Subject: A.N.A. Bulletin 2/9/93 From: miltos@nfl2.irc.nrc.ca Athens News Agency Bulletin, Sept. 2, 1993 ========================================== Athens, 2/9/1993 (ANA) - Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis will meet with US President Bill Clinton on October 26 at the White House, an official statement said yesterday. US charge d' affaires in Athens, James Williams, delivered the official invitation from President Clinton to the premier's Diplomatic Office yesterday, the statement said. The meeting will be Mr. Mitsotakis' first with the new US president. Athens, 2/9/1993 (ANA) - The government's legislative programme is being carried out satisfactorily, the inner cabinet said yesterday after a review of the government's work at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis. Yesterday's meeting also decided that a presidential decree opening new departments at Thrace University should be counter-signed. The meeting also proposed that the Greek Navy Fund receive two supplementary loans of 1.3 billion Dr and seven billion Dr to build two deep-sea patrol boats and seven tank-carriers respectively. It also thanked the German government for the five-fighting helicopters donated to Greece. The meeting decided that when the debate on the co-operatives bill had been completed, the next bills to be taken to parliament would be the Industry and Commerce Ministry bill on insurance companies and the bill ratifying the construction contract for Spata Airport. Athens, 2/9/1993 (ANA) - Government spokesman Vassilis Manginas reiterated yesterday that elections will be held in spring 1994. "The government's decision is for the elections to be held in spring 1994 at the end of the New Democracy government's term of office", he said. Athens, 2/9/1993 (ANA) - The Greek and British armed forces will hold a joint military exercise in Crete on October 6-14 , it was announced yesterday. Athens, 2/9/1993 (ANA) - Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis yesterday laid the foundation stone for a square at Aghioi Apostoloi, in Kalamos, 25 miles north of Athens which will bear the name of assassinated New Democracy MP Pavlos Bakoyiannis. Bakoyiannis was killed by terrorists in downtown Athens, in 1989. He was the premier's son in-law, married to the now Culture Minister Dora Bakoyiannis. The premier was accompanied by Ms. Bakoyiannis and other officials. Mr. Mitsotakis later addressed the gathering, saying that he was certain the government was on the right track, and serving Greece and its people despite the difficulties. "We believe in deeds, not words", he said. Athens, 2/9/1993 (ANA) - The NATO Military Committee will meet in Halkidiki, northern Greece on September 15, the National Defence Ministry announced yesterday. According to sources, the chiefs of staff of the NATO member-states will discuss issues concerning the south-east wing of the Alliance, including the operation of two NATO headquarters in Greece. Before the meeting, the chiefs of staff will tour military units in Turkey and will visit Italy after the meeting. Athens, 2/9/1993 (ANA) - Foreign Minister Michalis Papaconstantinou yesterday received the charge d'affaires of the Armenian Embassy to Athens, Ashot Hovakimian, to discuss co-operation between the two countries and the upgrading of financial relations. The Armenian Embassy has only recently been established in Greece whereas the Greek Embassy in Armenia opened last May. Athens, 2/9/1993 (ANA) - A Greek C-130 aircraft carrying humanitarian aid is due to leave for Somalia today to replace a part of the Greek peacekeeping force in the country. Greece is participating in the UN peacekeeping forces in Somalia, which has been torn by civil strife this year. New York, 2/9/1993 (ANA - M. Georgiadou) - In a move aimed at strengthening ties between the Jewish and ethnic Greek communities in the US, Greek-American community leaders are to make a public commendation honouring the honorary president of the US Jewish Committee and President of the Council of United State Jewish Federations Maynard Wisner. This initiative, which hopes to bring closer two of the most active minority communities in the United States, in regarded as being of special national significance for Greece. The commendation will be made during the 9th Annual Greek-American Leaders' Conference in the presence of Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America. Mr. Wisner will be commended on his co-operation with the Greek-American community in a ceremony attended by senators, congressmen, government officials and figures from both communities. Mr. Wisner, along with politicians, former ministers and other personalities had put together a lobby to exert pressure on the question of the five Americans and 1,614 Greek Cypriots that have been missing since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Two congress deputies tabled a resolution on this in Congress, which was supported by the ethnic Greek and Jewish communities. Recently Mr. Wisner, accompanied by a 24-member Greek-Jewish delegation made a tour of Greece, Israel and Cyprus and held talks with the leadership of these countries on matters of mutual interest, especially national