Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-10-09
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 09/10/1997 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- Simitis chairs meeting prior to Tirana visit
- Ambassador Konstas: "CoE summit important for Greece"
- FYROM nationals arrested for heroin smuggling attempt
- US, Russian astronauts to address meeting in Thessaloniki
- Power cut worsens traffic congestion in Athens
- Major NATO exercise continues in central Greece
- Austrian yacht runs aground in Saronic Gulf
- Premier: 'step-by-step' approach to guide policy towards Ankara
- Defence minister: Greece ready to discuss problems with Turkey
- ELBO unveils new armoured vehicle
- No extra cash for Athens metro contractors, minister says
- More EIB funding for Egnatia Motorway project acquired
- OA discounts on European destinations
- Weather
- Foreign exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
Simitis chairs meeting prior to Tirana visit
Prime Minister Costas Simitis today chaired a meeting in preparation of his
visit to Tirana on October 15.
Taking part were Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, Public Order Minister
George Romeos, National Defence Undersecretary Dimitris Apostolakis and
National Economy Undersecretary Alekos Baltas, all of whom will accompany
the premier to Albania.
During his visit, Simitis will have the opportunity to discuss all aspects
of bilateral co-operation, the efforts being made by the neighbouring
country towards democratisation and economic recovery and next month's
Balkan Summit on Crete.
Particular emphasis is expected to be placed on the assistance which Greece
can give to the Albanian economy, either at a bilateral level or in co-
operation with international organisations.
The premier's talks will also broach on matters related to the guarding of
the two countries' common border, efforts to combat crime and co-operation
in the defence sector.
Ambassador Konstas: "CoE summit important for Greece"
The second summit meeting of Council of Europe member states to be held in
Brussels tomorrow and Saturday was significant for Europe as a whole and
also for Greece, Greek Ambassador in Strasbourg, Prof. Dimitris Konstas,
said in an exclusive interview with the ANA in the French city.
"It is particularly important that the texts of the conference, in a number
of points, express respect for international law and international
treaties. Characteristic is Turkey's strong reaction to a provision
concerning respect for international humanitarian law, a provision that was
adopted despite its reactions," the Ambassador said, adding:
"It is a well-known fact that Turkey constantly puts forward obstacles to
Red Cross efforts to provide care for the victims of the civil war in
eastern Turkey with the Kurds."
Prof. Konstas stressed the importance of the summit meeting with respect to
the great challenges faced by the CoE, namely, adaptation by the eastern
European regimes to the rules of democracy, and also confrontation of the
new problems created by the extensive movements of population.
He added that the CoE, which was the only European organisation to which
Russia and all the former socialist countries of Europe belonged, remained
"an outlet and a hope for the future", given that many of those states, and
chiefly Russia, were excluded from other European organisations such as the
EU and NATO.
Regarding Greece's recent signing of the CoE treaty on the protection of
ethnic minorities, the Ambassador said this constituted a significant
political act to the degree that it proved Greece accepted the international
principles and rules on the issue and feared no investigation.
FYROM nationals arrested for heroin smuggling attempt
Customs officers at the Kipi post on Greece's border with Turkey arrested
three nationals of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) early
today for attempting to smuggle four kilos of heroin into the country.
The three were identified as Elz Nedzmetin, 34, the driver of the car,
Abdul Atila, 38 and Vasil Blasevski, 38. The heroin had been concealed in
two boxes of detergent.
After questioning them, the customs authorities said the three had
purchased the heroin in Istanbul and were members of a Turkish-FYROM
narcotics smuggling gang.
According to the director of the customs post, Stavros Tzioras, all the
evidence indicated that the final destination for the heroin was Greece,
not FYROM.
The three FYROM nationals were due to appear before a public prosecutor in
Alexandroupoli later today.
US, Russian astronauts to address meeting in Thessaloniki
Astronauts from the U.S. and Russia will give accounts of their experiences
in space at the first International Meeting of Aerospace Medicine opening
in Thessaloniki tomorrow.
The three-day meeting, organised by the newly-established Hellenic
Aerospace Medicine Society, is being held in the context of "Thessaloniki,
Cultural Capital of Europe 1997" events and will mark the 40th anniversary
of the launching of the first satellite into space.
