From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Tue, 25 Oct 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, October 25, 1994 --------------------------------------------- * Athens begins to recover from Friday's rains, gov't promises aid, support for flood victims * Commission aid * Shipowner's body found * PASOK overall winner in municipal, prefectural elections * Pangalos: down but not out * Tsohatzopoulos * Mitsotakis, Samaras reactions * Vartholomeos reiterates appeal for peace, co-operation between Greece, Turkey * Papoulias in Amman for historic Jordan-Israel peace pact * Kranidiotis meets with Peres * Niotis on South American tour to visit Greek communities * Military exercise end month * CSCE report on Greek minority in Albania expected next month * American bishops critical of Tirana moves Athens begins to recover from Friday's rains, gov't promises aid, support for flood victims ---------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 25/10/1994 (ANA): Athens appeared to be recovering from the havoc and immense damage caused by torrential rains over the weekend and Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou said the government would aid and support the hundreds of flood victims. "The disaster was of biblical proportions and the state did the best it could considering the capital's poor infrastructure," Mr. Papandreou told the press after chairing a special inter-ministerial meeting to decide on immediate measures to support the victims and agree on contingency measures. "The government is determined to press ahead and confront head-on the grave social problem that has emerged," Mr. Papandreou said, adding that the restoration of anti-flooding works would take place immediately. The meeting also decided to set up an eight-member committee to monitor the implementation of measures for the hundreds of people whose properties have been destroyed. Committee delegations will today visit the worst hit areas in the Karditsa district in Thessaly and in the 12-island grouping of the Dodecannese. In Karditsa, a number of villages have been evacuated as non-stop rain turned them into violent torrents, while, in the Trikala district, thousands of acres of cotton fields and rice plantations have flooded. A total of 10 people have been killed in the flooding which followed heavy rains on Friday and brought large areas in the country to a standstill. Torrents swept hundreds of cars into ditches and flooded homes and shops while trees, kiosks and power pylons were felled and railway lines were blocked. Traffic lights went dead and people were trapped in their cars for hours. Hundreds of buildings were inundated, triggering landslides and cutting off electricity and phones. Environmental experts said much of the damage was due to thoughtless developers levelling small river and stream beds to create building land and failing to provide adequate drainage to cope with heavy rainfall. The Kifissos river, which flowed freely as late as 40 years ago, overflowed due to rampant construction in some suburban areas of Athens which has narrowed its width to that of a large drain pipe. Commission aid -------------- Athens, 25/10/1994 (ANA): In Brussels yesterday, the European Commission said it would allocate special financial aid to Greece. The final decision will be taken today during a Commission meeting in Strasbourg. According to a Commission spokesman, the assistance to Greece will be in the region of 147 million drachmas. Alternate Environment and Town Planning Minister Costas Geitonas said damage in and around Athens was estimated at about eight billion drachmas. An ANA dispatch from Strasbourg said yesterday that three political groups from the European Parliament also issued resolutions yesterday requesting the European Commission grant financial and technical assistance to Greece. The resolutions noted Athens' poor infrastructure and inadequate anti-flooding works. Meanwhile, Coalition of the Left and Progress Euro MP Alecos Alavanos called on the European Union yesterday to allocate financial assistance to Greece and create a special natural disasters' prevention plan to deal with such disasters. Shipowner's body found ---------------------- Athens, 25/10/1994 (ANA): The body of shipowner Costas Livanos, missing since Friday's flood disaster, has been found washed up near the shores of the Saronic island of Aegina, coast guard officials said yesterday. They said the body was located by a fisherman about three miles from Tourlos beach. Livanos, 65, had been missing since Friday when his car was swept off the road into a river. The main opposition New Democracy party called on the government yesterday to take immediate measures to deal with damage caused by the flooding and expressed concern that the government was unable to deal with natural disaster. ND party leader Miltiades Evert visited affected areas in Attica yesterday. Coalition of the Left and Progress party delegations will also visit stricken regions in Attica, Rhodes and Thessaly, it was announced yesterday. PASOK overall winner in municipal, prefectural elections -------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 25/10/1994 (ANA): The ruling Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) -- supported in many municipalities and prefectures by the Coalition of the Left and Progress -- emerged the winner in Sunday's run-off local elections, gaining 37 prefectures out of 54 and 169 municipalities throughout the country. The PASOK-backed ticket headed by Evangelos Kouloumbis won the prefectural run-off for the extended Athens-Piraeus Prefectural Council (which he will chair), under which Dimitris Efstathiadis and Christos Fotiou were elected prefects of Athens and Piraeus respectively. Mr. Kouloumbis polled 50.99 per cent against 49.01 per cent by New Democracy and Political Spring-backed independent Theodore Katrivanos. Main opposition New Democracy-backed candidate Dimitris Avramopoulos won the mayoral race for Athens, while PASOK incumbent Stelios Logothetis was re-elected in Piraeus. Mr. Avramopoulos