From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Fri, 4 Nov 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, November 4, 1994 --------------------------------------------- * Arsenis meets with Mubarak, gets positive feedback on arms control in Mediterranean * Scalfaro begins official visit today * Venizelos: implementation of sea convention 'not of crucial importance' * Papoulias briefs Niles on relations with Turkey, Skopje, Albania * Boutros-Ghali to meet Vance on FYROM, reports say * Kranidiotis meets Irish FM, Dutch counterpart * Orthodox MPs agree to work together for peace in Europe * EU to issue Green Paper on tourism, official says * Berisha admits irregularities in trial of ethnic Greek five * Serbian Gov't member hopes sanctions lifted soon * Unemployment rate steady at 7.1% * Venizelos: Gov't unconcerned by dissent within ranks on OTE bill * Symposium to look at former eastern bloc, CIS states as focus for Greek firms Arsenis meets with Mubarak, gets positive feedback on arms control in Mediterranean ----------------------------------------------------------------- Cairo, 4/11/1994 (ANA/G. Zarkadis): National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis met yesterday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the first day of his official visit to Egypt for talks with the country's political leadership. The two discussed Mr. Arsenis' proposal for the creation of a nuclear and chemical weapons free zone and the establishment of a mechanism for the control of armaments in the greater eastern Mediterranean region. Reliable sources said Mr. Mubarak came out in favour of the proposal and Greek delegation sources said afterwards that Mr. Arsenis' proposal stood a better chance of coming to fruition with Mr. Mubarak's support. Turkey has also submitted a similar proposal on collective security in the region but on a smaller scale. Mr. Arsenis also briefed the Egyptian president on developments in Greece's national issues, particularly the Cyprus issue, and the issue of Greece's inalienable right to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean from six to twelve miles. An international convention on maritime law comes into effect on November 16 permitting countries to extend their territorial waters from six to 12 miles. Egypt is a signatory to the convention. Mr. Arsenis also held a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Mohammed Hussein Tantaoui, at the head of the Greek and Egyptian delegations respectively, to discuss co-operation in the military production sector, the provision of facilities and the holding of joint naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean. The Egyptian defence minister is expected to visit Greece for the signing of the agreement in six months. Mr. Arsenis' visit to Egypt was delayed for one day following heavy rain and floods which wrought havoc in Cairo and southern Egypt. During his stay, Mr. Arsenis will visit military equipment factories and installations in Cairo and Alexandria. Mr. Arsenis' visit to Egypt is in the framework of planned visits to several Middle Eastern and Balkan countries in the near future, including Israel. According to the Egyptian news agency MENA, Mr. Arsenis said his talks with President Mubarak dealt with latest developments in the Middle East and the Balkan region. Mr. Arsenis said he expounded Greece's point of view as regards latest developments on the Greek-Turkish border. "Greece places all its potentials in the service of consolidating stability in the area and contributes to the peace process and co-operation among peoples of the area," he said. Scalfaro begins official visit today ------------------------------------ Athens, 4/11/1994 (ANA): Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro will start an official two-day visit to Greece today. President Scalfaro will meet President Constantine Karamanlis at 12 noon and Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou an hour later, who will host a working luncheon in the Italian president's honour at the Maximos Mansion. During his stay, President Scalfaro will also meet Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis and members of the Italian community in Athens. Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias met yesterday with Italian Ambassador to Athens Giovanni Dominedo in view of Mr. Scalfaro's visit to Greece. Oscar Luigi Scalfaro was born on September 9, 1918, in Novara. A leading Christian Democrat member since 1946, he has been a government minister many times. He was Transport Minister in the Aldo Moro government in 1967, Transport Minister in the Leone government in 1968, Education Minister in the second Andreotti government in 1972, Parliament Vice President in 1976, Interior Minister in the two Craxi governments in 1983 and he assumed an explorative mandate to form a government in 1987 but abandoned the effort due to political difficulties. On April 24, 1992, he was elected Parliament President and later that year, president. Always considered a "noble politician", President Scalfaro was known for his faith in a policy of service to citizens. During his 40-year political career he was never involved in scandals. He was elected President of the Republic on May 25, 1992 and, over the past two years