Antenna: News in English (AM), 97-11-28

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

Last Updated: Friday, 28-Nov-97 11:43:39

CONTENTS

[01] Simitis-London

[02] G.Papandreou-CNN

[03] Karamanlis

[04] Poll

[05] Taxes

[06] Earthquake

[07] Greenpeace

[08] Basketball

[01] Simitis-London

With the EU eager to strengthen its ties with Turkey, those issues will dominate all of Kostas Simitis's European contacts in the coming days. After London, he goes to Paris, for talks with president Jacques Chirac and prime minister Lionel Jospin.

Those meetings are considered important, since it was France that recently proposed the EU set up a conference of prospective EU members, in which Turkey would take part. Greece vetoed the proposal, citing Turkey's failure to take its claim to the Greek isle of Imia to the international court for arbitration, as the EU has requested.

No nation that refuses to recognise the court's jurisdiction can be put on track for EU membership.

[02] G.Papandreou-CNN

Appearing on CNN's Q and A, Papandreou he took phone questions from Turkish- Cypriot leader Raouf Denktash.

Raouf Denktash phoned in to Q and A from Constantinople, wanting to know why the Turkish- Cypriot community in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus is, as he claims, being excluded from the upcoming European talks accession talks.

"I'm asking Mr. Papandreou how is it that one community applies for membership, the other one says first settlement and then application".

PAPANDREOU : "Thank you, thank you, Mr. Denktash for giving me the opportunity to answer your question. Cyprus can and should become part of

the EU and I think this is in the interest very much of the Turkish- Cypriots. Now, why haven't the Turkish-Cypriots themselves asked to become part of this process and I think this is the important question that should be answered from the Turkish-Cypriots".

The Cypriot government is happy to have Turkish- Cypriot observers at the EU negotiations, but not take part in them. Only the internationally- recognised government can do that.

Asked by Q and A host Riz Khan why the Turkish- Cypriots haven't accepted the Cypriot governments offer, Denktash said Cyprus shouldn't enter the EU until the Cyprus problem is resovled.

Commenting on that, Papandreou reminded Denktash that the problem is the illegal Turkish military occupation. So it's in Turkey's hands to solve it.

Turkey has threatened to annex northern Cyprus if the EU-Cyprus talks go ahead as programmed next year.

The EU has laughed off that threat. And Papandreou, reminding Ankara that it cannot veto EU decisions, termed the threats "unconstructive".

[03] Karamanlis

Pasok is so tied into the state economy that it can't implement the policies needed to cure its ills said Kostas Karamanlis.

Many leading Pasok officials have made their living in state positions for years, he explained. They're the last people who could - or would - want to trim off the fat and sell off state enterprises.

The state's Business Restructuring Organisation - which handles state-run problem industries - should be shut down immediately says Karamanlis, and the money-losing businesses under its wing either sold or closed.

The opposition leader said Olympic Airways is an example of a state company that has not been restructured. He recommends that its subsidiaries be privatised, and that it find a strategic partner.

"If things go on like they are", warns Karamanlis, "Olympic will close down. Our solution is the only one that can give the company a future".

In his broad assault on the government, Karamanlis characterised the 1998 budget as "phony", unworkable.

The fact that the government doesn't expect Greece to join the European Currency until 2001 alone, shows that Pasok's policies are a failure, he added.

According to Karamanlis, the recent currency crisis showed starkly how weak the economy is.

And the government's back-tracking over its budget plans reveals how lacking in thought and planning the government's strategy is. That was a reference to Pasok's decision to alter its plans on income withholding tax increases, following complaints that they were placing too much of a burden on income earners' backs.

Its zig-zagging strips the government of any credibility, argues Karamanlis.

The opposition leader disapproves of next year's public sector pay raises, which will be lower than inflation. Advocating workers sharing in corporate profits, Karamanlis says raises should cover inflation.

[04] Poll

According to the survey, less than a quarter of the Greek people were satisified with the Pasok government's economic policy in July. In September satisfaction climbed to 26.5 percent, only to plummet in November.

Asked if they're happy with the way the government handled the recent drachma crisis, three-fifths said yes. A quarter answered not at all. And around 14 per cent didn't answer.

Confidence in the stock market is also mixed. A quarter have it, but half the resopndents say they don't trust it all.

[05] Taxes

As of January first, property sales and transfer taxes are sky-rocketing - in some cases by as much as 400 per cent.

For example, the inheritance tax on one property in Athens valued at 18 thousand dollars is currently 90 dollars. In the New Year, it'll be five times that.

A parent who wants to put a property worth 70 thousand dollars in one Athens neighbourhood would pay 23 hundred dollars tax. Next year, it will be nearly double that.

[06] Earthquake

Both were aftershocks, centred in the same area the 6.2 quake on November 18th.

No damages were reported Monday. Seismologists say the aftershocks were of a normal size for a large quake centred in the sea.

Residents should expect further tremors over the next several months.

[07] Greenpeace

Stationed outside the Ministry of Environment with the help of a silent, looming Tyrannosaurus Rex, members denounced global energy policies as archaic. Unless clean forms of energy are more widely used, Greenpeace fears changes in the climate from emissions will pose danger to mankind.

Driving the point home were the Greenpeace posters: "The climate's changing, you'd better change your policies".

Stelios Psomas, representative for Greenpeace Greece says, "We don't want to be the dinosaurs of our era. Just the opposite, we want a return to clean forms of energy. Governments should be taking tough measures to protect the environment, so that we can all feel secure in the knowledge that our lives won't be endangered by climate changes.

Dinosaurs disappeared from the face of the earth over a million years ago due to their inability to adapt to climate changes, Greenpeace. Man should think about it.

[08] Basketball

Greece got off on the wrong foot in its 1999 European championship qualifying round opener.

Coach Panayiotis Yiannakis was disappointed that his team didn't play as a unit. "We can only win or lose together", he says.

There was more bad news for the Greek team. Christos Miriounis is out with a back injury he suffered during the pre-game warm-ups. He's goes under the scalpel Friday. The doctors say he'll be out for a month.

On Friday, the Greek squad leaves for Slovakia, where it plays its second qualifying round game.

(c) ANT1 Radio 1997

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