From: zarros@turing.scs.carleton.ca (Theodoros Sp. Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Wed, 1 Dec 1993 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Bulletin -------- ATHENS, 01/12/1993 (ANA) ANA Athens, 01/12 (ANA) - The government yesterday tabled the general state budget for 1994 providing for a 17.6 per cent increase in spending and a 23 per cent rise in revenue. Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou said it was a ``strict`` budget. According to the introductory report of Finance Minister George Yenimataw, public sector borrowing requirements (PSBR) will total 2.432 trillion drachmas, marking an increase of 3.7 per cent, while 2.438 trillion drachmas has been earmarked for debt repayments, 37 per cent up on 1993. The gross deficit, that is PSBR plus debt repayments, will reach an estimated 4.861 trillion drachmas, marking an increase of 18.1 per cent compared with the previous year. A total of 2.854 trillion drachmas has been allocated for interest payments on public sector debts, an increase of 25.2 per cent over 1993, while 1 trillion drachmas has been earmarked for the Public Investment Programme, marking an increase of 34.2 per cent. Despite what Mr. Yennimatas described as ``the nightmarish (economic) situation`` inherited by the socialist government of Andreas Papandreou, the 1994 budget would leave a primary surplus of 431 billion drachmas ``as a result of austere implementation``. Defense spending will total 454.743 billion drachmas, an increase of 9.6 per cent over 1993, while education will receive 772.406 billion drachmas, marking a rise of 16.3 per cent. The budget provides for a 13.9 per cent increase on health, welfare and social security (1.350 trillion drachmas), a 4.6 per cent increase for agriculture (363.584 billion drachmas), and 1.065 trillion drachmas for the Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Ministry (12.1 per cent increase). A total of 2.273 trillion drachmas, 11.6 per cent up on 1993, has been allocated for salaries and pensions, while 151 billion drachmas has been earmarked for farm subsidies (6.8 per cent down) and 1.060 trillion drachmas for the various social security funds (10.5 per cent increase). The sum of 100 billion drachmas has been set aside as a reserve. Revenue from direct taxation will total 1.743 trillion drachmas, 29.6 per cent up on 1993, while indirect taxation will brin in 3.d775 trillion drachmas, marking an increase of 17 per cent. Total fiscal revenues will amount to 5.519 trillion drachmas while non-fiscal to 541 billion drachmas. Mr. Yennimatas said that there would be no increase in road tax but that the special duty which car owners pay for license plates would rise. The present tax on alcohol would not increase, he added. Mr. Yennimatas clarified that any new taxes which would be decided following ``a social dialogue`` would apply to income acquired in 1994 and declared the following year. He said that the measures to be taken by the government to curb tax evasion would be implemented in 1994. No special tax or levy would be imposed in 1993 or 1994, Mr. Yennimatas said. A New Democracy announcement later yesterday said ``the budget obviously suffers from lack of credibility``. ``It shows confusion and does not offer solutions. But most importantly, it does not serve the two basic needs of the economy: stabilisation and development``. Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras described the 1994 general state budget as a ``budget of despair``. Mr. Samaras expressed the view that ``the budget`s sole aim is to stabilise the economy, while it completely ignores development and social protection``. Athens, 01/12 (ANA) - Dimitris Glavas was elected president of the Union of Athens Journalists yesterday after receiving 665 out of 1,165 votes or 58 per cent of the total. The two candidates for the vice-presidency, Nikos Kiaos and Mr. Horianopoulos, received 514 and 417 votes respectively. A new round will be held for the winner to be elected with a majority of 51 per cent. Athens, 01/12 (ANA) - Greece does not object to the establishment of NATO headquarters on its territory on the condition that the organisation`s activities do not compromise the country`s security and its national interests, National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis said yesterday. In an interview with the Athens daily Ta Nea, Mr. Arsenis underlined that the dispute over the headquarters was between Turkey and NATO rather than between Greece and Turkey. Mr. Arsenis expressed the belief that Ankara would find itself isolated over the issue at the forthcoming NATO defence minister`s summit. He also stressed the need for the establishment in Thessaloniki of the NATO rapid deployment division headquarters. On the issue of Greece`s defence strategy, Mr. Arsenis