From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Wed, 9 Mar 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Bulletin, 09/03/1994 ( ) Oxman meets with PM, Foreign Undersecretary on Skopje ---------------------------------------------------- Athens, 9/3/1994 (ANA) United States Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Steve Oxman said here yesterday Washington fully backed U.N-led efforts to resolve Greece`s thorny dispute with the Former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia. ``We want to do what we can to be helpful and,at the same time, support the very important process being led by the United Nations under the very able leadership of former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance``,Mr.Oxman told reporters after talks with Foreign Undersecretary George Papandreou that focused on Greece`s dispute with the Former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia. Mr.Oxman later held talks with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou. ``The United States government does not have a Made-in-the-U.S.A solution to this difficult set of issues. I did not come here with a solution in my pocket. But I did come here with a strong feeling that we can be helpful``,he told reporters. For the past two years,Greece has been at odds with the neighbouring Balkan republic arguing that its name,constitution and flag show territorial ambitions against Greece`s northern province of Macedonia. In February,Greece barred the neighbouring state from using the northern post of Thessaloniki and closed its consulate in the capital,in response to Skopje`s growing instransigence and aggressive behaviour. Mr.Oxman echoed Washington`s strong opposition to the measures,saying they affected stability in the region. ``We obviously put a very high premium on stability in the region.We have made our view known that we hope these measures can be reversed,because we are not of the view that they can contribule to stability in the region``,he said. During his meeting with Mr.Papandreou,Mr.Oxman said he received a full and in-detail briefing on the reasons that led Greece to take the measures against the neighbouring state of 2,5 million Slavs and Albanians. He said a scheduled meeting between Mr.Vance and Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias in Geneva on Thursday was significant,and expressed hope that it would result in the ``construction of a new step`` for a solution to the dispute. Mr.Papandreou welcomed Mr.Oxman`s initiative to visit Greece ``at an important and critical moment for our national issues``. He expressed the hope that his visit would contribute to the further promotion of ``the solutions we all seek``. Mr.Oxman flies to Ankara today for talks with the Turkish government on enforcement of the no-fly zone in northern Iraq. Papoulias to fly for talks in Belgrade,Moscow --------------------------------------------- Athens, 9/3/1994 (ANA) Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias will visit Belgrade March 11, and Moscow March 12,a Foreign Ministry statement said yesterday. In his talks with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev and Deputy Foreign Minister Vitaly Ghurkin,Mr.Papoulias will continue the European. Union Greek Presidency`s efforts to resolve the Bosnian crisis,the statement added. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said Mr.Papoulias would travel to Belgrade and Moscow ``at the end of the week``,in order to be given ``first hand`` information on the positions of the Serbian leadership on the Bosnian crisis,``and initiatives of Russia,which is playing an active role in the Balkans``. According to ANA`s correspondent in Moscow,Mr.Papoylias is due in the Russian capital Friday night and have talks with Mr.Kozyrev on the following day. Delors to launch Skopje mediation drive --------------------------------------- Brussels, 9/3/1994 (ANA/M.Savva-V.Demiri) - Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias yesterday had a meeting with EU Commission President Jacques Delors in Brussels yesterday. Mr.Papoulias said afterwards Mr.Delors intends to launch a ``personal mediation initiative`` between Athens and Skopje. ``I am very satisfied because it was a positive discussion that can bear fruit``,said Mr Papoulias. ``There are both ideas and goodwill``,he added. Meanwhile,the Foreign Minister briefed his EU colleagues on his Middle East tour las week. It was a valuable experience,and the EU wished to establish its presence in developments in that sensitive region,he told reporters. The situarion in former Yugoslavia was also discussed ata dinner,at which it was suggested to increase UN peacekeeping forces there,he added. The Yugoslav issue will be discussed at an informal EU Foreign Ministers` meeting in Yiannina on March 26 and 27. Concluding his statements to reporters,Mr.Papoulias said his colleagues had not raised the Skopje issue,which he will discuss with UN Special Mediator Cyrus Vance in Geneva tomorrow. Delors: Measures in line with common policy ------------------------------------------- Brussels, 9/3/1994 (ANA/M.Savva) - European Commission President Jacques Delors yesterday said Greece`s move to impose retortion measures against Skopje fall in line with the common EU foreign policy concept. ``Looking at it from a strict and a purely economic view,the measures undertaken by Greece do not comply with the Community`s rules``,Mr.Delors said,adding that he Greek Government`s move ``falls in line with the common foreign policy of the 12,since Greece invokes reasons of national security``. Parliament president voices concern for Kurdish MPs treatment ------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 9/3/1994 (ANA) Parliament Speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis has written his EU counterparts and the President of the European Parliament,expressing concern at the lifting of parliamentary immunity and arrest of Kurdish deputies in Turkey. The right of expression is not respected in all countries that claim to have a democratic system of government,while some-like Turkey-even deny it to the members of their own parliaments,Mr Kaklamanis wrote. Concluding,he called on all parliaments to express concern to Turkey over the violation of this basic human right and ask for the suspension