Antenna: News in English (AM), 97-08-20

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

News in English, 20/08/97

TITLES

• Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Vartholomeos bids farewell to Greece with a message of peace
• Sightings of Lady Di vacationing in Greece have reporters wondering on which island she will turn up next
• Athens 2004 committee holds floating concert hoping to win the bid for the upcoming Olympics

PATRIARCH

Wrapping up his visit to the island of Chios, not far from the Turkish coast, ecumenical patriarch Vartholomeos said that being so near to Turkey, he could not leave Greece without expressing his hope that the two countries will be able to enjoy the relations of good neighbours.

Peaceful coexistence and productive cooperation between the Greek and Turkish peoples are the only rational choice, he said.

Leaders in both countries, he added, can offer nothing better or realistic to their nations than peace, he added.

Turkey's threats to annex Cyprus in response to European Union plans to make Cyprus an EU member, have troubled Greek-Turkish relations in recent days.

But Vartholomeos hopes the new tension can be overcome, and the spirit of the Madrid Agreement can prevail, and that all problems troubling Greek- Turkish relations can be solved.

At the Nato summit in Madrid last month, Greece and Turkey signed a non- aggression pact. That agreement binds both sides to respect international law and each others sovereign rights. And to refrain from acts that might cause problems.

Vartholomeos's last stop before leaving Chios Tuesday, was in Mesta, Monday. There, he said a mass, and expressed his hope that problems between the orthodox and Catholic churches can be overcome.

The ecumenical patriarch will be back in Greece at the end of September. In Thessaloniki, he's organising the International Ecology Symposium. The focus of the Thessaloniki meeting will be pollution in the Black Sea.

CYPRUS

The Turkish side insists that before UN talks can move forward, the European Union must rescind its invitation to Cyprus to join the EU.

Bulent Ecevit, vice president of the Turkish government, says Cyprus is being pushed toward unification with the EU and Greece.

In response, he adds, Turkey is taking steps to annex occupied northern Cyprus.

In an interview, Ecevit, prime minister when Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974, says Turkey has already taken annexation steps in the economic sphere.

The Turks threaten to make the division of Cyprus permanent by institutionalising it. Greece and Cyprus are working hard at the diplomatic level, in the run-up to Wednesday's meeting of the UN security council, where the breakdown in last week's Cyprus talks will be discussed.

Greece and Cyprus want the UN to state for the public record that it was the Turkish-Cypriot stance that resulted in the failure of the talks.

CRETE/GONZALES

Antenna revealed that senior airman Larry Gonzales has been missing for seven days.

Through his job in communications, Gonzales had constant access to top secret information, and would have full knowledge of US and Nato activities in the Mediterranean on a daily basis.

So, his disappearance has raised added concern among the American and Greek authorities, investigating the case.

Within the week, FBI agents are expected to arrive in Crete to help with the search.

Gonzales was often seen in the company of two Englishwomen in the period before his disappearance. His car was found abandoned in the area of Akrotiri.

The authorities believe he either left Greece under an assumed name, or fell victim to some crime.

The US authroities in Crete are revealing no information relating to the case.

LADY DI

On Monday, An amateur cameraman captured the first to video Lady Di. Here we see her diving into the waters at the beach of Kiparissi, in the southeastern Peloponese.

Later, the former princess turned up on the island of Hydra, and the yacht she's been travelling on was spotted off Simos beach on the island of Elafonissos.

On Tuesday, Diana was videoed sunbathing on the deck of her yacht off the coast of Trizinia, near Hydra.

This scenic spot has been visited by former US president George Bush and Britain's Prince Charles in the past.

Everyone's scratching their heads about where she'll appear next. She hasn't shown up at the one place she's been most expected - the island of Inousses in the eastern Aegean.

For days, locals and reporters from around the world have had their cameras ready for a Diana visit to Chrysanthi Laimos, wife of the shipping magnate.

Mayor Dimitris Halkias is one of the people who believes she'll show up, eventually.

QUAKES

Some 1200 scientists are deliberating on quake- related matters at the 29th general assembly of the international association of seismology in Thessaloniki.

Greek seismologist Vassilis Papazachos explains how the Mexican system works.

