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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-08-04
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] PRIME MINISTER'S PLANNED VISITS ABROAD
[02] ALTERNATE FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS ISRAEL
[03] FOREIGN UNDERSECRETARY MEETS JERUSALEM PATRIARCHATE DELEGATES
[04] GREEK PARLIAMENT OPENS DEBATE ON PUBLIC SECTOR DRAFT BILL
[05] GREEK CYPRIOT ACCUSES TURKISH CYPRIOTS OF MALTREATMENT
[06] INFORMATION CENTRES ESTABLISHED IN 30 GREEK PREFECTURES
[07] 335 GREEK ENTERPRISES TO BE FINED FOR TAX FRAUD
[08] EARLY MINOAN FINDS DISCOVERED IN CRETE
[09] KURDISH LEADER APPEALS FOR END TO KURDISH ARMED STRUGGLE
[10] SERBS AND GYPSIES HARASSED BY KLA
[11] EUROPEAN COMMISSION THREATENS BONN WITH SANCTIONS
[01] PRIME MINISTER'S PLANNED VISITS ABROAD
After his summer holidays, Mr Simitis is scheduled to pay various
visits abroad. On 24 August he will pay a one-day visit to Albania,
while visits to Bulgaria, Romania and probably the FYROM are being
prepared through diplomatic channels. On 3, 4 and 5 September, Mr
Simitis will be in Thessaloniki for the International Trade Fair and is
to deliver the customary speech on economic policy. Finally, from 15 to
21 September, Mr Simitis will pay his first official visit to China.
[02] ALTERNATE FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS ISRAEL
Alternate foreign minister Yannos Kranidiotis is paying a two-day visit
to Israel. He will convey an invitation from Greek premier Kostas
Simitis to Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak to visit Greece. During
his stay in Israel, Mr Kranidiotis will meet with senior members of the
new Israeli government, including Israeli foreign minister David Levi.
His talks will focus on the course of Greek-Israeli bilateral
relations, developments in the region as well as the forthcoming
Israeli-Palestinian meeting to be held in Athens in early September.
The meeting will take place within the context of a Greek initiative
dubbed the Athens dialogue, which is part of the confidence-building
measures decided upon at Wye Plantation. The Greek alternate foreign
minister will also meet with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Diodoros of
Jerusalem and president of the Palestinian authority Yasser Arafat to
discuss the Middle-East peace process.
[03] FOREIGN UNDERSECRETARY MEETS JERUSALEM PATRIARCHATE DELEGATES
Foreign undersecretary responsible for issues of Greeks abroad Grigoris
Niotis met in Athens yesterday with representatives of the Jerusalem
Patriarchate, Metropolitans Vasileios of Ceasaria and Konstantinos of
Skythoupolis, as well as Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre Irinaios. They
discussed the planned celebrations for the 2,000 years since the birth
of Jesus Christ to be held at the Jerusalem Patriarchate, which are to
be attended by Greek president Konstantinos Stefanopoulos. Mr Niotis
also touched upon the economic aid the Greek government is to offer for
the construction of a church in Bethlehem.
[04] GREEK PARLIAMENT OPENS DEBATE ON PUBLIC SECTOR DRAFT BILL
The Greek parliament yesterday started debating a draft bill tabled by
the interior and public administration ministry on the permanent
employment of about 30 thousand public sector employees. The bill also
provides for personnel transfers and free collective labour contracts
in the public sector. A point of friction is a regulation providing for
compulsory transfers of prefecture employees. The New Democracy party
submitted a demand that the regulation be declared unconstitutional,
but it was rejected by the house. The debate and balloting on the bill
will be completed this week.
[05] GREEK CYPRIOT ACCUSES TURKISH CYPRIOTS OF MALTREATMENT
Greek Cypriot Rogiros Georgiou, who is a Canadian citizen, was visited
in a Turkish Cypriot jail yesterday by his brother and a representative
of the UN peace keeping force in Cyprus. He charged the authorities in
Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus of maltreating him and waging
psychological warfare against him, telling his visitors he was under
unbearable pressure to sign a statement recognizing the self-styled
Turkish Cypriot state of Rauf Denktash. Speaking to the Cypriot news
agency, the brother of the jailed Greek Cypriot, Daphnis Georgiou, said
the Turks have beaten his brother about the head and neck, leaving but
few traces of maltreatment. He also said they were very insistent and
would not leave him alone until he signed the recognition of the
unilaterally declared so-called Turkish Cypriot state. Rogiros Georgiou
had told the Turks he did not know of any other state but the state of
Cyprus and claimed he had the right to go anywhere he wanted on the
island of Cyprus. Daphnis Georgiou said finally the conversation with
his brother took place in the presence of UNFICYP representative John
Galvin.
[06] INFORMATION CENTRES ESTABLISHED IN 30 GREEK PREFECTURES
Information centres are to be established in the fall in 30 prefectures
throughout Greece, in the framework of a programme implemented by the
interior and public administration ministry aimed at improving
relations between the state and citizens. Similar centres will be
established in the rest of Greek prefectures at a later stage.
[07] 335 GREEK ENTERPRISES TO BE FINED FOR TAX FRAUD
The Economic Crime Prevention Division has uncovered extensive tax
fraud and tax evasion in 335 enterprises in Athens and Thessaloniki,
including falsified tax records from 1989 to 1997. The fines to be
imposed for book keeping infringements and non payment of VAT alone
exceed 13 billion drachmas.
[08] EARLY MINOAN FINDS DISCOVERED IN CRETE
Archaeologists have discovered early Minoan finds, which indicate a
relationship between Crete and the Cyclades 4,000 ago. The discovery
was made on the beach of the former American base, at Gournes, Iraklio,
with the financial support of the Cretan Institute of Marine Biology.
[09] KURDISH LEADER APPEALS FOR END TO KURDISH ARMED STRUGGLE
Through his lawyers, jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan has issued
an appeal to the PKK to stop the armed struggle it has been waging for
14 years now for Kurdistan's autonomy and withdraw its forces from
Turkey. Meanwhile four people, among them two children, were killed
yesterday when unknown gunmen opened fire on a public bus in
south-eastern Turkey. The Turkish authorities are blaming Kurdish
rebels, but the legal Kurdish Peoples' Democratic party has claimed the
assailants were not identified, while also observing that the victims
had refused, earlier, to be drafted into the civil guard organized by
the army to fight the Kurdish rebels.
[10] SERBS AND GYPSIES HARASSED BY KLA
The humanitarian organization Human Rights Watch has charged that Serbs
and Gypsies are being forced to leave Kosovo because of threats,
lootings and assassinations, often perpetrated by members of the Kosovo
Liberation Army.
[11] EUROPEAN COMMISSION THREATENS BONN WITH SANCTIONS
The European Commission has threatened Bonn with legal sanctions if it
does not implement an EU decision lifting the ban on imports of British
beef, which was imposed in the wake of mad cow disease.
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