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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-11-11
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] AFTERMATH OF POSTPONEMENT OF AMERICAN PRESIDENT'S VISIT
[02] GREEK PARTIES REACT TO POSTPONEMENT
[03] GREEK PRESIDENT VISITS SLOVENIA
[04] FURTHER MOVE FOR GREECE'S ENTRY INTO EMU
[05] MEASURES FOR FARMERS AND SEAMEN
[06] FOUNDATION LAID FOR OIL PIPELINE
[07] FRESH DISCLOSURES ABOUT PARTHENON MARBLES
[09] METROPOLITAN OF AUSTRIA AWARDED HUNGARIAN MEDAL
[01] AFTERMATH OF POSTPONEMENT OF AMERICAN PRESIDENT'S VISIT
The visit to Athens by the American president, Bill Clinton, has been
postponed until November 19th and 20th, after the conference of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to be held in
Constantinople. The decision to delay the visit followed intensive
consultations between Athens and Washington. The White House
spokesman, Joe Lockhard, announced that the postponement came after a
proposal from the Greek government and he rejected any suggestion that
Washington was devaluing the importance of the visit through such a
move. The State Department spokesman, James Rubin, said earlier that
he was confident the Greek government would provide adequate security
during President Clinton's visit to Greece, adding that security was
always one of the major issues the White House had to consider whenever
the president travelled. Speaking from The Hague, the Greek foreign
minister, Giorgos Papandreou, said the Greek government's proposal to
change the date of the visit was based solely on the criterion of the
country's national interests. He added that President Clinton's visit
was an opportunity to promote and defend these interests.
[02] GREEK PARTIES REACT TO POSTPONEMENT
Reactions from Greece's opposition parties have been varied. The New
Democracy party' s Press spokesman Aris Spiliotopoulos, said the change
in the dates of the American president's visit raised a number of
questions and called on the government to provide convincing and
reliable answers. The Greek Communist party announced the developments
gave the opportunity to the Greek people to step up their protests. The
Coalition of the Left Wing and Progress spoke of blackmail on the part
of the United States and called on the government to brief the
political parties and parliament. The president of the Democratic
Social Movement, Dimitris Tsovolas, said the postponement was a ploy by
the United States aimed at exerting pressure on Greece. Finally, the
Liberal party described the decision to postpone the visit as a blow to
Greece.
[03] GREEK PRESIDENT VISITS SLOVENIA
Speaking after a meeting in Lubljana with his Slovenian counterpart,
Milan Kucan, the Greek president, Kostis Stefanopoulos, yesterday
expressed Greece's categoric opposition to any change in the existing
Balkan borders. He pointed out that any change would cause a chain of
reactions that would jeopardise stability in the region and that this
was a major issue. During their meeting, the two presidents ascertained
an identity of views on the issue and expressed the political will for
a further strengthening of bilateral relations, particularly in the
economic and investment sectors.
[04] FURTHER MOVE FOR GREECE'S ENTRY INTO EMU
After a report by the European commissioner responsible for economic
and monetary matters, Pedro Sobles, the European Commission has
proposed that a recommendation concerning a reduction in Greece's
national deficit, imposed in September 1994, should be lifted. The move
has been welcomed by economic analysts as an extremely important step
for Greece's admission to EMU. The final decision is to be made on 29th
November by the ECOFIN council.
[05] MEASURES FOR FARMERS AND SEAMEN
Agriculture minister Giorgos Anomeritis is to announce a package of
measures today for boosting the income of farmers whose crops suffered
damage in the recent floods. Meanwhile merchant marine minister
Stavros Soumakis yesterday announced measures to help retired seamen.
Pensions to be paid by the Retired Seamen's Fund will be no less than
60% of the salary of working seamen, while debts incurred by the
Seaman's House will also be settled.
[06] FOUNDATION LAID FOR OIL PIPELINE
In the presence of the Greek development minister, Evangelos Venizelos,
and the prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Ljubco Georgesvsky, the foundations of the oil pipeline that will link
Thessaloniki to Skopje were laid yesterday. The total cost of the
investment is $90 million, 80% of which will be paid by the Greek side
and 20% by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The pipeline will
be 230 kms long and intensive efforts will be made to complete it
within 18 months.
[07] FRESH DISCLOSURES ABOUT PARTHENON MARBLES
Fresh disclosures about the destructive cleaning of the Parthenon
marbles by the British were brought to light in Britain, in view of a
symposium to be held at the British Museum in late November on the
subject of the marbles. According to an article in the authoritative
British archaeological magazine "Minerva", signed by the head of the
sculptures department of the British Museum, Ian Jenkins, the marbles
had been cleaned by Lord Elgin in 1818 with the use of acid and water.
The article indicates that the wear of the marbles due to unsuitable
cleaning methods had not started with the cleaning work carried out in
1938-1939, as disclosed by historian William Saint-Clair in his book,
but much earlier.
[08] METROPOLITAN OF AUSTRIA AWARDED HUNGARIAN MEDAL
Metropolitan Michael of Austria and Exarch of Hungary and Middle Europe
was awarded a high Hungarian distinction by the Hungarian president for
his decisive contribution to the revival of the Greek Orthodox church
in Hungary and his important charity work.
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