Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-08-19
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 19/08/1997 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- Greece says no to Turkish forces in NATO landing exercise
- Greece calls for vigilance on Turkish intransigence
- Turkey should be condemned, Greek Eurodeputy says
- Ecumenical Patriarch comments on relations with Turkey
- Feminist theologians' conference opens
- Actor playing Judas found hanging on stage
- Illegal immigrants from Iraq
- Austrian embassy car bombed
- US official missing from Souda base
- World's seismologists meet in Thessaloniki
- Greek stocks tumble in thin market
- New rates for treasury bill issues
- NBC poll says Athens best choice for the 2004 Olympics
- Weather
- Foreign exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
Greece says no to Turkish forces in NATO landing exercise
Greece's National Defence General Staff has refused a request from Ankara
for the participation of a Turkish landing force in a NATO exercise,
according to an article in today's edition of the Athens daily "Ta
Nea".
The newspaper said Turkey had tried to include its forces in the NATO
exercise "Dynamic Mix" which involves a landing on the coast of Messinia in
the southern Peloponese.
Owing to the poor relations between the two countries, Greece refused the
Turkish request. For the same reason, Athens does not send Greek troops to
participate in similar Alliance exercises in Turkey.
The article said that Turkey had also requested an air corridor in the
Aegean for use by its warplanes without submitting flight plans for the
duration of the exercise.
This request was reportedly turned down by the Greek National Defence
General Staff since the Alliance exercise does not involve any air activity
in the northern Aegean.
Greece calls for vigilance on Turkish intransigence
The foreign ministry yesterday called for continuous vigilance and
opposition to Turkish intransigence on the part of Greek and Cypriot
political parties and of Greek communities around the world.
Greece will take diplomatic steps the United Nations Secretary General,
with all members of the UN Security Council and the European Union a
foreign ministry announcement said.
Athens has also begun a briefing campaign of governments and media around
the world. These moves, the foreign ministry added, were aimed at having
the international community adopt positions that would permit the good
services of the UN Secretary General to bear results and to deal with
Turkish intransigence "so that the two communities in the island republic
may live in harmony within the framework of a bi-communal and bi-zonal
federation, according to UN resolutions and the summit agreements of 1977
and 1979".
Turkey should be condemned, Greek Eurodeputy says
The European Union must condemn Turkish Cypriot intransigence, which led to
the deadlock of UN-led direct talks between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish
Cypriot communities, Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Eurodeputy Vassilis
Efremidis said yesterday.
In a question tabled in the European Parliament, Mr. Efremidis also called
on the EU Council to take all necessary action and deflect threats by
Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and Turkish officials regarding the
annexation of the island's Turkish- occupied north.
Ecumenical Patriarch comments on relations with Turkey
Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos concluded a three-day visit to the island
of Chios today with a message of hope that relations between Greece and
Turkey would be characterised by "peaceful coexistence in the Aegean, good
neighbourly relations and creative cooperation".
"It is my heartfelt wish that the difficulties of the last few days will be
overcome and that the spirit of Madrid will come to pervade relations
between the two neighbouring and allied states and peoples of Greece and
Turkey, until all pending problems are resolved," said the Patriarch.
The Patriarch was referring to the accord signed in Madrid last month
between Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Turkish President Suleiman
Demirel.
He also directed a special greeting to Archbishop of Athens and All Greece
Serapheim.
Earlier yesterday, the Patriarch expressed the hope that relations between
Orthodox Christianity and the Vatican would be soon restored.
Vartholomeos said he expected a delegation from the Vatican to visit the
See of the Orthodox Church at its Phanar district headquarters in Istanbul
on November 30 -- the day commemorating the founding of the Church of
Constantinople by Apostle Andrew.
Feminist theologians' conference opens
"Orthodox Christian spirituality and feminist theology generally reflect
two very broad and vastly different types of world view and thinking, but
also contain common points of interest," an Orthodox theologian told the
7th international conference of the European Society of Women in Theological
Research (ESWTR), which opened here Sunday. "
Thinking and re-thinking relationships, experience and process are main
concerns of both feminist theology and Orthodox spirituality even if they
operate within different traditions of thinking," Orthodox theologian
Kyriaki Karidoyanes FitzGerald said.
