First successful Cochlea implant operation in Athens
NEWS IN DETAIL
NATO chief talks today in bid to defuse Greek-Turkish tension
NATO Secretary General Javier Solana arrives here today for crucial talks
with the Greek government leadership in a bid to defuse tension between
Athens and Ankara as Turkish warplanes continued to violate Greek airspace
in the Aegean.
Solana's visit was preceded by a 90-minuted high-level meeting chaired by
Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday with Foreign Minister Theodoros
Pangalos and National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos which, according
to sources, focused on Greek-Turkish relations in the light of Ankara's
recent provocations and Mr. Solana's visit.
No statements were made after the meeting but according to reports, Mr.
Solana will attempt to advance proposals aimed at improving Greek-Turkish
relations. Mr. Solana's proposals, according to the same sources, include
establishment of a "hot line" linking Athens, NATO and Ankara for the avoid
ance of serious incidents between Greece and Turkey.
Other proposals envisage the placement of NATO observers on Greek and
Turkish warships sailing in the Aegean and the continued operation of the
RAP (Reconnaissance Aircraft Projector) system, which provides NATO
headquarters in Naples with a picture of what is going on in the Aegean.
Mr. Solana is also expected to discuss the issue of NATO headquarters in
Greece.
More violations of Athens FIR reported
Five formations of Turkish warplanes yesterday infringed Athens Flight
Information Region (FIR) regulations and in some cases violated Greek
airspace, according to national defence ministry sources. The infringements
and violations by four formatio ns of Turkish F-16 and F-4 fighters and a
pair of RF-4 jets took place between the eastern Aegean islands of Hios,
Lesvos and Samos, the sources said.
The Turkish warplanes were intercepted by Hellenic Air Force F-16, F-1 and
Mirage 2000 fighters.
ANA's Internet service gets 'Best of Europe' award
The ANA's web site on the Internet has been chosen by Europe Online for its
"Best of Europe" award, based on criteria including the user-friendly
interface, navigation, content and updating of the site.
In a letter announcing the award, Europe Online congratulated the ANA on
its "excellent web site and for contributing in such a quality way to the
overall presence of Europe on the Internet".
The award means that ANA's web site will be featured in the Europe Online
Gateway to the Internet in the "News & Weather" section for Greece.
In cooperation with the Greek Internet provider "Forthnet", the ANA
provides information to tens of thousands of Greeks and foreigners with two
daily news bulletins, one in Greek and one in English.
The English bulletin is updated twice daily and the Greek three times. Both
are immediately updated in the case of sudden important events.
Costas Karamanlis announces candidacy for ND`s top post
Main opposition New Democracy deputy Costas Karamanlis, a nephew of the
former president of the republic and ND's founder Constantine Karamanlis,
last night officially announced that he would contest the leadership of the
party at next month's congress.
In announcing his candidacy, Mr. Karamanlis said the party had to rid
itself of personal antagonisms plaguing it for a number of years, and make
the great leap forward, a leap in quality and effectiveness, without big
words, but with certainty, self-con fidence and a sense of responsibility
and optimism.
G. Papandreou holds talks with Italian counterpart Fascino
Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou and Italian Foreign Undersecretary
Piero Fascino held prolonged and very constructive talks here yesterday,
while an official announcement by the Italian foreign ministry said a wide
convergence of views was ascertained on issues concerning a peaceful
settlement in the southeastern Mediterranean, the Aegean, Cyprus and the
Balkans.
Mr. Papandreou gave an in-depth explanation of Greece's position on Greek-
Turkish relations and the Cyprus issue at the General Affairs Council last
Monday and Tuesday, and thanked Mr. Fascino on the different position he
observed compared to other member-states that proposed a change in
phraseology, expressing the conviction that Italy has the intention of
contributing constructively in Greek efforts to have the Cyprus issue
resolved.
Greek diplomat meets with Bosnian Serb officials
Greece's charge d'affaires in Sarajevo, Rousos Koundouros, held a meeting
in Pale yesterday with the Serb representative to Bosnia's cabinet Boro
Bosic. The meeting focused on economic cooperation between Greece and the
Serb Republic with particular emphasis on the deepening of relations
between the Serbian and the Greek peoples. Mr. Bosic expressed his
gratitude for Greece's humanitarian and political aid to the Bosnian Serbs
during the recent war and called for more specific cooperation to be
examined in the following meetings. Mr. Koundouros also met Alexa Bouha,
the interior minister of the Bosnian Serbs.
Amnesty International official meets with premier
Prime Minister Costas Simitis held talks yesterday with the president of
the Greek department of Amnesty International, Kostis Papaioannou, who
handed him an appeal for Greece's help in order to establish a permanent
international criminal court for crimes against humanity.
An Amnesty International campaign for this purpose has received support
from 10,000 Greek citizens.
Mr. Papaioannou briefed Mr. Simitis on Amnesty International's concern over
a series of other human rights issues, such as policies on asylum and
refugee issues and the establishment of alternate social service for
conscientious objectors.
Cochlea implant operation in Athens
The first successful operation in Athens for implanting a mechanical
cochlea into a deaf patient's ear was conducted at the Ippokrateio hospital
a few days ago.
The recipient of the new cochlea was a 28-year-old woman who became deaf at
the age of two due to typhus. Speaking during a press conference yesterday,
the surgeons who conducted the operation said it involved implanting an
electronic device into the pa tient's ear, which converts sound waves into
codified electrical pulses, which in turn activate the brain's sound
receptors, resulting in the sensation of hearing.
The director of the Ippokrateio's Otorhinolaryngology department, G.