Attending the October 10-12 meeting will be Russian cosmonaut Valery
Polyakov of Russia and American astronauts Fred Haise and Millie Hughes-
Fulford.
Polyakov holds the longest record in space, spending 14 consecutive months
as crew member of the Russian space station MIR.
Haise was a crew member of the Apollo 13 space shuttle which was almost
destroyed following an explosion while travelling to the moon in April
1970.
Hughes-Fulford has taken part in several voyages as a space bus crew member,
and has organised a nuymber of medical studies on such diseases as cancer
and osteoporosis.
Power cut worsens traffic congestion in Athens
Traffic congestion in Athens was exacerbated this morning by a power cut
caused by a failure at the Public Power Corporation's high voltage
distribution centre at Menidi, Attica which knocked out traffic lights
around the capital.
The areas worse hit by the power cut which lasted from 6 to 8 am were the
city centre and the northern suburbs.
Dozens of police patrol cars and motorcyclists were immediately sent to key
junctions to try and alleviate the problems caused.
The power cut also caused delays in the operation of dozens of bakeries in
Attica and resulted in a number of people being trapped in apartment block
elevators.
Major NATO exercise continues in central Greece
"Dynamic Mix '97", the largest NATO exercise ever held in the Mediterranean,
continued today with a training exercise involving Greek and Spanish
paratroops in the community of Melissa, near Larissa, central Greece.
A C-130 aircraft took the 65 paratroopers to the drop zone for a routine
jump. The exercise will be completed today with the participation also of
special forces in central Greece.
The final phase of the exercise begins tomorrow in the greater area of
Thessaloniki.
"Dynamic Mix '97" began on September 23 and is scheduled to end on October
13. In all, 5,000 troops from 14 countries, 70 vessels and 180 aircraft are
taking part in the exercise which is being held in parts of Thessaly,
Macedonia and the western Peloponnese.
Greece is participating in the exercise only for the second time after a
long absence, while it is the first time that Turkish forces are not taking
part.
Austrian yacht runs aground in Saronic Gulf
An Austrian-flagged yacht ran aground on rocks near the island of Aegina
today but its four Austrian passengers were uninjured.
A coastguard vessel and a tug-boat immediately went to the assistance of
the yacht which began to fill with water.
After sealing the crack in the hull, the "Didima" was towed into harbour at
Perama for repairs.
Premier: 'step-by-step' approach to guide policy towards Ankara
Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday reiterated Greece's insistence that
a step-by-step approach, involving international adjudication, was the way
forward in solving differences with Turkey.
"Only if Turkey adapts its policy to fall in line with international rules
and international law will it find support from Greece in its course
towards Europe," Mr. Simitis said in an address to the ruling PASOK party's
Parliamentary group.
Greece, he added, insisted on the principles of the joint communique signed
by Athens and Ankara in Madrid over the summer,as well as on the "step-by-
step" rapprochement of the two countries, starting from a referral of the
Turkish claim on the eastern Aegean Imia islets to the International Court
at The Hague.
"If this does not happen, it is not possible to free financial aid to
Turkey by the EU," he said.
The premier said Greece would never allow its sovereign rights to be the
subject of any dialogue nor to be disputed.
The premier stressed that the promotion of friendship and cooperation were
in the interests of both Greece and Turkey, while noting that "short
reckoning makes long friends".
Defence minister: Greece ready to discuss problems with Turkey
National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said Greece was prepared to
discuss bilateral problems with Turkey, but cautioned that "the logic of
compromise and appeasement" does not lead to the attainment of national
aims.
"Greece is prepared to discuss the problems existing between the two
countries, but remains steadfast on the basic pre-conditions, that is, that
international law and treaties apply in the Aegean region, and there is
nothing for negotiation. Turkey must understand that we cannot formulate
our relations on the basis of the supposed problems existing between the
two countries," he stated in Thessaloniki.
He called on Turkey "to stop functioning as a destabilising factor in the
region".
Commenting on Turkey's absence from NATO's "Dynamic Mix" military exercise
in various parts of Greece last week, he said:
"For decades Greece's participation in NATO exercises was not possible
because Turkey managed to mobilise the majority in directions which in the
end blocked our own participation. I think it has become understood this
time, with a steady position on ou r part and without high tones, but with
resoluteness and insistence on certain principles, that there can be
cooperation between NATO membes and exercises held in the broader region of
the eastern Mediterranean in the measure that Greece's contribution is
evaluated as basic. We have proved this, it is a fact."
