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Athens News Agency: News in English, 97-02-06

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.forthnet.gr/ape>


NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 06/02/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

  • Athens comments on reports of shooting in Cyprus
  • FM Pangalos responds to Turkish ministry comments
  • Greece supports Slovakia's efforts to join EU
  • PM Simitis will talk with farmers, if roads are clear, gov't says
  • 28 arrested in illegal betting round-up
  • Man arrested in possession of 89 kilos of cannabis
  • Greece to launch int'l campaign on national issues
  • Xiosbank move into bancassurance sector examined
  • Greece awaits payment of Iraqi debt

    NEWS IN DETAIL

    Athens comments on reports of shooting in Cyprus

    The government today appeared to discount reports of an exchange of fire between Turkish and Greek Cypriots in the area of Louroujina near the buffer zone dividing Cyprus.

    Replying to press questions, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said that according to information received by the government, shots were heard apparently coming from the Turkish Cypriot village of Louroujina at about 2.30 am this morning.

    An investigation by the Cyprus National Guard, he added, revealed that no one was injured.

    ''There was no movement, no one was injured, no weapon was used,'' Reppas said.

    The spokesman said that the Greek Cypriot side had not responded when it heard the shots, clarifying also that no Greek Cypriot citizens had been injured.

    FM Pangalos responds to Turkish foreign ministry comments

    Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos charged today that recent statements by the Turkish Foreign Ministry disputing Greek sovereignty of a number of Aegean islands constituted ''a violation of the fundamental rules of international law''.

    Pangalos was commenting on statements yesterday by Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Omer Akbel concerning an interview given by the foreign minister to a Greek monthly magazine on the Cyprus issue and the possibility of armed conflict between Greece and Turkey.

    Akbel yesterday implied that Pangalos was in favour of conflict.

    Commenting on the issue today, Pangalos cited recent statements made by Akbel one year since the Imia crisis which brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war after Ankara disputed Greek sovereignty of the islets.

    Pangalos said Akbel had expressed the view that any islet, rock or island not specifically named in international treaties signed by Turkey are ''disputed'' and Greece must negotiate with Turkey concerning the future of these territories.

    ''These statements constitute a violation of the fundamental rules of international law, firstly because international treaties are not only binding on the signatories but also on parties which did not sign them, and secondly because it is a matter of great importance where the islands referred to by Mr. Akbel are located, how they are used and by whom they are inhabited,'' Pangalos said.

    He added that the international community had taken note of the ''thoughts'' of Akbel and ''his superiors'' and that ''the natural consequences of this behaviour are already being manifested''.

    ''What Mr. Akbel has not understood is that Greece will not be subjugated and will certainly not accept demands put forward in the form of ultimatums, irrespective of where they come from. (The Turks) have only to study our history,'' Pangalos said.

    Greece supports Slovakia's efforts to join EU

    Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos today assured his Slovak counterpart Pavol Hamzik of Greece's support for Slovakia's application to join the European Union as well as other European and Atlantic institutions.

    Hamzik arrived in Athens yesterday on a two-day official visit at the invitation of Pangalos. He had separate meetings this morning with Prime Minister Costas Simitis, Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis and Pangalos.

    After his meeting with Hamzik, Pangalos praised Slovakia's ''important achievements'' in the economic sector, noting that there was great margin for the further development of bilateral relations in all sectors.

    Hamzik said the enlargement of the EU and NATO was a matter of political and economic stability for Europe as a whole, underlining that all European countries should work towards consolidating this stability.

    On his country's bid to join NATO, Hamzik noted that all European countries should enjoy the same level of security. Slovakia, he added, was in favour of ''a new architecture'' for European security which would cover all European states and prevent the creation of new partition lines.

    He said discussions on NATO enlargement should be oriented in this direction, without leaving out ''important countries'' such as Ukraine and Russia.

    Pangalos reiterated Greece's position in favour of the accession to NATO of all countries wishing to join, but only after ''a detailed discussion on the future operation and role of the defence organisation''.

    ''We must not let justifiable suspicions be created in Russia that a broad rallying of European countries is being created in which it is not included. Russian concern must be taken into consideration and addressed,'' Pangalos said.

    Greece supports Slovakia's efforts to join EU

    Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos today assured his Slovak counterpart Pavol Hamzik of Greece's support for Slovakia's application to join the European Union as well as other European and Atlantic institutions.

    Hamzik arrived in Athens yesterday on a two-day official visit at the invitation of Pangalos. He had separate meetings this morning with Prime Minister Costas Simitis, Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis and Pangalos.

    After his meeting with Hamzik, Pangalos praised Slovakia's ''important achievements'' in the economic sector, noting that there was great margin for the further development of bilateral relations in all sectors.

    Hamzik said the enlargement of the EU and NATO was a matter of political and economic stability for Europe as a whole, underlining that all European countries should work towards consolidating this stability.

    On his country's bid to join NATO, Hamzik noted that all European countries should enjoy the same level of security. Slovakia, he added, was in favour of ''a new architecture'' for European security which would cover all European states and prevent the creation of new partition lines.

    He said discussions on NATO enlargement should be oriented in this direction, without leaving out ''important countries'' such as Ukraine and Russia.

    Pangalos reiterated Greece's position in favour of the accession to NATO of all countries wishing to join, but only after ''a detailed discussion on the future operation and role of the defence organisation''.

    ''We must not let justifiable suspicions be created in Russia that a broad rallying of European countries is being created in which it is not included. Russian concern must be taken into consideration and addressed,'' Pangalos said.

    PM Simitis will talk to farmers if roads clear, gov't says

    Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas reiterated today that Prime Minister Costas Simitis would meet with the farmers of Thessaly who have begun a new round of protest action only if their coordinating committee undertook to stop blocking roads.

