Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-10-10

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr>

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 10/10/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Turkish threats strain relations with Athens, Moscow
• Greek court sentences immigrant smugglers to 10 years
• Defence minister to attend Cypriot military exercise
• Fog closes down Thessaloniki airport
• Excavations on petrified forest reveal 20-million-year history
• Policeman kills illegal immigrant in swoop
• Stocks lose further ground to profit-takers
• Gov't sees optimistic prospects for 1998 budget
• All Balkan states expected to participate at upcoming Crete summit
• Santorini experiment sets sights on planet Mars
• European citizens' rights in local elections
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Greece said today that it would regard any attack by Turkey against a Greek vessel as a cause for war when asked to comment on statements by Russia's ambassador in Nicosia, who said that Moscow would consider as a "casus belli" a Turkish strike against any Russian ship transporting S-300 missiles to Cyprus.

Asked to comment on the Russian ambassador's statements, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said "the same holds if a Greek vessel is attacked".

Reppas added however that he did not believe such a development was likely "since everything is quite legal" and in line with the interests which any government would want to protect.

The Cyprus government has taken a decision to purchase Russian-made S-300 ground-to-air missiles to bolster the defence of the island republic. The decision has drawn threats from Turkey, which has warned Nicosia not to go ahead with the installation.

Reppas said also that "the aggressive designs and statements of Turkish representatives regarding strikes against the vessels of other countries" were putting a strain on good relations between states.

Greek court sentences immigrant smugglers to 10 years

The Greek coast guard today arrested two Turkish nationals caught smuggling 17 illegal immigrants by boat into Greece from the Turkish coast, police said.

The two were identified as Mehmet Saman, 33, of Bodrum, and Kocak Uzegir, 23, of Ankara. They were chased and apprehended by the coast guard after they dropped off 12 Afghanis and 5 Iraqis of Kurdish origin early today at Cape Prasso on the island of Samos.

The coast guard fired warning shots to stop the boat, the "Bickin".

The illegal immigrants were being held at the Samos police station together with 62 Iraqis picked up after similar dropoffs around Samos by Turkish boat-runners throughout the week.

The coastguard later announced that it had located and arrested 52 Iraqi illegal immigrants at Paleokastro, Sitia on Crete, 14 Iraqis of Kurdish origin at Psalidi on Kos and a further seven Iraqis on the islet of Nimos near Symi.

Meanwhile, police said they had arrested 36 Iraqi and 2 Iranian illegal immigrants near Mytilene airport.

A three-member court of misdemeansours on Samos later sentenced Mehmet Saman and Kocak Uzegir each to 10 years' imprisonment and fines of 18 million drachmas.

Defence minister to attend Cypriot military exercise

The medium-scale air and naval exercise of the Greek armed forces, codenamed "Toxotis", got under way today east of Crete with the participation of three frigates, three torpedo and missile carriers, two submarines and Hellenic Air Force units.

"Toxotis" is being held in conjunction with the Cypriot armed forces exercise "Nikiforos" which is already in progress in the island republic.

The exercises will be watched by National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos who is scheduled to visit Cyprus on Monday.

During his stay on the island, Tsohatzopoulos will have talks with Cyprus' political leaders and state officials.

Both exercises will end on October 15.

Fog closes down Thessaloniki airport

Thessaloniki's international "Macedonia" airport was closed for 90 minutes this morning due to thick fog which appeared in the area at about 9.00 am local time.

The airport closed at 9.30 am with flights resuming to an from Thessaloniki 90 minutes later.

The fog caused delays in the arrival of the flight from Mytilene as well as of the Athens-Thessaloniki-Tirana flight.

The aircraft carrying out these two services both landed on the island of Limnos in the northern Aegean.

Excavations on petrified forest reveal 20-million-year history

Excavations being conducted by the Natural History Museum in the petrified forest of Sigri on Lesbos are bringing to light 20 million years of geological history in the Aegean.

According to the results of the excavations so far, the petrified forest in the west of the island is about 25 million years old and was formed by coniferous trees which grew in the region at a time when the climate was subtropical before suddenly changing.

The excavations, the first in the petrified forest, are being carried out in the area of Bali Alonia.

Perhaps the most important find to date is the biggest ever "stone" tree trunk still standing, measuring over 7 metres high with a circumference of 8.5 metres.

The excavations have also uncovered elements of the region's flora 25 million years ago, including fruit, leaves, branches and roots which have been preserved in the volcanic ground.

A total of five excavations have been carried out this summer in the forest with finance provided by the Ministry of Culture.

