Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 97-06-28
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 28/06/1997 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- European socialist finance ministers meet in Athens
- Delors encourages more meetings among european socialists
- President Clerides to visit Athens
- Greece calls for smooth holding of elections in Albania
- Presidential decrees on illegal immigrants approved by Cabinet
- Tourism better, but work still to be done
- Greek ethnic leaders in Albania kidnapped as violence continues
- US maintains 7:10 aid ratio
- Tsohatzopoulos speaks to expatriate groups in NY
- G. Papandreou meets with Australian FM Downer
- Patriarchate to abstain from Vatican throne celebration
- Weather
- Foreign exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
European socialist finance ministers meet in Athens
Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis told a group of socialist finance
ministers from European Union member-states, on Saturday, that the new
european architecture should be re-examined taking seriously into
consideration the union's pending broader expansion.
The EU socialist ministers are meeting in Athens this weekend to discuss
strengthening of the social state, accelerating growth and boosting
employment in the EU.
Simitis said the course towards a federal Europe should not ignore the
particularities of the smaller states.
Stressing that flexibility should not constitute the main focus, Simitis
warned that this would lead to "a concentration of power in the hands of
the bigger states."
In short, flexibility would allow some countries to forge ahead of others,
adopting specific policies and integrating more closely, without the threat
of a veto from an unwilling partner.
The other, more reluctant, partners would be allowed to join in and catch
up when they felt ready to do so.
Turning to economic policy related issues, Simitis emphasised the need for
social cohesion, adding that the european socialists should focus economic
policy on battling nemployment.
He said economic policy should also take into serious consideration the
"particularities and sensitivities of the various member-states of the
European Union."
Simitis further forecast that Greece would fulfill the criteria for
participation in the Economic and Monetary Union in 1998 and would be in a
position to participate in the EMU in 2001.
He stressed however that criteria should be the same for all EU member-
states.
Greek National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, who
ooganised the meeting, held in the tourist resort of Asteras in the sea-
side suburb of Vouliagmeni, told reporters that after achieving majority in
Europe, the european socialist finance ministers could now focus on the
development of growth-oriented economic policies with emphasis on the
creation of jobs and on social protection.
Papantoniou said he hoped that the meeting would produce a text that would
serve as "the starting point for better coordination among european
socialist parties for a more prosperous and just european society."
He appeared cautious, however, when he said that "we should not nurture
extreme expectations from the rise of the socialst parties in Europe."
"We have made a start and we can see positive prospects but a lot of work
needs to be done," he added.
Delors encourages more meetings among european socialists
Former European Commission President, Jacques Delors, also attending the
European socialist finance ministers' meeting in Athens, told reporters
today that Greek National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou's
initiative to organise the meeting was "significant."
"European public opinion expects a lot from the socialists, who are now the
majority in Europe," Delors said.
Delors, who is currently the president of the research group, "Our Europe,"
said that in conditions of a globalised economy to which the welfare state
needs to be adjusted, european socialists should constantly exchange views
and proposal on both national and european levels.
"We had a fruitful discussion but it needs to be followed up," Delors said
adding that "further analysis is necessary in order to make a correct
assessment of the situation."
"The great challenge for socialists," he said, "is to make the necessary
adjustments to the system, without losing the values of freedom, solidarity
and personal responsibility."
British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown and French Finance
Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn did not attend the meeting due to other
obligations.
President Clerides to visit Athens
Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides is due to visit Athens on Monday for
talks with the Greek political leadership in view of the start of pending
UN-sponsored proximity talks between the Cyprus government and the Turkish
Cypriot leadership in New York.
On the first day of his stay, Clerides will meet with President Costis
Stephanopoulos, while on Tuesday he will have a meeting with Prime Minister
Costas Simitis.
He is also due to meet with main opposition New Democracy leader Costas
Karamanlis and former premier and honorary New Democracy President
Constantine Mitsotakis.
