Archeological find near Kalymnos
NEWS IN DETAIL
Call for Evert to stand down
New Democracy party deputy leader Ioannis Varvitsiotis has called on leader
Miltiades Evert to withdraw his candidacy and support that of Constantine
Karamanlis, a nephew of the party's founder and former president by the
same name.
"Today there is a definitive solution of long-term prospects, supported by
the majority of our voters. Mr. Evert, in consistency with his history,
must back this solution," he said in an interview with the 'Eleftherotypia
on Sunday' newspaper.
Commenting, Evert, who met with party deputies supporting him yesterday,
said, "let us be assured that the unity of the party is solid".
He was quoted by sources as saying, "there is no way I will back down. We
are going forward. In the worst case scenario, we shall not win in the
first round."
Panagiotis Lambrias, a close aide of the former president, told a radio
interview that the party founder in not in any way involved in the
leadership race, but "I believe he would be glad to see his nephew ND
leader".
Tsohatzopoulos says prospects for Cyprus solution better
Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said today that the promotion of a
joint defence doctrine with Cyprus has improved the prospects for a
settlement of the Cyprus dispute.
"We aspire to enter a new era which will provide a solution to the Cyprus
problem," he said in the course of a speech on the doctrine is this central
Greek town, attended by Cypriot Interior Minister Dinos Michailidis.
Referring to the failure to obtain a solution for a long time, Tsohatzopoulos
said, "we relied exclusively on the hope that international organisations
and solidarity would dictate a just solution to the problem. Unfortunately,
it is not so. To the degree that we managed to formulate a dynamic defence
effort in view of an apparent perpetuation of the problem, prospects for a
solution materialised very quickly. The Republic of Cyprus is not a
hostage of the occupation forces any longer."
He linked the procurement of Russian S-300 surface-to-air missiles by
Cyprus with an upgrading of the strength of the island-republic's National
Guard, adding that "all this boosts our capability of defending our rights
and negotiating under more favourable terms."
He said the effort coincided with favourable circumstances, when "issues of
security, cooperation and peace in eastern Europe and the Mediterranean
have become dominant."
"We are fortunate that precisely at this period a new effort for the
formulation of a common defence security system for the whole of Europe has
matured. Both the European countries of the West, as well as those of
eastern Europe are coming increasingly nearer a common defence system for
the whole of Europe," he stressed.
President says Berisha invitation unconnected
President Costis Stephanopoulos said today the invitation to his Albanian
counterpart Sali Berisha to visit Greece is not in any way connected with
recent developments in the neighbouring country.
"The invitation and everything concerning it have no relation whatsoever
with events in Albania," he said while on a visit to northern Greece.
"We do not wish to be involved in these in any way, or express liking or
dislike for anyone. I believe this will be understood by our friends in
Albania," he added.
He explained the invitation, on the recommendation of the Greek government,
was in reciprocation to his own visit to Tirana last spring.
Questioned whether he was concerned about the fluid situation in neighbouring
Balkan countries recently, the president said Greece is monitoring the
situation and must help neighbours going through difficult times.
"Greece must show its feelings of friendship to its neighbours," he
concluded.
Teachers set to continue strike
The high school teachers' union (OLME) will recommend the continuation of
their six-week old strike at a meeting tomorrow if there is no positive
response from the government in the meantime, a spokesman said today.
In the course of a press conference, OLME board members accused the
government of misinforming the public on the size of their salaries, and
reiterated demands for the appointment of 6,000 new teachers and 250,000
drachmas net starting monthly pay.
Archaeological find near Kalymnos
Archaeologists are examining the head and part of a leg of a bronze statue
disovered by a fisherman on the seabed northwest of the island of Kalymnos,
in the Dodecanese region.
SPORT
Results in today's Greek soccer First Division matches:
Aris 0 Ionikos 0
Kavala 2 OFI 1
Kastoria 1 Panileiakos 2
Panahaiki 0 Veroia 0
Xanthi 3 Iraklis 4
AEK and Olympiakos are facing Kalamata and Apollon Athens respectively
tonight.
Yesterday, Edessaikos 0 Panathinaikos 1
WEATHER
Tomorrow Monday, light cloud over most regions, and light to moderate
southerly winds. Athens: 9-16 C , Thessaloniki 7-15 C.
(M.S.)