"It was a long journey for most of the 200 women theologians from 28
countries to come to Crete for the bigeest ESWTR conference ever," Michaela
Moser, the conference spokeswoman, told the ANA.
The theme of the conference is "Sources and Resources of Feminist
Theologies", and it focuses on the dialogue between Orthodox women
theologians and Western feminist theologians with different religious
backgrounds.
"The journey towards true encounter and dialogue of women coming from
different backgrounds is long, difficult and often painful," Karidoyanes
FitzGerald added.
Other keynote speakers at the conference, considered "the start of a
difficult journey towards dialogue" between the East and West", and include
Old Testament scholar Silvia Schroer from Switzerland, Joan Martin from the
United States, Letizia Tomassone from Italy, and Ulrike Bechmann of
Germany.
Actor playing Judas found hanging on stage
A British actor tragically hanged himself at a hotel complex in Halkidiki
on Sunday while portraying Judas in "Jesus Christ Superstar".
Tony Wheeler, 25, from Oxfordshire had belonged to the hotel's animation
team which staged the show live for the hotel guests.
His role called for walking up to the noose, placing it around his neck and
hanging himself as the spotlight was switched off him. A special hook would
have allowed him to remain suspended while appearing to hang.
When he failed to turn up later, a search revealed that Wheeler had
actually died on the theatrical noose. A doctor who performed an autopsy
said, "There are indications of death by hanging", but could not say
whether the death was accidental or not.
Illegal immigrants from Iraq
A Turk was sentenced to five years in jail and fined four million drachmas
by a Lesvos court today, for illegally bringing into Greece seven Iraqi
immigrants, court sources said.
Hussein Duman was sentenced by a three-member court on the island of Lesvos
for clandestinely transporting the illegal immigrants in a boat on August
13.
A Samos court meanwhile sentenced a 29-year-old Turk to ten years'
imprisonment and fined him 25 million drachmas after being found guilty of
illegally transporting 50 illegal immigrants from Iraq.
Hayiati Sendir was arrested by coast guard officers last Friday while
sailing between the islands of Samos and Agathonisi.
The Iraqis said that they had each paid 1,500 dollars to be taken to
Greece. Sendir denied the charges, maintaining that he had not received any
money and was seeking political asylum.
Austrian embassy car bombed
Unidentified persons threw a fire-bomb at a car belonging to the Austrian
embassy shortly after midnight, causing damage but no injuries, police
said.
The fire-bomb was thrown at the car, a red Mercedes, by two persons at 10
minutes after midnight. The car, which was parked on the corner of "3rd
September" and "Averof" streets in Athens, had diplomatic plates.
The blast caused serious damage to the left side of the car. Police are
investigating the incident.
US official missing from Souda base
The U.S. Embassy today declined immediate comment on the reported
disappearance of an American satellite communications expert from the U.S.
base in Souda on the island of Crete on August 12.
Am Embassy spokesman said they were "seeking further information on the
case before making any statement".
Larry Gonzales, 32, disappeared after returning from work at the Souda base
to his hotel at Kallathas in Akrotiri. Local press reports said 24 hours
after he went missing he was declared AWOL and police and American secret
services launched a search.
A US Embassy press officer later confirmed that "senior airman Larry
Gonzales, based in Souda" had been missing since August 12.
The officer said he had no further information at the present time and
declined to comment on the nature of Gonzales' duties at the US base in
Souda.
Police found his car, a mini Cooper, abandoned a few yards from his hotel
two days after his disappearance, which was removed to the Souda base, the
reports said.
The same reports said that Gonzales had recently been keeping company with
two British women he had met in a bar in Hania, one of whom he was staying
with in her hotel room.
The reports added that FBI agents were due in Crete in the next few days to
join the search and investigations.
Gonzales and two other people are responsible for analysing satellite
messages.
World's seismologists meet in Thessaloniki
Greece belongs in the highest seismic zone in the world, comprising an area
stretching from Gibraltar to China, University of Thessaloniki Professor
Vassilis Papazachos told an international seismology congress yesterday.
