From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Thu, 21 Jul 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, US Defence Secretary asks Greece play leading role in Balkan security --------------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 21/7/1994 (ANA): US Defence Secretary William Perry called on Greece yesterday to help launch Nato's partnership for peace (PFP) programme and take on a leading role in safeguarding security in the region. "Now, more than ever before, Southeast Europe plays a vital role in the security of all of Europe, and Greece takes on a leading role in maintaining this security," Mr. Perry said. "We agreed that our staffs would work together to accelerate progress of the PFP," he told a news conference, after talks with his Greek counterpart Gerasimos Arsenis. PFP is an Alliance plan for bringing the former Soviet bloc closer to NATO, without offering immediate membership. It envisages joint military exercises and other forms of security co-operation. Mr. Perry, on a whirlwind tour of Balkan states, said he came to Athens to also sound out Greek assessments on the Yugoslav crisis and efforts to prevent the war in Bosnia from spreading south. "Greece has a deep understanding of security issues in the area. We value very much those views," Mr. Perry said, stressing Greece's capability to influence its Christian Orthodox Serb allies. "Greece's direct influence on participants... goes beyond that of the 'contact group'," he said. Commenting on initiatives Greece and neighbouring countries might take, Mr. Perry said those countries' views on the situation in the Balkans were extremely useful, since both as NATO and UN members they could exert influence on the warring sides in the Bosnian crisis, namely Serbs and Moslems. Asked by the press how Greece might play a role in the region at a time when it has not yet settled the problem with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Mr. Perry said Greece had in-depth knowledge of problems in the region, recalling that the US had not solved all its problems either, which did not mean efforts should not continue. Commenting on the issue of Greece's defence debt to the US, Mr. Perry said he shared and understood the problem, adding though it was up to the Congress to decide on the matter. "This problem must be resolved because modernisation of Greece's armed forces must continue," Mr. Perry said. Mr. Perry was also briefed by Mr. Arsenis on the state of the ethnic Greek minority in Albania. He termed Greek-US relations "excellent", adding that his round of meetings in Athens enhanced them. Mr. Arsenis said the exchange of views on the Bosnian issue had been "useful", noting the role both countries might play in helping settle the problem, and the question of Nato's evolving into an organisation supporting peacekeeping operations had also been examined. "Greece can and must play an upgraded role by co-operating with the US within the framework of 'Partnership for peace', " Mr. Arsenis said. He added US and Greek military experts would list specific activities to be discussed at their next meeting on the sidelines of the NATO September conference in Spain. The two ministers announced joint exercises in Nato's south-eastern flank. Mr. Perry also conferred with former Defence Minister and deputy president of the main opposition New Democracy party Ioannis Varvitsiotis on the situation in the Balkans, Nato's future and Greece's role in that respect. Mr. Varvitsiotis noted that during his talks with Mr. Perry, the latter did not refer to "Macedonia" as he had done on Tuesday, during his visit to the neighbouring country. He declined comment on an announcement that FYROM soldiers would be receiving training in the US. "Mr. Perry did not bring this up during our discussion, Mr. Varvitsiotis said. He told Mr. Perry he was concerned over the situation in Bosnia - which concern Mr. Perry shared - adding that continuing the war entailed dangers for the region. He raised the question of NATO headquarters with Mr. Perry, saying activating it was of special importance to Greece, the Balkans and NATO itself, adding the hope the issue would be raised at Mr. Perry's talks with Mr. Arsenis. Greece, Mr. Varvitsiotis told Mr. Perry, wants friendly relations with Albania on the clear understanding human rights of ethnic Greeks living in the neighbouring country were safeguarded. Mr. Perry left for Albania yesterday, next leg on his tour of the Balkans. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said there was no new element in US policy on the issue of FYROM, responding to a press question on whether or not Mr. Perry's statements in FYROM and Athens coincided. Mr. Venizelos said Greece was interested in mediator Cyrus Vance's initiative being promoted, with further assistance from President Clinton's representative Matthew Nimetz. Referring to Mr. Perry's tour, Mr. Venizelos said Mr. Perry 's main interest focused on activating NATO and the Bosnia peace plan. Mr. Venizelos said Mr. Perry's acknowledgement of the significant role Greece was called upon to play in the Balkans is "particularly positive." Cyprus problem a permanent challenge to international community --------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 21/7/1994 (ANA): The Cyprus problem and ongoing Turkish occupation of the island-republic is tantamount to permanent provocation of international community, Greece said yesterday. Commenting on the 20th anniversary of the Turkish invasion, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said that the international community should display equal sensitivity over the Cyprus problem as it had done over other problems which were "not as long-standing and painful". Meanwhile last night, Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou had a 40-minute meeting with Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides, who arrived in Athens yesterday afternoon. The spokesman called on the UN Security Council and Secretary-General to