Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-05-06

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 06/05/1998 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• PM Simitis briefing party leaders on euro
• Illegal immigrants arrested on Samos
• Pilot Internet programme for students
• Anarchists claim Reppas bomb attack
• Athens comments on Cyprus
• Finnish parliament speaker in Athens
• Piraeus mayor remanded in custody
• Albanian PM Nano in Thessaloniki
• National Bank Q1 profits up 41.1 percent
• New Democracy slams gov't EMU handling
• German support for Greece's CoE peace initiatives
• Tsohatzopoulos calls for parallel development of WEU, NATO
• EU Commissioner Van den Broek pins blame on Denktash
• Israeli 50th Jubilee week in Athens
• Parthenon sculptures exhibition to tour Britain
• More support for AIDS sufferers
• Archaeologists uncover rare dog grave
• EU summit shows Greece way to Euro, Simitis says
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Prime Minister Costas Simitis today began briefing political party leaders on the results of the weekend's euro summit and the government's plans to pick up the pace on economic policy to ensure Greece's inclusion in economic and monetary union by January 1, 2001.

Illegal immigrants arrested on Samos

Greek authorities today arrested 48 illegal immigrants left on the island of Samos by Turkish boatmen. Forty of the immigrants were from Iraq, with the other eight from Bangladesh. The group included five women and four children, The immigrants told police they had paid an unidentified Turkish boatman 1,500 U.S. dollars a head to be brought to Greece from the Asia Minor coast and that there were more illegal immigrants waiting to be ferried across.

Pilot Internet programme for students

Children at 110 schools in Macedonia and Thrace are being given the opportunity to surf the Internet via the site of the Macedonia-Thrace Ministry. Macedonia-Thrace Minister Phillipos Petsalnikos said the scheme was a pilot programme of the ministry aimed at familiarising schoolchildren with new technologies, acquainting them with computer science and helping them adjust to modern-day demands. Among the schools in the pilot programme are four being attended by Moslems and Christians of Thrace.

Anarchists claim Reppas bomb attack

An anarchist group calling itself "Arsonists of Conscience" today claimed responsibililty for a firebomb attack on the office of government spokesman and press minister Dimitris Reppas causing damage but no injuries. The home- made explosive device, made up of gas cannisters burned the door of the minister's political offices on the fifth floor of a building on Alexandrou Soutsou street in the central residential district of Kolonaki.

Athens comments on Cyprus

The Greek government said today that it had avoided contacts with Cypriot political leaders during the run-up to elections in Cyprus so that it would not be seen to be interfering in domestic affairs of the island republic. Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas made the statement in reply to criticism by Cyprus Parliament President Spyros Kyprianou who implied yesterday that Prime Minister Costas Simitis had refused for one year to see him for talks on aspects of the Cyprus problem.

Finnish parliament speaker in Athens

The Finnish president of Parliament Ritta Maria Uosukainen begins a three- day official visit to Greece tomorrow, on the invitation of Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis. Uosukainen is scheduled to meet with President Kostis Stephanopoulos, Kaklamanis and Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, as well as opposition party leaders and other parliament officials.

Piraeus Mayor remanded in custody

Piraeus Mayor Stelios Logothetis is to be remanded in custody later today after being charged with seven offences, including embezzlement of 1 billion drachmas from the municipality's coffers. The remand decision was taken by public prosecutor Aristides Frangiadakis and investigating magistrate Maria Frangiadakis. The reasoning for the decision was that Logothetis might commit further offences.

Albanian PM Nano in Thessaloniki

Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano will be guest speaker at the Association of Northern Greek Industries (SBBE) general assembly on Friday night, it was announced today. "The association's policy is to stress economic relations with Albania," SBBE president Vassilis Takas told a news conference today. Takas said the Albanian market was "virgin territory" and that, recently, had "firmed up" for Greek businesses. Nano arrives in Thessaloniki tomorrow afternoon and leaves on Sunday. He is also expected to meet with Macedonia-Thrace Minister Philippos Petsalnikos and businessmen in the region.

