From: zarros@turing.scs.carleton.ca (Theodoros Sp. Zarros) Subject: News in English - Tue, 5 Oct 1993 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN, October 5, 1993 ============================================ Athens, 5/10/93 (ANA) - Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis yesterday called on those who had unseated the government to take a "good look" at cheering crowds that greeted him in Preveza. Mr Mitsotakis ended a tour of four prefectures in Epirus yesterday. "New Democracy relies exclusively on the people, and this is corroborated by today's gathering, as well as earlier ones in Epirus. Thessaloniki and Iraklion. Our party is the party of the people; people who will show at the elections on Sunday that Greece is not ruled by vested interests or obscure backstage operators", the premier said. Expressing optimism that New Democracy will win, Mr Mitsotakis said: "Our opponents started off the electoral campaign full of optimism, but they are in for deep disappointment when ballots boxes open on Sunday". Athens, 5/10/93 (ANA) - Coalition of the Left and Progress leader Maria Damanaki said yesterday, that despite her conviction the main opposition socialist party PASOK would win the elections on Sunday, there was "no indication that PASOK had cut itself off from the past". Ms Damanaki was speaking at a party rally in Thessaloniki. PASOK, she said, lacked a "political and economic programme" and added that "without the Left, there can be no true change on the political stage". She accused both PASOK and New Democracy of "demagoguery" and of making political capital out of national issues, such as the Skopje issue. Ms Damanaki reiterated her party's proposal for an inter-party agreement to chart Greece's national strategy on foreign policy. Athens, 5/10/93 (ANA) - Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis yesterday called on main opposition socialist PASOK leader Andreas Papandreou to clarify his position on a United States Athens Embassy report concerning the settlement of the Skopje issue, published yesterday in the Athens daily "Eleftheros Typos". According to the report, bearing the signature of Athens head of mission James Williams which was prepared after a meeting with Mr Papandreou on March 23, Mr Papandreou said: "...a quick solution to the problem, even one that was not positive for Greece, would have been better than letting things continue as they are now". "This is a serious moral issue on which Mr Papandreou must clarify his position, "Mr Mitsotakis said from Arta where he was on a election tour yesterday. "Mr Papandreou cannot say one thing to the Greek people and another to the Americans in private. It is a serious moral issue which Mr Papandreou should clarify", Mr Mitsotakis said. Asked to comment on the report, government spokesman Nikos Argyropoulos said: "Indeed, we regret Mr Papandreou's position which results from the US Embassy's document published in the press today. Mr Papandreou's position of saying one thing to the Americans and another to the Greek people on the crucial Skopje issue is unacceptable". Referring to the report, Mr Papandreou said yesterday he did in fact meet Mr Williams and briefed him on PASOK's positions, according to which PASOK will not recognise Skopje if its name includes the word "Macedonia" or its derivatives. Athens, 5/10/93 (ANA) - Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) leader Andreas Papandreou yesterday met with the Belgian and German Ambassadors to Athens to discuss PASOK's positions in light of Greece's assumption of the rotating EC presidency on January 1. Belgium is the current EC presidency holder and Germany will assume the presidency after Greece. Following the meetings, Mr Papandreou told reporters he had emphasised the need for further development and an increase in productivity, as well as the need to deal effectively with unemployment. "But the prevailing issue lies in the Balkans, where Greece has the leading role", Mr Papandreou said. Athens, 5/10/93 (ANA) - Pele, the Brazilian-born soccer legend who scored 1,281 goals in his 22-year career, arrived in Athens yesterday at the invitation of the National Bank of Greece. "I very much wanted to begin my tour from your country, which I love, and I know that Greeks love me too", Pele told reporters at the airport. He is scheduled to give a press conference today. Athens, 5/10/93 (ANA) - Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis yesterday voiced concern over developments in Russia, warning that the crisis there could spark unforeseen consequences for international stability. He appealed for self-restraint and called on all sides to end the crisis as soon as possible. "I appeal to all sides for self restraint so that today's crisis in Russia can be overcome as quickly as possible", Mr Mitsotakis said. "The prospects of endangering regional and global peace are great. And this because Russia is a nuclear superpower. The civil strife there could spark unforeseen and uncontrollable consequences that would threaten international peace and stability", he added. A similar statement was issued by main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement leader Andreas Papandreou who said there was global concern for the outcome of the Russian crisis. "The situation there does not only concern Russia, but the entire world. We hope for a quick end to the bloodshed there and that the Russian people, united, will peacefully resolve their problem", he said. "We hope that the Russian government and President Boris Yeltsin, supported by the international community, will normalise political developments in Russia", Mr Papandreou added. A statement was also issued by the Coalition of the Left and