of deep crisis on the Italian political scene, has earned the title of "guarantor" of his country's democratic institutions. Venizelos: implementation of sea convention 'not of crucial importance' ----------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 4/11/1994 (ANA): Greece today downplayed the significance of the implementation of the international convention on law of the sea which comes into effect on November 16, saying that the supposed "seriousness" of the issue had resulted from statements by Turkish officials which had created an artificial climate of tension. The convention gives Greece the right to extend its territorial waters from six to twelve miles. Turkey has stated that it would consider such a move a casus belli. "The implementation on November 16 of the convention of the international law of the sea is not of crucial importance," government spo-kesman Evangelos Venizelos said, adding that "the entire issue has been given a supposedly crucial aspect because of t he climate of artificial tension which has been created by the statements of Turkish officials." The spokesman reiterated that the convention merely codifies what has long been international common law and had been signed by dozens of countries as well as by the European Union as an entity. Mr. Venizelos underlined that Greece had a sovereign right to extend its territorial waters to twelve miles, the exercise of which was a matter for the Greek government. Papoulias briefs Niles on relations with Turkey, Skopje, Albania ---------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 4/11/1994 (ANA): Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias held a meeting yesterday with US Ambassador to Athens Thomas Niles to discuss Greece's relations with Turkey and Albania as well as the Skopje issue. At the meeting, which took place at the request of Mr. Niles, the minister presented Greece's positions on the issues. Mr. Niles briefed Mr. Papoulias of American efforts to persuade Albania to improve its human rights record. Boutros-Ghali to meet Vance on FYROM, reports say ------------------------------------------------- United Nations, 4/11/1994 (ANA/M. Georgiadou): Reliable sources said yesterday that UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali will meet his envoy Cyrus Vance on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) issue in Geneva on Monday. Unconfirmed press reports said FYROM President Kiro Gligorov will also be in Geneva at the same time. Kranidiotis meets Irish FM, Dutch counterpart --------------------------------------------- The Hague, 4/11/1994 (ANA): Foreign Under-Secretary Yiannos Kranidiotis yesterday held talks in Dublin with Irish Foreign Minister Dick Spring on the intergovernmental conference, Mediterranean policy, relations between the European Union and central and eastern European countries and the preparation of the European Council in Essen. Mr. Kranidiotis outlined Greek positions on major foreign policy issues such as Cyprus, Albania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greek-Turkish relations. Mr. Kranidiotis arrived at the Hague after his meeting with Mr. Spring for talks with Dutch Foreign Under-Secretary responsible for European affairs Mr. Pateinon on European issues and co-ordinating the two countries' positions in the framework of the EU. Mr. Kranidiotis once again explained Greek positions on national issues. Orthodox MPs agree to work together for peace in Europe ------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 4/11/1994 (ANA): European MPs of the Orthodox faith currently meeting in Athens yesterday endorsed a Greek Parliament initiative to create an inter-parliamentary committee to undertake joint action to promote peace and understanding in Europe. Addressing the conference, which has drawn MPs from 19 European states, Chairman of the Greek Inter-parliamentary Committee Orestis Papastratis said that Orthodoxy, with 300 million citizens in Europe, "is in a position to avert fanaticism, nationalism, even war, while at the same time assist in Europe's cultural evolution." Vice-Chairman of the Greek Inter-parliamentary Committee Vassilis Korahais, who submitted the draft of the constitutional act for the creation of the committee and suggested the Committee be based in Athens, said Orthodoxy could become the bridge between European and Asian peoples. He said the Committee would co-operate with international organisations in order to secure respect of the cultural and religious map of Europe. EU to issue Green Paper on tourism, official says ------------------------------------------------- Athens, 4/11/1994 (ANA): The European Union will issue a Green Paper on tourism by the end of the year, according to an announcement by the European Commission's Directorate of Tourism head Athanassios Christoyiannopoulos at the opening of the 10th Philoxenia exhibition in Thessaloniki yesterday. In a statement to the Athens News Agency (ANA) afterwards, Mr. Christoyiannopoulos said, in contrast to the White Paper, a Green Paper does not define policies but proposes solutions, adding that it provides all the involved agencies with the opportunity to express their views. The exhibition was opened by Tourism Minister Dionysis Livanos while Thessaloniki University