identify "the real cause" of the problem and "not be misled by certain illusions created by the Turkish and Turkish-Cypriot side". Mr. Venizelos reiterated that the problem was one of invasion, occupation and violation of the independence and (territorial) integrity of a UN member-state. "It is an international problem," he said, "which will never become a Greek-Turkish dispute." Mr. Venizelos cautioned, however, any improvement in Greek-Turkish relations would hinge on Turkey's changing its stance on the Cyprus problem. As a guarantor power and in close collaboration with the Cyprus government, the spokesman continued, "Greece will always fight for a viable and lasting solution which secures the independence, territorial integrity and entity of the Cyprus Republic, as well as respect for human rights and the protection of all citizens of the Republic." Asked to comment on a report in the Turkish newspaper "Sabah" claiming that Kurdish rebels were being trained in Thrace, Mr. Venizelos spoke of "monotonous, libellous and naive articles in the Turkish press". He called on Turkish officials not to encourage such articles and also refrain from making such allegations "which are merely an attempt to export Turkey's domestic problems and in no way contribute in improving situation in the region or Greek-Turkish relations". Papandreou-Clerides meeting --------------------------- Athens, 21/7/1994 (ANA): Mr. Clerides, who is here to attend ceremonies marking the 20-year anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, refrained from making any statements after his talks with the Prime Minister because, he said, "we are waiting for the Security Council's resolution." He said he was satisfied with the course of implementation of the new defence dogma between Greece and Cyprus, adding that it was an issue he had personally followed. Mr. Clerides is scheduled to speak today at a special event organised at the Amphitheatre of the Foreign Affairs Ministry by the Union of Diplomatic Employees. In the evening, he will attend a special concert for Cyprus at the Herode Atticus ancient theatre. Evert letters to world leaders on Cyprus ---------------------------------------- Athens, 21/7/1994 (ANA): Miltiades Evert, leader of the main opposition New Democracy party, sent personal letters to world leaders emphasising the crucial role they can play in securing a just, viable and lasting solution to the 20-year Cyprus problem. Mr. Evert sent letters to United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, United States President Bill Clinton, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and the prime ministers of the other 15 European Union member-states. In his letters to the EU premiers, he noted that setting a date for the opening of negotiations to admit Cyprus into the EU may contribute in many ways to a settlement of the Cyprus problem. "The prospect of Cyprus EU admission without setting as a precondition the settlement of the Cyprus problem, would prove a strong catalyst in the efforts to bend Turkish intransigence," Mr. Evert wrote in his letters. To President Clinton, Mr. Evert wrote that the crucial role which the US can undertake in resolving the island-republic's problem will help offer justice to the Cypriot people and smooth out relations between two US allies (Greece and Turkey), thus enhancing peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) leader Nikos Constantopoulos also sent a letter on the Cyprus issue to UN Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali, via the director of the UN office in Athens. In his letter, Mr. Constantopoulos asked for Turkish respect of UN resolutions on Cyprus, for Turkey to stop flouting international law, and for this 20-year anniversary to be used for major initiatives by Greece and the UN for a final solution to the Cyprus problem. Archbishop Iakovos cables world leaders on Cyprus problem --------------------------------------------------------- New York, 21/7/1994 (ANA): Archbishop of North and South America Iakovos yesterday called the 20-year occupation of Cyprus by Turkish troops a "chapter of shame," in a telegram he sent to UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, US President Bill Clinton and the president of the UN Security Council. "For the 200,000 Cypriot refugees, the nearly 2,000 Cypriots who were dragged to prisons in Anatolia and the hundreds of Cypriots who were killed during the (1974 Turkish) invasion," Archbishop Iakovos writes in his telegram, "we, the two million Greek-American Orthodox citizens, ask for the re-examination of this chapter, of the raped island of Cyprus." Senior Iraqi to confer with FM ------------------------------ Athens, 21/7/1994 (ANA): Iraqi Vice-President and Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz is due in Athens today on a two-day working visit, a Foreign Ministry announcement said yesterday. Mr. Aziz will meet Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias this morning. He did not disclose the purpose of his visit. Greece shows lowest economic growth of 4 Cohesion states -------------------------------------------------------- Brussels, 21/7/1994 (ANA/V.Demiris): A European Commission report on "the social and economic development of Community regions," issued here yesterday shows that Greece recorded the lowest economic growth rate, averaging 1.5% annually, among Cohesion countries (Greece, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal), in the period 1986-1993. The three other countries showed a 3.4% average, with the EU average standing at 2.3%. The individual rates are 4.1%, 3.1%, and 3.0% for Ireland, Portugal and Spain respectively. The report attributes these comparatively high growth rates to the significant economic incentives offered by the three countries to foreign investors. In this way, Ireland, Spain and Portugal are showing a convergence course of their economies to the EU average, in contrast to Greece, southern Italy and Northern Ireland, whose results are "more