From: zarros@turing.scs.carleton.ca (Theodoros Sp. Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Mon, 6 Dec 1993 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, Dec. 6, 1993 Athens, 6/12/1993 (ANA): There are many ways in which Greece can exert pressure on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), and Athens will not confine itself to mere verbal threats, Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou said Saturday night. Speaking at President Karamanlis' reception for the press, Mr. Papandreou categorically ruled out the use of force. Describing the issue of the recognition of FYROM as "difficult", Mr. Papandreou said dialogue with Skopje could resume only if there was "proof of goodwill" on the part of FYROM president Kiro Gligorov. "Otherwise", he said, "dialogue will be meaningless". Mr. Papandreou said recognition of the neighbouring state under the name of FYROM would be "a good development", but the political problem would remain. Commenting on a statements by Alternate Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, at a TV interview Saturday, that the name issue was a lost cause for Greece, Mr. Papandreou said he was more optimistic than his minister was. --- Meanwhile New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert, said the government was "wrong in breaking off UN-sponsored talks". "If the government wished to break the dialogue, it might have done so after assuming the EC presidency", Mr. Evert added. --- Alternate Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos should resign, a Political Spring party announcement said Saturday, accusing him of a "public display of loss of spirit". Mr. Pangalos said he considered the Skopje name issue "a lost cause for Greece", at a TV interview, Saturday. "Cowards should resign, because the nation will never give up its just cause", the announcement said. "Political Spring wonders whether this might be just unprecedented public display of loss of spirit - a contribution by the competent minister to our competitors - or systematic preparation for national surrender", the announcement added. --- Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Secretary General Aleka Paparriga reiterated her party's stance on guarantees Skopje should give on border, the Constitution and bring to an end its nationalist propaganda. She described as incomprehensible a statement by Alternate Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos on the Skopje issue, adding although he had declared the Skopje name issue a lost cause, he had suggested no policy of coping with the problem. --- The Coalition of the Left and Progress (SYN) has proposed to the government immediate resumption of UN talks on Skopje, and called on other parties to contribute to this effort. A SYN statement yesterday cautioned persistence of the government, New Democracy and Political Spring in adopting an absolute stance over the name of Skopje, was leading Greece towards a major diplomatic and national defeat, that would have repercussions on Greek-Turkish relations, the Cyprus issue and the forthcoming Greek Presidency of the European Union. Sofia, 6/12/1993 (ANA): National Economy Under-secretary Yiannos Papantoniou, referred to the signing of a protocol of the 16th Mixed Committee for Economic Co-operation between Greece and Bulgaria, as an important step forward in strengthening Greek-Bulgarian economic co-operation. Referring to the level of co-operation between the two countries, Mr. Papantoniou stated that, within one year, the bulk of trade had increased by 34 percent and the two governments decided to expand it even further, by more frequent one-day meetings, missions and exhibitions, to enable the two markets to become familiar with each other. An agreement was also concluded on transport, for maximum exploitation of existing border accesses while, as Mr. Papantoniou said, there existed also a prospect for establishing trans-European transport networks through international financial support. This would mean investments of the order of 40 to 50 billion dollars, with the European Union acting as a driving force. Referring to borderline rivers, Mr. Papantoniou said a decision would be taken at a high political level, while on that of social insurance of former political refugees, he suggested there would be contacts between respective social insurance agencies to elaborate a common agreement. New York, 6/12/1993 (ANA - M. Georgiadou): Foreign Under-secretary George Papandreou said he was particular happy to be in New York, shortly after his landing at the Kennedy Airport Saturday. Mr. Papandreou is carrying a message from Premier Andreas Papandreou to the U.S. Administration and Greek-Americans. "This is a time for development and co-operation, strengthening relations between Greece and the United States and, of course, upgrading Greece's role in the broader region of the Balkans. We shall have time to discuss these issues in the coming days, and exchange views on them, Mr. Papandreou said. A Greek Foreign Ministry statement said Mr. Papandreou's visit to the United States includes New York, Boston and Washington. Mr. Papandreou will have talks with the leadership of the State Department and the Department of Defence, prominent members of Congress, the White House, American mass media, leading political and financial figures of the Greek-American community and Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America. In Washington, Mr. Papandreou will review progress in bilateral relations between Greece and the United States, in light of Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou's official visit to the US. Skopje, 6/12/93 (ANA - M. Vihou): The United States has not increased its military presence in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), US Liaison Officer Robert Norman said Saturday. Treating as "speculations" rumours of a greater US military presence and creation of a US military base in FYROM, Mr. Norman said that "the United States has no intention of increasing the number of its soldiers here, nor to establish a military base in 'Macedonia"'. "That is the truth, and it also has been stated by UNPROFOR's Public Relations Officer and our officials in Washington whenever asked", Mr. Norman said in a TV interview to mark the opening of a US Liaison Office in Skopje. Last week, Washington said the Liaison Office was established to facilitate co-operation between Skopje and the United States. New York, 6/12/1993 (ANA): The United States will continue to have very good relations with Greece, which they have been supporting over the Skopje issue, but the longer the problem remains unsolved, the harder the situation becomes, US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Lee Hamilton said in an interview in yesterday's edition of the Greek American newspaper "Proini". Stressing the problem should be resolved through direct dialogue between the two sides, Mr. Hamilton warned that "the Europeans proceed with granting diplomatic recognition of the Skopjan state". "The reason they want to do that, is probably because they want to stabilise their presence in the region", he said. "We (the United States) have supported Greece all this time, but with the problem remaining unsolved, the situation becomes even harder to deal with", he pointed out. "I believe", Mr. Hamilton said, "we should have anticipated there would be disagreement, and the European Union would proceed in that direction. Nobody should be surprised, (at their move) because the problem has existed for a long time". Mr. Hamilton also made reference to the way the Greek government handled the arrest of two US diplomats in Athens recently. "Mr. Papandreou and his associates have handled the situation beautifully", Mr. Hamilton said, adding they could have turned this into a major issue. "But Mr. Papandreou didn't. We (the US) appreciate it". The two diplomats were arrested in Athens late November when police found them in possession of guns, wigs and transmitters in a small van they were driving. The diplomats were released the same evening, after they established their diplomatic immunity. They left Greece after the incident. Turning to the Cyprus problem, he said it was the wish both of the US Government and the International Community to begin an effort for a settlement to the Cyprus problem. Admitting the US government did not exert much influence on Turkey (to find a solution to the problem), he noted that "in Turkey the government is weak and, therefore, could not take it upon itself to take decisions that would require a stronger government in the first place". Concluding, Mr. Hamilton said it was imperative the Cyprus problem should be listed "on US foreign policy agenda". Brussels, 6/12/1993 (ANA - C. Verros): Greece has differentiated its attitude from other Community partners on a proposed short-term policy of restricting salary increases, contained in a draft of Economic Policy General Orientations for 1994. Alternate National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou yesterday told a meeting of Economy and Finance Minister (ECOFIN) meeting in Brussels, Greece as present economic conditions did not coincide with that of other countries. Mr. Papantoniou said Greece has no intention of going along with such a policy and, as already stressed repeatedly, wages and salaries would be safeguarded for 1994 while, when the economy recovered in 1995, raises would be granted exceeding the rate of inflation, and be in line with developments in productivity. Greece also stressed the need for reducing interest rates, while redistribution of work time is no longer included as a binding condition on government, but only as a possibility which might be introduced through talks on a decentralised basis at company level.