Greece to extradite woman for German disco bomb
NEWS IN DETAIL
Gov't says: Farmers' protests won't affect 'course of economy'
National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou assured yesterday that the
course of the economy would not be adversely affected by a fresh round of
farmers protests, which began yesterday.
Speaking to the press after a 70 minute meeting with Prime Minister Costas
Simitis focusing on issues concerning the government's economic policy, Mr.
Papantoniou described as "satisfactory" the course of the economy,
stressing that the government was d etermined to stick to its policy.
"When the protests were widespread, inflation was not affected adversely at
all," he said.
Mr. Papantoniou said he also discussed with the premier the absorption of
European Union funds and implementation of the budget.
Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said the government had taken all the
precautionary measures necessary to prevent the occupation of public
buildings by farmers.
Mr. Reppas expressed disapproval at a movement to blockade the Agrotica
trade fair in Thessaloniki, accusing the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) of
triggering the movement.
Exporters call for measures to prevent farmers' blockades
The Panhellenic Exports Association called on National Economy and Finance
Minister Yiannos Papantoniou to take measures against new blockades by
protesting farmers.
In a letter to Mr. Papantoniou, association representatives requested that
the minister, in his capacity as "head of the Greek economy," should take
all necessary measures in order to avert a new blow to export activity.
"International importers are beginning to wonder whether they can count on
their Greek supplies led to cancel specific exports and thus undermine
export activity," it added.
Some 600,000 people are employed in the export sector in Greece, which
records annual revenues of some $12 billion (2.6 trillion drachmas).
Russian envoys to tour Athens, Nicosia and Ankara
Two envoys of Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov will visit Ankara,
Athens and Nicosia in order to highlight Moscow's will to play an active
role in finding a solution to problems in the southeastern Mediterranean,
particularly with regards to the Cyprus problem.
The director of the third directorate for European Affairs at the Russian
foreign ministry, Vladimir Tchizov, and deputy director of the ministry's
international organisation's department, Aleksandr Orlov, arrived in Athens
yesterday and are scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Theodoros
Pangalos this morning.
According to diplomatic sources, Russia aims to promote an active
involvement of the five permanent members of the UN's Security Council, in
cooperation with the European Union's representative, in finding a solution
to the Cyprus issue, saying that the experience of Bosnia had shown the
need for collective action in order for problems to be faced effectively.
The same sources said Moscow is also aiming for a plan for the solution of
the Cyprus issue to be worked out by the Security Council's five permanent
members, in cooperation with the European Union's representative.
Moscow is also proposing the establishment of a permanent "contact group"
for the issue, to be comprised of representatives of the Security Council,
who will reinforce efforts by the UN Secretary General.
Negotiations for Cyprus EU accession to start 6 months after IGC
European Commission President Jacques Santer has confirmed that negotiations
for Cyprus' full EU membership will start six months after the end of the
inter-governmental Conference (IGC), clarifying that "there is no differ
ence of views in the Commission on this".
"We arrived at a total agreement regarding enlargement with Cyprus on March
6, 1995. We remain put on this agreement with Cyprus, for negotiations to
begin six months after the completion of the IGC," he said in answer to a
question in the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe.
Referring to Greek-Turkish relations, he expressed hope that problems will
be solved, and said that the Council of Ministers had dealt with this
issue.
Ciller threatens to block NATO expansion
Turkish Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller said in Rome yesterday that Ankara
had no territorial claims on Greek land, and appealed to the international
community to help spur talks with Athens to end what she called "political
nonsense".
"We have no territorial claims whatsoever at all," she said on the eve of a
meeting with an informal "contact group" with Turkey - otherwise known as
5+1 - comprised of the foreign ministers from Italy, Spain, France, Germany
and Britain.
Ms Ciller also stressed that Ankara could veto NATO expansion eastwards,
unless the European Union decided to forge closer links with Turkey.
Italian reactions
Ms Ciller's official visit caused strong reactions in the Italian
Parliament, with 21 members describing the visit as "untimely" in a letter
to Prime Ministe Romano Prodi and Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini, stressing
that a time of ongoing investigations into recent revelations regarding her
connections with drug trafficking, and continuous violations of human
rights, it is "scandalous" for the government to be reaching agreements
with her.
Turkish aircraft violate Greek airspace
Turkish aircraft violated air traffic regulations and Greek national
airspace on five occasions yesterday, reports said. Two pairs of F-16 and F-
4 aircraft entered the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) on four
occasions, engaging in violations of Greek airspace in the area between the
eastern Aegean islands of Hios, Limnos and Lesvos. In all cases, the
Turkish aircraft were identified and escorted out of national airspace by
Hellenic Air Force F-16s and F-1s.
W.C.C. protests bishop's sentence by Turkey
The Geneva-based World Council of Churches has written to Turkish Justice
Minister Sevket Kazan requesting the immediate rescinding of an Istanbul
court judgement sentencing a bishop of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to five
months imprisonment.
The court handed the suspended sentence on Metropolitan Iakovos of Laodikia
for officiating at a service at a Bulgarian Orthodox Church near Fener.
In the letter to Mr. Kazan, the World Council of Churches points out that
the Metropolitan was officiating at the invitation of the parish council
and his presence was in keeping with an agreement between the Ecumenical
Patriarchate and the Patriarchate of Sofia.
"According to this agreement," the letter says, "the Bulgarian parishes in
Istanbul are under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as the
Greek parishes in Bulgaria are under the Bulgarian Patriarchate".
