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Athens News Agency: News in English, 97-03-17

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, 17/03/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

  • Government considers Albania crisis
  • Alternate FM concerned over EU handling
  • Northern Greek industrialists determined to continue expansion
  • Active Greek involvement in EU diplomatic mission to Tirana
  • Greek aid reaches Albania
  • Greece reiterates position on EU expansion
  • Crucial week ahead for New Democracy
  • 18 illegal immigrants presumed dead as boat sinks
  • Dockworkers protest death of colleague
  • Pregnant woman murdered in broad daylight
  • Two arrested for drug possession

    NEWS IN DETAIL

    Government considers Albania crisis

    Prime Minister Costas Simitis today chaired a two-hour meeting with the leaderships of the foreign and defence ministries to discuss developments in Albania in the light of initiatives being undertaken by the European Union, the Western European Union and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

    Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos briefed the meeting concerning the decisions taken at the informal meeting of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers in Apeldoorn at the weekend.

    At the meeting in the Netherlands, the foreign ministers decided to send an expert military and police advisory group to try and help restore order in Albania.

    In statements after today's meeting, National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said the various initiatives currently being undertaken had been examined so that Greece could respond in the most effective way and support Albania ''in terms of humanitarian aid, politically and with police assistance in this difficult period which that country is undergoing''.

    Later today, the coordinating body for crisis handling will meet at the foreign ministry with the participation also of defence ministry representatives in order to finalize specific positions of Greece.

    Pangalos described as a positive development Albanian President Sali Berisha's commitment to resign if he lost the general election in June.

    At the same time, both Pangalos and Tsohatzopoulos strongly denied reports alleging disagreement between them regarding the government's handling of the Albanian crisis.

    ''We find the stories that are being written interesting but they have nothing to do with what we are aware of,'' Pangalos said, while Tsohatzopoulos underlined that ''there is no problem''.

    ''The efforts of all should be focused on restoring democracy and attaining calm and progress as well as on supporting the new Albanian government,'' government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said.

    Replying to questions on the scenarios regarding Berisha's resignation, the spokesman said that the government's position was not a ''guarded'' one, while underlining the need for normality to be restored in the neighbouring country.

    Reppas said however that the government did not want all efforts being made for a solution to be restricted solely to the issue of whether Berisha should resign or not.

    ''The Greek government fully supports the government of Bashkim Fino which expresses all the political forces in Albania, can restore normality and lead the country to unimpeachable elections,'' Reppas said.

    If an international presence is needed during general elections in June, the spokesman said, Greece would participate by sending observers.

    In reply to other questions, Reppas categorically denied that Greek crew members aboard Hellenic Navy vessels evacuating civilians from Durres on Saturday had fired on Albanians who had gathered at the port in the hope of finding a way to leave the country.

    Alternate FM concerned over EU handling

    Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou has expressed concern over the European Union's handling of the crisis in Albania as well as fears that the problems could spread over the entire region.

    In an interview in the Spanish newspaper El Pais, Papandreou criticised the EU for "not acting promptly to avert the crisis in Albania". Warnings by Greece and Italy to the EU a month ago that the situation in the Balkans was deteriorating had gone unheeded, as had demands for the assumption of specific initiatives, he said. Nor had a requested Ministers' meeting on the issue been held, he added.

    Northern Greek industrialists determined to continue expansion

    Despite negative developments in the Balkans, the Northern Greece Association of Industries (SBEE) continued to support expansion outside Greece, according to a statement by SBEE President Nikos Efthimiadis.

    Addressing the opening of a four-day conference on business cooperation in southeastern Europe, Efthimiadis referred to the fruitful cooperation between the private and public sectors in business ventures in neighbouring countries over the past year.

    In particular, he referred to the Thessaloniki Stock Exchange Centre which opened in April 1996, the Black Sea States' Bank which is to open next month, as well as the completion of a development plan.

    He referred to certain "bitter truths" such as the lack of fundamental infrastructure for enterprises in northern Greece wanting to expand their activities north of the border, as well as the fact that Greece did not adequately exploit possibilities offered by its membership in the European Union.

    The conference opening was also addressed by Macedonia and Thrace Minister Philippos Petsalnikos and the chairman of the board of the Bank of Macedonia and Thrace, Spyros Kouniakis.

    Tomorrow, Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos are to address the conference tomorrow.

    Active Greek involvement in EU diplomatic mission to Tirana

    Greece will be actively involved in the European Union's first tentative steps to help the Albanian authorities restore order in the anarchic Balkan republic and will continue its own contacts in Albania in an effort to bring an end to the crisis.

    As a first step, the EU has decided to send a high-level mission to Tirana today, led by Dutch diplomat Jan de Marchant et d'Ansembourg and including representatives from EU presidency the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, the European Commission and the Orga nisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

    The aim of the mission is to explore the steps needed to be taken to normalise the situation in Albania.

    "The European Union has decided the dispatch of representatives to Albania with the aim of studying the situation and offering assistance to the Albanian government in its efforts to restore public order and safety," government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said in Athens yesterday.

    He said Greece would be represented in this mission by ambassador Dimitris Kypraios and Brigadier Ioannis Tsagaris.

    Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis will visit Gjirokaster tomorrow, as part of intense diplomatic and political contacts on the part of the Greek government to find a peaceful political solution, Mr. Reppas said.

    "Greece will continue to offer humanitarian aid and we believe that soon the crisis will be over and Albanians and Albania will see better days," Mr. Reppas said.

