From: Theodore Zarros Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Fri, 22 Apr 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, Greece retaliates embassy expulsions, cautions ethnics key to relations with Albania ------------------------------------------------------------ Athens, 22/4/1994 (ANA): Greece yesterday ordered the expulsion of a second diplomat from the Albanian embassy in Athens after Tirana refused to revoke a decision, last week, to reduce Greek embassy staff in the neighbouring country by one third. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said that following Tirana's refusal to revoke the decision, Greece would take "corresponding measures and reduce the number of staff at the Albanian embassy in Athens by 31 per cent". The tit-for-tat expulsions began when Tirana declared the Greek Consul-General in Gyrokastr persona non grata early last week following an attack on a conscript training centre which Albania attributed to Greek commandos. Greece flatly rejected the allegations and retaliated by ordering the expulsion of the first secretary at the Albanian embassy in Athens. The Albanian government counter-acted giving Athens 10 days to cut down its embassy staff in Tirana from 10 to six. Delegations of the public order and foreign ministries of the two countries met in Ioannina, northern Greece, Wednesday, to begin a joint probe into the attack on the conscript training centre at Episcopi. Commenting yesterday on the meeting, Mr. Venizelos said that the Albanian side had presented no concrete evidence concerning the incident. He said that the Greek delegation had underscored lack of evidence as well as contradiction on the part of the Albanian government. "On the one hand," he said, "Tirana speaks with certainty of Greek responsibility for the incident while, on the other, it seeks the assistance of Greek authorities." He added that Greece would be willing to provide any information "if of course it had any". The spokesman also referred to the recent wave of arrests of ethnic Greeks in Albania, stressing that the government would not accept "any carefully designed fabrication of evidence and guilt". He added that any improvement in Greek-Albanian relations hinged on respect for the rights of the ethnic Greek minority in Albania, "rights which take on special significance in view of (the May 1 Orthodox) Easter". "At this time," Mr. Venizelos said, "Albania should show that it respects religious freedom which is an integral part of a state upholding the rule of law." The spokesman also referred to the presence of thousands of Albanians in Greece, "many of whom are here illegally", adding that their presence "exceeds the limits of endurance of the Greek economy". Nevertheless, Mr. Venizelos went on, the Greek people "had not shown symptoms of racism and xenophobia, a fact which ought to be appreciated by the Albanian government, since such stance by Greece has gained world-wide recognition". Asked whether or not Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias would raise the issue of Albanian illegal immigrants with his Albanian counterpart Alfred Sereqi at a meeting scheduled for May 3 in Zurich, Mr. Venizelos replied the issue was always brought up at bilateral contacts. Meanwhile, an ANA despatch from Ioannina said the three Greek minority "Omonia" party officials arrested by Albanian police Tuesday, have been charged with "anti-constitutional activities", without being given further clarification. Among the three, who are being held in Tirana, is the chairman of the Omonia party Gyrokastr branch, Theodoros Bezianis. They were shown on Albanian television last night, with maps and weapons which the commentator claimed had been found during a search of their homes. Political Spring leader Antonis Samaras in a letter to the President of the Parliament yesterday suggested an all-party committee be set up to visit South Albania (North Epirus) next week (Orthodox holy week) in order to safeguard the rights of ethnic Greeks in Albania to practice their religious obligations. "Greek-Albanian relations have entered a new phase of acuteness, reminiscent of the cold war," POL.A spokesman Manolis Kalamidas said. A spokesman for the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) said yesterday the tension in Greek-Albanian relations was triggered at a very critical moment in the Balkans, especially in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Orestis Kolozov said the KKE feels "the size or problems facing Albania do not tally with such persistence in escalating tension," attributing it "to full harmonisation of Albanian policy with US planning in the region." Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) issued a statement yesterday expressing concern over the wave of arrests of Ethnic Greeks in Albania. Pangalos proposes EU human rights watchdog c'tee ------------------------------------------------ Strasbourg, 22/4/1994 (ANA/K.Verros, M.Savvas): The European Union Greek Presidency yesterday proposed setting up a standing committee for monitoring human rights. President of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers Theodoros Pangalos, speaking at a plenary session of the European Parliament, stressed the need for the EU to treat all violations of human rights, wherever they may appear, with equal sensitivity, instead of resting evaluation on political or economic expediency. Despite the existence of institutions and the rule of law, human rights violations have occurred within the EU too, with a tendency among certain population groups to move to the fringe, and citizens being ill-treated by police occasionally, said Mr Pangalos. He concluded by proposing the establishment of a standing committee for monitoring human rights, both within and outside the Union, on the initiative of the European Parliament, the Commission, and the Council of Ministers. Washington talks on Greek-US economic penetration in Balkans ------------------------------------------------------------ Washington, 22/4/1994 (ANA/V.Mourtis, S.Liarellis, D.Dimas): Alternate National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou yesterday appeared optimistic on the prospects of both joint Greek-American economic penetration in the Balkans and bilateral trade. He said the present situation was most favourable for the development of Greek-American economic co-operation and penetration in the Balkans, and the Black Sea countries. Mr Papantoniou cited data showing Greece was second in foreign