Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-05-19

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 19/05/1998 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Pangalos reiterates Greek position on Turkey, Cyprus issue
• Albright tells Cem he's wrong to claim islands
• U.S. considers missile sale to Greece
• Family planning clinic plans anti-abortion campaign
• Greek, Italian ferries collide
• Croatian fisherman picked up by Greek ferry
• Fast catamarans on show at Posidonia
• Balkans on agenda of Swedish visit
• Weather
• Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said today that statements by US President Bill Clinton linking the Cyprus issue, Greek-Turkish differences in the Aegean and Turkey's European vocation contained certain contradictions. Pangalos reiterated the Greek position that the Cyprus problem clearly affects the climate of Greek-Turkish relations and that Turkey's aggressiveness towards Greece affects the climate in Cyprus. He stressed however that there could be no issue of a "package" solution. By their very nature, Pangalos said, the Cyprus problem and Greek-Turkish disputes were different.

Albright tells Cem he's wrong to claim islands

U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has told Turkey that it is mistaken over making an issue of the sovereignty of four inhabited small islands in the Aegean and that the U.S. had documents proving the islands were Greek, National Defence Undersecretary Dimitris Apostolakis revealed today. Apostolakis, speaking after a meeting with U.S. ambassador Nicholas Burns, told reporters that Albright had spoken by phone to Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem on Sunday. Ankara recently disputed Greek sovereignty of four inhabited islands in the eastern Aegean - Fouroi, Agathonisi, Farmakonisi and Pserimos.

U.S. considers missile sale to Greece

The US Pentagon announced yesterday evening the possible sale to Greece of 160 Hellfire II (AGM-114KBF) anti-tank missiles and 88 Hellfire II (AGM- 114K1) missiles, together with their support systems, for 24 million dollars, an ANA dispatch from Washington said. The Pentagon also announced the possible sale to Turkey of 30 sea-to-sea Harpoon missiles and necessary spare parts for 43 million dollars.

Family planning clinic plans anti-abortion campaign

Greek hospitals perform 150,000 abortions a year and the Greek family planning council said today it was launching a campaign to reduce that number by a third by the end of the century and bolster Greece's falling birthrate. In 1996, the mortality rate outpaced the birthrate with 100,740 deaths to 100,718 births, the head of the family planning council A. Sotiraidou said. Greece's falling birthrate will be the major issue on the agenda of this month's first national family planning conference in Athens May 21-23.

Greek, Italian ferries collide

Patras Harbour Authority officials are investigating the circumstances of a collision between two passenger ships in the Peloponnese port earlier today. The Italian-flagged "Laurana" collided with the Greek ferry "Eleftherios Venizelos" as it attempted to dock. None of the 201 passengers on board the vessels were injured in the incident, although both ships suffered minor damage.

Croatian fishermen picked up by Greek ferry

Four Croatian fishermen were rescued by the Greek ferry "Erotokritos", belonging to Minoan Lines, earlier today after the Croatians' boat began taking on water as it was sailing 40 miles off the Italian port of Ancona. The Merchant Marine Ministry said the four fishermen would be taken to the Croatian island of Korknla on Thursday.

Fast catamarans on show at Posidonia

The latest designs of fast catamaran ferries from British designer/builder FBM Marine Group will be on display at the Posidonia international shipping exhibition to take place June 1-5 in Piraeus. The 10th "Tricat" in the world, flagship of the range, is to enter service in Greece on June 3, in the middle of Posidonia week. The 45-metre, 50-knot Tricat is a futuristic- looking, fast, luxury vessel able to carry up to 400 passengers. There are currently eight such catamarans operating in the Far East and one in the US.

Balkans on agenda of Swedish visit

The situation in the Balkans, Turkish intransigence and the act that neighbouring countries are neither members of NATO nor the EU make it necessary for Athens to study the formation of "collective security institutions" on Europe's perimetre, Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said in Stockholm yesterday. Mr. Tsohatzopoulos arrived in Sweden late on Sunday night for a two-day official visit and talks with his Swedish counterpart Bjorn von Sydow and Foreign Minister Lena Hjelm-Wallen.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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