issues. Nicosia, 2/9/1993 (ANA - G. Leonidas) - Turkey yesterday renewed its policy of provocation by including the telephone network of the Turkish Cypriot pseudo state to its own on the mainland, thus treating the latter as a Turkish province. Political and diplomatic circles in Nicosia said its was a new and blatant attempt by Turkey, to promote its designs for annexing the occupied parts of the island-republic. Istanbul, 2/9/1993 (ANA - Kourkoulas) - Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos has returned to Istanbul after his trip to Sweden, the patriarchal court announced yesterday, the start of the new ecclesiastic year. The day, which coincides with the Greek Orthodox World Environment Protection Day instated by late Patriarch Demetrios in 1992, was marked with a mass at St Nikolaos Tzobaliou in the Phanar, Istanbul and a reading of a messaged by the Ecumenical Patriarch on environmental protection. The Patriarch visited the Church of Sweden on the occasion of celebrations for the Uppsala Synod's 40th anniversary. While there he met with Sweden's King Charles and paid a visit to the Orthodox Archbishorphic of Sweden and all Scandinavia and the Archbishop of Karelia and all Finland John. Nicosia, 2/9/1993 (ANA/CNA) - The national carriers of Cyprus and Greece, Cyprus Airways and Olympic Airways respectively, have agreed to reduce the student and excursion fares by up to 20 per cent for the winter period (1 November 1993 - 31 March 1994). Speaking at a press conference here yesterday, the chairman of the Cyprus Airways board, Vassilis Rologis, said this was done in a bid to promote tourism between the two countries and facilitate the movement of overseas Cypriots. Mr. Rologis returned home Tuesday evening from his second trip to Athens this month where he met Olympic Airways officials and discussed matters of price policy and set the basis for wider co-operation. According to a joint announcement by the two airlines, the student fare from Larnaca to Athens is reduced from 104 pounds to 89 pounds, the excursion fare from 168 to 138 and the group excursion fare from 150 to 132. They also agreed the student fare from Athens to Larnaca be reduced from 43,000 drachmas to 41,800, the excursion fare from 74,000 to 60,000 and the group excursion fare from 66,400 to 52,700. Mr. Rologis said the reductions in the fares were expected to cost Cyprus Airways one and a half million pounds while Olympic Airways expected to lose some 300-500 million drachmas. He added that experts would study similar reductions in fares of the Larnaca - Thessaloniki route. The flights to the two biggest Greek cities are the most popular in Cyprus due to the fact that Greece is a favourite destination for many people going for vacations or business. Moreover, a large majority of young Cypriots are studying in Greek universities and colleges while the Cypriot community there is estimated at about 40,000. Athens, 2/9/1993 (ANA) - Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) chairman Nikolaos Themelis yesterday submitted his resignation over a disagreement with National Economy Minister Stephanos Manos concerning an international tender for the procurement of one million digital telephone lines. Mr. Themelis also cited the adoption of legislation by parliament last month partially privatising the state-run phone company as a reason for his resignation. Under the new law, the government may sell 35 per cent of OTE's shares to a strategic investor who will also assume the company's management. Ten per cent of the organisation's shares will be offered on the Athens Stock Exchange and four per cent will be given free to OTE employees. The state will retain a majority 51 per cent shareholding. The government announced on Monday that the contract for the procurement of one million digital (touch-tone) telephone lines would be awarded by the new OTE board of directors. Competing for the contract are the companies AT and T, Alcatel, Intracom, Northern Telecom and Siemens. The new 11-member board will include four directors appointed by the strategic investor under the partial privatisation scheme and one director appointed by other investors. The government announcement said that an interim board would be appointed this week. Athens, 2/9/1993 (ANA) - Drivers who buy cars that do not pollute the environment will save between 25-67 per cent on the special consumption tax, a meeting attended by Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis, National Economy Minister Stephanos Manos and Finance Under-secretaries Costas Yiatrakos and Michalis Galenianos decided yesterday. A bill on the measure was due to be tabled in parliament yesterday. Government spokesman Vassilis Manginas said that the new measure would place antipollutant cars in Greece among the cheapest in the European Community. The replacement of old cars with new safe ones with antipollutant technology will be speeded up, he added. The saving in drachma value in consumption tax per car category is as follows: - 400,000 dr. for cars up to 900 c.c. - 540,000 dr. for cars 901-1400 c.c. - 720,000 dr. for cars 1401-1600 c.c. - 850,000 dr. for cars 1601-1800 c.c. - 950,000 dr. for cars above 1800 c.c.