During opening remarks at the 29th international congress on seismology and
physics of the earth's interior at Thessaloniki, Mr. Papazachos also said
that it was appropriate that Greece had been chosen as the venue for the
congress, since its ground and especially the area of the Aegean comprised
a natural geophysical laboratory.
President of the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the
Earth's Interior (IASPEI), Claude Froidevaux, said that the sea level at
the Aegean was lower 20,000 years ago and said that the Mediterranean was
non-existent as a water-filled basin 20 million years ago.
He pointed out that Greece's high seismic activity was due to the African
plate's moving north, due to pressure it received from surrounding
oceans.
The congress aims at providing solutions in facing seismic phenomena and
predicting them. The congress is organised by the University of Thessaloniki
and scheduled to run for 10 days.
Greek stocks tumble in thin market
Equity prices came under strong pressure on the Athens Stock Exchange
yesterday to end sharply lower.
Market participants said the pressure was more of a technical nature and
that price swings were exacerbated by a lack of supply as the market had
not returned to normal after a three day holiday.
The general index closed 1.39 percent lower at 1,622.90 points. Sector
indices lost ground. Banks fell 1.54 percent, Leasing eased 0.62 percent,
Insurance declined 0.53 percent, Investment fell 1.98 percent, Industrials
were 2.03 percent off, Constructi on eased 1.46 percent, Holding dropped
2.01 percent and Miscellaneous fell 1.76 percent. The parallel market for
small cap companies index ended 1.21 percent lower. Trading was moderate
and turnover was 7.8 billion drachmas.
Broadly, declining issues led advancing ones by 149 to 46 with another 14
unchanged.
Allatini, Alysida, Ideal and Balkan Export scored the biggest percentage
gains, while Tzirakian Profil, Demetriades and Athinea suffered the
heaviest losses of the day.
Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) rose 60 drachmas to end at 6,
610. National Bank of Greece ended at 37,000, Ergobank at 17,835, Alpha
Credit Bank at 19,790, Delta Dairy at 4,200, Titan Cement at 14,870 and
Intracom at 12,900.
In the domestic foreign exchange market the dollar fell sharply against the
drachma following a strong correction of the US currency in international
markets.
New rates for treasury bill issues
The finance ministry has announced new rates for the next issues of
treasury bills, as follows:
Three-month: 8.40 per cent
Six-month : 8.70 per cent
One-year : 9.50 per cent
The next issue of one-year bills is tomorrow, by public subscription.
An auction of fluctuating-rate bills, worth 100 billion, will take place on
August 25.
NBC poll says Athens best choice for the 2004 Olympics
Athens was by far the top choice to host the 2004 Olympic Games, according
to a phone poll conducted by the US national television network NBC.
The poll asked which of the five prospective cities - Athens, Buenos Aires,
Cape Town, Rome or Stockholm - should host the 2004 Olympics.
The sample included 844 people, and was organised by NBC's media service
department. Scores went as follows, in percentages: Athens 62, Cape Town 18,
Buenos Aires 8, Stockholm 6 and Rome 5.
WEATHER
Mostly fine weather is forecast for most of the country today except for
mainland Greece, the Ionian, and northern Aegean Sea, where cloudiness,
scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected. Light to moderate
northerly winds will intensify in parts of the southern Aegean. Athens will
be partly cloudy with possible showers, and temperatures ranging between 20-
31C. Similar weather in Thessaloniki where temperatures will be from 19-
29C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Monday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 283.186
Pound sterling 455.288 Cyprus pd 530.026
French franc 46.289 Swiss franc 188.182
German mark 155.937 Italian lira (100) 15.950
Yen (100) 240.639 Canadian dlr. 204.253
Australian dlr. 209.714 Irish Punt 416.243
Belgian franc 7.552 Finnish mark 52.120
Dutch guilder 138.488 Danish kr. 40.948
Swedish kr. 35.623 Norwegian kr. 37.408
Austrian sch. 22.159 Spanish peseta 1.845
Port. Escudo 1.538
(Y.B.)
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