said that it should be redefined in view of Turkish expansionism, the situation on the Greek-Albanian border, possible developments in Kosovo and the role Greece aspires to play in the Balkans. Speaking on the recentl announced inclusion of Cyprus in Greek defence planning, Mr. Arsenis reiterated that Greece is a guarantor power of the island republic and that in addition Cyprus faced the same threats as Greece. He stressed the need for defence co-ordination and joint planning so as to secure protection for both countries. Mr. Arsenis said that Greece would have to re-examine the way in which the country`s defence is organised, taking into account its geographical particularities and population size. He said that he was in favour of small, flexible military units with a high combat capacity and heavy firepower. Athens, 01/12 (ANA) - Cyprus` National Council--the republic`s top advisory body on te handling of the Cyprus problem--will visit Greece between December 16-23 for talks with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and all the country`s political parties, Cyrpus House Speaker Alexis Galanos announced yesterday. Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Galanos said that the Council`s talks in Athens would constitute the first step towards the convening of a panhellenic conference on the problem. Mr. Galanos said he believed that the conference, in which all Greek and Cypriot political parties would participate, would be held sometime in 1994. He underlined the need for the convening of such a conference, noting that most of the parties in both Cyprus and Greece were in agreement on the issue. Mr. Galanos expressed the hope that the two parties which currently disagree, the Communist Party of Cyprus (AKEL) and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), would re-consider their stance ``more carefully``, adding however that he respected the views of both dissnenting parties. Stressing the need for Cyprus` accession to the European Community, Mr. Galanos said ``if (President Constantine) Karamanlis took Greece into Europe for security reasons, then this applies even more so in the case of Cyprus``. Mr. Galanos also referred to the efforts by Turkey ``to cleanse`` the occupied territory in nothern Cyprus. Before the Turkish invasion in 1974, he said, there were 185,000 Greek-Cypriots in the currently occupied northern part of the island, compared with about 500 today, mainly old people. Similarly, he went on, before 1974 there were 125,000 Turkish Cypriots on the island, compared with only 90,000 at present. Noting the presence of approximately 100,000 settlers from mainland Turkey in Cyprus, Mr. Galanos said that ``if there is no reaction there won`t have to be a war for Turkey to take over the whole island``. Calling for immediate action to confront Turkish propaganda internationally, Mr. Galanos said that the relevant funds would have to be increased and Athens and Nicosia would have to collaborate more closely. Mr. Galanos also criticised Britain`s stance on Cyprus, asserting that London did not want Cyprus to join the European Community, preferring to have ``a role of suzerainty`` on the island where it maintains a number of important military bases. Mr. Galanos also had a meeting with his Greek counterpart Apostolos Kaklamanis and discussed the issue of joint coordinated action between the two countries to promote the Cyprus problem on an international level. To serve this purpose, the meeting decided to enforce the Joint Parliamentary Comittee. Istanbul 01/12 (ANA - A. Kourkoulas) - Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos has expressed satisfaction at the remorse--albeit indirect--acknowledger by the Roman Catholic Church for aiding Uniates in the past. Addressing a Roman Catholic delegation visiting Istanbul to attend memorial celebrations for St. Andrew, founder and protector of the Holy See of Constantinople, the Patriarch recalled that a joint commission on Theological Dialogue which met in Balamand School, Lebanon, last July, had underscored ``good intentions`` on the part of both sides to address the crisis caused by a revival of the Uniate sect. ``The joint document condemning Uniates, is proof, admittedly indirect, on the part of the Western Church, for using such unacceptable methods for centuries in the past``, the Ecumenical Patriarch said, adding he would be visiting the Vatican shortly. Athens, 01/12 (ANA - S. Aravopoulou) - Greece said yesterday that the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia would do well to consider the inviolability of borders in the region if it desired good relations with itw neighbours. ``Greece supports the inviolability of borders and this is a message FYROM's leadership should take into serious consideration and the fact that cooperation with