Describing the court decision as "unwarranted and unlawful", the council
said it constituted "a serious breach of the internationally accepted norms
and principles of religious freedom, liberty and belief, and is violative
of church, state relations."
The letter calls on Mr. Kazan "to take immediately the necessary steps in
view of rescinding the decision of the Court."
Culture ministers begin arriving in Thessaloniki
Culture ministers from 40 countries in the Balkans, the Black Sea, the
Mediterranean and the European Union began to arrive in Thessaloniki
yesterday in order to participate in a two-day meeting of culture ministers
tomorrow.
As official guests of the Cultural Capital of Europe organisation, the
ministers will also attend a three-day opening ceremony for the Cultural
Capital.
The culture ministers of Armenia, Georgia and Jordan arrived in Thessaloniki
yesterday, while the rest are scheduled to arrive Friday.
Museum won't be built over recently discovered Lyceum
Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos has announced that a new area will be
found for the proposed "Vasili and Eliza Goulandri" Modern Art Museum in
Athens.
Following a meeting he had with Eliza Goulandri, the minister announced
that they had arrived at the decision that a museum could not exist over
the site of the recently uncovered ancient ruins believed to be Aristotle's
Lyceum.
"Co-existence is not the solution which favours the double aim: the display
of the findings on one hand, with the parallel presence of modern Greece on
the other," Mr Venizelos said.
Water pipeline inaugurated in Georgia
The board president of the National Foundation for Welcoming and Rehabilitating
Greek Expatriates (EIYAPOE), George Iakovou, inaugurated this week a
pipeline in Chalka, Georgia, for the transport of drinking water to many
villages in the region, including several that are populated by ethnic
Greeks.
The pipeline, whose construction was funded by EIYAPOE, has a length of
more than 20km.
New OTE satellite station begins operation
The Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) yesterday announced the
official operation of its new satellite station at the Thermopyles
Communications Satellite Centre.
The station will cover telephone, telex, telefax and computer data for
Inmarsat-A terminals in the east Atlantic ocean region.
The estimated investment for the satellite station is 730 million
drachmas.
Packaging '97 exhibition to be held
The international exhibition entitled "Packaging '97" will be held at the
Piraeus Port Authority's (OLP) exhibition centre from February 20-25,
sponsored by the Greek Packaging Institute and the Piraeus Chamber of
Commerce and Industry.
More than 260 companies will participate in the exhibition and will come
from the sectors of machinery and packaging systems, agricultural,
industrial and consumer packaging, storage room equipment, automation and
recycling as well as printing machin ery and systems. In another development,
exhibitors from countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia will participate
in the 10th international foodstuffs and beverages exhibition at the Peace
and Friendship Stadium from Feb. 13-17. Apart from Greek compan ies
in the sector, embassies, ministries and foreign chambers of commerce
will participate in the exhibition with national pavilions.
Technical chamber delegation in Romania
A delegation of the Technical Chamber of Greece's department of central
Macedonia (TEE/TKM) arrived in Bucharest yesterday to promote cooperation
at a scientific and business level as well as Greece's technical potential.
The delegation, due to stay in Romania for five days, is comprised of
members of TEE/TKM's board, the dean and professors of the Aristotelion
University in Thessaloniki's polytechnic school and representatives of five
construction companies from Athens and Thessaloniki. A cooperation protocol
will also be signed between TEE/TKM and the Romanian Union of Architects.
Helexpo to organise trade exhibition in Odessa
Helexpo will organise a Greek products exhibition in Odessa from March 21-
25, aimed at promoting Greek products and trade cooperation. An announcement
by the Small Manufacturers Chamber of Thessaloniki has informed its members
that it intends to cover part of the expenses of businessmen wishing to
participate in the exhibition. Products from the sectors of light Greek
industry, handicrafts and services will be exhibited at the Odessa
exhibition.
The deadline for declaring participation in the exhibition expires on Feb.
10.
Greece to extradite woman for German disco bomb
Greece will extradite a German woman, Andrea Hausler, 31, in connection
with a deadly 1986 disco bombing in West Berlin, which killed three people
and wounded 200, mostly US military personnel.
"She will be on a flight to Germany on Wednesday (today). All documents
have been signed by the justice minister and she did not appeal the
extradition order," a justice ministry offocial said.
The woman, was arrested last October in Halkidiki near the northern port
city of Thessaloniki at the request of German authorities.
WEATHER
Fair with local clouds and possible drizzle in the afternoon in most parts
of Greece. The Cyclades, eastern Peloponnese, Crete, Thrace, Thessaly and
Macedonia will be partly cloudy with moderate northerly winds becoming
stronger later in the day. Athens will be mostly sunny with temperatures
between 3-11C. Thessaloniki will be overcast with temperatures between 1-
8C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Closing rates - buying US dlr. 256.769
Pound sterling 414.537 Cyprus pd 518.419
French franc 46.033 Swiss franc 179.076
German mark 155.218 Italian lira (100) 15.953
Yen (100) 212.576 Canadian dlr. 191.000
Australian dlr. 198.102 Irish Punt 408.605
Belgian franc 7.529 Finnish mark 52.636
Dutch guilder 138.210 Danish kr. 40.732
Swedish kr. 35.166 Norwegian kr. 39.234
Austrian sh. 22.069 Spanish peseta 1.844
Portuguese escudo 1.552
(C.E.)
