From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Fri, 29 Jul 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). * Papoulias, Milosevic in last-ditch attempt to prevent Bosnia peace collapse * Pangalos discusses EU-US relationship at Hellenic American Union * Thessaloniki US Consul General calls on Macedonia-Thrace Minister * Finance U'secretary in EU 500 mil. dollars loan London talks * House Speaker replies to Turkish counterpart on terrorism * Greece condemns Denktash threats to boycott Cyprus talks * Foreign Ministry confirms Turkish attempt to stop French arms supplies * No Greek comment on new Turkish FM appointment * Phantom fighters for Greek Air Force * Former diplomat ND candidate for Athens mayorship * IMF reported detailing suggestions on Greek economy * EU Commission endorses aid to Greece on fisheries * Papantoniou: No larger public utility bills this year Athens News Agency Bulletin, Papoulias, Milosevic in last-ditch attempt to prevent Bosnia peace collapse ------------------------------------------------- Belgrade, (29/07/94-ANA): Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias yesterday held two-hour talks with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade as part of a diplomatic initiative by Greece to resolve the Bosnian crisis. After an overnight stay in Belgrade, Mr. Papoulias is scheduled to go to Pale, Bosnia for talks with the political leadership of the Bosnian Serbs. Political observers said Greece's initiative, 24 hours before the meeting of the five-power Contact Group in Geneva tomorrow, aims at a possible amendment to the Bosnian Serb final reply to the Contact Group peace plan. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Papoulias said a review of the situation had been made, as it stood after a supplementary decision by the Bosnian Serb parliament. He said both Greece and Mr. Milosevic are making a last-ditch attempt "to prevent a collapse". He expressed hope of good results, adding he looks forward to his meeting with Mr. Karadzic in Pale today. "We still have a few hours left in which parties concerned could make corrective moves towards consolidating peace," Mr. Papoulias said, adding that today's visit to Pale will be of decisive importance because corrective or supplementary moves may be made. Mr. Papoulias also said he would convey ideas to Pale which might be considered positive and acceptable to Mr. Karadzic. Mr. Papoulias will leave for Pale this morning for talks with the Bosnian Serb political leadership. He is expected back in Belgrade late this afternoon and then leave for Geneva. Pangalos discusses EU-US relationship at Hellenic American Union ---------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 29/07/94 (ANA): Speaking yesterday at the Greek-American Chamber of Commerce on results of the Greek presidency of the European Union and the Corfu summit, Transport Minister Theodoros Pangalos referred to progress recorded in relations between the European Union and the United States. Mr Pangalos said he had been very impressed by President Clinton's deep knowledge of European problems. At a meeting with Prime Minister Papandreou and Commission President Jacques Delors, President Clinton had made specific proposals which "will affect the future of relations between the EU and the US in the following two or three years", he said. He had been particularly impressed by President Clinton's keenness on two issues: protection of human rights and a system of justice in International Relations on the one hand, and the need for rules and initiatives on social solidarity that may be strengthened under conditions of economic crisis instead of being weakened, on the other. Mr Pangalos also referred to the fruitful EU-US co-operation on the conclusion of the Uruguay Round of negotiations on the freeing of international trade. He then referred to the "Partnership for Peace" programme of military co-operation with countries of Central and Eastern Europe, saying it was an initiative warmly supported by the Greek presidency. He also stressed that it was the first time the US Administration had displayed such "profound and unreserved interest" in European integration. Finally, he noted that "we ascertained (on the part of the President and his staff) for the first time a constructive attitude which has led EU-US relations into a wholly new era... an era in which it is becoming clear there will be increased interdependence and co-operation between them, a fair distribution of burdens, with the general context and specific objectives for the rest of the century being jointly defined". Thessaloniki US Consul General calls on Macedonia-Thrace Minister ----------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 29/07/94 (ANA): Minister of Macedonia and Thrace Costas Triarides met yesterday with new US Consul General in Thessaloniki Myriam Huje, telling her "Greece always kept a hand of friendship extended to Skopje (the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) but they did not extend theirs in response." Ms. Huje called on Mr. Triarides for talks on the situation in the Balkans, Greek business activities in the region and the FYROM issue. Mr. Triarides told her Greece expects tangible tokens of goodwill from FYROM's leadership to facilitate developments on the known problem, adding that Greece is a factor of peace and stability in the Balkans. Finance U'secretary in EU 500 mil. dollars loan London talks --------------------------------------------------------- London, 29/07/94 (ANA/L.Tsirigotakis): Finance Under-secretary Nikos Kyriazides today will wrap up talks here with a group of banks which recently granted Greece a European Union loan of over 500 million dollars. Mr. Kyriazides will attend a lunch today hosted by the Hill Samuel Bank before flying to Athens in the afternoon. House Speaker replies to Turkish counterpart on terrorism ------------------------------------------------------ Athens, 29/07/94 (ANA): Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis has sent a letter of reply to his Turkish counterpart Husamettin Cindoruk condemning terrorism and warning about the danger of unsubstantiated claims and threats. Mr. Kaklamanis' letter, the text of which was made public yesterday, was in reply to one from Mr. Cindoruk asking Greece to co-operate with Turkey to stamp out terrorism, following the July 4 killing of a senior Turkish diplomat in Athens. