Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou defined today during the speech he gave at the dinner offered to his honour at Thessaloniki the policy his government will follow in 1996.
Every year it is traditionally this dinner when
the Prime Minister announces its policy and tonight mr Papndreou stressed that in 1996 the government will focus on the development and assured that no new taxes will be imposed although as he said some social groups which did not pay taxes will be called to do so since Greece according to mr Papandreou has the lowest taxes in Europe.
The Greek Premier announced that the fight against inflation will continue so that the real revenues of the working class be protected and added that his government put the bases for a longterm development.
Mr Papandreou predicted that inflation will be under 8% in the end of 1995, the private investment will reach 4.5% which is the higest in the last five years and the industrial product will increase by 1.5-2% when it had a negative pace in the period 199093.
As far as it regards employment, the Prime Minister said that in 1996 his government will invest 220 billion drachmas (about $1 billion) for measures which will support young unemployed people and people who are approaching the pensioning time.
Mr Papandreou underlined that interest rates fell by about 8 units in one year and there have been projects amounting to 390 billion drachmas ($1.2 billion) which is about 4.5 times higher that in 1994.
Another 2 billion dollars was invested by foreign capital in Greece in the first five months of 1995.
The Prime Minister said that 86% of the capital invested was pushed to the regions and especially 1/4 of it to Northern Greece.
Mr Papandreou said that the aim of his government is the creation of a Balkan area with a steady European policy stressing that measures towards this direction are being taken and noting that the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank will function from Thessaloniki, that a stock market will also work in the city, that new road networks will connect Northern Greece to Bulgaria and Albania, that the problem of waters of the river Nestos will be solved and that the oil pipeline which will bring russian oil from, Bulgaria to the Aegean Sea will be materialized.
There is no other way, no other reliable policy, underlined mr Papandreou adding that otherwise the whole country will pay for the recession.
The Greek Prime Minister called on the Greek people to respond to this activity and noted that it was developed despite a sick political climate which is being cultivated in the country, a climate which undermines what has already been won and called those who have inspired it to think it over.
Turkey should prove that it respects the international law and the principles the civilized states obey said today the Greek Press and Media Minister mr Evangelos Venizelos commenting on a statement by the Turkish Foreign Minister which responded to a statement by his on the attacks against Greeks in Constantinople in September 1955.
Mr Venizelos said that it is widely known who respects the international law and who violates it and stressed that Greece does not cultivate the tension between the two country but receives it underlining that noone can write history off.
The Greek Minister reminded that a big part of the Cypriot Republic is still under the Turkish occupation and that international organizations have a lot of time accused Turkey of violations of human rights.
Greek government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos characterized as first positive step toward peace the agreement reached in Geneva by the Foreign Ministers of New Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Croatia repeating the comments he made yesterday after the joint statement issued in Geneva.
Mr.Venizelos said that it is a first positive step and is welcomed with joy, satisfaction and optimism expressing the hope that this process will lead to the acceptance of a plan which will be viable because it will have political and diplomatic foundations. He said that Greece's firm position is that military operations, such as NATO's air- strikes, do not help and underlined the seriousness with which the involved parties, the United States, Russia, and the European Union deal with this issue.
On the skopjan issue, the greek government spokesman referring to Tuesday's meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Skopje in New York reiterated what Prime Minister Papandreou stressed yesterday namely, that through mr.Vance's mediation and his continuous contacts with the two sides an agreement has been formed but this agreement has not been signed. Mr.Venizelos stated that the two Foreign Ministers go to New York in order to settle every detail, legal, technical or any other kind and to sign the document of the agreement. He also said that this is an extremely serious issue and we can not say that the agreement has been concluded before it is signed.
Mr.Venizelos also stated that regarding the issue of the name Greece's position remains firm.
Optimism on the course of the negotiations in New York was expressed by Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias before leaving today for the UN headquarters in New York.
Mr.Papoulias stated that the few obstacles remaining will not hinder the signing of a historical agreement adding that the reaching of this agreement will signal the unblocking of the country's foreign policy. He also stated that Greece achieved its goals without any concessions while the road for a parallel negotiation on the issue of the name is being opened.
Responding to a question by a reporter on whether he believes that the outcome of the negotiation on the name will be a triple name, mr.Papoulias stressed that "this is an idea" and added that the government's position on the issue of the name remains firm.
To a question on the agreement reached in Geneva on the Bosnian issue, mr.Papoulias said that is a very important agreement and a very important step while he expressed the hope that there will be a final agreement by the end of the month.
US Ambassador to Athens, Thomas Niles stated today in Thessaloniki that the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Greece and FYROM in New York is an extremely positive step good for both countries and good for peace and stability in the region and also that it will be a good example for the involved parties in Bosnia. Mr.Niles also stated that this is a very promising development.
The US Ambassador responding to a question if there is a US proposal for Greece and Skopje on the issue of the name which will not be discussed in the New York talks on Tuesday, he stated that "This is not something that the United States has either the authority or the responsibility to settle. He said that after this initial agreement is signed next week in New York a process will start in line with the UN Security Council resolution 818 based on which the two sides will continue the discussions with the assistance of mediator Cyrus Vance and will reach a solution on the issue of the name.
Mr.Niles also stated that "in this new, what we hope will be a new and more positive environment, between FYROM and Greece, an agreement on the name can be reached. So, we hope that will happen, but it is not something that the United States has the key to solve".