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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-06-28
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] PM SIMITIS IN RIO FOR EU-LATIN AMERICA CONFERENCE
[02] OA-SPEEDWING CONTRACT TO BE SIGNED WEDNESDAY
[03] TEHERAN VISIT BY NATIONAL DEFENCE MINISTER
[04] CLINTON PLACES CYPRUS HIGH ON PRIORITY LIST
[05] FIRST AMERICA-CANADA PELOPONNESIAN UNION WINDS UP IN NY
[06] EX-DICTATOR PAPADOPOULOS DIES
[07] PAPANDREOU-GEM MEETING ON TERRORISM NEXT WEEK IN NEW YORK
[08] JUDICIAL PROBE INTO FOODSTUFF SCANDAL CONTINUES
[01] PM SIMITIS IN RIO FOR EU-LATIN AMERICA CONFERENCE
A revival and increase in trade and economic relations between Europe
and South America is the main topic of a conference of European Union
and Latin American state leaders, currently being held in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. The necessity for a close collaboration of developed
and developing countries will be noted by Prime Minister Costas Simitis
in his speech to delegates today. He is also expected to call for more
funding for the reconstruction of the Balkans. Meanwhile, a plan for
coordinated action, which aims at the consolidation of a strategic
cooperation, between the two world regions was approved yesterday in
Rio by the foreign ministers of the EU, Latin America and the
Caribbean. The plan will be signed today by the respective state
leaders. On the sidelines of the conference, Mr. Simitis is scheduled
to have a series of contacts with leaders of other countries.
[02] OA-SPEEDWING CONTRACT TO BE SIGNED WEDNESDAY
A contract providing for the British company Speedwing to undertake the
management of Olympic Airways will be signed on Wednesday. The Greek
national air carrier's employees have reacted strongly to this
development, describing it as damaging for the company. They plan to
stage a 24-hour strike on Thursday, despite assurances by Transport
Minister Tassos Mandelis that no personnel will be laid off. Mr.
Mandelis also committed himself to submitting to parliament all
relevant documents relating to the government's selection of the
British company, within the next few days.
[03] TEHERAN VISIT BY NATIONAL DEFENCE MINISTER
National Defence minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos began a four-day
official visit to Teheran today, at the invitation of his Iranian
counterpart, Ali Tsamhani. It is the first official visit by a European
Union defence minister to Iran, since the Islamic uprising in 1979.
[04] CLINTON PLACES CYPRUS HIGH ON PRIORITY LIST
A settlement of the long-standing Cyprus dispute and an improvement in
Greek-Turkish relations remains high on the list of priorities for
American president Bill Clinton's foreign policies, according to a
letter sent to the president of the World Coordinating Committee for
the Cyprus Struggle, Philip Christopher, by Donald Kerrick, Mr.
Clinton's adviser on security matters. In the meantime, the plenum of
the United Nations Security Council will meet behind closed doors
today, to examine two draft resolutions on the Cyprus issue prepared by
the 5 permanent members of the Council. The first draft resolution
concerns the renewal of the peace keeping force's mandate and
re-confirms the principles for a Cyprus settlement, while the second
calls on the UN secretary general Kofi Anan to invite Cypriot president
Glafkos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot representative Rauf Denktash to
hold negotiations in New York in autumn, within the framework of a
statement issued recently by the Group of Eight. If the 15 members of
the Security Council agree on the final text of the resolutions, then
they will be adopted at an official open meeting tomorrow and an
extension of another six months will be given to the peace keeping
force mandate.
[05] FIRST AMERICA-CANADA PELOPONNESIAN UNION WINDS UP IN NY
Sessions wound up yesterday of the first founding congress of the
America-Canada Peloponnesian Union, held in New York, during which
Fotis Kokosoulis was elected president. An immediate priority of the
Union will be the revival of the classical games in Ancient Olympia.
For this reason, a resolution passed at the congress calls on all Greek
organisations abroad and on the Greek authorities, on a national and
local level, to contribute to the realisation of this ambitious
project. Meanwhile, the congress passed resolutions on national
issues, including denouncements of Turkish aggression in the Aegean,
Cyprus and Thrace. Another resolution calls for the establishment of a
Ministry for Greeks Abroad to be set up in Athens, as well as the
representation of diaspora Greeks in the Greek parliament, through the
institution of the deputies of State.
[06] EX-DICTATOR PAPADOPOULOS DIES
Ex-dictator Yiorgos Papadopoulos -- the leader of the 1967 military
dictatorship in Greece-who had been hospitalised in Athens in August
1996, suffering from prostate cancer, died yesterday, at the age of 80,
of a heart attack. Papadopoulos had been condemned to death, but his
sentence was converted to life imprisonment. He had never expressed
regret or remorse for his actions.
[07] PAPANDREOU-GEM MEETING ON TERRORISM NEXT WEEK IN NEW YORK
According to a Turkish foreign ministry anouncement, the Greek foreign
minister George Papandreou will meet with his Turkish counterpart
Ismail Cem in New York next week. The announcement also says that
Turkey will propose to Greece the convening of a joint meeting on a
high-ranking officials' level to discuss the issue of combatting
terrorism. All other bilateral issues are expected to be discussed at
the same time.
[08] JUDICIAL PROBE INTO FOODSTUFF SCANDAL CONTINUES
The public prosecutor's investigations into 35 Greek companies, accused
of importing products considered dangerous from Belgium, are expected
to be completed by the end of this month. Meanwhile, a judicial probe
into milk products and into juices produced by imported dehydrated
fruit, are continuing.
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