Greece calls for smooth holding of elections in Albania
Greece yesterday expressed hope that the national elections tomorrow in
neighbouring Albania would lead to a government of wide acceptance that
would help restore the country, calling for a smooth holding of elections.
A Foreign Ministry statement released late last night read: "The Greek
government believes that the smooth holding of Albanian elections on Sunday
is a fundamental prerequisite in promoting the democratic process, the
achievement of political and social stability, the respect of human rights
and economic development".
"The Greek government hopes that the elections will lead to the formation
of a widely accepted government that will undertake effectively the project
of restoring the country.
"Greece expresses the belief that the Albanian voters would participate in
elections in a peaceful and orderly way", the statement said.
Greece, it said, had undertaken "intensive efforts" on a bilateral and
multilateral level to "contribute effectively to international initiatives
for helping the smooth holding of the elections".
"The government has also taken specific and fundamental measures" to help
Albanian nationals in Greece, including members of the ethnic Greek
minority, travel to Albania to vote.
"Our country is prepared to continue its contribution in the future to
efforts by the Albanian people to establish a modern, democratic society",
it said.
Presidential decrees on illegal immigrants approved by Cabinet
Foreigners and illegal immigrants living and working in Greece will be
registered as of September 1, according to two presidential bills approved
by the Cabinet yesterday.
The bills were drafted by the labour and social security ministry.
The registration of aliens will take place between September and December
of this year, while foreign labourers will be given a temporary residence
permit, valid as a work permit also, which will expire on Nov. 30,
1998.
At the same time, an extension period of two months, January to February
1998, will be given for those who need time to submit additional papers.
Following the expiration of the temporary permit and a recommendation by a
special prefectural committee, an immigrant will be granted a residence and
work permit lasting from one to three years, with the option of renewal
every two years.
In order to acquire this second, more lasting card, the decrees call for
the following papers: a temporary permit, a passport or other identification,
a copy of their work agreement or health insurance booklet, and in cases of
special jobs (such as cook ), a health certificate.
According to Labour Minister Miltiadis Papaioannou, there are approximately
450,000 illegal immigrants in Greece today. The measures concern about 200,
000 because labourers originating from countries sharing borders with
Greece do not fall under the dec ree. This means an exception for Albanians,
Bulgarians, Turks and those from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
The Cabinet decided to except economic immigrants from neighbouring
countries only yesterday, in face of the danger of an influx of refugees.
The unstable state in Albania also contributed to this decision, especially
in view of the uncertainty in the c oming elections tomorrow.
Following the Cabinet meeting, Mr. Papaioannou said that "the measure's
success will depend on its social acceptance". He noted two points
especially, that illegal immigrants be convinced to come register and not
believe it is a trap, and convince those
Greeks likely to be influenced by xenophobia that these issues cannot be
oversimplified.
Tourism better, but work still to be done
Although the Greek National Tourist Organisation (GNTO) is anticipating a 5-
10 per cent increase in foreign tourist arrivals compared to last year,
there is no room for complacency due to the structural problems which
remain in Greek tourism, GNTO General Secretary Nikos Skoulas said
today.
Skoulas was speaking to 300 British reporters, writers and businessmen
active in the tourism sector who are participating in a three-day annual
conference of the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT) which opened this
morning.
The GNTO chief assured the conference delegates that ''a new spirit of
professionalism'' was now prevailing in Greece, while ''a renewed standard
of tourism development'' had been adopted with emphasis on quality rather
than low prices.
Skoulas advised tour operators against pressing Greek hoteliers to lower
their rates, saying this would only result in a ''vicious circle'' of lower
prices-lower quality which in the end left customers unsatisfied.
He also expressed support for the establishment of one or more private
Greek airline companies to compete directly with the ''over-protected''
national carrier, Olympic Airways, and urged the speedy liberalisation of
airport services, including ground handling.
Greek ethnic leaders in Albania kidnapped as violence continues
Reports from the Albanian city of Gjirocaster Thursday said that Theodoros
Bezianis, the former president of the local branch of the ethnic Greek
"Omonia" party had been kidnapped near his village of Frastani.
