NEWS IN DETAIL

Athens rejects German, British pressure over EU-Cyprus talks

Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou did not accept compromise proposals by the Dutch presidency, and the all-day session ended in a stalemate.

Following the development, the EU- Cyprus Association Council meeting will convene today without a joint statement by the 15-member Union concerning a structured dialogue between the EU and Cyprus.

In Athens, Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said Greece condemns the two countries' "underhanded and hostile" behaviour towards Cyprus, which, he said, "we will resist".

Mr. Pangalos said the British and German governments attempted to include in the text a phrase which renders the Turkish Cypriots as "parallel negotiators" with the European Union.

"The Community does not belong to anyone," Mr. Pangalos said, adding that "we will not accept masters. If some have misinterpreted our moderation as a sign of weakness or faint-heartedness, the time has come for them to see that they have made a major mistake."

He said such positions will not be included in the joint statement of the 15 EU member-states and warned that if there is no joint position and a comprehensive Association Council with Cyprus, "it will be difficult for all the remaining association councils (with eastern European countries) which have been scheduled to proceed."

Mr. Pangalos noted that the participation of the Turkish Cypriots is not an issue, as Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides has already invited them to fully participate in the Cyprus delegation.

Lithuania's President discusses NATO expansion

Mr. Brazauskas, who is on a two-day official visit, also had talks with Prime Minister Costas Simitis.

Mr. Stephanopoulos expressed the view that Lithuania and the other Baltic states were an "integral part of Europe" and had every right to join European organisations.

Mr. Brazauskas said they had referred to Russia's positions and the role Moscow could play.

"Greece's experience as a member of the EU and NATO are very useful to Lithuania," he added.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Algirdas Saudargas, who is accompanying Mr. Brazauskas on his visit, met with his Greek counterpart Theodoros Pangalos and signed a bilateral educational and cultural agreement, while discussing EU-and NATO-related issues.

Athens strongly reacts to threats by Turkish Cypriot extremists

The Turkish Cypriot Grey Wolves threatened to seize Greek Cypriot property and settle the abandoned town of Famagusta.

"Appropriate measures must be instituted, not against (Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf) Denktash, who is acting as an intermediary, but against the Grey Wolves, their political mentors and leaders," he specified.

Holbrooke: "no current plans to mediate in Greek-Turkish differences"

Mr. Holbrooke was here accompanying his wife, Kati Marton, in her capacity as president of the International Committee for the Protection of Journalists, to receive the Costas Kyriazis International Centre award. The award is accompanied by a one million drachmas prize.

"I don't have any plans right now. I have a book to finish and I have work to do," Mr. Holbrooke said.

He said he would have liked very much to help, but "right now I can't undertake any other commitments." He was referring to a book he was writing about his experiences as mediator in Bosnia, which led to the Dayton peace accords.

However, he hastened to add that "I'm very interested in the area."

Asked to make a prediction about possible escalation of tension in the area, Mr. Holbrooke said: "I think that tensions in the area are out of all proportion on the issues, which are real, but do not justify such a high level of tension."

"This is excessive and the leaders of both sides (Greece and Turkey) have to talk directly to each other to get this cooled down."

Asked about the possibility of war in the area, Mr.Holbrooke said: "I don't think that war makes any sense at all. I know people like to talk about wars out here, but last year this time with Imia we had a little problem that could have led to a military confrontation. Still, it doesn't make any sense and I just met with the Turkish leaders in Washington last week at the American-Turkish Council and I told them there is no reason at all for people to have a high level of tension."

Mr. Holbrooke said he was "confident that Mr. Simitis and his government and the Turks will find ways to cool things off, and they really should, because there is no need for this."

Mrs. Marton-Holbrooke on jailed Turkish journalists

"We have made our positions very clear to the Turkish authorities and also to the (US) State Department..."

She said the group also had a commitment from the State Department that "there will be no opportunities missed in high-level exchanges between the US and Turkey where press violations will not be mentioned."

"We feel that we are making progress there," she said, adding: "It's an uphill road and there isn't the same tradition for a free and active press in Turkey as there is in Greece. We have to work very hard to establish this tradition."

Evert says he will contest ND leadership

He has set out his political platform in a six-point plan for the centre- right and what he called liberalism with a social conscience.

Mr. Evert will be facing competition from George Souflias, an experienced ND cadre and former minister, and possibly from Kostas Karamanlis, who has been proposed by a group of 30 ND deputies as a unifying figure representing the "forties" generation.

Mr. Karamanlis is a nephew of veteran statesman, former President of the Republic Constantine Karamanlis.

Perama workers to blockade merchant marine ministry

Workers are protesting what they called "the government's inflexible reluctance to take favourable measures for saving the shipyards."

The ministry will be blockaded from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. from tomorrow until Sunday.

The protesting workers have vowed to continue their mobilisations if their demands are not met, while a coordinating commitee of Piraeus public bodies sent to the development and merchant marine ministries the findings of a study describing Perama as a declining area, and calling on the government to adopt measures.

Garbage collectors begin strike

POP-OTA representatives reiterated their claim for contracted staff to be granted permanent status and the doubling of lump sum severance pay from 1.3 to 2.6 million drachmas.

Flynn discusses Athens` EU funds absorption rate

Earlier, he had met Prime Minister Costas Simitis and the leaderships of the labour, education and health ministries.

In the framework of the second Community Support Programme CSP, Ecu2.5 billion have been earmarked for Greece in the human resources sector. The funds must be absorbed until 1999.

Mr. Flynn said the fourth year of implementation has been entered with only 23 per cent of the funds having been absorbed, while transitional programmes are still being implemented. He said there were positive legislative settlements, but there is a lack of structures to apply decisions.

He said ministries should improve their operations in order to increase absorption rates.

Mr. Flynn said that if Greece does not ultimately succeed in absorbing all its share for human resources support, the funds will not be lost but will be conveyed to other programmes in the country.

Measures to combat telemarketing firms exploitation

The amendment anticipates creation of a register at the development ministry listing telemarketing companies, in order to enable more effective control to be exercised over such firms. It has been ascertained that in many cases products sold through telemarketing are of questionable quality and provide no guarantee and service after sale. The ministry will take action to ensure imposition of sanctions anticipated by the law in cases of such violations.

In a related development, a fine of 15 million drachmas was imposed on the Euromarket S.A. company last October for misleading advertising.

Parts of ancient bronze statues caught in fishing nets

MAS head Dimitris Kazianis said the antiquities found in the sea region northwest of the island were a bronze head of natural size and part of a bronze leg which might belong to the same statue.

MAS also received the bronze leg of a horseman from a statue of supernatural size and part of a bronze dolphin of natural size. The statues date back to Hellenistic times.

Dogfight suspects convicted

They were also ordered to pay fines ranging from 100,000 to one million drachmas.

The four men were arrested earlier this month in the Imathia prefecture for organising illegal gambling on dogfights, a case that attracted widespread publicity throughout the nation.

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