Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 97-11-04

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

ATHENS, GREECE, 04/11/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Simitis, Yilmaz hold 'useful' talks in Crete
• Yilmaz finds meeting with Simitis 'constructive'
• Simitis calls for regular SE European summits
• Historic Milosevic-Nano meeting focuses on Kosovo
• Turkish warplanes violate Greek airspace as Balkan summit opens
• OECD session held in Athens on water resources
• European Union programme for monitoring ship traffic discussed
• Greek stocks rebound on stable money market rates
• Confidence in drachma boosted
• No new taxes to cure burden of monetary turmoil
• EU urges growth initiative in third countries
• More than 30 new golf courses to be built in 3 years
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Prime Minister Costas Simitis last night described as a "useful" step a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mesut Yilmaz on the sidelines of the southeast European leaders' summit on Crete.

Mr. Simitis told reporters after the meeting, which lasted one hour and 20 minutes, that both sides had expressed their support for the Madrid declaration of principles to smooth out relations, signed between the two countries last July, and agreed to continue the process of exchanging views through bilateral committees of experts as well as to treat the 1988 Papoulias-Yilmaz memorandum as a basis for overcoming disputes.

"Mr. Yilmaz believes that problems can be overcome by dialogue on all issues, which however, has taken place in the past, but without results. We insist on a step-by-step approach, and particularly on the steps we have defined for overcoming differences ," the Greek premier said.

"Other issues of common interest, such as the fight against drug trafficking and illegal immigration were also discussed. There are issues which unite us and others that separate us. Those uniting us can be treated in the framework of bilateral cooperation," he said .

Referring to the issue of dialogue in general, he said there are inhibitions, such as "we should not be talking to the other side because it betrays a yielding attitude."

"The unyielding attitude is not a refusal to talk. Rather, it gives strength to negotiating and the promotion of our positions. We have no hesitation in talking to anyone," Mr. Simitis said.

Finally, the Greek prime minister said he had accepted an invitation to visit Turkey at a date to be determined through diplomatic channels.

Yilmaz finds meeting with Simitis 'constructive'

Turkish press sources later said Mr. Yilmaz described his meeting with Mr. Simitis as useful and positive, saying it had given the opportunity for clearing up many of the misunderstandings between the two countries.

Questioned on Mr. Simitis' reaction to his proposal for unconditional dialogue, Mr. Yilmaz was reported as saying that he found it "constructive", stressing he had no doubt that if the Greek side continued its positive approach, then Turkey would reciprocate, even in double measure.

He added that the bilateral experts committees should regain precious time lost in its operation.

He reiterated that dialogue under terms and conditions could not take place, adding that what the two countries should do was to find mechanisms for solving their differences.

Simitis calls for regular SE European summits

Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday proposed the institutionalisation of cooperation between countries of southeast Europe along the lines of the European Union, at the morning session during the first day of a summit of Balkan leaders in Crete.

In addition to further summit meetings, Mr. Simitis proposed the convening of "councils of ministers" to promote separate issues within their competence. At the end of the session, Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos announced that the next meeting of southeast Europe foreign ministers would be held in Istanbul in June, while the heads of state and government would meet for the second time in the Turkish port city of Antalya next October.

Speaking in the afternoon session, Mr. Simitis said the dramatic changes of the last eight years in Europe proved the need for peace, security and cooperation to become the central idea and sole course for the future.

"The Balkans used to be called the powder-keg of Europe due to the tensions and conflicts caused by the political, religious and cultural diversity and the particularly sensitive geopolitical position. What needs to be determined is the framework for the new course," he said.

He set as a matter of foremost priority the respect for international law at all decision and action levels, pointing out that previously hostile nations, such as France and Germany, developed on a similar level in the post-war period.

"Another issue is the promotion of economic cooperation, communication and closer ties between the peoples of the Balkans, through academic, professional, and cultural associations, trade unions, local authorities," he said.

The prime minister assured his Balkan counterparts that Greece will do everything possible to promote the new goals, and will undertake joint initiatives with other countries so that Balkan nations will come nearer the new reality, with closer links or membership of the European Union and/or NATO.

Historic Milosevic-Nano meeting focuses on Kosovo

Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano yesterday hailed as "historic" a meeting on the sidelines of the southeast European countries' summit on Crete with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, which lasted approximately 90 minutes.

It was the first meeting between a Serbian and Albanian leader in 50 years.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Nano said "new foundations are created for the closer cooperation between the two countries", adding that new meetings between the two leaders would take place.

Yugoslavia and Albania are at odds over the Serbian province of Kosovo, a region inhabited by predominately ethnic Albanians.

Mr. Milosevic referred to an Albanian "minority", indicating that "their problem will be resolved in the framework of international law" and on the basis of Yugoslavia's policy promoting the equality of ethnic groups.

Mr. Nano spoke of a an "Albanian community" and underlined that its problem should be dealt with in the same European framework as other communities.

Mr. Milosevic said he had asked that the issue of Serbs and Montenegrins living in Albania be discussed, and added that Kosovo was an inseparable part of Serbia and was an internal Yugoslav issue.

He described his meeting with the Albanian prime minister as "a start to the process for smoothing out relations between Yugoslavia and Albania," and as "very interesting and good for both sides".

Turkish warplanes violate Greek airspace as Balkan summit opens

Multiple infringements of the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) regulations as well as several violations of Greek airspace over the Aegean by Turkish warplanes were reported yesterday.

The violations came as leaders from eight Balkan countries, including Turkey, were holding their first round of summit talks on Crete. National defence ministry sources said 26 Turkish F-16 fighters and four formations of F-4 "Phantoms" infringed Athens FIR regulations over the central Aegean, while one pair of intruders also violated Greek national airspace over Samos.