disappointing", says the report. The report also refers to the implementation of the Inter-European Networks in transport. It takes note of the "sizeable financial means" granted to Greece for the improvement of its road network, amounting to 1% of the Greek GNP, when the EU average stands at 0.8% of the Community Budget. Investment for the modernisation of the railway network is "comparatively smaller than that for the road network", amounting to just 0.13% of GNP, and comparing to 0.26% for Spain, 0.61% for Ireland, and 0.11% for Portugal. In the telecommunications sector, the Commission report welcomes the "qualitative and quantitative improvement of the technical infrastructure" of the Greek network through the wide use of digital phones. The average number of telephone lines per 100 inhabitants in 1993 was 40 for Greece, 34 for Spain, 30 for Ireland, 27 for Portugal, with 44 being the EU average. In research and technology, Greek investment is again bottom of the list among Cohesion countries, with 0.47% of GNP. Pangalos accepts PASOK candidacy for Athens Mayor ------------------------------------------------- Athens, 21/7/1994 (ANA): Transport and Communications Mi-nister Theodore Pangalos was yesterday unanimously chosen by the ruling PASOK party Executive Bureau to run for Athens mayor in October municipal elections. Announcing the decision to reporters, Prime Minister and PASOK President Andreas Papandreou said: "It was a surprise both for you and for us." The bureau's decision was taken at Mr. Papandreou's recommendation. Concerning the issue of electoral co-operation with other parties, Mr. Papandreou said PASOK's basic position was that "progressive forces can very well co-operate in local elections." "Doors are always open," he added. From Strasbourg, where he presented Greece's account of its six-month European Union Presidency to the European Parliament, Mr. Pangalos said he accepted the nomination. "It is a great honour, I cannot but accept the proposal," he told reporters. Meanwhile, Political Spring (Pol.An.) and Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) reacted negatively to PASOK's decision. Pol.An. spokesman Manolis Kalamidas said: "Mr. Papandreou, with the partisan choice he made, showed that he is not able to display a spirit free of partisan considerations, even at a crucial time for the fate of Athens." A spokesman for Synaspismos said the nomination of "a minister in office" as mayoral candidate "only few days after a Cabinet reshuffle shows a fitful ... and narrow frame of mind and options". Pangalos says Spata airport project may be called off ----------------------------------------------------- Athens, 21/7/1994 (ANA): Transport and Communications Minister Theodore Pangalos yesterday did not rule out the possibility of the government's cancelling construction of Athens' new international airport at Spata. "We are discussing the results of the tender procedure called by the previous (conservative) government, in which there are unacceptable terms," Mr. Pangalos said. When completed, Spata airport, to stand on a site 15 miles east of Athens, was to have three runways and a terminal capacity for nearly 50 million passengers annually. Cost is estimated at about 4 billion dollars. A call for tenders led to the selection of German-led Hochtlief/Flughafen Frankfurt consortium as the contractor to build the airport. "The solution chosen by the previous government is unacceptable," Mr. Pangalos said, adding that "it smacks of Hong Kong". "Among other things, one clause of the agreement obliges the government to expropriate 40,000,000 m2 of land which the constructing company may then use as it pleases for 99 years," Mr. Pangalos said. OA control system ----------------- Athens, 21/7/1994 (ANA): Mr. Pangalos said the new modern air traffic control system at Hellenikon airport was expected to become operational early next year. The Thomson S.A. group's three new sub-systems will be received and gradually installed by September, after Civil Aviation administration and committees will have reached agreement on issues concerning specifications of the technical sector for an integrated functioning of the system. The new system will raise five times over the capacity of the current one, which will remain in use on an auxiliary basis. Referring to air transport controllers and flight delays, Mr. Pangalos said settlement of certain issues had already started and controllers would try to reduce delays despite increased summer traffic. Meanwhile, Mr. Pangalos said he was hopeful the plan to restructure and develop Olympic Airways, Greece's national carrier, would be endorsed by the European Parliament Committee. The Committee will convene on July 27. Mr. Pangalos said he has serious hopes the plan would be endorsed. He added he would be getting in touch with other ministers concerned on implementing the plan, as soon as endorsement came through. Pangalos announces OTE partial privatisation -------------------------------------------- Athens, 21/7/1994 (ANA): Transport and Communications Minister Theodore Pangalos yesterday announced part of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) stock would be listed on the Athens Stock Exchange, but management remain in the public sector. He added the exact proportion for public subscription was under discussion at the National Economy Ministry. Mr. Pangalos said partial listing on the stock exchange was necessary, since it would enable OTE acquire new capabilities, engage in new activities and provide new services. It would also render the telecommunications company "sensitive to market trends", Mr. Pangalos said. Government aim, he added, is to upgrade OTE and make it competitive both in the domestic and international markets. Mr. Pangalos said two bills would be tabled in Parliament amending present legislation on privatisation and establishing a national telecommunications committee (Laws 2075 and 2167/93, both enacted under the previous conservative government).