Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 97-05-31
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 31/05/1997 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- "November 17" terrorists admit to 1996 US embassy rocket attack
- PM Simitis tours Epirus, stresses Egnatia's importance
- Greek Armed Forces chief's visit to Romania
- FM Pangalos to visit Luxembourg, Tirana
- Former PM Mitsotakis, Alternate FM to receive Turkish Ipekci awards
- Alternate Foreign Minister calls meeting EU's "Santer package"
- ANA Mediterranean news agencies' seminar underway
- Rostropovich to perform in Thessaloniki
- Drachma stabilised
- Weather
- Foreign Exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
"November 17" terrorists admit to 1996 US embassy rocket attack
The "November 17" terrosist group in a new proclamation has assumed
responsibility for the rocket attack on the United States' embassy in
Athens, back in February 1996.
The terrorists' proclamation, the third sent to Athenian daily ELEFTHEROTYPIA
in as many days, says that they did not issue one at the time of the attack
on the US mission because "the reasons were so obvious and understood" and
it relates it to the Imia crisis between Greece and Turkey in January
1996.
Police sources said yesterday that American police authorities have offered
the use of state-of-the-art electronic equipment to assist in the hunt for
the terrorist group.
Meanwhile the 21st victim of "November 17", 42-year-old shipowner Costas
Peratikos was laid to rest in Athens today, shot on Wednesday by three
assailants in a Piraeus street ambush.
PM Simitis tours Epirus, stresses Egnatia's importance
The Egnatia Highway currently under construction across the breadth of
northern Greece will be one of the major projects marking Greece's course
early next century, Prime Minister Costas Simitis said yesterday at the
start of a three-day tour of the northwestern Epirus
Noting that the present situation in the Balkans is perhaps the most
characteristic case of the extreme consequences of the new, fluid
international reality resulting from the collapse of bipolarity in
international relations, he said that the strengthe ning of Greece's
economy and its foreign policy would make the country a strong political
and economic pole in the Balkans.
He added that Epirus - one of the poorest regions in the EU - must play a
leading role in this process, while the Egnatia Highway, together with the
upgraded port of Igoumenitsa and the Aktion-Preveza underwater tunnel, will
put the region into an orbit o f development, opening the roads to the
Balkans and making Epirus a gateway to western Europe.
Greece's policy in the Balkans, and particularly regarding Albania, is
another factor that will promote the region's escape from isolation, the
premier added.
He said Greece has already made important efforts in restoring conditions
of normality in the neighbouring country.
The prime minister also referred extensively to the details of a five-year,
700-billion-drachma government development plan for Epirus.
Greek Armed Forces chief's visit to Romania
National Defence General Staff chief Gen. Athanasios Tzoganis discussed
issues concerning cooperation between the armed forces of Greece and
Romania during his recent visit to the Balkan nation.
Gen. Tzoganis held talks with his Romanian counterpart, Gen. Constantin
Degeratu, the presidents of the Romanian parliament's and senate's defence
committees, that nation's defence minister and the presidential adviser on
defence issues.
Gen. Tzoganis also discussed existing possibilities for military cooperation,
the situation in the Balkans, and Albania in particular, as well as
Romania's potential accession to the NATO alliance.
FM Pangalos to visit Luxembourg, Tirana
Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos will leave for Luxembourg on Monday, to
participate in the European Union Council of General Affairs. Next Tuesday
he will travel to Albania for a one-day visit.
Former PM Mitsotakis, Alternate FM to receive Turkish Ipekci awards
Former New Democracy prime minister Constantine Mitsotakis will leave for
Turkey next week to receive the 'Ipekci' Award for promoting Greek-Turkish
friendship and his "25-year-long efforts in favour of rapprochement and
cooperation".
Also to receive this yearYs award will be Alternate Foreign Minister George
Papandreou for his efforts as education minister in promoting knowledge in
schools; Coalition of the Left Euro-MP Michalis Papayiannakis for
supporting Turkey's application for EU membership; Olympic weightlifting
champions Valerios Leonidis and Naim Suleymanoglu; composer Zulfi Livaneli;
Greek cartoonist KYR; journalist Ali Birant, and the Metropolitan of
Kalymnos Nectarios.
Mr. Mitsotakis will have a series of contacts with prominent political and
business leaders, including Turkish President Suleyman Demirel on
Friday.
Alternate Foreign Minister calls meeting EU's "Santer package"
A meeting was held at the Foreign Ministry yesterday afternoon at the
initiative of Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou and focusing on
the "Santer package", namely, European Union funding for EU member-states
after 1999.
