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Athens News Agency: News in English, 97-03-03

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, 03/03/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

  • Athens promotes EU initiative to deal with crisis in Albania
  • ND ends pre-congress conference
  • Romeos: situation on Greek-Albanian border 'normal'
  • Simitis warns Turkish leadership against aggression
  • Pangalos: Athens stands firm against Ankara's policy of blackmail
  • ANA, IRNA explore ways of increasing cooperation
  • Secondary school teachers continue 7-week long strike

    NEWS IN DETAIL

    Athens promotes EU initiative to deal with crisis in Albania

    Athens is rapidly promoting assumption of an initiative by the European Union to defuse the explosive situation in neighbouring Albania, where armed clashes were reported yesterday around the Balkan nation following the collapse of several pyramid schemes.

    Prime Minister Costas Simitis said Athens has taken all necessary measures to handle whatever negative developments emanating from Albania.

    Speaking in Volos yesterday, Mr. Simitis said the government had taken measures at two levels. Firstly, to ensure that the borders are closely watched to prevent a new wave of refugees and, secondly, maintaining contact with other European countries for a common confrontation of problems.

    Mr. Simitis said the government intends to convene a group of European nations' representatives in Athens to examine the issue, adding that it is already in contact with other European governments.

    He said Greece should show calm in handling whatever repercussions stemming from negative developments in the neighbouring country.

    Meanwhile, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said "the government is carefully watching the crucial developments in Albania, and indeed even more so because they are taking place in regions where the Greek minority lives."

    Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou said that the imposition of a state of emergency in Albania wosrens the situation in the country and does not contribute to the settlement of the crisis.

    He said Athens had urged the European Union presidency to hold a special meeting of the working group for the Balkans and proposed that EU ambassadors in Tirana should draw up a report presenting a clear picture of the situation prevailing in Albania.

    "The EU must address a message both to the Albanian leadership and to the Albanian people, pointing out that it is watching developments and hopes that problems will be resolved in a democratic manner," he said.

    Romeos: situation on Greek-Albanian border 'normal'

    Public Order Minister George Romeos yesterday commented on the situation along the Greek-Albanian border, saying that "until this moment there are no tensions."

    He made the comments at the Alexandroupolis airport, where he landed to begin a tour of the Evros prefecture.

    "We have taken additional measures since yesterday (Saturday)Ibut we haven't seen, so far, a heavier than usual wave of illegal immigrants," he said, when asked a question concerning the situation at the border.

    ND ends pre-congress conference

    Main opposition New Democracy party organising committee president George Rallis wrapped up ND's two-day pre-congress conference in Thessaloniki yesterday, expressing satisfaction and optimism over the outcome of the party's three-day congress, due to take place on March 21-23.

    Mr. Rallis said proposals by speakers on the programme and the party's charter will be gathered and discussed on the second day of the conference.

    The conference was addressed by many party cadres and by the four candidates for the party's top leadership: incumbent president Miltiades Evert, Costas Karamanlis, George Souflias and Vyron Polydoras.

    Simitis warns Turkish leadership against aggression

    Prime Minister Costas Simitis over the weekend warned Ankara to abandon its visions for what he called a revival of the Ottoman empire, saying the cost of any aggressive actions against Greece would be severe.

    Speaking during a visit to the First Army Corps headquarters in Larisa, at the start of a three-day tour of Thessaly on Saturday, Mr. Simitis said Turkey has turned into "the greatest destabilising factor in the Aegean, the Balkans, the eastern Mediterranean, the Caucasus and the Middle East."

    He also accused the neighbouring country's leadership of commencing a "raw" effort to revise the international treaties which define the status quo of the region.

    Stressing that there are no bilateral differences, the Greek premier went on to say that the status quo in the Aegean is "absolutely clear" and that it has been determined by the history of thousands of years and with greater precision by the internatio nal treaties.

    Reiterating Athens' position that it will not enter into dialogue with Turkey on issues of sovereignty and the country's sovereign rights, the premier sent a message of friendship to Ankara, saying that a climate of good will, good neighbourliness and u seful cooperation will be to the benefit of both countries.

    "Until then, Greece will remain firm in its position that the total of the country's diplomatic and defence measures are directed towards ensuring national integrity and averting Turkish designs through a powerful force of aversion," he added. Regarding the Cyprus issue, Mr. Simitis said Greece did not have any illusions that its European partners will "automatically endorse Greek positions."

    Pangalos: Athens stands firm against Ankara`s policy of blackmail

    Greece will not accept Ankara's policy of blackmail, which envisages a new division of the Aegean, Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said yesterday upon arrival here.