Policeman kills illegal immigrant in swoop

A policeman shot and killed an Albanian illegal immigrant when he resisted arrest during a routine round-up of illegal immigrants near Thessaloniki railway station today.

George Spanidis, a sergeant at the "Macedonia" international airport station, said he had arrested an Albanian during the operation who managed to struggle free and began to run away.

The police officer said he fired one warning shot in the air and gave chase. Spanidis said that when he caught up with the Albanian, the latter put up a struggle during which his service revolver went off, killing the young man.

Stocks lose further ground to profit-takers

Greek equities remained under pressure from profit-takers on the Athens Stock Exchange to lose further ground.

Traders said sentiment was hurt by a sharp fall in international stock markets following a wave of interest rate increases by major European central banks.

The general index closed 0.72 percent down at 1,777.62 points to show a 0.10 percent loss in the week.

Sector indices ended mixed. Banks fell 1.01 percent, Insurance rose 1.49 percent, Leasing dropped 1.91 percent, Investment eased 1.28 percent, Construction ended 0.87 percent down, Industrials rose 0.27 percent, Miscellaneous increased 2.17 percent and Holding fell 1.44 percent.

The parallel market index for small cap companies ended 1.98 percent higher reflecting a move towards smaller stocks.

Trading was heavy and turnover was 26.6 billion drachmas.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 123 to 108 with another 19 issues unchanged.

Fourlis, Parnassos, Inform Lykos, Sarandopoulos, Sanyo, Hellenic Sugar and Ideal scored the biggest percentage gains, while Macedonian Plastics, Papoutsanis and European Credit suffered the heaviest losses.

National Bank of Greece ended at 32,275 drachmas, Ergobank at 19,290, Alpha Credit Bank at 21,100, Delta Dairy at 4,100, Titan Cement at 16,505, Intracom at 15,505 and Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation at 6, 710.

In the domestic foreign exchange market the US dollar lost substantial ground against the drachma reflecting a sharp drop in its parity in international markets.

The fall followed a decision to implement a stricter monetary policy in Germany.

Gov't sees optimistic prospects for 1988 budget

The government hopes that the 1998 budget will have a positive impact on the economy, National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou told reporters after briefing Prime Minister Costas Simitis on the economy yesterday.

Mr. Papantoniou said the economy was on the right track. He also said the government hoped that if the budget was implemented strictly and along policy guidelines already adopted, economic developments in 1998 would be benefit everyone.

He said that the new budget would be presented before the constitutional deadline of Nov. 30.

Attending the meeting were Development Minister Vasso Papandreou, Finance Undersecretaries George Drys and Nikos Christodoulakis and Bank of Greece Governor Lucas Papademos.

All Balkan states expected to participate at upcoming Crete summit

Commenting on November's Balkan summit conference in Crete, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said yesterday that "all the Balkan countries, including the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), declared that they will be represented at the upco ming Balkan summit conference at Irakleion, Crete."

Replying to a relevant question, Mr. Reppas said that to the best of his knowledge these countries will be represented at the highest level.

Santorini experiment sets sights on planet Mars

An experiment sponsored by the Greek Society for Aerospace Medicine hopes to examine ways in which the planet Mars can be made habitable, society president Chryssoula Kourtidou-Papadeli told a press conference yesterday.

Ms Kourtidou said that the society had enlisted the help of high school students on Santorini to conduct an experiment taking advantage of the fact that the composition of the island's earth resembles that of Mars closely.

With training provided by the society and specialist NASA Eleanor Robbins this past summer, the students are examining the ability of a certain microorganism to survive on Mars-like conditions.

This specific organism, a "ferrous bacterium", absorbs carbon dioxide and produces large amounts of oxygen.

Microorganism colonies could be introduced to Mars, if the experiment succeeds, to create conditions that could sustain human life, Ms Kourtidou said.

When this phase is completed, she added, a second one will examine the microorganism's behaviour on a Mars environmental simulator at the University of Thessaloniki, which supervises the project.

Results from both experiments are being recorded by specialists working at the university and will be submitted to NASA in the hope of a grant for the Mars habitation programme, Ms Kourtidou said.

The press conference was given on the occasion of the first International Meeting of Aerospace Medicine taking place in Thessaloniki from today to Sunday.

European citizens' rights in local elections

Citizens of the European Union will have the right to vote and to stand for office in next year's municipal elections, according to an Athens Prefecture announcement yesterday. Those interested should register by March 31, 1998. Further information available from the prefectural Electoral List Bureau, 125, Kifissias Ave. tel. 64.91.200