According to press reports, an in-depth examination of fiscal prospects in
the EU was made based on both the needs of member-states and financial
commitments by the "15" towards candidate countries.
The reports said that according to a European Commission "scenario",
enlargement will require at least Ecu30 billion. Among others, this means
the preparations for development plans of member-states must start
now.
No decisions were made and it was announced that further meetings will be
held.
ANA Mediterranean news agencies' seminar underway
A seminar for members of the Mediterranean News Agencies' Alliance, held by
the Athens News Agency, begins today at the Divani Caravel Hotel. It will
be opened by Press and Media Minister Dimitris Reppas.
The seminar will explore new services and the changing needs of subscribers,
the use of Internet by media organisations, satellite and on-line services,
photo exchanges and marketing in the new era.
Speakers from abroad include AFP Deputy Technical Director Stephane
Guerillot, ANSA Technical Director Ettore Franzini and commercial Director
Arduino Mancini, LUSA President Manuel Pedro Marques, Prof. Bernd-Peter
Lange, General Director, European Inst itute for the Media, APA Marketing
and Sales Director Konrad Tretter, MENA Chief Consultant Mohamed El Biali,
Reuters Regional News and TV Manager Nikola Antonov, Dr. Wlodzimierz
Gogolek, Professor, Member of the Polish Telecommuncations Organisation
Boar d and EFE International Relations Director Indalecio Diaz.
Greek media representatives who will address the seminar include Athens
University Professor Stelios Papathanasopoulos, the editor-in-chief of Ta
Nea, Pantelis Kapsis, university lecturer Manolis Heretakis, OTEnet board
member Antonis Lyrantonakis and A NA Technical Director Takis Mantis.
The agencies represented at the seminar, apart from Greece's ANA, are: AMI
(Mauritius), Anadolu (Turkey), ANSA (Italy), ATA (Albania), CNA (Cyprus),
EFE (Spain), JANA (Libya), LUSA (Portugal), MAP (Morocco), MENA (Egypt),
NMA (Lebanon), SANA (Syria), TA P (Tunis), WAFA (Palestine). FANA (Beirut),
IPS (Italy), AFP (France), and APA (Austria) are attending as observers.
The seminar, sponsored by the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation
(OTE) and its subsidiary OTEnet, ends tomorrow at 11.30.
Rostropovich to perform in Thessaloniki
Russian-born cellist Mstislav Rostropovich will appear at the Philharmonic
Orchestra of Nations in Thessaloniki on June 3 and 4, visiting the city as
part of the Cultural Capital of Europe events.
Mr. Rostropovich will solo with works of Dvorak on June 3. The next evening
he will conduct the same orchestra with works by Serge Prokofiev, as the
National Ballet of Lithuania performs Romeo and Juliet.
The performances will take place in the renovated Theatre-in-the-Forest
which holds 3,500 people.
Drachma stabilised
The Greek money market returned to normal trade on Friday after three days
of turmoil that led to total outflows of around 1.5 billion drachmas and
forced the Bank of Greece to step up interventions in order to curb the
drachma's slide.
The Greek currency rose against the ECU and most other foreign currencies
to end at 311 drachmas from Thursday's 312 drachmas versus the ECU at the
central bank's daily fix. Outflows were minimal, totalling 30 million US
dollars.
Interbank rates fell to around 10.50-10.70 percent, reversing an early
advance to 13 percent.
Weather
On Saturday light cloud is expected over most of Greece except for
Macedonia, Thrace and the islands of the northern Aegean Sea where
scattered showers and the posibility of local thunderstorms are forecast.
Athens can expect only some light cloud and a temperatuyre range of 15 to
27 degrees centigrade. Similar weather is forecast for Thessaloniki with
temperatures 12-23C.
Foreign Exchange
Friday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 269.080
Pound sterling 442.015 Cyprus pd 531.712
French franc 46.920 Swiss franc 191.208
German mark 158.656 Italian lira (100) 15.965
Yen (100) 231.890 Canadian dlr. 195.067
Australian dlr. 205.126 Irish Punt 407.692
Belgian franc 7.682 Finnish mark 52.534
Dutch guilder 140.973 Danish kr. 41.662
Swedish kr. 34.916 Norwegian kr. 37.970
Austrian sch. 22.542 Spanish peseta 1.874
Port. Escudo 1.566
(K.G.)
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