investment in the Balkans, with $115 million and said Greece offered serious comparative advantages in the promotion of joint investments, with its firms possessing the relevant experience which Americans lacked. An agreement between the Greek Organisation of Export Credit Insurance and the corresponding American organisation (OPIC), concerning joint investments in the zones of economic penetration would also be signed. Mr Papantoniou also said there was intense American interest in the formation of joint ventures in Greece with a clear export orientation towards the Balkans. Regarding the participation of Ameris was a serious issue which could not be solved through political pressure, as there were strict procedures established. Discussions were neither influenced by the situation in the Balkans nor Greek retortion measures against FYROM. US senator reserve at Christopher optimism over Skopje agreement ---------------------------------------------------------------- Washington, 22/4/1994 (ANA-MPA): "Taking every word and every move at face value is rather unhelpful", said Greek-American Senator Paul Sarbanes yesterday, commenting on a statement by US Secretary of State Christopher Wednesday that a preliminary agreement between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) could be reached soon. The Senator made the statement after meeting with Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias at the Greek Embassy in Washington. Mr Sarbanes said he was not aware of an intention on the part of the US Administration to exert pressure on the Greek government to lift sanctions against FYROM. "The lifting of the embargo depends on the solution of certain problems between Athens and Skopje... e.g. Skopje's irredentist designs, so that they (Skopje) may not speak from an advantageous position later", he added. Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias said there was mobility on the issue, but one could not forecast the outcome of the American initiative. He confirmed a scheduled meeting with UN Secretary General's special representative on the Cyprus issue Joe Clark tomorrow, and another with Albanian Foreign Minister Alfred Sereqi in Zurich on May 3. "I hope we succeed at least in what I expect personally: normalisation of relations but, of course, not at the expense of the rights of the Greek minority". Commenting on a letter sent by President Clinton to the fifteen NATO member-states, explaining US plans on the Bosnian problem, he said NATO was working on those ideas, but the Greek government remained extremely reserved on the merits of air strikes against Bosnian Serbs. New Democracy third congress opens in Chalkidiki ------------------------------------------------ Athens, 22/4/1994 (ANA): The main opposition New Democracy Party's 3rd congress will start at the "Athos Palace" hotel in Chalkidiki at 10 a.m. today with the participation of 1,287 delegates. The Central Committee will present an account of the party's activities since the 2nd congress, followed by a review of the party's 20-year existence. ND leader Miltiades Evert will deliver his main address at 11 a.m. and the party earlier leaders will begin theirs at 12 noon. The 3rd congress will end Sunday with the election of a new Central Committee. EU Culture Ministers agree on common audio-visual strategy ---------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 22/4/1994 (ANA): European Union Culture Ministers meeting in Athens yesterday agreed on a common strategy to protect and promote the European film industry against Hollywood. The measures were included in a declaration of orientations on the European Commission's "Greek Paper" on audio-visual policy. "If Europe does not succeed in the promotion of its culture abroad, then it will find itself voiceless on a global level one day," said Greek Culture Minister Thanos Mikroutsikos. European Culture Ministers together with Commissioner Joao de Deus Pinheiro agreed at an informal meeting on a seven-point strategy to create and develop a "real European market for European works". "In this context and, in addition to the reinforcement of our national industry, it is necessary to encourage the promotion of European cultures by favouring the distribution and diffusion of works from other countries of the EU in each and every member -state" said the declaration. It added efforts should be made to promote new audio-visual services by co-ordinating efforts at both national and community levels. Those engaged in creative work including directors, producers, and playwrights, as also distributors were urged to seek support from EU members-states and machinery. EU Culture Ministers said their works could contribute to the establishment of a "European audio-visual landscape" that should include all member-states, as well as countries of central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. "The audio-visual sector in Europe, as a whole, is also a carrier of political culture, democracy and other freedoms. As such, its promotion should be considered a vehicle for development and revitalisation of democracy," said the declaration. On funding, it stressed efforts should be improved on within the co-operative framework between financial initiatives at EU and national levels. "The EU should focus financial stimulation efforts on certain areas or stages of programme production on priority, searching for projects with structural results on enterprises and trying to minimise obstacles to intra-European circulation of works," the declaration said. Under-secretary to the Prime Minister's Office Evangelos Venizelos in a message to the conference said the audio-visual phenomenon was the very tissue of modern society. "It is the basis on which a new type of society is founded," Mr. Venizelos said urging participants to consider it "in a more subtle and complex way." Prime Minister meets congressional leaders ------------------------------------------ Washington, 22/4/1994 (ANA/V.Mourtis, S.Liarellis, D.Dimas): Visiting Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou met with congressional leaders late yesterday. The meetings "confirmed the excellent Greek American relations" and there was an exchange of views on a series of issues, covering mainly the situation in the Balkans, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Cyprus and the prospects for widening Greek - American co-operation in the region. Mr Papandreou is due to have important talks with President Clinton at the White House today.