of their prosecution. Women`s wages lower,`despite progress` -------------------------------------- United Nations, 9/3/1994 (ANA/M.Georgiadou) Despite progress in the participation of women in economic and political processes,their wages continue to be 30-40% lower than those of men,Foreign Minister`s adviser on women`s issues Ms Aleka Fexi told the UN committee on the status of women,to mark Women`s Day yesterday. Two thirds of all illiterate people worldwide are women,she added. Ms Fexi spoke at length on EU programmes to improve women`s status. Latest developments a `step forward`, Venizelos ----------------------------------------------- Athens, 9/3/1994 (ANA) Greece yesterday described the latest developments on the issue of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) as "a step towards shaping preliminary conditions" for a resumption of dialogue. Asked by reporters if developments in Brussels and the United States were a step forward, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos replied that "everything is judged by results". "If I had to make some comment though", he added, "I would say `yes`, there is a positive development". The spokesman said that "anything in the direction of establishing preliminary conditions for dialogue to continue is positive". Replying to questions on simultaneous efforts on the FYROM issue both at the United Nations and by the European Union, Mr. Venizelos said: "It is only natural that the European commission should show interest in an issue of concern to an EU member-state", adding that as far as the procedure under way at the UN was concerned, "Greece has neither the right nor the intention to ignore the mediating effort of Cyrus Vance". Answering other questions, Mr. Venizelos said that the retortion measures taken bya the government against FYROM had the support of the overwhelming majority of the Greek people. Mr. Venizelos said that the government would brief US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs on its positions concerning the FYROM issue during his two-day visit to Athens which began yesterday. Greece insists that the use of the term "Macedonia" applies only to its northern province of the same name, accusing Skopje authorities that their use of the term implies territorial designs against this Greek northern province. Athens, insists the former Yugoslav republic change its constitution, remove a Greek symbol from its flag and cease hostile propaganda against Greece as preconditions for a resumption of UN-sponsored dialogue. EU mediation connection acknowledged ------------------------------------ Brussels, 9/3/1994 (ANA - M. Savvas, V. Demiris) A European Commission spokesman yesterday said the Commission was not totally alient to the mediating effort for resuming dialogue on the Skopje issue between Greece and FYROM. "The European Commission is not totally alien to a resumption of a mediating procedure taking place in Geneva on Thursday", the spokesman said. He added that "the Commission considers Greece's (retortion) measures economically unacceptable". This is also mentioned in European Commissioner Hans van den Broek's memorandum to the Greek government. The spokesman said, however, that "the issue is also political, and he (van den Broek) therefore awaits the Foreign Ministers' council to state their position (on the issue), (in the meantime) exerting friendly pressure on both sides". In a reply to a press question on whether or not the procedure to refer Greece's act to impose retortion measures against FYROM to the European Court has started, the spokesman said no such procedure began. He did say, however, that it might start "after the political dialogue" at the Foreign Ministers' council meeting. Asked to speculate on possibilities to take Greece to the European court, the spokesman noted that only 1% of such cases actually reach the court. Athenians greet Melina in tears and flowers, lies in state ---------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 9/3/1994 (ANA) Thousands of Greeks lined the streets of Athens yesterday to pay tribute to Melina Mercouri who died of cancer in a New York hospital on Sunday. Earlier, Mercouri's body was flown back to Greece on an Olympic Airways flight escorted by four Phantom jets from the moment it entered Greek airspace. A military band played the national anthem and jets made low passes overhead as the casket, draped with the blue and white Greek flag, was carried off the plane at Athens international airport, as an honour guard of the three services presented full premier's honours. Waiting to pay their respects at the airport were most of the Greek cabinet ministers as well as delegations from Parliament, political parties, the Church, other organisations and scores of artists and journalists. Flags flew half mast on the Acropolis, all public buildings and many embassies. Mounted police escorted the motorcade as it slowly made its way through the main thoroughfares of the capital, past the Culture Ministry on to the Cathedral chapel, where Mercouri will lie in state for the public to pay final tribute through tomorrow. Crowds lining the route wept openly as the motorcade passed by, showering flowers on the hearse. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said Prime Minister Andreas papandreou would call on Mercouri's husband, Jules Dassin, today, to express condolences. The Premier will also attend the funeral service at the Athens Metropolitan Cathedral tomorrow. Education Minister Dimitris Fatouros said all schools will remain closed throughout the country tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Support committee of the Greek Song Festival, held annually in Thessaloniki, announced yesterday the forthcoming 33rd Festival would be dedicated to Mercouri "as the least tribute" to her memory. The festival, organised by Helexpo, will be held on September 17 in the northern Greek capital. Oxman statement --------------- US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs Stephen Oxman expressed his deepest condolences over the death of Mercouri on arrival at Athens airport, yesterday, shortly after the flight carrying Melina's body had landed. Describing her death as "a great loss", Mr. Oxman said that Mercouri had achieved much, both as a political figure and an actress.