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the November 17 terrorist organisation. In his letter, Mr. Cindoruk also urged the closing of the Lavrion refugee camp claiming that it had become a "centre for supporting terrorism". A considerable number of Turkish and Kurdish political refugees live in the Lavrion camp, southern Attica. In his reply, Mr. Kaklamanis underlined that repeating "unsubstantiated claims" did not help dialogue between the two countries. He said that Greece suffered from "imported terrorism" and condemned it. "The promotion of dialogue is best served by expressions of mutual respect rather than distrust and putting forward groundless claims," Mr. Kaklamanis wrote. "Taking advantage of events such as those referred to in the (Mr. Cindoruk's) letter... are of no benefit whatsoever to either side," Mr. Kaklamanis said. Greece, he said, "ranks among countries where human rights and democratic freedoms are fully respected and parliamentary democracy functions soundly." Greece condemns Denktash threats to boycott Cyprus talks ------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 29/07/94 (ANA): Greece yesterday criticised Turkish-Cypriot threats on efforts to resume UN-sponsored talks to reconcile the island-republic's divided communities. "Such positions reflect Turkey's consistent aim to maintain occupation troops in Cyprus," Foreign Ministry spokesman Costas Bikas said. His statement was prompted by remarks made by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash on the impact of a European Union export ban on Turkish occupied northern Cyprus. "As long as the impediment (of the EU ban) exists it is no use talking," Mr. Denktash said. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on July 5 that no European Union member could buy goods from Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, cut off from the Greek Cypriot south since 1974, unless the transaction was sanctioned by the lawful and internationally recognised Cyprus government. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded the island's northern third in reaction to a coup in Nicosia fuelled by the junta ruling Greece at the time. Turkey maintains over 30,000 troops in the occupied area. Long-standing UN efforts to reconcile the two sides have proven fruitless, and the latest stage of the confidence building talks stalled earlier this year. Foreign Ministry confirms Turkish attempt to stop French arms supplies -------------------------------------------------- Athens, 29/07/94 (ANA): Foreign Ministry spokesman Constantine Bikas yesterday confirmed an attempt had been made by Turkey to exert pressure on the French government in regard to the implementation of the Greek defence supply programme. Responding to a question on the armaments programme included in the supply agreement between Greece and France, Mr. Bikas said: "Indeed, an attempt was made by the Turkish side to bring pressure to bear on the French government in regard to the implementation of the Greek defence supply programme. Our ambassador in Paris, Mr. Makris, made Greek views known to the French Foreign Ministry on July 26. The Turkish attempt did not succeed and the equipment delivery programme is proceeding normally. "At this stage, owing to a statement made yesterday by the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman, I should like to recall that the right to defend the Greek state as a whole is an inalienable sovereign right of Greece, under international law and the United Nations charter. Turkey, which maintains the biggest landing fleet in the Mediterranean on the coast of Asia Minor and continues to occupy a part of Cyprus, is least entitled to make such remarks". No Greek comment on new Turkish FM appointment ---------------------------------------------- Athens, 29/07/94 (ANA): Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos yesterday declined comment on the appointment of Turkey's new Foreign Affairs Minister Mumtaz Soysal, confining himself to saying "Greece does not interfere in Turkey's internal political life." Mr. Venizelos stressed Greece has no part in the climate of "artificial tension" cultivated in the region, and does not engage in exporting its domestic political problems. Phantom fighters for Greek Air Force ------------------------------------- Athens, 29/07/94 (ANA): The Greek Air Force yesterday officially took consignment of 27 Phantom RF-4E fighter aircraft supplied by Germany under an agreement to reduce conventional forces in Europe (CFE). The aircraft were officially incorporated in the 110 Fighter Squadron based in Larissa at a ceremony attended by National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis, Under-secretary Nikolaos Kouris, Labour and Health