    Crucial week ahead for New Democracy

    The main opposition New Democracy party's three-day 4th Congress will start at the Peace and Friendship Stadium on Friday where some 3,400 delegates will elect a new party leader from four candidates in what is believed by many to be the party's most cruc ial congress in its 22-year history.

    The candidates contesting the leadership are the incumbent leader Miltiades Evert and his challengers George Souflias, Costas Karamanlis and Vyron Polydoras.

    The 4th congress will be the first to elect a party leader but many concede that it will constitute an important step towards widening democracy in the party, while many others claim that the problems of the party's political orientation and cohesion will not be resolved during the upcoming congress.

    What remains to be seen is whether the outcome of the congress at the Peace and Friendship Stadium will bring peace and friendship to strife-torn ND.

    18 illegal immigrants presumed dead as boat sinks in Aegean

    Eighteen illegal immigrants were presumed dead last night after a boat carrying them from Turkey sank in Turkish territorial waters just off the islet of Ro early yesterday.

    Port authorities on Ro were notified of the incident by a survivor of the incident, an Iranian man, who said he swam to the Greek islet after the boat sank. A further two survivors were rescued by port police vessels arriving at the scene shortly after the initial reports. The port police said they saw bodies floating within Turkish territorial waters. Turkish authorities and ships sailing nearby were notified to search the area for possible survivors. After the incident was reported, Turkish coast guard vessels collected the bodies and transported them back to Kas.

    According to reports, the 21 illegal immigrants, including three women and three children, bought the boat, without an engine, in the town of Kas in Turkey in order to row to Kastellorizo and request political asylum from the Greek authorities. The three survivors said that half-way between the Turkish coast and the island, the boat began to leak and sank soon afterwards. They said none of the 18 who perished could swim, and there were no life jackets on board.

    The three surviving men have been hospitalised in Kastellorizo, whe-re one, whose four-month pregnant wife drowned in the incident, is being treated for severe shock.

    Dock workers protest death of colleague

    About 600 dock workers have gathered outside the Merchant Marine Ministry in Piraeus to protest what they say is the state's indifference to their working conditions. The demonstration follows the death of a fellow-worker killed in an explosion on Saturday while working on a vessel docked in Perama.

    The dock workers staged a rally earlier this morning outside the city's Labour Centre, before marching through Piraeus to the Ministry.

    Scuffles broke out with the police after demonstrators realised the Minister, Stavros Soumakis, was not in the building. At the moment, their representatives are meeting to decide whether to meet with the head of the port authority or to wait for the minister. Soumakis was scheduled to attend a meeting with Prime Minister Costas Simitis and shipowners' representatives.

    Pregnant woman murdered in broad daylight

    A French-Canadian today shot and killed his seven-months pregnant wife on a street in the Athens suburb of Vrilissia after a violent quarrel.

    According to eye-witnesses, Joseph Pouhaze (phonetic spelling) had been waiting in a car for his wife, Maria Tsirou, 32 to appear.

    When Tsirou did appear, there was a violent quarrel, with Pouhaze trying to persuade his apparently estranged wife to get back together but to no avail.

    The witnesses said Tsirou tried to get away but Pouhaze chased after her and shot her in the head. Doctors at a nearby hospital said her death was instantaneous.

    Pouhaze ran off after the murder but about 150 metres from the scene shot himself in the leg and was taken to hospital where he is being treated under police guard.

    Police found a note in Pouhaze's car explaining what had driven him to murder his wife.

    Two arrested for drug possession

    Police today arrested two Colombian men after finding over two kilos of cocaine during a search of their house in Piraeus.

    The arrested were identified as Alberto Rodriguez, 44 and Sergio Bizaro, 51.

    Apart from the 2.38 kilos of cocaine, police also seized 1,300,000 drachmas on the grounds that it was derived illeally from the sale of narcotics.

    According to the police, the two Colombians have been living in Greece for a number of years and are married to Greeks.

    WEATHER

    Fine weather is forecast for most of Greece today with only a few clouds in eastern Macedonia and Thrace and the northern Aegean sea with possible showers. Moderate northerly winds getting stronger in the Aegean. Athens will be mostly sunny with temperatures between 9-18C. Thessaloniki will be partly cloudy with temperatures between 8-14C.

    SPORTS

    Greek First Division soccer results

    Olympiakos-Edessa 4-0 AEK Athens-Panahaiki 2-0 Pyrgos-Panathinaikos 2-1 Heraklis-OFI Crete 0-1 Apollon-Kavala 2-0 Veria-Ionikos 1-1 Kalamata-Kastoria 2-0 Athinaikos-Xanthi 0-0 PAOK Thessaloniki-Aris Thessalonoiki 2-1

    Standings:

    Olympiakos 61 AEK 55 Panathinaikos 51 OFI 49 PAOK 44 Kavala 43 Pyrgos 38 Veria 34 Ionikos 33

    FOREIGN EXCHANGE

    Friday's closing rates

    US dlr. 266.243 Pound sterling 424.675 Cyprus pd 522.784 French franc 46.287 Swiss franc 181.501 German mark 156.180 Italian lira (100) 15.669 Yen (100) 215.204 Canadian dlr. 195.364 Australian dlr. 212.427 Irish Punt 415.350 Belgian franc 7.571 Finnish mark 52.308 Dutch guilder 138.806 Danish kr. 40.932 Swedish kr. 34.367 Norwegian kr. 38.829 Austrian sch. 22.192 Spanish peseta 1.840 Portuguese escudo 1.553

    (M.P.)


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