was elected with 54.37 per cent against PASOK-backed candidate Theodoros Pangalos' 45.63 per cent. In the run-off municipal elections in Piraeus, Mr. Logothetis was re-elected with 52.54 per cent against New Democracy candidate Haralambos Kefalas' 47.46. In Patras, Andreas Karavolas (PASOK) was re-elected mayor with 57.7 per cent against New Democracy (ND) candidate Andreas Zaimis' 42.3 per cent. Thessaloniki re-elected Constantine Kosmopoulos (ND) mayor in the first round on October 16. In the prefectural run-offs, 29 PASOK-backed (autonomously and in collaboration with the Coalition of the Left and Progress) prefects were elected, in addition to the 10 it elected in the first round. Seven New Democracy-backed prefects were elected in addition to five in the first round. The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) backed one elected prefect in collaboration with the Coalition, and Political Spring's backing of two prefects, one in collaboration with ND and one in collaboration with the Coalition, gained them office. Out of a total 54 prefectures throughout the country, PASOK-backed prefects, either autonomously or in co-operation with the Coalition of the Left and Progress, were elected in 37, New Democracy-backed prefects were elected in 12, while four prefectures were taken by maverick PASOK candidates and one by the Communist Party of Greece. In addition, PASOK-backed candidates won the mayoral elections in 169 municipalities and New Democracy candidates in 120 municipalities, while Political Spring carried 17 municipalities, the Communist Party of Greece six, the Coalition of the Left and Progress four, and independents took 10 municipalities. Pangalos: down but not out -------------------------- Athens, 25/10/1994 (ANA): Defeated mayoral candidate for Athens Theodoros Pangalos said yesterday that he was not interested in holding a government post and would continue "to struggle for Athens" from within the new municipal authority. Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Pangalos underlined that his defeat to main opposition New Democracy-backed candidate Dimitris Avramopoulos was in no way a defeat for the ruling PASOK party. He said that PASOK had increased its share of the vote in Athens from 28 per cent in recent Euroelections to 32 per cent. In the Municipality of Athens, Mr. Pangalos continued, only two-thirds of registered voters cast ballots, "Fifteen per cent of whom live in the northern suburbs -- like Mr. Avramopoulos -- and they voted without being concerned with the problems and needs of the municipality". Mr. Pangalos charged that "the opposition voted along party lines and not on the basis of a programme or the needs of the municipality", adding that he had battled "against all the others... and against a well-prepared campaign organised by certain interests" which feared him "because they want things to remain as they are in the municipality". Replying to press questions earlier, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said that Mr. Pangalos was a "hand-picked and high-ranking cadre" of the ruling party, adding that the possibility of his being given a ministerial post could not be ruled out. Tsohatzopoulos -------------- Athens, 25/10/1994 (ANA): PASOK Central Committee Secretary General Akis Tsohatzopoulos said yesterday that the results of the municipal and prefectural elections confirmed the ruling party's dominant political role and showed a popular desire for political stability. According to Mr. Tsohatzopoulos, on the basis of results in areas where PASOK and the New Democracy party fielded their own exclusive candidates, PASOK gathered 44 to 45 per cent of the votes, while the main opposition lagged behind at 39 to 39.5 per cent. He attributed the adverse results in the country's two largest municipalities, Athens and Thessaloniki, to the unfavourable social stratification in them, which required co-operation between progressive forces to avert the ascent of conservatives. He insisted that the Pangalos candidacy was the best option for PASOK and that, were elections to be repeated, Mr. Pangalos would stand again. Referring to the Communist party's call for a blank or invalid vote in the second round, he claimed that it benefited the New Democracy-backed ticket of Mr. Avramopoulos. Mitsotakis, Samaras reactions ----------------------------- Athens, 25/10/1994 (ANA): Former prime minister Constantine Mitsotakis said that the election of New Democracy-backed Dimitris Avramopoulos to the post of Athens mayor had an "express political meaning", adding that the results of the second round of the municipal and prefectural elections confirmed that party voters had rallied together and produced a good result. Mr. Mitsotakis noted that the high abstention and blank-invalid vote rates ought to be the subject of serious consideration by the parties. "Bi-polarity is dead. I do not understand why Mr. Evert and Mr. Papandreou acclaimed the results yesterday," Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras told his party's executive committee yesterday. He said that the large number of blank and invalid votes, and the considerable abstention rate showed "popular indignation" against the two main parties. He reiterated his party's decision not to back the prime minister's possible candidacy for the presidency in April and categorically dismissed rumours of reuniting with New Democracy. Vartholomeos reiterates appeal for peace, co-operation between Greece, Turkey ----------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 25/10/1994 (ANA): Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos yesterday appealed to the governments of Greece and Turkey to allow peace and co-operation to prevail in their relations. Speaking on the island of Kastellorizo, the Patriarch said the two countries should not allow their relations to become the object of exploitation for domestic issues, adding that they should not allow the gap and rift between them to grow further or existing problems to multiply. "Relations between the two neighbouring peoples