From: miltos@nfl2.irc.nrc.ca Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Mon, 1 Nov 1993 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). ANA Athens, 1/11/93(ANA)--Culture Minister Melina Mercouri yesterday mourned the death of Italian film great Federico Fellini, who died in Rome aged 73. "We people of the cinema and culture have lost our magician. We are mourning the loss of Fellini, who has given so much tenderness to life and feeling to dreams, so much humour to everyday life; the man who had identified his life with the cinema," she said. Athens, 1/11/93(ANA)--Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou said yesterday that the United Nations-led talks on the Skopje issue had reached an impasse but did not rule out the possibility of the talks continuing in the future. "The talks have been led to an impasse and there is no point in continuing them. We leave open this possibility and if in the future there is some change of stance, then we will be able to continue," he told reporters at Athens airport early Sunday. Mr Papandreou ,who was returning from a special European Community summit meeting in Brussels, also said his government would send a detailed letter this week to the UN secretary general outlining Greece's position on the talks. Asked whether the letter would indicate if Greece would break off the talks or request that they be continued on another basis, the premier responded: "No ,this is not what we are saying. We are saying that the talks have been led to an impasse and there is no point in continuing them." He added that if there was a change in Skopje's stance the talks could be continued "on some basis that is also related to the name". Gyrokastr, Albania, 1/11/93(ANA-M.Vihou)--Four leaders of the ethnic Greek minority in Albania, arrested by the Albanian authorities for raising a Greek flag in celebrations marking Greece's national holiday Thursday, were released from custody yesterday. Theodoros Bezianis, head of the Gyrokastr branch of the "Omonia" political party, Vangelis Baroufas, president of the Dervitsani community, Michalis Dalianis, president of the Vouliarati community and Georgios Diamantis, a Dervitsani resident, were released by authorities after being detained for 12 hours and paying a surety of 10,000 Lek (2,500 Dr) each. The four said they had been detained for raising the Greek flag in the villages of Dervitsani and Vouliarati last Thursday. Bezianis told the Athens News Agency that he would press charges for wrongful arrest and that he would send letters of protest to Albanian President Sali Berisha, as well as to the various international organisations. The Albanian parliament recently passed a law ruling that police be informed on all gatherings of a religious or cultural nature, a move, political observers said, clearly aimed at striking a blow against he Greek minority. It was on the basis of this law that Albanian police officers disbanded gatherings both in Gyrokastr after the expulsion of Archimandrite Chrysostomos and in the village of Krania recently. Athens, 1/11/93(ANA)--Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou said yesterday that his government's Balkan initiatives were aimed at resolving the crisis in former Yugoslavia rather than the convening of an inter-Balkan conference. "We are not making an inter-Balkan (conference) now, but (Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias) is merely making a tour of Balkan capitals, "he told reporters upon return from a special European Community summit meeting in Brussels. "Turkey is a part of the Balkans, but only a small part of it. We do not consider Turkey a genuine participant in this issue as it is mainly Yugoslavia that is important", Mr Papandreou added, when asked to comment on earlier statements that the foreign minister's Balkan tour would not include Ankara. "If we (propose) an inter-Balkan (conference), then Turkey will be included as it was before. We must have Turkey", he said. Athens, 1/11/93(ANA)-Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou said yesterday that his next trip abroad would be to attend the European Community summit meeting on December 10. He added that he would also attend the NATO summit on January 10 but said no date had yet been set for his visit to the United States. "The dates for (my visit to Washington) must be adapted to the new circumstances. January will be very full of trips", he told reporters on return from the special EC summit in Brussels. "We will discuss (this issue) with the new United States ambassador", Mr Papandreou added. Greece will assume the EC's six-month rotating presidency on January 1. New York, 1/11/93(ANA-M.Georgiadou)--Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America Saturday said he believed the new Greek government aimed at following a new policy, one that gave him room for optimism. Speaking to Cosmos FM, a local radio station, Archbishop Iakovos added that he felt optimistic after Premier Andreas Papandreou's recent policy statement speech in parliament, and was confident he would follow a wise policy. Athens, 1/11/93(ANA)-- Former World Grand Prix champion Niki Laouda was forced to land at Thessaloniki's Macedonia airport on Saturday after hoaxers said a bomb had been planted on a plane he was flying. Mr Lauda, owner of the private Austrian airline 'El Lauda', was piloting a flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna when he received a radio signal about the bomb threat. But after a thorough three-hour search at the Thessaloniki airport, the threat proved a hoax and the 147 passengers were allowed to reboard. Athens, 1/11/93(ANA)--Public Order Minister Stelios Papathemelis Saturday announced that special measures would be taken this week to cope with illegal immigration. "The issue of illegal immigration is of major importance to us", Mr Papathemelis said in Thessaloniki. "Of course, measures have been taken to prevent (illegal) entry of Albanians to this country. We are giving profound and most careful attention to the matter, and a set of measures to cope with the situation will be announced in the next few days". He rejected claims by Albanian authorities of ill-treatment and mass deportations of Albanians from Greece, describing such allegations as figments of the imagination. Mr Papathemelis acknowledged arrests had been made and deportations carried out, adding they consisted of isolated cases of Albanians who not only crossed the border illegally into Greece, but lacked identification papers as well. Such immigrants included former convicts and others who carried out various criminal acts including burglary and looting. This had caused crime to increase dangerously, reaching levels that were hitherto unknown to Greece, Mr Papathemelis said. "We are acting in the appropriate manner, as would any other country that is not prepared to see its territory treated as open ground for criminal elements from abroad to carry out their activities", he said. Other countries had adopted stricter measures, the minister added. Meanwhile, two Albanians, Fatil Albrodjimi and Fatmi Abrahimi, both 19, resident of Libras, were taken into custody Saturday, after they were caught by a Florina priest attempting to remove sacred objects. One of them had a knife with a five-inch blade. Athens, 1/11/93(ANA)--The establishment of a European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training will enable the capital of Macedonia to play an enhanced role in the Balkans and continental Europe, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos told reporters in Thessaloniki Saturday, commenting on a decision by the twelve EC leaders to select the capital of northern Greece as the seat of ECDVT. The Community which, as of today, will be called the European Union, last Friday dealt with the selection of sites for European foundations. Reviewing the basic operation of the centre, Mr Venizelos said its basic mission consisted of organising and co-ordinating programmes for professional training and rehabilitation, providing consultants, organising related training activities in Thessaloniki, and operation of a secretariat that will co-ordinate such work not only among Community member-countries, but also among those of central and eastern Europe that take part in the related programme. Thessaloniki, thus, will become the seat of a very important European agency, relating to the Balkan mainland and its economic role as a city, Mr Venizelos said. Funding of the centre will be carried out from the general budget of the European Union. The union will thus acquire legal entity and be entitled to court admission and possession of movable as well as real property. Nicosia,1/11/93(ANA)-Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides will hold talks with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou in Athens on Thursday. Mr Clerides will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides, who left yesterday for London to address the Greek-Cypriot Brotherhood of London tomorrow, the 33rd anniversary of the Cyprus independence. END