Antenna: News in English (AM), 97-09-19

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

News in English 19/09/97

TITLES

• Theodoros Pangalos says Greece is not willing to legalize Turkish claims on the Aegean
• More controversy surrounding Dimitra Liani Pappandreou's biography of her late husband
• And, Olympiakos' European Champions league triumphs.

PANGALOS - SOLANA

But Greek foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos says he's told Javier Solana that Greece is not willing to legalise Turkish claims on its sovereign rights in the Aegean.

Greek foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos says that Athens remains true to the spirit of the non- aggression pact it signed with Turkey at the recent Nato summit in Madrid. That pact calls on both sides to refrain from actions that will exacerbate tensions.

Nato secretary general Javier Solana is calling for confidence building measures in the Aegean. It's a theme he brought up during a visit to Athens in February. Basically, he wants to see the summer moratorium on military exercises in the Aegean extended from two to four months; and for Athens and Ankara to provide Nato observers with details of all military flights over the sea.

Greece is skeptical, because of Turkey's continuing aggressive talk, and its insistence on claiming rights to the Greek Aegean.

Pangalos will meet with the Turkish foreign minister in New York next week.

He says that he's going into his meeting with the Turkish foreign minister in New York next week with the spirit of the non-aggression pact in mind.

But Greece is also bothered by Turkey's ongoing refusal to budge over its occupation of northern Cyprus.

The Greek foreign minister is asking the international community to put economic and military pressure on Turkey, to make it contribute to a solution of the Cyprus problem. Pangalos also wants the international community to put pressure on Turkish-Cypriot leader Raouf Denktash to sit down at the negotiating table over the Cyprus problem.

UN talks on Cyprus ran aground last month, when Denktash said there could be no progress until the European Union cancelled plans to start admission talks with the Republic of Cyprus.

PASOK

And there were disagreements about how the government should handle Turkey.

Manolis Daskalakis and Pantelis Ikonomou don't like the policy decisions that logically flow from the non-aggression pact. They also disagree with the government's step-by-step approach to better relations with Turkey.

Education minister Gerasimos Arsenis, a former defence minister, says many of the government's recommendations to the executive bureau were adopted. But he asked that the statement that the non-aggression pact strengthens peace and

Greece's international stature, be amended.

Pasok secretary Kostas Laliotis says there was general agreement with the government line, just some differences over specific points.

LIANI - RACTIONS

It started with a report in an Athens paper that Dimitra Liani Papandreou's book contains material from the late prime minister that reflects badly on current prime minister Kostas Simitis and other leading Pasok members.

Some MPs are piqued, others are reserving judgement on Mrs Papandreou's biography of her husband until it is published in three weeks.

And the former leader of New Democracy says the document is of dubious origins.

According to the Athens daily Athinaiki, the book soon to be released contains a document, supposedly a transcript of prime minister Kostas Simitis's White House conversation with US president Bill Clinton in April 1996.

In the transcript, Simitis says he'll tow the US line on major foreign policy issues.

The White House long ago claimed the document was a forgery, and the Greek government spokesman said Wednesday that if it is in Dimitra Liani Papandreou's book, it's not worth dealing with again.

Add to that the words of former New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert.

He says the document came into his hands when he was running against Simitis in the September 1996 general election.

"A reliable source gave it to me", he recalls. "The transcript, in English, not only has Simitis retreating from Greece's foreign policy positions to please the US. It also reports Clinton as being unhappy with Theodoros Pangalos as foreign minister, and wanting Giorgos Papandreou, son of the then-ailing Pasok president, to replace him. The document was unsigned", continues Evert, "and I considered it unreliable. Supposedly, the Americans sent it to Andreas Papandreou, to brief him on Simitis's trip. I couldn't use such a document in the election campaign".

Giorgos Papandreou says he doubts his father, at the time gravely ill, could even have done anything with the document had he had it; he also doubt it is part of his father's archive, as press leaks on Dimitra Liani Papandreou's book suggest.

Mrs Papandreou herself dismisses the advance press reports on her biography of her late husband. She says it's got it wrong, both concerning the content of and the intentions behind her book. She urges everyone to be patient, and wait until the book comes out.

Athinaiki says the book also contains less-than- flattering material on leading Pasok members who opposed Papandreou at the end of his career.

MPs close to Simitis responded with some anger following the rumours about what the book contains.

Leonidas Tzanis asks Mrs Liani Papandreou to quote leave us in peace, unquote. He adds: "Since she succeeded in stain the final chapter in the life of a great leader - Andreas Papandreou - since she failed to dissolve Pasok, now she's trying to blacken the name of the current prime minister. I assure her she'll fail".

