Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-10-24

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 24/10/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Foreign Minister: agenda for EU summit
• Alternate FM's talks at State Department
• Turkey's Ecevit interviewed on Mega
• Kaklamanis at Central European Speakers' meeting
• Greek military exercise "Astrapi"
• Thessaloniki train derailed
• Illegal immigrants picked up on Samos
• European Court: Greek tax on used-car imports illegal
• Greek equities end sharply lower
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said he would be supporting the position in favour of the simultaneous commencement of negotiations for all countries seeking European Union membership at Saturday's informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

Pangalos said discussion at the meeting would focus on EU enlargement against the background of the Commission's "Agenda 2000", the Union's financial resources and the modernisation of Community institutions.

On the issue of accession negotiations, Pangalos said the matter would not be settled at tomorrow's meeting because the majority of member-states and the European Commission were in favour of initially beginning negotiations with six countries, including Cyprus.

He expressed the view that the issue would be referred to the Council of Ministers meeting in Luxembourg in December.

Pangalos said Greece's position was connected with the country's specific interests "since we want negotiations to commence with Bulgaria and Romania" and Athens' general conviction that "under no circumstances should we allow a climate of discrimination to be created among the aspiring members".

"Europe should not appear as a department store in which service depends on your relationship with the salesperson," Pangalos said, referring to the fact that the Commission's proposal does not explain why certain countries, such as Estonia, have been included in the first round of negotiations, while others, such as Latvia, have been excluded.

Pangalos stressed that it was in the EU's interests for accession negotiations to begin simultaneously, not only from a political but also economic viewpoint.

He dismissed as "irrelevant and unrealistic" the Commission's argument that the simultaneous commencement of negotiations would create problems of a technical and practical nature, citing as a counter-argument the negotiations conducted between the Greek presidency of the EU and the Scandinavian countries.

Replying to questions on the possible establishment of a permanent European forum in the case that the proposal for simultaneous negotiations is rejected, Pangalos said:

"If such a forum is created, it will have to be of such a general nature that it will be meaningless."

The only reason why the proposal for the creation of such a forum exists, Pangalos said, "is because some people want to give little mirrors and beads to Turkey", noting that this constituted insulting behaviour to the Turkish people.

Pangalos said that the truth must be told to Turkey regarding the prerequisites which it has to fulfil in order to join the EU.

These prerequisites, he added, must not be fulfilled simply because the EU says so, but because otherwise Turkey itself will not be able to function properly.

"EU membership entails certain very serious prerequisites and particularly in Greece, we have experienced and continue to experience the painful repercussions of adjustment," Pangalos said.

The minister said an "advanced relationship" should be created between the EU and Turkey which "covers" the conditions clearly set by the EU on 15 July last year and contained in the common declaration of the "15" at the last EU-Turkey Association Council on 29 April.

Alternate FM's talks at State Department

Greece was expecting a "strong message" addressed to Ankara by all its partners because, "as you know, we are in favour of Turkey's European prospect but the conditions depend on Turkey itself", Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou said today.

He told reporters after a meeting at the State Department that the United States had "finally taken a strong position on the unacceptable events that took place in our region with the harassment of the plane carrying the National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos by Turkish aircraft".

Papandreou said he had had the opportunity, during his separate talks with US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs "to discuss this unacceptable stance of Ankara and, naturally, to put forward questions on the manner the manner in which Turkey has been acting recently".

He said he also discussed European issues, the enlargement of the European Union and NATO, Akara's relations with the EU and the prospect of commencement of Cyprus accession talks with the EU in April.

Papandreou's meeting with Talbott was also attended by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Mark Grossman, State Department special coordinator for Cyprus Thomas Miller, the head of the southeastern Europe desk at the State Department, and Greece's Ambassador to the U.S. Loukas Tsilas.

Turkey's Ecevit interviewed on Mega

Greece and Turkey could settle their own differences and it would be better if they were left alone to do so, Turkish deputy premier Bulent Ecevit said in a televised interview last night.

In an obvious reference to the United States, Ecevit told the correspondent of private Greek Mega television station that "if the world leaves us alone, then the two sides may come to agreement and establish a close cooperation".

Ecevit said Turkey was "concerned and anxious" over the "rapid armament" of the Greek Cypriot side, claiming that he did not find convincing the Cypriot government's argument that it was boosting its self-defence.

Turkey, he said, remained firm in its decision "not to allow the transport" through Turkish territorial waters or airspace of Russian-made S-300 medium range ground-to-air missiles to the Republic of Cyprus

Ecevit warned that if Cyprus went ahead with the deployment of the missiles, which he claimed posed a threat to Turkish, Israeli and Turkish Cypriot security, and if the "door remains open" for Cyprus' accession to the European Union, then Ankara would strengthen its relations and cooperation with the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus -- recognised only by Turkey -- and proceed with specific countermeasures.