Adamopoulos, said the cochlea implant can be used only in certain cases,
and only when the patient is completely deaf. He clarified that it does not
act in the same way as hearing aids , as these simply reinforce existing
hearing.
The Ippokrateio doctors said that over the last few years, they have seen a
significant increase in the number of new cases, mainly young people, with
impaired hearing most of whom either use a walkman on high volumes, or go
to nightclubs where music is played at very high volumes.
Doctors referred to a study which they conducted on 5,500 pupils from the
Argolida region, saying that eight were deaf from one ear, although neither
they nor their parents had realised anything was wrong.
Thessaloniki carnival parade scheduled
Thessaloniki's Cultural Capital Organisation (OPPE) is to organise a
carnival parade in the northern port city this year, the organisation has
announced.
A carnival parade, traditionally held on the last Sunday of the carnival
season before Orthodox Lent, has never been held in Thessaloniki before.
This year it will run from next Thursday to Monday, in cooperation with the
Italian Cultura dei Mari Founda tion, six Italian areas which traditionally
organise carnival events, such as Venice, Sardinia and Naples and with the
northern Greek municipalities which organise their own annual carnival
events.
OPPE is to spend 205 million drachmas in Thessaloniki for the carnival
events, which will include an all-night party after the parade.
3E subsidiary acquires majority of Yugoslav soft drinks bottler
The Greek firm Bulkaninvest, which belongs to the 3E group of companies,
has become the majority shareholder of Yugoslavia's largest soft drinks
manufacturer IBP Beograd, after purchasing 68 per cent of the company's
share s.
Balkaninvest purchased the shares for approximately $US15 million.
The company said it has plans to invest another $US24 million for the
modernisation of the company's installations, increased production and
improving the distrubution network.
Spata airport's construction consortium meets with Papoutsis
The leadership of the consortium constructing the new Athens airport at
Spata as well as executives of the German Hochtief group met here yesterday
with EU Commissioner Christos Papoutsis.
Consortium president and managing director, Haris Stamatopoulos and Georg
Sil, respectively, held talks with Mr. Papoutsis, with discussions centring
on the special airport construction tax Greece levies on all flights to
destinations abroad, as well as the warning letter the European Commission
has addressed to Greece on the matter.
The commission considers that the practice contravenes Community legislation
regarding determination of airfare prices according to distance.
Well-informed sources said that the Greek EU Commissioner pointed out that
a similar problem exists in eight of the 15 member-states of the EU, and
therefore, the issue could be subject to joint consultations between the
interested parties on a comprehensive basis.
Greece bestows honour on Dumas
Greece's ambassador to Paris Haralambos Korakas will represent Greek
President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos at a ceremony today to
bestow the Grand Commandeur de L'Ordre d'Honneur on the president of the
Constitution al Court of France, Roland Dumas.
Mr. Dumas has previously served as European affairs minister (1983-84), a
deputy of the French Socialist Party (1984) and foreign affairs minister
(1988-93).
He was also president of the Greek-French Movement for Democracy in Greece
during the reign of the Greek colonels in 1967-1974, actively helping to
return democracy to Greece and thousands of Greek political exiles.
Young Greek painter wins prestigious French award
Greek painter Achilleas Papakostas yesterday beat out 533 contenders from
41 countries to win France's prestigious Paul-Louis Weiller award from the
Academy of Fine Arts.
Papakostas was born in Athens in 1970 and is a graduate of the Athens
School of Fine Arts. He moved to Paris in 1996 to study at the Paris School
of Fine Arts.
WEATHER
Cloudiness with rainstorms and a drop in temperatures is forecast for most
of Greece today, accompanied by gale force winds in the Aegean and Ionian
Seas and snowfalls in the mountainous regions. Athens will be cloudy and
rainy with a possible rainstorm in the evening and temperatures between 7-
14C. Same in Thessaloniki with temperatures between 0-7C.
SPORTS
Cyclades '97 yacht race in July
This year's fourth consecutive open sea yacht race "Cyclades '97" will be
accompanied by music and other festivities including a photography
competition, organisers told a press conference.
Entrants to the competition will be restricted to the captains and crew of
the participating yachts. The first stretch of the race, from Phaliro to
Milos (81 nautical miles), will be held on July 5, to be followed by Milos-
Ios (48 n.m.) on July 7, Ios- Serifos (43 n.m.) on July 10 and Ios-Serifos
(55 n.m.) on July 12.
Sports subsidies slide
Subsidies for 35 sports federations in 1997 will be slightly decreased this
year, according to a relevant table unveiled by the sports secretariat
yesterday.
The total amount of subsidies is 10.46 billion drachmas, compared to 10.62
billion drachmas last year.
He said there will be a separate amount covering international sports
events taking place in Greece and a prediction that federations whose
athletes have distinguished themselves in Olympic Games will receive
bonuses. The largest amounts will be allocated to basketball (1.4 billion),
volleyball (1.1 billion), swimming-water polo (1.8 billion), soccer (1.2
billion), athletics (800 million), wrestling (730 million) and weightlifting
(600 million).
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Thursday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 261.719
Pound sterling 426.441 Cyprus pd 518.816
French franc 45.983 Swiss franc 177.112
German mark 155.020 Italian lira (100) 15.592
Yen (100) 216.177 Canadian dlr. 191.258
Australian dlr. 202.963 Irish Punt 413.763
Belgian franc 7.517 Finnish mark 52.068
Dutch guilder 137.923 Danish kr. 40.642
Swedish kr. 34.982 Norwegian kr. 39.029
Austrian sch. 22.032 Spanish peseta 1.827
Portuguese escudo 1.546
(C.E.)
