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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-11-15
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] TURKISH-CYPRIOT LEADER AGREES TO ATTEND CYPRUS TALKS
[02] US PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN ANKARA
[03] GREECE EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY WITH TURKISH EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS
[04] PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN FYROM
[05] GREEK REPLY TO US ALLEGATIONS REGARDING TERRORISM IN GREECE
[06] ANNIVERSARY OF POLYTECHNIC STUDENT UPRISING IN GREECE
[01] TURKISH-CYPRIOT LEADER AGREES TO ATTEND CYPRUS TALKS
The UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, has announced that the
Turkish-Cypriot representative, Rauf Denktash, will participate in
face-to-face talks on the Cyprus dispute with the Cypriot president,
Glafkos Kliridis, in New York starting on 3rd December. In the early
hours of this morning, Mr Denktash announced that he would take part in
the talks if the procedure to which he agreed originally was adhered
to. Earlier Mr Denktash had backed down from a commitment to
participate in talks because the UN secretary general had referred in
his invitation to "substantial negotiations", whereas he himself had
agreed merely to work towards a settlement of the problem. Mr Annan has
clarified that the talks will prepare the ground for substantial
negotiations. President Kliridis, who has been attending the
Commonwealth conference in South Africa, said he had accepted the UN
secretary general's invitation after he had received assurances that
the talks would be substantial and would concern all the basic aspects
of the Cyprus issue.
[02] US PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN ANKARA
The American president, Bill Clinton, arrived late last night in
Ankara, the first stop on his ten-day tour of the eastern
Mediterranean. During the five days he will stay in Turkey, President
Clinton will have talks with the Turkish leadership in Ankara, which
will include discussion of the Cyprus dispute. The president said the
Cyprus problem would need time to resolve but that there was now "fresh
hope" a settlement was in sight. Today he is scheduled to meet with his
Turkish counterpart, Suleyman Demirel, and prime minister, Bulent
Ecevit. On Wednesday, the American president will visit Ecumenical
Patriarch Vartholomeos at Fanari, while his programme also includes a
visit to Izmit, the city which was destroyed in the August earthquake.
On Thursday and Friday Mr Clinton and 53 other state leaders will
participate in the meeting of the Conference for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, taking place in Constantinople. As regards a
possible tripartite meeting between President Clinton, the Greek prime
minister, Kostas Simitis, and the Turkish prime minister, Bulent
Ecevit, on the sidelines of the conference in Constantinople, the Greek
foreign minister, Giorgos Papandreou, said in an interview published in
yesterday's edition of the newspaper Ethnos that there had been such a
proposal from the American side. In principle, he said, the Greek
government had no objection provided there was something "substantial
and specific" to be decided. After his trip to Turkey, President
Clinton will visit Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia and Kosovo before returning to Washington on 23rd
November.
[03] GREECE EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY WITH TURKISH EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS
The Greek prime minister, Kostas Simitis, has sent a message of
condolence and solidarity to his Turkish counterpart, Bulent Ecevit, on
the victims of the latest catastrophic earthquake in Turkey. The
government spokesman, Dimitris Reppas, said Greece would once again
send substantial aid to Turkey. The Turkish authorities gave the Greek
rescue team arriving in Constantinople a warm welcome. According to the
latest figures reported by the Anatolia news agency, the official death
toll now stands at 374, although this figure is expected to increase as
the chances of survival for those still trapped under the rubble
dwindle. At least 3,000 people are injured and tens of thousands have
been made homeless. The plight of survivors has been aggravated by the
frequent aftershocks and the bitter cold prevailing in the region.
[04] PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN FYROM
In the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the candidate from the
ruling VMR party, Boris Traikovsky, has emerged the winner in
yesterday's second round of presidential elections. In the early hours
of this morning, the Social Democratic Union conceded the defeat of its
candidate, Tito Petrovsky.
[05] GREEK REPLY TO US ALLEGATIONS REGARDING TERRORISM IN GREECE
In reply to an article on terrorism in Greece, published in last week's
issue of the American newspaper, the Washington Post, Greek Professors
Theodoros Kouloumbis and Thanos Veremis have written an article
entitled "Peaceful Greece" which appeared in yesterday's edition of the
newspaper. In the article, the two professors underline that Greece is
a country which has established strong democratic institutions since
1974. As regards the November 17th terrorist organisation, they stress
that despite the coordinated efforts of the Greek police and the FBI,
they have not managed to break up the organisation, apparently because
it is an organisation with very few members which does not carry out
regular attacks. Meanwhile a report published in yesterday's edition of
the newspaper, To Vima, says the authorities are now on the
organisation's trail. The public order ministry has issued a statement
in which it says terrorism is not an appropriate issue for public
debate.
[06] ANNIVERSARY OF POLYTECHNIC STUDENT UPRISING IN GREECE
Events marking the anniversary of the Polytechnic student uprising
against the military dictatorship in 1973 get under way today and
culminate on Wednesday with the customary march to the US embassy in
Athens.
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