In all instances the Turkish warplanes were intercepted by Hellenic Air Force Mirage 2000 and F-16 fighters, while on seven occasions the mid-air interception procedure developed into an engagement, according to reports.

OECD session held in Athens on water resources

The management of water resources in agriculture will be the main subject for discussion at a three-day working session by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which opened in Athens yesterday.

The session, attended by scientists from 70 counties, is organised by the agriculture ministry.

Conclusions are essentially expected to contribute to determining possible policies to be implemented by OECD member-countries in order to secure sustainable water resources.

Declaring the session open, Agriculture Minister Stephanos Tzoumakas said the management and protection of water resources was an issue of major concern for the government.

Even though water quality in Greece is generally good, there is a problem in quantity, owing mainly to unequal rainfall in various regions.

In the session's first day, participants heard that in a few years' time water may be more expensive even than oil, if measures are not taken.

European Union programme for monitoring ship traffic discussed

Public Order Minister George Romeos held talks with European Commission services in Bgrussels yesterday, focusing on the possibilities for European funding to a system of electronic (video) monitoring of ship traffic in the Aegean and Ionian.

The system has already been installed and operates in Spain and comprises a chain of coastal stations, which systematically videotape shipping, reaching as far as 200km from the coast.

The system, called Vessel Traffic Control, is used to facilitate traffic of all types of vessels, irrespective of length, as well as to locate oil leaks and other waste dropped into the sea.

With an averege of 100 illegal immigrants entrering the country daily by sailing across the Aegean, Greece wants to install such a system urgently to deal with the serious problem.

Greek stocks rebound on stable money market rates

Greek equities rebounded spectacularly on the Athens Stock Exchange yesterday breaking a six-day sharp fall in prices.

The general index closed 3.53 percent higher at 1,541.10 points, recovering a small part of its previous week's heavy losses, totalling 14.25 percent.

Traders said an improvement in the domestic money market climate and a decline in interbank interest rates encouraged buying in stock shares.

A general recovery in international markets also helped sentiment.

Trading was extremely heavy with turnover at 30.3 billion drachmas.

Sector indices scored gains. Banks rose 2.75 per cent, Insurance jumped 5.48 per cent, Leasing increased 1.80 per cent, Investment rose by 5.76 per cent, Construction soared to 6.03 per cent, Industrials rose 5.20 per cent, Miscellaneous increased 5.95 per cent and Holding was 4.18 per cent up.

The parallel market index for small cap companies was 5.36 per cent higher.

Broadly, advancing issues led declining ones by 199 to 31, with another 13 issues unchanged.

Intracom, Mailis, Syswear, Singular and Altec scored the largest percentage gains at the ceiling of 8.0 per cent, while Pairis, Demetriades, Macedonian Mills, Mochlos and Agrinio Metalplastics suffered the heaviest losses.

National Bank of Greece ended at 29,000, Ergobank at 16,200, Alpha Credit Bank at 18,645, Delta Dairy at 3,700, Titan Cement at 14,185, Intracom at 12,895 and Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) at 5,680.

Confidence in drachma boosted

The inflow of 250 million Ecu in the domestic foreign exchange market, as reported by the Bank of Greece, was seen as a sign of restoring confidence in the Greek drachma.

The drachma was again stable against the Ecu while the US dollar was slightly higher against the Greek currency.

No new taxes to cure burden of monetary turmoil

The finance ministry yesterday rejected press reports that the government has taken final decisions over next year's budget revenues linked to the recent monetary turmoil.

Finance Undersecretary George Drys, in an interview with the daily newspaper "Ethnos" commented that the Greek economy would suffer serious consequences due to a crisis in the stock market and a speculative attack on the drachma.

He stressed however that the extra burden would not be linked to new taxes.

Mr. Drys said the ministry was considering raising living standards taxes on boats and cars to 10 percent, property taxes by 20 to 25 percent and underlined that small and medium sized enterprises would face an increase in taxes of no more than 20 perce nt in 1998.

The finance ministry is also examining to implement a 0.3 percent tax on stock share transactions in the Athens Stock Exchange, raising taxes on state securities to 7.5 percent, a rise in tobacco tax and a monthly surcharge on mobile telephones.

EU urges growth initiative in third countries

European Union member-states' growth was linked directly to the development of third countries, a working group of European development representatives was told during a seminar in Hania, Crete, yesterday.

The issue was of particular interest to Greece which faced large inflows of immigrants from neighbouring Balkan countries, mainly from Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, former Yugoslav republics and former Soviet Union republics.

EU's executive commission argues that if coordinated efforts and specific growth initiatives were taken in these countries their citizens would have no reason to seek a better life abroad.

More than 30 new golf courses to be built in 3 years

Although Greece is far behind most western and tourism-developed countries as far as golf courses are concerned, this trend is hoped to be reversed over the next three-year period, as there will be a gradual effort to build more than 30 cources, accordi ng to the the Greek Tourism Organisation (EOT).

EOT Secretary General Nikos Skoulas, who is participating in the first international conference on tourism and golf held in Greece, which opened yesterday and winds up today in Halkidiki's Porto Carras resort, said that the effort will be assisted by EOT. He added that "we have now realised the need to deferentiate our country's offers in tourism by enhancing tourism products."

He said that was the reason why "we are consciously preparing the development of golf." The tourism and golf conference is attended by many leading representatives of the sport worldwide, as well as local government officials and businesspeople.

Development of golf infrastructure, coupled with an extension of the tourism season, is an EOT target.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(C.E.)

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