Ancient gold ring unearthed
NEWS IN DETAIL
Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos told the second day of ruling PASOK
Central Committee's session to discuss the result of recent elections and
party reconstitution that "we are the only government in Europe with a one-
party strong majority."
Addressing the sessions on Saturday, Mr. Pangalos said that "economic and
technological competition inevitably leads to a need for stabilisation and
the displeasure of employees and workers."
He said the fact that a sector of PASOK voters supported the Democratic
Social Movement in recent elections "constitutes a vote of protest which
reflects the cost of modernisation and the end of the party's clientist
relations."
Taking the floor, Education Minister Gerasimos Arsenis told the sessions
that the shifting of ND traditional voters to PASOK greatly contributed to
the government's recent election win.
"This could be seen in a positive light if it was the direct result of
PASOK's efforts in this direction. Unfortunately it was the choice of
middle to upper class voters aspiring for a macroeconomic policy of
rightist ideologies. This aspiration must be dismissed," Mr. Arsenis
said.
The minister said these voters constitute the first problem of the post-
election PASOK "because they bear great influence on the mass media," and
warned against any shifts in party ideology in order to meet their
aspirations.
Mr. Arsenis also referred to efforts for a party reconstitution saying that
at critical times "we need to take big and not small steps."
He further stressed the need "to abandon the mentality of the administrator
and endorse the mentality of the reformist.
Turning to other issues, Mr. Arsenis said the convergence progamme should
be implemented adding that wealth should be "impressively redistributed
through a four-year-long programme" and called for radicar reforms in the
sectors of health and education.
He said that cuts in expenditures will not help preserve the welfare state,
adding that the introduction of radical tax reforms, "the key to the
government's economic policy" will provide the means to solve the deficit
problem.
Concluding he proposed that the party's Central Committee convene to
discuss the 1997 budget prior to its submitting in Parliament.
An Athens prosecutor on Saturday ruled that cinemas are allowed to
continue screening the film "Trainspotting," after finding that it does not
glorify drugs.
Prosecutor Isidoros Doyiakos who watched the film at the head of a police
delegation on Friday evening has reportedly said that the film was not in
favour of drugs.
"The film depicts the real world of drugs and those involved in it," Mr.
Doyiakos is said to have told investigating prosecutors.
Prosecutor George Koliokostas on Friday ordered a preliminary investigation
into claims by an Athens daily earlier last week that the film "Trainspotting"
glorified drug use.
Mr. Koliokostas said the film would be watched by an expert panel which
would decide if it glamourised the use of narcotics and, if so, be
banned.
"Trainspotting", one of British cinema's biggest-ever box office hits,
graphically tells the story of a group of Scottish drug addicts.
The film premiered in Athens cinemas on Friday night. Cinemas screening the
film would be considered to be breaking Greek drug laws and its owners
could face arrest if the panel found the film to be in favour of drug
use.
Police arrested four Albanian on Friday after finding them in possession
of 20 kilos of hashish.
Rolando Kanena, 35, Manti Kintsi, 26, Andrea Panare, 24, and Giorgio
Kampouri 22 were arrested in Kastoria when approached by policemen who
pretended to be drug dealers.
A golden ring depicting the mother of gods was unearthed by archeologists
at digs in the ancient Pella site in Macedonia, an international conference
on Ancient Macedonia was told Saturday.
Archeologist Maria Akamati told the conference, held in Thessaloniki, that
diggings in the same region also led to two separate discoveries of
invaluable coins dating back to the Hellenistic period.
The mother of gods on the golden ring is depicted seated on a throne and
holding a sceptre.
SPORT
Panayotis Markakis won the 14th Lambrakis Marathon Race today. There were 2,
900 participants from 40 countries in this year's race, which was dedicated
to children suffering from cancer.
Top of yesterday's soccer matches was Olympiakos' defeat of Apollo Athens
with 3-0.
AEK stayed on top of the basketball points board after its 59-48 victory
over Heracles in Thessaloniki on Saturday. Sporting and Larissa were the
surprise victors of the day's matches, defeating Peristeri and Piraeus
respectively.
WEATHER
Monday's weather in Athens is expected to be cloudy with rain showers
decreasing during the afternoon. Winds will be moderate north to northeasterly,
temperatures 13-18C. In Thessaloniki there will be occasional cloudy
periods with the possibility of light rain. Winds north to northwesterly
light to moderate, temperatures 10-15C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE (Buying)
U.S. dlr 239.032 Can. dlr.176.417, Australian dlr. 189.204, Pound sterling
379.519, Irish punt 383.011, Cyprus pd 510.880, French franc 45.884, Swiss
franc 188.480 Belgian franc 7.535, German mark 155.238 Finnish mark 52.022,
Dutch guilder 138.354 Danish Kr. 40.517, Swedish Kr. 36.018, Norwegian Kr.
36.605, Austrian Sh. 22.062, Italian lira (100) 15.591 Yen (100) 212.982
Spanish Peseta 1.844, Portuguese Escudo 1.539.
(M.S.)
