Antenna: News in English (PM), 97-03-23

Antenna Radio News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

News in English, 23/03/97

TITLES

• New Democracy gets new leader.
• Hardship follows on the heels of civil strife in Albania.
• And, a photograph evokes a traumatic past in Cyprus.

NEW DEMOCRACY REVIEW

Inucmbent leader Miltiades Evert won 25 per cent of the delegates, and Vyron Polydoras the remaining 3 per cent.

MP Kostas Karamanlis looked like a sure bet after the first round of voting by the 3000 plus delegates. He had finished 10 per cent ahead of his second- round rival Giorgos Souflias, and he receied a warm embrace from Miltiades Evert, who, finishing third, failed to make the two-man run- off. Evert said he was letting his first-round voters do what they wanted in the second round, but it was clear to many that many Evert people would go to Karamanlis.

With so much going his way, Karamanlis beat Souflias in the second round, and took over at the helm of New Democracy.

ALBANIA REVIEW

Thousands of people made it to Italy, but many others were turned back.

The interim government had the task of balancing demands that president Sali Berisha resign, against the determination of Berisha supporters to come to his aid.

Perhaps nothing summed up the desperation that has the Albanian people in its grip than the scenes at the port of Durres early in the week.

Thousands of people crammed dockside, waiting to get on a boat - any boat - to Italy, or anywhere else.

Several thousand refugees made it across the Adriatic, several thousand more didn't. The exodus was stopped as ships stopped pulling in to harbour.

Behind the exodus lay the political crisis, which remained unresolved throughout the week, though the prospects of civil war appeared further off.

Rebels insisted that president Sali Berisha resign his post immediately. They issued an ultimatum for him to do so by midnight Thursday - that was ignored, and rejected by newly-appointed prime minister Baskim Fino, who has close ties to the southern rebel stronghold of Argyrokastro. Fino said legality must be upheld, and backed the planned solution to the crisis: national elections in June.

Against a background of loneliness, which included looting and violence, members of the Greek minority organisation Omonia agreed that getting rid of Berisha might not be such a good idea.

Andreas Apostolides said, "We don't think the president's resignation would solve anything. We think it would make things worse".

The rebels themselves retreated from their threat to march on Tirane to remove Berisha by force. On Friday they talked about simply bypassing him, by setting up an alternative presidential council. In northern Albania, Berisha supporters said they were ready to support the president : puttinng Fino in a difficult position, trying to balance opposing forces.

Miltiades Evert spent one of his last days as New Democracy leader in southern Albania, paying a surprise visit there Sunday, and stopping at a number of cities and villages. In the city of Argyrokastro, Evert was welcomed by the Greek consulate general, Nikos Kanellos. After their three- hour meeting, Evert said, "Greece claims nothing from any other country, what we want is peace in the Balkans and throughout the world. All of Hellenism, all the Greek political parties have a united position on Albania", he added.

Asked about Albania's newly-appointed prime minister, former Argyrokastro mayor Baskim Fino, Evert said, "Since he's been made prime minister, we support his cabinet, but Albania needs a better long-term solution, it especially needs a constitution".

In Argyrokastro, Evert also talked with rebel leaders. Agim Kozet told him that when president Sali Berisha resigns, the armed populace will surrender its weapons, but not before. "We'll go to Tirane to kick him out of office if necessary" said Kozet.

On his way to the port city of Saranta, Evert stopped off in the village of Mesopotami, where locals, ethnic Greeks and ethnic Albanians alike rushed to greet and talk to him.

In Saranta, the Greek politician was pleased to take part in the first meeting of the new local government, the political parties, and military leaders. If those forces work together, said Evert, then public order can be strengthened.

The Greek government kept close watch on the Albania situation, and expressed its concerns about wider Balkan unrest. Prime minister Kostas Simitis met with his foreign and defence ministers Monday, to discuss the terms of Greek participation in an eventual international force sent to keep order in Albania.

Foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos renewed Greece's commitment to regional security durig a visit to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

ALBANIA/ANT1 REPORTS REVIEW

SIMITIS REVIEW

Simitis made the comment during a joint press conference with his Romanian counterpart in Bucharest.

After meeting with Emil Konstandineskou, Kostas Simitis announced his intention to visit all the Balkan countries, to pursue his policy of promoting stability and cooperation in the Balkans.

In Bucharest, it was agreed that the foreign ministers of Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria should soon meet.

Simitis aims to foster a personal dialogue with Fyrom president Kiro Gligorov. Greece and Fyrom disagree over what Fyrom's permanent name should be. Fyrom wants to call itself just "Macedonia". Greece objects, saying that using the Greek name is expansionist and theft of Greek history. A picture from the past broadcast by Antenna television brought the past back to three survivors of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus together this week.

It also rekindled hope in the hearts of the parents of a man who has been missing since the bloody invasion, at least temporarily.

A photograph passed from a former Turkish officer, on active duty during the Cyprus invasion in 1974, to a Greek-Cypriot in London, ended up in the hands of Antenna Cyprus, which broadcast it.

The photo depicts three Greek-Cypriots, wounded by the Turks and taken to a Turkish hospital. All three men were released a few days after they were taken captive.

Irini Petrou was overjoyed when she thought she recognised her son in the photo. She ran to tell her friends and relatives. They all agreed that Petro was one of the men in the picture.

Their hopes were dashed though, when the chairman of the Cypriot Committee for Humanitarian Affairs publicly confirmed the names of the three men. Petros was not among them.

Ironically, while Petros's family thought they recognised him, two of the men in the photo didn't even recognise themselves when they first saw it on Antenna.

Haralabos Haralambous says, "At first I didn't recognise anyone in the picture. But when I heard the name Karaolis on TV, it all came back".

The other two men in the photos, Michalis Karaolis and Sotiris Kyratzis, recall their experience as Turkish prisoners.

Says Karaolis, the only one who recognised himself in the picture, "I remember Sotiris trying to get away, and meeting up with him again two days later, when I though he was dead and he thought I was dead...we couldn't believe it".

Haralabous is particularly moved that Irini Petrou suffered the disappointment of finding that he was the man she thought was her son.

"I'm sad for them", he says, "they believed they were seeing their son".

Like everyone, he shares the hope of Irini and the rest of Petros's family, that her son will one day be found.

© ANT1 Radio 1997

Antenna Radio News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article