Professor Dimitris Pantermalis received an honorary award from the administration of Helexpo and the Greek Tourist Organisation (EOT) for his contribution to the country's promotion. Berisha admits irregularities in trial of ethnic Greek five ----------------------------------------------------------- Istanbul, 4/11/1994 (ANA): In an interview to the Turkish "Daily News", Albanian President Sali Berisha admitted that "proper procedures were not followed" in the trial of the five ethnic Greek members of the Omonia political organisation. "I admit that Albanian procedures are not the best and must be improved," he said but added that European Union member-states had agreed that the trial took place according to existing Albanian standards. The five were convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to eight years on charges of treason, spying for Greece and illegal arms possession, but a Court of Appeals later reduced the sentences. Greece reacted to the trial of the five by noting its political character and saying it was aimed at intimidating the 300,000 ethnic Greeks living in Albania. In reference to the possibility of giving amnesty to the five, Mr. Berisha said that giving amnesty was a privilege of the Albanian parliament. Serbian Gov't member hopes sanctions lifted soon ------------------------------------------------ Athens, 4/11/1994 (ANA): A senior Serbian government official said in Thessaloniki yesterday he hoped that all sanctions against the rump Yugoslavia will be lifted by the end of the year or early next year. Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Science and Technology Minister Dr. Slobodan Unkovic, in Thessaloniki at the head of a delegation to participate in the Philoxenia tourism exhibition, said the UN Security Council's easing of sanction was "a sure sign" o f further movement. Asked what the purpose of the delegation's visit was, Mr. Unkovic said: "We will discuss the common interests of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Greece which affect the preparation of (our) economic co-operation (pact with Greece), when the sanctions by the international community are lifted. "The decision of the (UN) Security Council to ease some of the sanctions is a sure sign that (it) has recognised the attempts of the federal republic of Yugoslavia to find a peaceful solution." Mr. Unkovic also met with Thessaloniki mayor Constantine Cosmopoulos, who accepted an invitation to visit his Belgrade counterpart. The delegation, which includes Commerce and Tourism Minister Sergian Nikolic and Montenegrin Tourism Minister Dragan Milic, will also meet with Macedonia-Thrace Minister Costas Triarides. Unemployment rate steady at 7.1% -------------------------------- Athens, 4/11/1994 (ANA): According to the latest National Statistics Service (ESYE) data, unemployment in the January to September period this year remained steady at 7.1 percent, the same as last year, and down from 7.6 percent in the same period of 1992. According to ESYE, real unemployment is higher than that recorded, and reached 9.67 per cent in 1993. Venizelos: Gov't unconcerned by dissent within ranks on OTE bill ---------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 4/11/1994 (ANA): Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said yesterday the government did not attach any particular importance to the fact that 12 deputies of the ruling socialist PASOK party did not vote in favour of the bill on the partial privatisation of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) in Parliament on Wednesday night. Replying to questioners, Mr. Venizelos said the government did not raise the principle of party discipline during the vote, adding that the bill was included in pre-election proclamations and the government's policy statements which the dissenting deputies had also voted for. He declined any comment on statements made on the issue by PASOK deputies. Mr. Venizelos said OTE's partial privatisation was a completely different issue than the law ratified by the previous New Democracy government which gave its management to a "strategic investor". He said the public interest was now guaranteed as the minority of shares to be sold would not affect management of the organisation, which would be retained by the state. Symposium to look at former eastern bloc, CIS states as focus for Greek firms --------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 4/11/1994 (ANA): A symposium on new opportunities for Greek businesses in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is being jointly organised in Athens by the Directorate of Interstate Economic Relations of the National Economy Ministry and the Agricultural Bank of Greece, from November 22 through 25. The symposium will be attended by delegations from Bulgaria, Romania, Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation, comprising senior government officials and representatives of the emerging private sector. The symposium is part of the Greek programme of technical assistance to CEE and CIS countries, sponsored by the Ministry of National Economy. The Agricultural Bank of Greece is the intermediary financial institution for the PHARE/JOPP and TACIS/JOPP European Union programmes for the setting up of joint ventures in these countries.