Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-10-29

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 29/10/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Tzoganis: letter is a breach of military protocol
• Reppas: futile action
• Tanker in danger after running aground
• Spaniard arrested in possession of cocaine
• Illegal immigrants found on Samos
• Greek Premier sends message to Turkish counterpart
• Holbrooke observes policy of equal distances
• Franco Zefirelli in Athens
• IKA doctors' strike might continue until Nov. 7
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Chief of the National Defence General Staff Gen. (air) Athanasios Tzoganis said today that it was a breach of military protocol for his Turkish counterpart to send a letter to top level NATO officials without sending a copy to the Greek chief of staff.

Tzoganis said he had been told by the chairman of NATO's military committee that the letter had indeed been sent but not about its content.

According to reports, Karadayi in the letter claimed that Greece and Russia had formed an "axis" which threatened the Alliance's southeastern wing.

National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos yesterday dismissed the letter as "revealing the guilt felt by Turkey for the tension and crisis it has caused in the region".

Tzoganis pointed out that many countries had signed agreements with Russia, including NATO, "and if Mr. Karadayi wants to exploit this fact, all the countries have the intelligence to judge this".

He expressed the view that his Turkish counterpart was perhaps attempting to justify the tension which Ankara itself had created in the region "or even future tension which it will create and for which Turkey will be solely responsible".

Tzoganis said Greece's armed forces were daily "taking measures" and were completely ready to confront any provocation.

He did not rule out the possibility of a serious incident between Greece and Turkey triggered by either a chance or "planned" event.

Reppas: futile action

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas later described Karadayi's action in sending the letter to his NATO counterparts, except Tzoganis, as "a futile and hopeless attempt by Turkey to divert the interest of international public opinion".

The spokesman also noted the peculiarity of Karadayi's action, namely that a military official should raise a purely political issue.

According to Reppas, this illustrates the important role played by the military in Turkey, "something unknown in the institutional structure of the countries of Europe".

The letter itself, the spokesman added, is full of claims which can easily be refuted.

Echoing earlier statements by Tzoganis, Reppas said Greece was not the only country to have military co-operation with Turkey, while observing that Moscow also had a special relationship with the European Union and NATO.

Replying to reporters' questions, Reppas said the United States had expressed no "annoyance" whatsoever about Greece's relations with Russia.

The spokesman did not appear very optimistic about the possibility of an improvement in Greek-Turkish relations emerging from the meeting next week between Prime Minister Costas Simitis and his Turkish counterpart, Mesut Yilmaz, on the sidelines of the Balkan Summit in Crete.

Reppas said that there may be a "development" at the last minute if Turkey were to undertake some initiatives to conform with international law, while adding that he did not consider this to be very likely.

According to the Balkan Summit agenda, Simitis is expected to have 20 minutes of talks with Yilmaz on Monday evening before the official dinner.

Reppas reiterated the government's view that the summit should not be dominated by Greek-Turkish issues but rather provide the opportunity for a top-level discussion of matters related to economic and political co- operation among the Balkan states.

"Greece would like the summit to become a permanent event, for there to be regular meetings between the leaders of the Balkan countries and for a secretariat to be set up to facilitate the task of the leaders," Reppas told reporters.

Commenting on reports that Turkey is reinforcing its occupation forces in the northern part of Cyprus with heavy tanks, Reppas said this confuted the claims of Ankara and Karadayi "and proves that Turkey does not want a solution to the Cyprus problem but desires the maintenance of tension".

Tanker in danger after running aground

A small tanker carrying petrol was in danger of sinking today after running aground at Cape Pappas near Araxos in the western Peloponnese.

The 985 grt "Serifos" ran aground yesterday morning after sailing from Aghioi Theodori with destination Amphilochia.

According to sources, the vessel has a 3-metre crack at the stem, which extends below the waterline. Two tugboats have been trying without success to dislodge the tanker.

Six of the nine crew members have already been taken off the vessel which is carrying 300 cubic metres of unleaded petrol, 550 cubic metres of super and 950 cubic metres of diesel fuel.

The same sources said that fuel has begun to spill into the sea.