The circumstances of the kidnapping were not immediately clear. Mr.
Beziani's daughter, who is standing for election in Sunday's poll as a
candidate for the Human Rights Party, insisted that the kidnapping was
politically motivated.
Mr. Bezianis, an American citizen, is one of five ethnic Greeks imprisoned
in Albania in 1994 on charges of espionage and weapons possession after a
gunman killed two Albanian soldiers in a conscript camp near the border.
Their arrest and conviction in August 1994 rekindled a simmering feud
between Athens and Tirana over the human rights of the ethnic Greek
minority in southern Albania, estimated by Athens at 400,000.
Albanian President Sali Berisha released one of the five on Christmas Eve
1994 and the remaining four - on appeal to Albania's Supreme Court - had
their sentences reduced or suspended.
Mr. Bezianis's daughter said her father had been receiving threatening
phone calls for the last few days to withdraw his candidacy. Her brother
Costas Bezianis is the proprietor of the largest soft drink bottling plant
in southern Albania and has also been the target of threats and attacks.
A later report from Ioannina said another ethnic Greek Albanian, Vassilis
Kremydas, the president of the Examilia community and brother-in-law of the
former president of "Omonia" Sotiris Kyriazatis, had been kidnapped by
armed men in Sarande.
The report said the kidnappers had asked for a ransom of 40 million
drachmas by today or Mr. Kremydas would be killed.
US maintains 7:10 aid ratio
The US Senate's Appropriations Committee yesterday approved an amendment
which maintains the 7:10 ratio in military aid to Greece and Turkey.
The amounts involved are $122.5 million and $175 million dollars respectively,
the same as the amounts given in 1997.
At the same time, Cyprus is to continue receiving $15 million annually to
be spent on promoting bicommunal programmes and measures to reduce tension
and reunite the island.
Tsohatzopoulos speaks to expatriate groups in NY
National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos told representatives of
expatriate Greek groups here Thursday night that by influencing the
formulation of a common strategy on NATO and EU enlargement, Athens could
achieve th e right conditions for promoting its national issues.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos is visiting the US for talks with high-ranking US
officials, which included a meeting with US Defense Secretary William
Cohen.
He said that Mr. Cohen displayed a strong interest in the proposals and
positions of the Greek government.
"It is a recognised fact that Greece is no longer the peripheral country it
was viewed in the '80s, no longer a country pleading with the mighty for
help and support, but a force of peace, security, stability and cooperation,
" Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said.
The event was organised by the New York Greek Societies' Federatioin in
cooperation with the World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE).
"We are not viewed as mere spectators any more," he said.
"They want to know our opinion on all the major issues confonting eastern
Europe and the Balkans because the situation there is changing and
(therefore) giving rise to major destabilising problems," he added.
"There is Bosnia and the problem with Albania. This is precisely why we say
that NATO enlargement should not just entail the central European countries,
as President Clinton suggests, but that it should also include Romania and
Bulgaria," Mr. Tsohatzopo ulos added.
The United States strongly opposed a push by some NATO allies, including
France, for quick admission of five eastern European countries instead of
only three to membership in the alliance.
"Smaller would be better initially from my respective," Mr. Cohen said
during a two-day NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels on June 12,
rejecting calls for a broader expansion. The United States has said that it
wanted to invite only Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary to join NATO
at a summit in July.
"What is important for us is not whether our role is recognised or whether
our soldiers participate in international (peacekeeping) forces," Mr.
Tsohatzopoulos continued. What is important, he said, "is what we seek and
how we are going to influence dev elopments, regarding either NATO or the
creation of an organisation of security and cooperation by the Western
European Union, or on the issue of EU enlargement which includes the issue
of giving Cyprus a full membership."