    Commenting on the farmers' demand for a meeting with Simitis, the spokesman wondered whether such a meeting would be worthwhile.

    ''The prime minister does not give opportunist hand-outs and has repeatedly stated since December that the government has taken all the measures which it possibly could bearing in mind circumstances and the country's international obligations,'' Reppas said.

    He added that satisfaction of some of the farmers' demands would dash efforts being made for Greece's participation in the European Union on an equal basis with its partners.

    The coordinating committee of Thessaly farmers has not said whether it will continue to block roads after a meeting with Simitis, the spokesman noted.

    ''Any meeting under these conditions would be a meeting for appearance's sake only and the government says no to this,'' Reppas added.

    In contrast, he said, the government believes in a meeting which turns to advantage the proposals put forward at the National Council on Agricultural Policy and the recent parliamentary debate.

    28 arrested in illegal betting round-up

    Police arrested 28 people in overnight raids in Athens allegedly involved in organised illegal betting which is estimated to have cost the state 16 billion drachmas in lost revenue.

    Documents found on the premises raided indicate that the companies which funded and in effect accepted the illegal bets are based in Cyprus.

    For this reason, the Greek police are working on the case in cooperation with Interpol and colleagues in Cyprus.

    The police said the arrested organised or were in other ways involved in illegal betting on football and basketball games, the state-run numbers lottery and horse races. They estimate the loss in income for the state football pools organisation (OPAP) at about 16 billion drachmas.

    The arrests followed months-long investigations which revealed that the illegal betting circles had been active since 1994.

    Man arrested with 89 kilos of cannabis

    Police today arrested a 38-year-old man when he went to collect 89 kilos of cannabis which he had concealed in a rainwater drainage pipe on the Igoumenitsa-Preveza national highway.

    The man was identified as Theodoros Kallis, a resident of Igoumenitsa in northern Greece.

    The cannabis was packed in seven large sacks.

    Greece to launch int'l campaign on national issues

    Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou said yesterday that Greece would shortly embark on an international campaign to promote issues of direct or indirect concern to the country and which are being discussed at the inter-governmental conference (IGC).

    Although the main forum for discussion of the issues will be the IGC, Mr. Papandreou told a press conference that he would be travelling to many European Union countries to drum up support for Greece's positions.

    His programme will include visits to Rome at the end of February, to Paris on March 5, to Madrid a few days later and subsequently to the Scandinavian countries.

    Mr. Papandreou said his talks would not be restricted to the revision of the Maastricht Treaty but would include the latest developments in the Cyprus problem and Greek-Turkish relations.

    The decision of the Dutch presidency to convene the EU-Turkey Association Council soon does not worry Greece, Mr. Papandreou said, since nothing new had arisen on the issue.

    On the Cyprus problem itself, Mr. Papandreou said the new UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan strongly wished to make efforts for a settlement. He met with Mr. Annan last week on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

    Mr. Papandreou also expressed displeasure at the recent meeting in Rome between the five major EU powers and Turkish Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller, saying that meetings "held outside of the institutions" cannot represent the EU.

    Xiosbank's entry into bancassurance sector examined

    The general director of Xiosbank yesterday focused on the private bank's entry into the insurance sector, and specifically on the bancassurance sector, through two new products concerning pensioners and children.

    G. Pechlivanidis said the bank's profits were very satisfactory in 1996 since, according to preliminary pre-tax data, profits amounted to 2.1 billion drachmas, registering a 20 per cent increase over 1995.

    The bank's loans totalled 103 billion drachmas, of which 36 billion concerned business credit and 67 billion consumer credit, representing a 24 per cent increase from the previous fiscal year. The total amount of capital handled was 355 billion drachmas

    (a 38 per cent increase).

    Mr. Pechlivanidis also referred to Xiosbank's scheduled entry into the Athens Stock Exchange through a public issue, pointing to the first half of April as the most probably date.

    Greece awaits payment of Iraqi debt

    The Greek Powder and Cartridge Company (PYRKAL) and the Greek state have not waived their claims concerning a 53 million dollar debt owed by Iraq, Defence Undersecretary Dimitris Apostolakis told Parliament today.

    Replying to a question tabled by main opposition New Democracy deputy Dimitris Kostopoulos, Apostolakis said an agreement had been reached for a settlement of the debt under favourable terms for Greece.

    Iraq, he added, has acknowledged its obligations regarding both the main debt and default interest.

    Apostolakis said Iraq had agreed to pay off the debt in cash when the embargo against Baghdad is lifted, and until then it would be paying instalments in kind, with crude oil and other products.

    WEATHER

    Fair with some local clouds and possible showers at night in most parts of the country. Clouds with the possibility of drizzle is forecast for southern and eastern Greece and the Aegean islands where temperatures will rise. Athens will be sunny with few clouds and temperatures between 4-14C. Same for Thessaloniki with possibe rain in the evening and temperatures between 11-10C.

    FOREIGN EXCHANGE

    Closing rates - buying US dlr. 257.236 Pound sterling 417.334 Cyprus pd 519.808 French franc 46.168 Swiss franc 179.840 German mark 156.111 Italian lira (100) 15.823 Yen (100) 208.439 Canadian dlr. 191.238 Australian dlr. 195.672 Irish Punt 411.085 Belgian franc 7.568 Finnish mark 52.437 Dutch guilder 138.989 Danish kr. 40.926 Swedish kr. 34.875 Norwegian kr. 39.829 Austrian sch. 22.188 Spanish peseta 1.844 Portuguese escudo 1.553

    (M.P.)


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