National Bank Q1 profits up 41.1 percent

Strict adherence to the government's economic convergence programme will lead to Greece's participation in a single European currency by January 1, 2002, National Bank of Greece governor Theodore Karatzas said. He predicted that interest rates would start falling within 1998, a trend likely to accelerate next year. Karatzas announced that National Bank of Greece's first quarter profits rose 41.1 percent from the corresponding period last year to 27.8 billion drachmas, setting the bank on a course for higher results in the year.

New Democracy slams gov't EMU handling

Main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis yesterday called May 2 a day of "sadness and reflection" for Greece since, in essence, the advantages the country had as an equal EU member in 1980 were revoked, relegating Greece to a second category . Mr. Karamanlis spoke at a press conference on what he described as Greece's failure to join the first stage of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).

German support for Greece's CoE peace initiatives

German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel yesterday assured Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou that Bonn would support Athens' initiatives during its Council of Europe (CoE) presidency, aimed at defusing crises in the Balkans, particularly in the troubled Yugoslav province of Kosovo.

Tsohatzopoulos calls for parallel development of WEU, NATO

The Western European Union (WEU) must develop in tandem with NATO and not in opposition to the Alliance, National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said in Madrid yesterday. "The principle of compatibility and joint - and not separate - use of available means and facilities must be maintained," Mr. Tsohatzopoulos told a meeting of WEU parliamentary assembly in Madrid. The WEU and NATO plan their first-ever joint exercise for the year 2000. Greece will be hosting a two-day WEU defence and foreign ministers' meeting on Rhodes which begins next Monday.

EU Commissioner Van den Broek pins blame on Denktash

Hans van den Broek, the European commissioner responsible for external relations, yesterday clearly placed the blame for the failure to begin intercommunal talks on Cyprus on the Turkish Cypriot side and leader Rauf Denktash. Responding to a question put by New Democracy Eurodeputy Panayiotis Lambrias at a conference organised by the European Peoples Party in Berlin, Mr. van den Broek said it was "clear" that Mr. Denktash's stance on the Holbooke initiative had shown that he was in no way inclined to go into talks on finding a solution to the Cyprus problem.

Israeli 50th Jubilee Week in Athens

The embassy of Israel in Athens in cooperation with the Hilton Hotel will organise a festival from May 8-17, commemorating the 50th anniversary of that country's founding. This "Israeli Cultural Week" includes live music, food, a photographic exhibition, among others, and is the first of a series of summer events.

Parthenon Sculptures exhibition to tour Britain

The British Committee for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures is organising a photographic exhibition entitled "Worthless Stones P Monuments of the Gods" at the architects' federation in London. The exhibition will be inaugurated today by noted Greek singer and Eurodeputy Nana Mouskouri.

More support for AIDS sufferers

Treatment expenses, medicines and examinations for AIDS patients insured with social security funds will from now on be paid by relevant funds, according to Health and Social Welfare Undersecretary Theodoros Kotsonis. Speaking during yesterday's one-day meeting on AIDS, organised in the framework of proceedings of the IVXX National Medical Congress, Mr. Kotsonis also announced that treatment and medicine costs for uninsured and poor AIDS patients will continue to be covered by the health ministry.

Archaeologists uncover rare dog grave

Archaeologists say they have uncovered the first example in the northeast Aegean region of the grave of a dog which died during the late Hellenistic period. The grave was discovered during excavations at the picturesque resort of Molyvos, which was built on the ruins of the ancient town of Mythymna, on the northern coast of Lesbos.

EU summit shows Greece way to euro, Simitis says

Prime Minister Costas Simitis said yesterday that a weekend European Union summit that launched economic and monetary union (EMU) with 11 member states, showed what Greece must do to gain entry, probably in 2001. Mr. Simitis was speaking after a 45-minute meeting to inform President Kostis Stephanopoulos of the summit's outcome.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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