Antenna News in English 091096

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

News in English, of 09/10/1996

TITLES

• Turkish jet fighters violate Greek and Cypriot airspace.
• More state spending cuts on the way.
• And, the ecumenical orthodox patriarch undaunted by muslim extremists.

KAKLAMANIS

At least 10 of the Pasok MPs present didn't vote for Kaklamanis in the first round - a fact he chalks up to personal bitterness.

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas says the close vote call is not a political problem for Pasok.

But New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert called the first ballot outcome a political defeat for the prime minister. He advised Kostas Simitis to ask himself just how much confidence parliament has in him.

New Democracy MP Giorgos Souflias called the vote the new government's first political defeat. He added that Pasok is a party divided.

There were also stray votes in the New Democracy camp. 104 of its 108 deputies voted. But in the first round, its nominee, Anna Psarouda Benaki picked up just 95 votes. In the second round, that dropped to 94.

After his re-election, Kaklamanis thanked all those who had voted for him, and said he respected all those who hadn't.

Promising to be the president of all the MPs, he urged the deputies to be aware of their responsibilities to the nation.

He called the new parliament a critical one, as it will debate and legislate during a period of political change in the Balkans and all over the world.

Kaklamanis said that world political stability has been replaced by fluidity in recent years. New centres of economic power are attempting to undermine democratic institutions, and the information technology revolution has added to what Kaklamanis called the dangerous state of flux.

Ideals have been shaken too, Kaklamanis added, weakened at both the collective and the personal levels.

In this situation, parliament is the historic guarantee of democracy, he said. The parliamentary system has proved over hundreds of years that it can weather ideological clashes and crises. It is up to the deputies in the new parliament to ensure that it can rise to the challenge again today.

EXERCISES/TURK PLANE

The two pilots parachuted out of the craft before it crashed. One of the two pilots on board was found alive shortly after the accident.

A Greek rescue crew picked Satsekli Osman up off the coast of Chios. He was taken to a hospital in Chios and is reportedly in satisfactory condition after suffering burns and numerous bone fractures. He thanked the Greek crew for rescuing him.

Crews continued their search for the other pilot into the night Tuesday.

The crash was apparently caused by a technical problem in the aircraft.

Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Sermet Atatsanli claims that the Turkish F-16 was on a normal training mission.

Before the Aegean accident, there were dozens of engagements between 18 Greek and 18 Turkish fighters over Nicosia, Cyprus.

Turkish fighters repeatedly violated free-Cypriot airspace Tuesday, as the joint Greek-Cypriot land, sea, and air exercises "Victorious" continued.

Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said the violations aren't surprising, given Turkey's quote "irrational and unorthodox foreign policy tactics".

FYROM

The former Yugoslav Republic has angered Greece by trying to call itself "Macedonia" - a name with deep roots in Greek history.

United Nations talks to resolve the issue are in progress.

UN mediator Cyrus Vance will meet with Christos Zacharakis, the Greek ambassador to the UN, and Fyrom envoy Ivan Tosefski, in Geneva next Monday.

The aim of the meeting is to work out a compromise on what Fyrom will be called in its relations with third countries and by international organisations.

UN diplomatic sources say that the so-called "triple name" solution is on the table. Under that plan, Fyrom would use "Macedonia" domestically, third countries would call it by another name, while Greece would choose yet another name if it wanted to.

ECONOMY

Antenna has learned that Pasok is planning a public administration hiring freeze for 1997. Only one new employee will be hired for every five who leave the civil service.

State hospitals will get more hands - 5,600 new employees. And the labour ministry is being authorised to create 50 thousand state-subsidised jobs.

The government wants to place tighter controls on public funding.

Privatisation of state industry is to be speeded up; some state organisations will be abolished, others merged.

The finance ministry is going to clamp down on tax evaders and reduce the number of tax breaks.

Pasok is reportedly getting ready to give the farmers a break, and take steps to help them manage their debt burden.

Wage-earners will probably pay more income tax. The government may raise the tax on annual incomes over 17 thousand dollars from 30 to 35 per cent. Similar increases are expected on incomes of over 30 thousand dollars.

PASOK

Kostas Simitis said government members must work collectively, and implement policies even when there is resistance to them.

Asking his MPs to ignore the political cost of unpopular policies, Simitis said Pasok's only yardstick should be what's good for Greece.

NEW DEMOCRACY

Evert resigned following Pasok's election victory last month. But he was re-elected party leader over opponent Giorgos Souflias last week.

At a meeting of the party's MPs, Evert called talk of his being replaced at the next party congress "silly".

PATRIARCHATE

Patriarch Vartholomeos talked to Antenna a week after an illegal islamic group bombed the patriarchate.

Islamic Great East Raiders Front claimed responsibility for the the attack on the compound, which caused damage to the church there.

Vartholomeos says, "We aren't afraid because we have God and history on our side".

Fotis Xydas, the Greek consul general in Constantinople, says that the Turkish police haven't released the findings of their investigations. But Greeks in the city consider the attack the work of religious fanatics.

There were no casualties in the bombing. But Vartholomeos says the night watchman at the church was lucky - it was a matter of chance that he wasn't near the explosion site: he'd forgotten something inside the building and gone to get it.

OLYMBICS 2004

The request was made at a reception in Athens Monday night. The committee briefed the country's Olympic medalists on the Athens bid.

Olympic weight-lifting gold medalist Pyros Dimas said, "We're ready to do our best for the 2004 games because all Greeks need them here".

Athens is competing against Buenos Aires, Capetown, Constantinople, Leeds, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, St Petersburg, San Juan, Seville, and Stockholm.

The winning city will be announced in the autumn of 1997.

© ANT1-Radio 1996

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