Receivers placed near the epicentre of a big quake pick it up as it starts. That would give us anywhere from five to fifteen seconds to warn distant regions that will be affected by the quake, before it reaches them.

Seismologist Vassilis Karakostas adds though that the system will be of little use in Greece. "We're not hit by many quakes with large epicentres far away from Greece", he explains.

Meaning it is difficult to give early warning after a quake has started at its epicentre.

KARAMANLIS

During their summertime tet-a-tet, the two men discussed how things are going for Greece's main opposition party, founded by the elder Karamanlis in 1974.

They also talked about political developments in general.

FLAMES OF ATLANTIC

Director Vassilis Maros was honoured for his efforts at preserving the history of the island of Hydra, which has a rich naval tradition. Their brave sacrifice - doing their job at risk of life and limb - is a glorious page from the history of the Greek merchant marine.

It's a story retold in Vassilis Maros's documentary, "In the Flames of the Atlantic".

The director chose Hydra, an island which lost many sailors during the war, as the place for the showing of the first part of his film.

"Hydra lost many men", he said at the film showing. "No one knows who they all were, or how many. But it's an honour for us to remember them".

Hydra mayor Konstantinos Anastopoulos says the island is proud of the glorious moments from the past, when the Greek flag went everywhere despite the dangers.

Maros spent 2 years researching his documentary in dusty American, British, and German archives. He also collected eye witness accounts of events from Greek sailors who crosed the seas during that perilous time.

Taken together, the fruits of his research constitute a valuable gift to the young and posterity.

"All the material is authentic", he says. "I've selected it so future generations can see how those men struggled".

The documentary was put together with the assistance and encouragement of Antenna president Minos Kyriakou, and was shown on Antenna for the first time in April, 1994.

During the war, Greek sailors were up against with monstrous waves, torpedos, invisible mines, and merciless warplanes. Their only weapons were desire and determination.

Their story has now been preserved forever. Among those who watched the showing of the documentary in

Hydra were a number of local sailors who survied the Second World War. Once again, they lived through the harrowing voyages across the bitter cold waters of the Atlantic.

Retired sailor Lukas Anargyros says many of those in the film are no longer alive.

Konstantinos Stravelakis, also a retired seaman, says he knew more than half the people who appear in the documentary.

Hydra honoured Maros for another film, "The Child and the Dolphin", a milestone in the island's history.

XANTHOU

But at an international meet in Belinzana, Switzerland Monday, Xanthou improved on that, with a first-place jump of 7.03 metres. That's the second- best jump in the world this year.

2004 CONCERT

The Athens 2004 committee held a floating concert off the coast of suburban Athens Monday night.

Some 8 thousand Athenians of all ages turned up to hear LukianOs Kila- idonis and a number of his musician guests perform on a floating platform.

It was Kilaidonis's first concert in 14 years. He and Poly Panou, Manolis MitsiAs, GlikerEEa, Vangelis Germanos, and Eleni Dimou played in the hope that Athens will get the 2004 games.

Kilaidonis told the audience, "Let's hope we'll be back here in 20 days, celebrating Athens' success in landing the Olympics".

For some people, like this woman, the concert was a chance at reliving the old days under a romantic August full moon.

For others, like this young man, it was a chance to listen to the music again at an age when they're old enough to appreciate it.

But then, maybe you're never to young to appreciate good music. One little girl said. "It's a beautiful night. I like the songs".

NBC/2004

In a phone poll, NBC asked people which of the five candidate cities they think should host the games.

The result was Athens, hands down. As you can see, the Greek capital is the choice of 62 per cent of those polled.

All the others are way back, Cape Town being the only other city to poll more than 10 per cent.

PORTO HELI

The concert was the last major event in a series of open air performances in the resort town this summer.

Pianist Grigoris Zabaras, accompanied by the local symphony orchestra, stole the show.

The 20-year-old Zabaras was one more example of the outstanding musicians who've helped make the festival a success.

Residents and visitors to Porto Heli go away with a sweet taste in their mouths, of having been close to art during the holiday period. Many people, like this woman, are already looking forward to next summer's delights.

© ANT1 Radio 1997

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