ELBO unveils new armoured vehicle model
A new type of armoured vehicle has been unveiled by the Hellenic Vehicles
Industry (ELBO) for potential use by the Greek armed forces, ELBO president
Lycourgos Sakelaris announced yesterday.
At an event attended by National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos, Mr.
Sakelaris said that the "Centaur" model is slightly larger than the
armoured personnel carrier "Leonidas" and features a gun and machine
gun.
It is a tracked vehicle which can reach a speed of up to 70km per hour and
will be used to support infantry units. Armed forces officers will be shown
the plans for the vehicle in Athens in a fortnight to decide if it is worth
producing.
ELBO is to undertake a 90 billion drachma programme on behalf of the Greek
armed forces for the manufacture of land vehicles.
This was announced by Mr. Tsohatzopoulos who said that ELBO would be
commissioned to undertake the programme within the next three to four
months. The procurement includes 2,000 large- and medium- size trucks, 611
multi-purpose vehicles, 88 military buses and dozens of jeeps. "
During a visit to ELBO's installations yesterday, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos signed
an agreement on behalf of the national defence ministry for the procurement
of 57 Leonidas-type armoured personnel carriers at a cost of 19 billion
drachmas.
No extra cash for Athens metro contractors, minister says
Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis
yesterday criticised the international consortium building the Athens metro
over its attitude to geological problems uncovered in central Athens during
construction. Mr. Laliotis said Olympic Metro, the projec t's contractor,
comprising more than 20 firms from Greece and abroad, was fully responsible
for assessing geological data and selecting the method of digging
underground tunnels.
"The Olympic Metro consortium is fully responsible and the ministry will
not earmark any more funds to deal with the new problems," he told
reporters.
Mr. Laliotis was responding to hints by a representative of the consortium
over the need for extra funds for the additional works required.
More EIB funding for Egnatia Motorway project acquired
Completion of the eastern part of the Egnatia Motorway project will now
proceed after a contract for the first installement of a European
Investment Bank (EIB) loan of 70 billion drachmas was signed yesterday in
Thessaloniki.
The contract was signed by Environment, Town Planning and Public Works
Minister Costas Laliotis and EIB vice-president Panagiotis Gennimatas.
Egnatia will span the breadth of northern Greece when completed, connecting
the Ionian port of Igoumenitsa with the Greek-Turkish border.
The eastern part of Egnatia relates to the Kavala by-pass and Komotini-
Kipoi stretch.
Mr. Gennimatas said that though the Komitini-Kipoi road will be of "low
return", it will be funded by the EIB because it serves the economic
development of Thrace. He added that the construction of the Egnatia
Motorway "signalled the open proposals for cooperation and strengthening of
economic ties with the other side (Turkey)."
Mr. Gennimatas announced that next month he will travel to Turkey in order
to hold discussions on a proposal for the extension of Egnatia as far as
Istanbul, the construction of which will probably be co-funded by the two
countries.
OA discounts on European destinations
Olympic Airways is reducing its fares by up to 35 per cent as of October 1,
to 15 destinations in Europe from Athens and Thessaloniki. The fares apply
to the entire winter season.
The return fare from Athens and Thessaloniki to London drops from 169,000
to 92,000 drachmas, Brussels from 186,000 to 89,000 drachmas and to
Dusseldorf from 161,400 to 77,000 drachmas.
WEATHER
Fine weather, with some humidity in most parts of the country today, with
local clouds and possible rain in the western parts. Winds light. Athens
will be sunny with temperatures between 14-24C. Thessaloniki partly cloudy
with light northerly winds and temperatures from 11-21C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Tuesday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 275.940
Pound sterling 447.653 Cyprus pd 531.202
French franc 46.803 Swiss franc 191.065
German mark 157.327 Italian lira (100) 16.000
Yen (100) 226.698 Canadian dlr. 200.935
Australian dlr. 199.505 Irish Punt 402.788
Belgian franc 7.624 Finnish mark 52.402
Dutch guilder 139.695 Danish kr. 41.334
Swedish kr. 36.588 Norwegian kr. 39.148
Austrian sch. 22.345 Spanish peseta 1.863
Port. Escudo 1.541
(S.S.)
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