    Concerning Turkish provocations and Ankara's recent defining of its expansionist designs, as reported last week by the "Wall Street Journal", Mr. Pangalos said Greece will not accept military and diplomatic pressure or what he called a "systematic polic y of blackmail that Turkey is following" for a new division of the Aegean.

    In addition, the Greek foreign minister rejected scenarios citing an unavoidable military conflict between Athens and Ankara, stressing that the Greek government is working effectively and with coolheadedness for a peaceful response to the problems cont inuously brought up by Turkey. He cited Athens' standing position of a solution to all differences within the framework of international law and with the application of international agreements as well as recourse of whatever disagreements or different in terpretations to international arbitration, such as the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

    Mr. Pangalos underlined that the Greek position is supported by the European Union, the US, Russia and other major countries, such as Japan, China and India.

    Regarding Nicosia's announced purchase of Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, Mr. Pangalos said the government of any independent nation has the right to choose the methods of its defence.

    Mr. Pangalos is in the US for the inauguration of an exhibition on Byzantium at New York's Metropolitan Museum. He is also scheduled to give a speech at Harvard.

    ANA, IRNA explore ways of increasing cooperation

    Athens News Agency (ANA) General Director Andreas Christodoulides held a meeting in Tehran Saturday with the managing director of the Islamic Iranian News Agency (IRNA), Fereydoon Vardinejad, concerning methods of expanding mutual cooperation.

    Mr. Vardinejad underlined the need for professional and technical cooperation between the two news agencies, saying that direct exchange of news would help both sides to have a correct understanding of each other.

    The ANA general director said the direct exchange of news and information between the Greek and Iranian news agencies will meet the needs of the press in both countries.

    Mr. Vardinejad also briefed Mr. Christodoulides on IRNA's professional, technical and educational initiatives, adding that the news agency is ready to cooperate with news agencies of friendly countries in such fields.

    Venizelos in NY to attend exhibition on Byzantium

    Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos spoke at the Saturday evening opening of a photographic exhibition entitled "The Greeks of Constantinople", where he cited the significant presence and contribution of the Foundation for Hellenic Studies.

    The photographic exhibition features the work of expatriate Greek photographer Costas Sakellariou.

    Speaking at the New York event, the culture minister said the foundation was also instrumental in supporting the major exhibition "The Glory of Byzantium," which is scheduled for New York's Metropolitan Museum.

    Secondary teachers continue 7-week long strike

    Striking secondary teachers' representatives said yesterday that they will continue their strike, since negotiations with the education ministry's political leadership failed to resolve the seven-week-long strike.

    "We will continue the struggle," the striking teachers' representatives told a press conference.

    The teachers' representatives called for another meeting with Education Minister Gerasimos Arsenis saying that they had agreed with his decision to set up a joint committee to examine the entire spectrum of the financial requests and submit a subsequent report.

    WEATHER

    Fair weather with local cloudiness is forecast for most parts of Greece with few local showers and snowfall in the mountainous regions. Strong northerly to gale force winds in the Cretan sea the Dodecanese islands and the northern Aegean Sea, expected to subside in the afternoon. Athens will be mostly sunny with some local clouds and temperatures between 7-14C. Mostly fine weather also in Thesaloniki with temperatures between 0- 13C.

    SPORTS

    Results of Greek first division soccer matches Olympiakos - Athinaikos 4- 0 Panathinaikos - Aris 1-0 Apollon - AEK 1-2 OFI - Kastoria 1-0 PAOK - Panahaiki 2-0 Veria - Edessa 0-0 Heraklis - Kavala 2-3 Kalamata - Xanthi 2-2 Pyrgos - Ionikos match today.

    Standings: Olympiakos 55 points Panathinaikos 51 AEK 49 OFI 43 Kavala 40 PAOK 38 Pyrgos 34 Veria 33 Panahaiki 29

    FOREIGN EXCHANGE

    Friday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 263.376 Pound sterling 428.802 Cyprus pd 519.213 French franc 46.142 Swiss franc 178.262 German mark 155.585 Italian lira (100) 15.624 Yen (100) 218.597 Canadian dlr. 192.329 Australian dlr. 204.154 Irish Punt 416.045 Belgian franc 7.545 Finnish mark 52.314 Dutch guilder 138.429 Danish kr. 40.823 Swedish kr. 35.103 Norwegian kr. 39.025 Austrian sch. 22.107 Spanish peseta 1.845 Portuguese escudo 1.550

    (C.E.)


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