"It is our obligation to utilise today's favourable conditions, the
International Law, to serve principles and values," Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said,
reiterating that Greece would never accept its sovereigh rights to be
disputed and adding that the country's defence as well as modernisation of
its armed forces posed as the answer to any external threat.
"Greece's active presence to multinational procedures does not necessarily
mean that our country would expect from any international organisation to
safeguard our national security from Turkish treats," the minister
said.
In his address, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos also brought up the issue of Greece's
very high budget for defence spending, saying that the entire Greek
political leadership supported the budget.
Concluding, he said he supported the UN-sponsored direct talks between
Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash
in New York, while expressing optimism over the final solution to the
Cyprus issue, "since the prospect fo r a Cyprus-EU accession would lead to
new developments given Turkey's strong desire to upgrade its relations with
the European Union."
Greece, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said, had made it clear that it would support
Turkey in its effort to achieve closer relations with Europe as long as the
neighbouring country conformed with the principles of international law and
its international obligations.
G. Papandreou meets with Australian FM Downer
Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou yesterday met Australian
Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer, who is on an informal visit to
Athens.
The two officials discussed international and bilateral issues, including
human rights, EU representation at ceremonies to hand over Hong Kong to the
People's Republic of China, environmental protection, etc.
Discussion on bilateral issues also focused on the significant role played
by the large expatriate Greek community in Australia, especially in the
economic sector. An announcement by the foreign ministry said the two men
agreed on the need for a further strengthening of economic relations
between the two countries.
Mr. Papandreou also briefed the Australian foreign minister on Greek
positions regarding the FYROM name issue.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Downer was received by President of the Republic
Kostis Stephanopoulos.
Patriarchate to abstain from Vatican throne celebration
The Ecumenical Patriarchate will not participate this uyear in the
Vatican's celebration of the feast day of the Apostles Peter and Paul on
Sunday.
The move underlines the dissatisfaction at the Patriarchate over the
Vatican's recent position, which led to the cancellation of the Ecumenical
Patriarch's participation in the second European Ecumenical Assembly in
Graz, Austria, and the subsequent can cellation of the Patriarch's official
visit to Austria.
The Phanar made no comment yesterday over the development which, however,
the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Synod had indirectly referred to when it
announced the cancellation of the Patriarch's visits to Graz and Vienna on
May 30.
The Vatican insisted on organising a meeting between Pope John Paul II and
the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexiy in Vienna, at the same time
Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos was scheduled to be in Austria, a
departure in the protocol anticipate d in such cases.
The meeting between the pope and Alexiy was cancelled at the last moment,
while the Catholic press criticised Pope John Paul II over his handling of
the issue and the ensuing crisis.
The reasons for which they cancelled the meeting (between the pope and
Alexiy) "concern the way with which Roman popism understands its role",
according to the newspaper "Il Manifesto" (June 6, 1997), while "Republica"
(June 23, 1997) spoke of a "consid erable cooling in relations between Rome
and the other churches".
The exchange of visits on the throne celebrations of the two churches,
Peter and Paul for Rome and Andrew for Constantinople (Istanbul), were
among measures decided when the anathemas between the two churches were
lifted and dialogue began.
Weather
Sunny weather is forecast throughout the country today. Local clouds are
expected in mainland Greece in the afternoon. Winds variable, light to
moderate, turning strong in the Aegean Sea. Athens will be mostly sunny.
Thessaloniki will be sunny with few clouds in the afternoon.
Foreign exchange
Friday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 270.816
Pound sterling 452.094 Cyprus pd 529.728
French franc 46.439 Swiss franc 187.900
German mark 156.642 Italian lira (100) 16.005
Yen (100) 236.632 Canadian dlr. 196.277
Australian dlr. 202.988 Irish Punt 409.299
Belgian franc 7.593 Finnish mark 52.618
Dutch guilder 139.197 Danish kr. 41.122
Swedish kr. 35.295 Norwegian kr. 37.254
Austrian sch. 22.268 Spanish peseta 1.853
Port. Escudo 1.550
(M.S.)
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