"And, naturally, we would have to increase our own military presence on the island," he added.

Kaklamanis at Central European Speakers' meeting

Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis left today for the Adriatic port city of Trieste, Italy to attend a meeting of House speakers of the Central European Initiative.

In statements shortly before leaving, Kaklamanis said it was an honour for the Greek parliament to be invited to attend the meeting.

"The invitation is a result of the (Greek) parliament's intense activity in the area of regional co-operation," Kaklamanis said, citing the three parliamentary conferences organised this year in Athens.

At the Trieste meeting, the parliament presidents will discuss the efforts of national assemblies to combat organised crime and drug trafficking.

Greek military exercise "Astrapi"

An Hellenic Navy exercise codenamed "Astrapi" is currently in progress in the western Aegean with the participation of five surface vessels and two submarines.

Tomorrow the exercise will continue in the central Aegean.

After the exercise, the frigates "Hydra" and "Adrias" and the destroyer "Kimon" will sail to Thessaloniki to take part in events marking the national holiday on 28 October.

Thessaloniki train derailed

An Intercity train enroute from Thessaloniki to Athens derailed shortly before noon today, slightly injuring two people, police said.

The train went off the track just outside the Sindos station, but fortunately none of its four cars overturned, the police said.

According to the initial assessments of Greek Railways Organisation (OSE) experts, the derailing was a result of human error.

While the train was travelling at high speed and no stops were scheduled between Thessaloniki and Athens, for no apparent reason it went onto a low speed branch line at Sindos station, resulting in the derailing of three of the train's four coaches.

An employee in the train's bar was slightly injured.

A three-member committee of senior OSE engineers has been set up to investigate the accident.

Meanwhile, most of the train's 150 passengers will continue their journey to Athens by coach.

Illegal immigrants picked up on Samos

The Greek coastguard is searching for Turkish smugglers who transported 51 Iraqi illegal immigrants to Krouderi on Samos this morning.

The Turkish smugglers took the Iraqis to Samos in a speedboat which was towing an empty wooden boat. When they saw Greek coastguard vessels, they left the illegal immigrants in the wooden boat and headed back to Turkey in the speedboat.

Seconds after leaving however, the speedboat broke down and the Turks were forced to return to the island, abandon it on a beach and hide.

Coastguard and police officers are currently searching the area in which they are believed to be hiding.

European Court: Greek tax on used-car imports illegal

The European Court of Justice said yesterday that Greece's special consumer tax on imported used-cars was illegal under Community tax rules.

Greece imposes a special consumer tax rate on private cars imported into Greece. The flat-rate tax is payable the first time a car is registered in Greece - whether it is new or used - and used cars are taxed as though they were new, according to court documents.

Although Greece lowered taxes on cars with anti-pollution devices, imported used cars were not eligible for those reduced rates.

The Court agreed with the Commission that Greece's tax system was a violation of single market rules prohibiting taxes on goods imported from other member states.

"It is common ground that imported used cars and those bought locally constitute similar or competing products and article 95 therefore applies to the special consumer tax charged on the importation of used cars," the court said.

Greece's finance ministry in a statement released in Athens shortly afterwards said that a new system under proposal would not lead to any fundamental changes in the domestic car market.

The government's intention is to seek a modernisation of the car fleet with the promotion of advanced low-pollution technology.

Greek equities end sharply lower

Greek equities came under renewed pressure yesterday to end sharply lower on the Athens Stock Exchange.

Traders said the market resumed its short-term correction trend following a shortlived rebound on Wednesday. Investors remained on the sidelines ahead of the presentation of next year's budget by the government in mid- November.

The general index closed 1.46 percent lower at 1,710.66 points. Sector indices lost ground. Banks fell 1.13 percent, Insurance eased 1.89 percent, Leasing dropped 2.40 percent, Investment fell 0.97 percent, Construction plunged 2.84 percent, Industrials eased 1.70 percent, Miscellaneous was 2.77 percent off and Holding dropped 1.55 percent.

The parallel market index for small cap companies was 2.18 percent down.

Turnover was moderate at 19.1 billion drachmas.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 187 to 35 with another 18 issues unchanged.

Keranis, Cambas and 3A scored the biggest percentage gains, while Nirefs, Radio Athina, Chalyps Cement and Katselis suffered the heaviest losses.

National Bank of Greece ended at 31,200 drachmas, Ergobank at 18,600, Alpha Credit Bank at 20,300, Delta Dairy at 3,995, Titan Cement at 15,740, Intracom at 15,590 and Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation at 6, 500.

In the domestic foreign exchange market the US dollar fell by 0.09 percent against the drachma.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(Y.B.)

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