Under-secretaries George Adamopoulos and Nikolaos Pharmakis, and German Ambassador Leopold Bill von Bredow. During the ceremony, Mr. Arsenis underlined that Greece would be using the aircraft for peaceful purposes "while others are using them to suppress peoples and human rights." He thanked the German government for the aircraft which, he said, would considerably upgrade the Greek air force and make it stronger. The German envoy said that Bonn had given three billion DM worth of military aid to Greece and that Germany was Greece's best trading partner. He expressed the belief that the "traditionally good" ties of friendship between the two countries would become even closer. Former diplomat ND candidate for Athens mayorship -------------------------------------------------- Athens, 29/07/94 (ANA): Dimitris Avramopoulos was yesterday named by the main opposition New Democracy party as its candidate for Athens mayor in the upcoming October municipal elections. The nomination was decided after meetings of the ND executive and central committees chaired by party leader Miltiades Evert. IMF reported detailing suggestions on Greek economy ---------------------------------------------------- Athens, 29/07/94 (ANA): According to press reports, the final text of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) findings on the Greek economy contains the following points: - The economic situation in Greece, already much weaker than in the rest of the European Union, has significantly deteriorated in the past year. While there has been continuing progress in some sectors - inflation has declined further and the balance of payments deficit has been restricted - a serious deterioration in public finance during 1993-94 poses a real threat to such gains. This was confirmed by recent developments in money markets, when the drachma came under fierce attack and interest rates were pushed to particularly high levels. In this context, decisive political action is urgently needed for dealing with the huge fiscal imbalances. - The government has made clear its desire to maintain an anti-inflationary monetary and exchange policy. It can only be successful if supported by wage restraint and, above all, by immediate and substantial fiscal adjustment. - A bold and comprehensive programme of fiscal stabilisation and reform should, therefore, be applied without delay. It should include direct measures that will bring the 1994 deficit in line with budget projections. - The tax burden has already increased substantially since the early '80s and, given inequalities in the taxation system and continuing widespread tax evasion, this burden falls disproportionately on part of the population. There remains significant scope for reducing the wage bill of the public sector. Other sectors for expenditure reform include pensions, transfers and benefits. - Revenue from privatisation, whether accruing to the budget or reducing the financial needs of companies, can help in streamlining direct public sector borrowing requirements. - The Current Accounts balance has continued to improve, as the trade deficit was funded through increased transfers from the EU, and higher net income from services. Medium-term, however, the level of international competitiveness will be significant and compatible with growth, fiscal position and investment which Greece sorely needs. EU Commission endorses aid to Greece on fisheries ------------------------------------------------- Brussels, 29/09/94 (ANA/V.Demiris): The European Commission yesterday endorsed economic aid to Greece amounting to 850,000 ECU for programmes aimed at modernising and improving radar systems for trawlers. Community financing covers the period from July 1 1994 to June 30 1995, while out of the total amount, 500,000 ECU will be disbursed in 1994 and the balance of 350,000 ECU in 1995. The total amount of Community aid to European Union member-states over the 1994-1995 period is 8.5 million ECU, of which 6.4 million ECU will be provided in 1994 and the remaining 2.1 million ECU in 1995. The largest part of the aid package amounting to three million ECU will go to Spain. The Commission initiative was ratified by the Council of Fishery Ministers on November 27 1989. Papantoniou: No larger public utility bills this year ------------------------------------------------- Athens, 29/07/94 (ANA): National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou said yesterday the government does not intend to bring any adjustments to public utility corporation charges in 1994. Referring to Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) rates, Mr. Papantoniou said its administration does not intend to submit a request for adjustments in 1994, adding that a study is being conducted on OTE rate policy, but it will not take effect in 1994. Commenting on the budget's implementation, he said available data shows it is being implemented normally and, in essence, there should be no overshooting of target figures requiring coverage. Earlier, Mr. Papantoniou had a meeting with Finance Minister Alexandros Papadopoulos. Commenting on possible changes to the provident insurance system, Mr. Papantoniou said he would not discuss any changes at the present stage. Mr. Papantoniou referred to his visit to the US and his talks with US Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen on international economic developments, the dollar and interest rates. He briefed Mr. Bentsen on investment opportunities in Greece due to the inflow of funds under the Delors II package and the opening of Balkan and eastern European markets.