Rovertos Spyropoulos says, "Pasok has distanced itself from the unhealthy period characterised by the active intervention of Liani Papandreou in party affairs". He doesn't think the book will cause any political problems.

Christos Rokofyllos agrees.

Loukas Apostolides' comment on the book leak: "They're bringing up a lot of different things that lead nowhere. But we can't start dealing with leaks and rumours. That's not politics".

Foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos, who, according to the book leak, made Andreas Papandreou bitter when he accused him of accepting bribes to build his villa in an Athens suburb said he doesn't fear the book. "We'll all read it... but I'll tell you one thing", he added, "It's OK if they say bad things about you. The worst thing is to be forgotten".

Some MPs want to read the book before making any comment at all. Giannis Skouarikis says before it's published, no one can say anything about it.

VASSO PAPANDREOU

Papandreou said that the opposition can and should play a role in development matters, through constructive criticism of government policy, and by making proposals. Papandreou said that hasn't happened yet.

Bakoyianni said development is a great challenge before the nation, and that nobody is happy with the present state of affairs.

DYSLEXIA

Pavlides will be taking part in the fourth world conference on dyslexia, to be held in Chalkidiki from Septemer 23rd to 26th.

He talked about the disorder at a press conference.

The conference will look at new ways of diagnosing dyslexia.

It is hoped that high-tech may come to the aid of sufferers. A computer is being made that can read, write, and correct texts for dyslexics.

"When someone reads a text", explains Pavlides, "their eyes normally move from left to right. the eyes of dyslexics jump around haphazardly, sometimes even going from one line to another".

Though it is a problem, the professor believes that dyslexia can be interpreted as a sign of genius. "Someone can get excellent grades in oral exams, but perform quite differently in written tests".

Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci, and Thomas Edison are among the illustrious dyslexics. Even some famous American movie stars have had the disorder. Pavlides says Cher found out she was dyslexic by accident when she brought her daughter to him for treatment.

SOCCER

And Olympiakos gets on the board with a long ball.

Just six minutes into the match, check it out: Stelios Giannakopoulos fires from way out - no chance for keeper Roui Koria.

Olympiakos one, Porto nil, and that's the way it ends. A great goal from Giannakopoulos, but the goalkeeping of Kyriakos Tochouroglou steals the show, stopping everything Ports fires his way.

In Group four of the tourney, Olympiakos and Real Madrid both have a victory, while Rozenborg joins Porto in the losers' column.

Olympiakos's next match is on the road against Rozenborg on October 1st.

SPORTS

Aek crushed Latvia's Dynabourg 5-nil in Athens Thursday night. Harris Kopitsis scored twice. The second leg of that match-up is in Latvia on October 2nd.

Earlier in the day, Aek announced that it has been bought by the British multinational company Enik Richmond. The firm paid an estimated 14.5 million dollars for a majority stake in the club.

BASKETBALL

The defending European champs began their campaign to repeat in Turkey against Efes Pilsen.

Constantinople is traditionally very good to the Piraeus team, and Thursday night is no exception. Olympiakos leads by three at the half, and, using tight defence and accurate long-range shooting by Hawkins and Tomich, goes on to a 70-67 victory.

BYZANTIUM

Now, 9 of those rare icons have made their way to Athens. "The Glory of Byzantium in Sinai" a collection of rare religious relics from a monastery on the Sinai peninsula will temporarily be housed at the newly renovated Benaki Museum.

Athenians and all those lucky enough to be in Athens will have the opportunity to gaze on a portion of one of the rarest and most impressive religious collections ever, part of the "The Glory of Byzantium" that's been at the Met in New York. The treasures from the Monastery of Saint Catherine will be on display at the newly renovated Benaki Museum.

Culture minister Evangelos Venizelos says the exhibit couldn't come at a better time, and should cause quite a stir.

Archbishop of Sinai Damianos says the Mount Sinai icons are a unique collection, in part because of their age. He adds that orthodox christians see them as items of worship, not as museum pieces.

Yiannis Kostopoulos, director of the Alpha Credit Bank, the main sponsor of the exhibition at the Met, thanked the archbishop for giving all the sponsors the opportunity to show the world the meaning of Byzantium. He's also glad part of the collection could come to Greece.

The Athens exhibition was opened by Greek president Kostis Stephanopoulos Wednesday. A number of other political leaders, including the prime minister, attended, underscoring its importance.

The exhibition closes on October 24th.

© ANT1 Radio 1997

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