Subject: News I (Greek Press Office BBS in Ottawa). To: macedonia@husc.harvard.edu (macedonia list.) Date: Tue, 13 Jul 93 18:29:54 EDT bulletin, 13/07/1993 ( ) ------------------------ Bulletin Athens News Agency Brussels, 13/7/93(ANA-K.Verros)--Greece does not rule out the possibility of expressing reservations on the allocation of the Delors II package of aid or of exercising its veto at the EC General Affairs Council next Monday unless its claims are satisfied. ''Greece may possibly raise reservations or block'', the taking of a decision if it considers that its positions are not satisfied, National Economy Minister Stephanos Manos said yesterday after meeting Europen Commission President Jacques Delors. Mr Manos said he set out Greece's ''many and strong arguments'' on the allocation of Delors II package funds to the four Cohesion countries, namely Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal. Final decisions on the allocation of the funds to the four Cohesion countries will be taken during the meeting. The Edinburgh summit last December decided that these four countries would receive the total amount of 85 billion ECUs (70 billion from Structural Funds and 15 from the Cohesion Fund) during the 1993-1999 period.Greece, it was estimated, would receive about 18 billion ECUs during the 1994-1999 period. Ireland, however, raised its reservation and pressed for the satisfaction of its claim for higher amounts at the General Affairs Council last week, which endorsed the '' common position'' on operational regulations and the regulatory framework for Structural Funds. In his meeting with Mr Manos, Mr Delors described the situation and arguments made by other Cohesion countries.Mr Manos set out Athens' ''strong objective arguments'', pointing out that Greece's final stance will be shaped during the General Affairs Council meeting on July 19 when final decisions on the allocation of resources for each country will be taken. Mr Manos said the other Cohesion countries are setting out ''arguments of a purely political nature'' whereas Greece has ''strong objective arguments'' based on decisions taken in Edinburgh and by the Council of Ministers. ''The situation is difficult and we will struggle to achieve the best possible'', Mr Manos said. ana Brussels, 13/7/93(ANA-G.Daratos)-- The European Community yesterday took the first step on the path towards prioritising development in border regions within the EC and between the EC and Eastern and Central European countries for the period 1994-1999. At yesterday's meeting of EC Council of Ministers, Commission and European Parliament representatives, a commitment was made to proceed with an explicit agreement with the European Parliament so that every Community budget plan from 1994 to 1999 will have a special, separate line item to fund joint projects in border regions between EC member-states and with central or eastern European countries. These projects will be financed by the EC's Structural Funds. Both Greece and Germany pushed for the EC's commitment fo financing projects which are of considerable importance for economic, commercial and cultural cooperation. The agreement will assist cooperation between Greece and Albania and Bulgaria. ana Athens, 13/7/93(ANA)--Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis sent a message of congratulations to Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez on the occasion of the swearing-in of his government. ''On the occasion of the swearing -in of your new government, I wish to express my warm congratulations to you and my best wishes for the progress, welfare and prosperity of the friendly Spanish people. ''I am convinced that our traditionally cordial relations will continue to develop even more for the benefit of our two peoples and our common European destiny'', the message said. ana Athens, 13/7/93(ANA)--Foreing Minister Michalis Papaconstantinou yesterday expressed his belief greek-albanian relations are moving towards normalisation. Speaking to the press in Thessaloniki last night he said: '' I think that the Albanian government has understood that (tension) is not in the interest of stability that we are all seaking in the Balkans.The expulsion of a clergyman is an attack on human rights...I beleive that a solution will be found because the Albanians begin to realise that the existing tension is ont to their advantage''. ana Athens 13/7/93(ANA)--Thessaloniki and Alexandria became sister cities at a special ceremony held in Thessaloniki yesterday. The ceremony was attended by Thessaloniki Mayor Constantine Kosmopoulos, Alexandria's Mayor Ismail el Sayed-El-Gawsaki, Foreign Minister Michalis Papaconstantinou , Greece's Ambassador to Cairo Evangelos Georgiou and Egypt's Ambassador to Athens Ahmed Nabil El Salawy.Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Kosmopoulos said ''Our cities have been linked by indissoluble blood ties since antiquity and share many common characteristics''. ''They are both glorious in time... (having made a ) great contribution to the devlopment of culture.Two direct descendants from Philip II (of Macedon)-- his son Alexander and his half-sister Thessaloniki--are the founders of our two cities,'' he said. ana St.Petergsurg 13/7/93(ITAR-TASS)--A religious service was conducted in St.Petersburg yesterday in honour of the High Apostolic Saints of Peter and Paul at the Cathedral of the Saviour of the Transfiguration by his Holiness, the Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos and his Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexios II. Vartholomeos is in Petersburg on the invitation of the Russian Orthodox Church. On Sunday the Patriarchs conducted services at St.Isaac's Cathedral and today public worship will take place at St.John's Monastery. ana Athens,13/7/93(ANA)--Cyrus Vance,the UN Secretary General's newly-appointed special mediator between Skopje and Greece, is expected to invite Athens and Skopje for consultations in the next few days, government spokesman Vassilis Manginas told reporters yesterday. ''At this minute we can not tell how the negotiations process will develop'', he added.