Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 97-10-13

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr>

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 13/10/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• 60 Turkish warplanes repeatedly infringe Athens FIR
• Stephanopoulos pleased with Albanian talks
• Premier assures SME owners of changes to increase free competition
• Papantoniou on taxable income for SMEs
• Lesvos associations protest toxic, nuclear waste burial in Turkey
• GSEE reiterates demand for 35-hour work week, pension levels
• Conference on education reforms ends on optimistic note
• KKE releases central committee resolution
• Constantopoulos calls for joint candidate for Athens mayor
• Greek-Bulgarian protocol on free trade zone in Evros
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Turkish warplanes repeatedly infringed Athens FIR regulations yesterday, while on several occasions fighters violated Cyprus' air space and in some cases, Greek air space, according to national defence ministry sources.

According to reports, from early morning to afternoon, some 60 Turkish planes infringed Athens FIR regulations in an area southeast Rhodes, then violated Cypriot air space. Two Turkish warplanes are reported to have flown over the island republic itself.

The Hellenic Air Force responded with an equal number of aircraft, which intercepted all the Turkish violators, while three such interceptions turned into air engagements.

Meanwhile, it was announced that the Hellenic Air Force is in a state of preparedness as more infringements and violations are expected for the duration of the Cypriot military exercise "Nikiforos", in which Greek units are also participating, as well as the Greek aeronautical exercise "Toxotis" - both currently under way in the sea region between Crete and Cyprus.

Earlier in the day, Greek aircraft had flown over Nicosia within the framework of the exercises.

According to an ANA dispatch from Nicosia, the island republic's government announced that it will issue a demarche towards the United Nations and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) over the violations.

Stephanopoulos pleased with Albanian talks

President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos expressed satisfaction over Greek-Albanian relations on Saturday, saying they were constantly improving even further.

While in Strasbourg to attend a Council of Europe summit, Mr. Stephanopoulos said he had met with Albanian President Rexhep Mejdani, whom he invited for a reciprocal meeting to Greece in May 1998.

The Greek president said they discussed safeguarding the borders, in order to combat crime from drug smuggling.

Mr. Mejdani and the accompanying Albanian foreign minister seemed to be receptive to the idea of ethnic Greek schools being founded throughout Albania, not just in places termed "minority areas", Mr. Stephanopoulos said.

The Albanian officials also expressed pleasure and interest in the official visit to Albania of Prime Minister Costas Simitis, scheduled to arrive this week.

Mr. Stephanopoulos was accompanied in Strasbourg by Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou.

Premier assures SME owners of changes to increase free competition

Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday addressed a PASOK meeting of small and medium-size business owners from throughout Greece on the government's policy in their sector, citing a wide array of changes. Mr. Simitis expressed his satisfaction with go vernment achievements in the economy, referring to decreases in the public sector deficit and inflation, as well as increase in the growth rate above the European Union average.

The premier stressed that these goals were achieved "without being accompanied by a spread of social distress -because we did not want to just improve certain indices, certain figures, we wanted to improve the lives of citizens, the lives of all of us."

Mr. Simitis also said that for the government, the survival and dynamic growth of the average SME means strength in its ability to deal with competition. He said that this would be achieved by increasing the size of enterprises, improving product quality, business administration and access to international markets.

Finally, the premier indicated that the government has nearly completed the legislative framework for free competition that will rid the market of restrictive practises, which he noted undermine competitiveness.

Papantoniou on taxable income for SMEs

The present system of determining taxable income for SMEs and merchants is coming to an end, as tax offices become computerised, allowing the government to be able to better examine individual cases and obliterate present injustices, National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou said in his speech.

The minister said the inflexibility of the labour market was the greatest infrastructural problem in the sector, and explained that this would be remedied by future regulations on working hours and in the movement of the labour force.

Working people should not obstruct these changes by adhering to outdated habits, he said, adding that the social cost would be dealt with by discussion and distribution over a larger number of people.

Development Minister Vasso Papandreou called for faster reduction in interest rates for funding of SMEs because the cost of money is greater for them than for large businesses.

She said that mutual guarantees companies would soon be set up along with credit cooperatives to help fund SMEs and obstacles raised for the present anti-incentive rules in mergers in the sector.

