Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-10-21

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 21/10/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Greece criticises State Department spokesman's comments
• Greek view of Ecevit's comment on Cyprus issue
• Turkish immigrant-smuggler arrested
• OA flight forced to return to Athens
• Ecumenical Patriarch begins month-long US tour
• Pangalos leaves for Maghreb visit
• Greece's Eurobank plans to expand in Balkans, eastern Europe
• Daylight saving ends
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Greece today described as "unprecedented and unacceptable" statements by US State Department spokesman James Rubin on the harassment by Turkish warplanes of the aircraft carrying National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos to, and also from, Cyprus last week.

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said Rubin's statements yesterday "ignore or distort true facts", adding that "it is not permissible for the existing facts and evidence to be disregarded or hushed up for reasons of expediency".

Rubin said yesterday that Tsohatzopoulos' flight to the island republic to watch military exercises last week was an overflight that violated an agreed moratorium.

Replying to reporters' questions, he added: "You're speaking about aircraft and the defence minister's aircraft. Why did it have nothing to do with overflights? It was above Cyprus as an overflight. It doesn't stop being an overflight that we believe should not have happened."

In a statement issued later on Monday apparently aimed at toning down Rubin's remarks, the State Department said "the US has no confirmation of the incident from an independent source. The information which we have seen is particularly alarming".

"If Turkish aircraft did fly provocatively close to the aircraft carrying the Greek defence minister, such an action would not be in line with Ankara's stated intention of reducing tension with Greece," the statement added.

The statement again calls on both Athens and Ankara to avoid actions which complicate efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem and urge both sides to resume implementation of the moratorium on flights of military aircraft over Cyprus.

Reppas described this second State Department statement as an "about-turn" which made amends for Rubin's initial statement.

Replying to questions, Reppas said "there are many who would perhaps like to exert pressure on Greece regarding this matter, but what is important is how the party being pressed reacts."

Throughout its long history, he continued, the Greek nation had successfully confronted much greater pressure "and in any case, the Greek government has no intention of changing its orientation because of any kind of pressure whatsoever".

Greek view of Ecevit's comment on Cyprus issue

Commenting on recent statements by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit on the Cyprus problem, Reppas stressed that the course towards the accession of the island republic to the European Union constituted a "unanimous commitment" on the part of the EU "which no one can overturn".

He said Turkey had no desire to contribute to the defusing of the crisis and the building of good relations, adding that Ankara's stance revealed "Turkish provocativeness in all its splendour".

Ecevit's statements, Reppas said, prove that there is an "unbridgeable gap" and no possibility of the two countries reaching any understanding for as long as Turkey insisted on putting forward these positions.

"For as long as Turkish officials support these positions, their words will falling on deaf ears," he said.

Asked what the Greek government could expect from talks between Prime Minister Costas Simitis and his Turkish counterpart Mesut Yilmaz on the sidelines of the Balkan Summit in Crete early next month, Reppas replied:

"Any well-intentioned person could expect to see will being shown by Turkey to bring its policy in line with the principles of international law and declare its respect for the international treaties concerning the Aegean."

The spokesman added that Greece had no intention of contributing to any change in the status quo in the region.

He expressed pessimism about the prospects for reaching some kind of understanding on Crete, citing Turkey's recent provocative behaviour.

He clarified that there had been no meetings between Greece and Turkey in preparation of the Simitis-Yilmaz talks, but did not rule out the involvement of a third party in this respect.

The main opposition New Democracy (ND) party meanwhile described Rubin's statements as "unacceptable".

ND spokesman Aris Spiliotopoulos said the statements were "the result of (Washington's) tactic of maintaining an equal distance between the provoker and the provoked".

Spiliotopoulos added that this tactic "has brought us to the point where, while Greece is not demanding anything, Turkey is demanding even more, and certain third parties continue to press us into negotiating everything".

Coalition of the Left Eurodeputy Alekos Alavanos commented on Rubin's statements by warning of "the revival of the policy of past decades, namely total obedience to the US and NATO" which, he added, was very dangerous.

Alavanos said it had become quite clear that there was a serious lack of activity and briefing with regard to Greece's positions on Greek-Turkish issues.