Progress party condemning the "use of violence and curbing of democratic rights to which the Yeltsin leadership has resorted in an effort to deal with the deep social and political crisis in Russia". "It is principle for the Left to defend democracy", said the statement. Athens, 5/10/93 (ANA) - The EC Foreign Minister's Council has expressed a political volition for Cyprus to join the Community, and also endorsed an attempt to disengage its admission from a settlement of the Cyprus issue, Foreign Minister Michalis Papaconstantinou said yesterday. Speaking to the press shortly after his return from Luxembourg, where the meeting was held, Mr Papaconstantinou added that the Council discussed Cyprus' admission and adopted the Commission's avis, with only minor changes that brought improvements to the original text. The foreign minister who, prior to visiting Luxembourg, was in New York for the UN general assembly meeting, said he had proposed holding an international conference on former Yugoslavia in Athens, after the end of fighting. He added the international community should begin preparations from now, and participating countries should include EC members, former Yugoslavia's neighbouring countries, and such third countries as Japan and the US that could help. The foreign minister said that during his stay in New York he conferred with his Balkan counterparts to whom he stressed that during the term of Greece's EC rotating presidency ,emphasis would be placed on the Balkans. Athens, 5/10/93 (ANA) - Bulgaria will not grant over-flight permission for military operations in former Yugoslavia, a senior Bulgarian defence official said yesterday. General Luben Petrov, chief of Bulgaria's national defence general staff, reiterated Bulgaria's position that it will not grant either over-flight or overland transit permission to foreign military forces for operation in former Yugoslavia. General Petrov, on a protocol visit to Greece, was speaking to reporters after a meeting with National Defence Minister Ioannis Varvitsiotis. He also reaffirmed ties between Greece and Bulgaria, saying that Bulgaria did not pose a threat to Greece nor did Greece threaten Bulgaria. Asked about developments in Russia, the Bulgarian military chief described events there as "dramatic". Mr Varvitsiotis said events in Russia, coupled with the situation in Georgia, suggested a "climate of instability with immediate consequences for both Europe and the Balkans" but expressed the belief that Russian President Boris Yeltsin's "efforts to restore democracy would prevail". Athens, 5/10/93 (ANA) - The European Parliament's Women's Rights Committee opened its conference at the Helexpo convention centre yesterday. The conference is being attended by 14 Female Eurodeputies who yesterday discussed the situation faced by women in the agricultural sector in EC member states. Thessaloniki Mayor Constantine Kosmopoulos addressed the conference, wishing it every success. Greece's former EC commissioner Vasso Papandreou was due to open the conference with a speech on the position of Greek women but was unable to speak due to other engagements; the opening speech was made by Portuguese Eurodeputy Tereza Domingo Segara. The Committee's sessions will end tomorrow. Athens, 5/10/93 (ANA) - National Economy Minister Stephanos Manos does not regret the new Democracy government's austerity programme, he told Reuters in an interview published yesterday, but he does regret that he did not do more sooner. "If there's something which I regret, it is that we did not start earlier. Because many of our projects would have come to an end and they could now be shown" he said. Mr Manos agreed that New Democracy ruling party had not kept the public as well or as regularly informed of economic changes and successes over the past three and a half years as it might have done. "I thought that when I cut income taxes in half for most Greeks that they knew it, but it seems you have to tell them", he said. Among his successes he cited primary budget surpluses for the first time in years, inflation heading to single digits, freeing of price controls and working hours, lower income taxes and progress on a wide-ranging privatisation programme. "What I am saying is there have been a lot of changes, and it is really a question of getting this thing moving over a period of time to see the result", he said. Mr Manos cautioned a PASOK victory would kill off projects aimed at bringing in foreign investment and raising money to service debts estimated at 130 per cent of the annual GDP. Under his direction, New Democracy have been using multi-billion dollar EC aid packages to lure foreign investors into projects such as a new Athens metro and airport, a bridge across the Gulf of Corinth and the first private power plant. Athens, 5/10/93 (ANA) - Inflation was running at an annual rate of 12.8 per cent at the end of September, against 15.5 per cent in the same month last year, according to National Statistics Service figures released yesterday. The same figures showed the Consumer Price Index (CPI) per cent higher than August. NSS sources said the rise was due to increases in durables and household consumer goods (8.3 per cent), clothing and footwear (8.1 per cent), education and recreation (3.8 per cent), health and personal hygiene (2.3 per cent), foodstuffs (1.7 per cent) and transport and communication (1.5 per cent). Athens, 5/10/93 (ANA) - Olympic Airways, Greece's national carrier, will establish a second daily afternoon flight from Athens to London in addition to the regular morning flight, as of November. According to an announcement by the airline, the new flight is being instituted to enable it to face tough competition in its European network.