should only be relations of friendship and creative co-operation. They should be relations between civilised people contributing to the dawning of the 21st century," the Patriarch said, adding that "I hope the appeal is heeded and we will have peace both in our region and all over the world." The Patriarch, currently on a tour of the Dodecannese islands, arrived by boat in the morning and received a warm welcome from local inhabitants. Kastellorizo Mayor Nikos Karavelatzis gave him the golden key to the city and proclaimed him an honorary citizen. A church service was held at the Cathedral of Saint Constantine and Helen and early in the afternoon the Patriarch left for the island of Symi. Today he will visit Karpathos to comfort flood victims and tomorrow he will go to Kasos where widespread damage was caused by last week's floods. Papoulias in Amman for historic Jordan-Israel peace pact -------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 25/10/1994 (ANA): Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias flies to Jordan today to attend the signing of a landmark peace agreement ending a 46-year state of war between Jordan and Israel. Foreign Ministry sources said Mr. Papoulias' attendance at the ceremony reflected Greece's interest in developments in the Middle East and its excellent relations with Jordan and Israel. A draft treaty was initialled last week by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and his Jordanian counterpart Abdul-Salam al-Majali. The treaty will be signed tomorrow at a border crossing. The historic agreement includes 30 articles, five main annexes dealing with issues ranging from water to land-lease arrangements. The deal has been unanimously approved by the Jordanian and Israeli cabinets. Egypt is the only other Arab country to have made peace with Israel. Kranidiotis meets with Peres ---------------------------- Athens, 25/10/1994 (ANA): Foreign Under-Secretary Yannos Kranidiotis yesterday conferred with Israeli Foreign Minister Simon Peres and Under-Secretary Yossi Beilin, as part of the EU troika (Greece, Germany, France) round of Middle East talks. Discussion focused on regional developments, progress in the Israel-Palestinian peace process, the signing of a peace agreement between Israel and Jordan, relations between Israel and Syria, Israel and the Lebanon and the whole spectrum of EU-Israel relations. The troika later met successively with opposition leader Benyamin Netanyahu and the Foreign Relations Committee of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. Tomorrow, the troika will meet with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and later visit the Gaza Strip for talks with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Niotis on South American tour to visit Greek communities -------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 25/10/1994 (ANA): Foreign Affairs Under-Secretary Gregoris Niotis left yesterday on a ten-day visit to South America for talks with representatives of Greek communities there, a foreign ministry announcement said. During his stay, Mr. Niotis will represent Greece at the Eighth Clerical and Lay Conference of Greek Orthodox Communities of Central and South America, which begins on Friday in Curitimba, Brazil. Mr. Niotis, who is responsible for overseas Greeks affairs, will visit Greek communities in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo in Brazil on Friday, before going on to Montivideo on Saturday and Buenos Aires the following day. Mr. Niotis will also have talks with his counterparts in Uruguay and Argentina. On November 1, Mr. Niotis will leave for Santiago where he will attend events organised by the large Greek community in the Chilean capital and have talks with his Chilean counterpart. Mr. Niotis will return to Athens on November 4. Military exercise end month --------------------------- Athens, 25/10/1994 (ANA): Army, Navy and Air Force units will hold a joint exercise code-named "Parmenion" in northern Greece and the Aegean islands on October 30 through November 5. A large number of reservists, both officers and privates, will also take part. Chief of the National Defence General Staff Admiral Christos Lymberis will supervise operations. CSCE report on Greek minority in Albania expected next month ------------------------------------------------------------ Athens, 25/10/1994 (ANA): The Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe will issue a report on the Greek minority in Albania next month, a high-ranking CSCE official said here yesterday. "The report will be out sometime in the middle of November," said Max van der Stoel, the CSCE High Commissioner for Minorities. Mr. van der Stoel arrived in Athens for talks with Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias after visiting Albania together with two experts on minority rights. "The experts and I are currently working and preparing a report which will contain our conclusions about the situation of the Greek minority," Mr. van der Stoel said following the meeting. He said the report would also include comments by the Albanian government on his findings, but refused to elaborate. American bishops critical of Tirana moves ----------------------------------------- New York, 25/10/1994 (ANA): In a joint announcement following their regular conferences in New York between October 20-21, the Holy Synod of Bishops and the Archdiocese Council of the Greek Orthodox Church of North and South America expressed their deep concern and interest in developments in Albania which, it said, are clearly aimed at dealing a serious blow at the Orthodox Church in that country. "The Albanian government is promoting a new constitution whose evident purpose is to oust the incumbent Archbishop Anastasios Yiannoulatos," the announcement said. "It is obvious that this action by the Tirana government is part of a clear and dark plan of 'national cleansing', targeting the country's Orthodox minority, whose Orthodox clergy have been literally decimated by the communist regime in the past 50 year s," the announcement said.