Lesvos associations protest toxic, nuclear waste burial in Turkey

The Federation of Lesvos Associations of Greece called on the Europarliament to investigate charges that nuclear and toxic waste byproducts were being buried in abandoned mines in the Balia area, northwestern Turkey.

Copies of the federation's letter were also sent to all Greek Eurodeputies, Lesvos deputies and the organisations Greenpeace and WWF. In addition, the letter contains a protest over the arrests by Turkish authorities of local protesters.

GSEE reiterates demand for 35-hour work week, pension levels

General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE) President Christos Polyzogopoulos spoke in favour of a 35-hour work week and of maintaining the current pension levels as well as the system of retirement after 35 years of employment - or the attainment of 10,500 social security stamps.

He noted that GSEE has submitted proposals to the government with regard to fighting unemployment. Addressing a gathering in Kavala, Mr. Polyzogopoulos stressed that the trade union movement cannot operate on the basis of factional interests.With regard to taxation, he stressed that taxation scales should be adjusted to the cost-of-living index, something that had not been done for five years. He also called for increasing the amount of non-taxable income to the level of the income of an unskilled worker. The GSEE leader also expressed the concern that the present social security system, currently under debate, would break down within 10 years if the proper measures were not taken.

Conference on education reforms ends on optimistic note

A two-day conference called by ruling PASOK to inform the public of education reforms concluded on Saturday on an optimistic note on the part of the government.

Prime Minister Costas Simitis, who attended the conference, said that the meeting proved PASOK's concern about discussing major issues.

"We want to have everyone's opinion, and based on these views, to realise plans to apply our policy," Mr. Simitis said.

"The education reform taking place now that will continue to unfold in the near future is necessary for Greece, to have such procedures apply that would allow dealing with developments in technology and in the globalisation of the market," he added.

He said discussion would continue with the new education framework and conclusions reached after the discussions.

Education and Religious Affairs Minister Gerasimos Arsenis expressed his satisfaction over the conference results, explaining that "there is a general acceptance of the education reform's basic tenets. The government now has to refine these tenets and apply them".

KKE releases central committee resolution

Strong criticism against the government and an attempt at self-criticism was part of the contents of a resolution by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) central committee of Oct. 4, published in the party newspaper "Rizospastis" yesterday.

KKE criticised the government for moving quickly and decisively in "applying a great part of modern capitalist restructures and helping the country's big capital in all aspects."

The party also charged the government with trying to formulate what it called a "modern, even more autocratic, anti-democratic country, increasing the mechanisms of suppression, violence and buy-outs".

KKE said the government acted as a "go-between" for the United States, adding that Greece had privileged relations with neighbouring countries, but Turkey and Italy acted as obstructions in improving relations.

It also harshly criticised other opposition parties, charging that the main opposition party, New Democracy, of following a policy similar to PASOK's and failing to attract disgruntled PASOK voters. The Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) was condemned by KKE for what is said was "negotiating with the ruling party" over Parliament seat distribution, while its aim was to weaken KKE and win over its voters.

Constantopoulos calls for joint candidate for Athens mayor

The Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) has issued a call to other parties to promote a joint candidate for Athens mayor in local elections scheduled for October 1998.

Synaspismos' central committee, which met over the weekend, said the party would remain open on the manner that it would approach other parties, while its leader, Nikos Constantopoulos, expressed support for alliances.

Mr. Constantopoulos said that his party did not start "from zero", that it had its own municipal programme and candidate, that is, Maria Damanaki.

But he said it was the other parties that should take the initiative of approaching Synaspismos for the possibility of combining forces in municipal elections.

Greek-Bulgarian protocol on free trade zone in Evros

Regional leaders of Evros prefecture and the adjoining Haskovo district in Bulgaria met yesterday on the Greek side to sign a protocol of cooperation towards establishing a free trade zone in northeastern Greece.

The agreement was signed in the town of Ormenio, the area the zone is to be established, by Evros prefect Giorgos Dolios and Haskovo district director Cristo Vassilev.

The protocol includes terms on hiring, salaries, insurance and transport of workers, and calls for creating favorable conditions in attracting investments in the area.

The protocol mentions making use of regulations and funds from Greece, Bulgaria and the European Union.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(C.E.)

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article