The Eurodeputy said it was only to be expected that the US would condemn Greece, rather than Turkey, "when the prime minister (Costas Simitis) in his public appearances hushes up the provocative acts of the Turks against the national defence and sovereign rights of our country".

Turkish immigrant-smuggler arrested

Police today arrested a Turkish national on charges of smuggling 40 Iraqi illegal immigrants of Kurdish origin to the island of Samos.

He was identified as Mustafa Ali Ozturk, 30, from Izmir.

Police said Ozturk confessed to transporting the immigrants, including 17 children, who paid him 100 dollars a head. Most of the immigrants were in bad physical and emotional condition and were taken to Samos hospital.

Ozturk said he jumped overboard to avoid arrest after local fishermen alerted the coast guard as he tried to sell his boat.

Ozturk was later sentenced by a three-member Samos court to ten years' imprisonment and a fine of 8,300,000 drachmas.

OA flight forced to return to Athens

Olympic Airways flight 423 to Canada had to return to Athens international airport shortly after take-off today due to a fault discovered by the pilot in the aircraft's hydraulic system.

The fault is currently being repaired and passengers are expected to leave soon for Canada aboard the same aircraft.

Ecumenical Patriarch begins month-long US tour

Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch of Constatinople, Vartholomeos was received with head of state honours by the US administration, during his arrival Washington late yesterday for a month-long visit.

Several US media outlets covered the Orthodox Patriarch's arrival extensively, noting the visit coincides with the 75th anniversary since the founding of the Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

The Ecumenical Patriarch yesterday paid a visit to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, a visit that was hailed by several Jewish-American leaders as a step of great importance as well as by the museum's director as "a significant step in averting the repetition of the tragedy this museum is devoted to".

Ms Yolanda Willis, a Greek Jew and survivor of the Holocaust, in an address for the occasion, noted the special role that the Greek Orthodox Church played in helping many Jews escape from the Nazis during the occupation of Greece (1941-44).

"You not only saved our lives, you saved our belief in mankind, you saved the honour of our homeland," she said, addressing both Vartholomeos and Archbishop of America Spyridon and speaking about the Greek Orthodox leaders and faithful who jeopardised their safety to save members of Greece's Sephardic Jewish community.

Vartholomeos' visit includes meetings with US President Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich tomorrow, a dinner in his honour by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright the same evening.

The White House expressed satisfaction yesterday over the visit paid to the United States by Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos, saying that it will be "very productive."

"I believe that it will be a very productive visit," White House spokesman Michael McCurry said during a press briefing.

Pangalos leaves for Maghreb visit today

Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos will visit Algeria today, followed by visits to Tunisia and Morocco, foreign ministry officials announced yesterday.

The officials said Mr. Pangalos's visit to the region aimed at sending a message to Greek businessmen to encourage them to strengthen economic activity with the three countries.

In the case of Algeria, they stressed the importance of the liquid natural gas agreement signed in 1988, implementation of which is expected to commence in 1999, when Algeria will convey the first natural gas to Greece.

With regard to the three countries' relations with the European Union, the officials noted that Tunisia and Morocco were already parties to Euro- Mediterranean cooperation, while a decision had been taken for the commencement of negotiations with Algeria in this direction.

Greece's Eurobank plans to expand in Balkans, eastern Europe

Greece's EFG Eurobank, a member of the Latsis Banking Group, plans to expand its presence in the Balkans and eastern Europe, also claiming a five percent stake of the domestic market.

Senior officials of Greece's third largest private bank announced its goals at a news conference yesterday after completing a merger on October 10 with Interbank, another private financial institution.

EFG Eurobank plans to set up four venture capital funds with Global Finance that will operate in the near East, and a broader region extending to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Armenia.

The bank wants to launch operations abroad by Alico Eurobank, a mutual fund management arrangement between EFG Eurobank and the Alico insurance company.

In another venture, the bank will extend its cooperation with Interamerican, an insurance firm, to credit cards.

Eurobank has 42 branches, shareholders equity of 48 billion drachmas and assets of 730 billion drachmas. Its deposits total 600 billion drachmas and loans 250 billion.

The Latsis Banking Group operates in 11 countries and has shareholders equity of one billion Swiss francs.

Daylight saving ends

Greece, along with the rest of the European Union countries, goes off Daylight Saving Time on October 26. At 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, clocks will be turned back one hour to 3:00.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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