.

INCIDENT

Driving a stolen truck, two Turkish soldiers and one of their friends crashed through the security bars at the Greek-Turkish border in Evros in northeastern Greece.

After a police chase, the three Turks were apprehended, and charged with damaging government property and illegal entry into the country. They said they had deserted the Turkish army because of their sordid living conditions.

"We'd rather die than go back to Turkey", they said, appealing for permission to stay in Greece.

BASKETBALL WRAP

Four other teams join Olympiakos and Piraikos in third place with 2 and 1 records.

Aris gets its first loss of the season, falling to Peristeri, which picks up its second victory.

Paok nudges past Sporting, taking its record to 2 and 1.

And Panionios has two wins and a loss following its triumph over Larisa.

Elsewhere over the weekend, Iraklis demolishes Vao, and Apollon uses 32 points from Dale Ellis to dismember Papagou 97-71.

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