The rescue operation is being severely hampered by gale force winds blowing in the area.

Spaniard arrested in possession of cocaine

A Spaniard was arrested at Athens international airport today after being found in possession of 430 grams of cocaine.

The man was identified as Akran Benson, 25. He had concealed the cocaine in the soles of his sports shoes.

Benson reportedly told the police that he had bought the cocaine from a Brazilian, whom he refused to name, in Madrid on October 22 and intended to smuggle it to Turkey.

Illegal immigrants found on Samos

Police today arrested 18 Iraqi illegal immigrants on Samos shortly after they had been ferried to the island by a Turkish smuggler.

The 17 men and 1 woman are being held at the island's police station together with a further 91 illegal immigrants who arrived on Samos during the past two weeks.

A Samos court yesterday sentenced a 35-year-old Turk, Mehmet Fazil Ipekci, to 10 years' imprisonment and fined him 2,750,000 drachmas for smuggling 51 Iraqi illegal immigrants to the island on October 24.

Ipekci told the court that there was an extensive network operating along the Turkish coast which was organising the illegal entry into Greece of thousands of would-be immigrants.

Greek Premier sends message to Turkish counterpart

Prime Minister Costas Simitis has sent his Turkish counterpart Mesut Yilmaz a warm message of "goodwill", via visiting Turkish businessmen, according to the Turkish daily "Milliyet".

A Milliyet report from Athens said leading Turkish businessman Rahmi Koc, in Athens last week for a joint Greek-Turkish business forum, passed on to Mr. Simitis Mr. Yilmaz's confirmation that he would attend the Balkan summit in Crete next week and that he had hopes there would be a normalisation of relations between the two countries.

Mr. Simitis reportedly sent a similar message to Mr. Yilmaz.

The article added that if the meeting between the two prime ministers was "positive", it would provide an opportunity to confirm once again the Madrid communique, signed between Mr. Simitis and Turkish President Suleyman Demirel this summer.

Holbrooke observes policy of equal distances

US presidential envoy Richard Holbrooke again observed a policy of equal distances between Greece and Turkey.

In a statement before a dinner he gave for Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash in Washington, and referring to relations between his country and Greece and Turkey, he said:

"I can say that we are Turkey's best friends, if it agrees with this. However, we are also very close to Greece. Greece and Turkey are in an important region and they are very important allies of the United States."

Mr. Holbrooke said the present situation prevailing in the region must be resolved peacefully, adding that military events occurring last week were very disappointing and both sides were provocative and made superfluous actions which are not compatible with two neighbouring countries which are NATO member-states. Referring to Cyprus, he said there is no crisis on the island.

Mr. Denktash reiterated his known positions on the issue of Cyprus' accession to the European Union, claiming that accession is a ruse by the Greek Cypriots aimed at the conquest of Cyprus.

Franco Zefirelli in Athens

Veteran film director Franco Zefirelli arrived here today from Tel Aviv to see the areas of the National Gallery where an exhibition of costumes and jewellery - worn by the stars of operas which he directed - will be held on December 10.

Also on display will be works painted by Zefirelli during his long career in preparation for scene and stage designs. The works include stage designs for La Scala in Milan, where the director worked with legendary diva Maria Callas.

Speaking to reporters, Zefirelli said his love for Greece and Athens perhaps sprang from the strong friendship he had with Callas.

"Athens is for me the city of my dreams," Zefirelli said.

IKA doctors' strike might continue until Nov. 7

The Panhellenic Federation of the Social Insurances Foundation's (IKA) Unions of Scientific Hygiene Staff announced that the strike called by the Foundation's doctors nationwide started on Monday with participation levels reaching 100 per cent. The strike will continue until November 7.

On the other side, the heads of IKA clinics, at least in Athens, stressed that more doctors were working apart from security staff.

IKA doctors are seeking more pay, payment of overtime work and the equation of their salaries with those received by state hospital doctors. They are also complaining that doctors are not being given permanent status despite the fact that 4,000 position s for medical staff remain vacant.

Representatives of IKA doctors called on authoritative officials to agree to a dialogue, otherwise they are threatening new strike action after November 7.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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