Greece is of vital importance for FYROM``, Foreign Minister Karolow Papoulias said yesterday after the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) ministerial meeting. Clauses in the constitution of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia calling for the ``liberation`` of neighbouring territory would be considered hostile actions, Mr. Papoulias said. Mr. Papoulias expressed satisfaction over FYROM's failure to achieve CSCE membership, terming it a great ``Greek success``. Mr. Papoulias told Greek reporters that not only did FYROM fail to become a CSCE member but the issue was even struck off the agenda. A coincidence of views on Balkan issues was ascertained in a meeting Mr. Papoulias had with his Russian counterpart Andrei Kozyrev and both agreed to give new impetus to Greek-Russian relations. ``Our bilateral relations will be one of the matters which will be discussed in Moscow``, Mr. Papoulias said, adding that the accepted an invitation by Mr. Kozyrev to visit Moscow soon. Mr. Papoulias also met his Swedish counterpart and briefed her on Balkan matters and the Geneva talks and extended an ivitation to her to visit Athens soon, which was accepted. Mr. papoulias held talks, on the sidelines of the CSCE ministerial council, with the foreign ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Malta which, he said, is anxious to join the European Community. Mr. Papoulias further briefed his Dutch counterpart on his visit to Albania in the light of the Dutch minister's visit to Albania on December 13. The Greek foreign minister reiterated the Greek government's position on the ``start to suspend the embargo`` as soon as possible with a view to lifting it altogether. ``Of course this will be an issue which will also preoccupy the Greek presidency. Regarding negative positions stated on the issue by certain European partners and the United States, nobody can claim they will last forever. We have so many adjustments on US policy on the Balkan issue or the former Yugoslav issue tha I think this position can be reconsidered and indeed soon in accordance with new developmentsand the progress of negotiations between the interested parties and with the participation of the co-chairmen``, Mr. Papoulias said. ``I think that Greece's contribution was always aimed at maintaining peace and this is known and acceptable by all the Balkan countries. The effort at pacification in former Yugoslavia is additional proof of this. When we speak of creating confidence this is not compatible with the theory of the `Macedonian nation` and Greater Macedonia``, he added. Mr. Papoulias said FYROM President Kiro Gligorov should also make a step forward since it was his turn to prove his goodwill if he wished to co-exist with Greece. Paris, 1/12 (ANA - O. Tsipira) - The Western European Union's (WEU) Parliamentary Assembly's political committee report, better known as the Witgens report, has been amended in Greece's favour. Two amendments pub forward by a Belgian deputy were ratified during the afternoon session. The amendments abolish directive no. 5 calling on the Council of Ministers ``to insist on Greece recognising the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) without further delay``. A directive requesting Western European Union member states to recall a joint decision of theirs on the recognition of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was also amended. The amendment requests ``from the European Union's countries to recall their decision on the recognition of the Former yugoslav Republic of Macedonia`` and gives the text a more vague character since no date is attached. The two amendments were received by the Greek representation with great satisfaction. --- Turkey will not have the right to vote at the WEU's Parliamentary Assembly as an associate member. An amendment ratified during the morning session deprived the three associate members --Norway, Iceland and Turkey-- of the right to vote. The amendment concerns the Fisberg report proposing a charter (rights and obligations) for associate members. The report gave these members all the participation rights, including the right to vote, both at permanent committees and the Parliamentary Assembly plenary session. Presentation of the report was followed by a discussion with many interventions, particularly from Spanish deputies who termed the decision recognising the rights of regular and associate members ``not serious``. Two amendments were then tabled and finally ratified by the plenary session. The amendments rule that associate members do not have the right to vote at permanent committees and the general assembly of a Parliamentary Assembly plenary session. The Greek representation is also active on amendments on the FYROM issue due to be discussed yesterday afternoon (Witgens).