Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-11-20

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 20/11/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Greece launches stinging attack on Turkey at UN
• Massive armaments procurement programme endorsed
• Athens to unveil proposals at EU employment conference
• Universal conscription of women not a gov't goal
• Initial UN support for regional informatics centre in Thessaloniki
• Intracom sees profits of 75 bln
• Stocks end higher
• Contractors want rail link to new airport
• Foreign diplomats visit Thrace
• Workplace health, safety a priority
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Greece today accused Turkey of systematically pursuing the permanent division of Cyprus through ethnic cleansing of the northern sector it has been occupying for 23 years, encouraged by the impunity it has enjoyed while defying UN resolutions calling for its withdrawal and improvement of its human rights record.

Ambassador Dionyssios Kodellas, Greece's representative to the UN Third Committee, warned that further tolerance of Ankara's human rights violations would not only increase its contempt of international law and principles, but would also encourage potential human rights violators elsewhere in the world.

Addressing the 52nd General Assembly of the Third Committee on human rights issues, Ambassador Kodellas said that in pursuing its ultimate goal of Cyprus partition, Ankara was executing a "well-planned policy of colonisation of the occupied sector of Cyprus aimed at altering the island republic's demography through killings, forced displacement of persons, separation of families and the settlement of thousands of mainland Turks illegally brought to Cyprus".

The situation in the occupied area, which was a "clear case of flagrant violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Greek Cypriot population", was "particularly alarming", he said.

Kodellas said that every year for the past 23 years the Committee "is confronted with the same phenomenon, which remains a cause for great concern to all international organisations, and in particular the United Nations. Namely, Turkey's contemptuous attitude towards the repeated calls of the international community urging Ankara to align its international and domestic behavour to what the UN member states consider the bare minima of behaviour in the field of human rights and to comply with its commmitments and obligations under international law".

Particularly in the case of Cyprus, he noted, "numerous UN Security Council resolutions have been provocatively defied by Turkey, which is encouraged by the fact that it has so far managed to remain unpunished".

Kodellas pointed out that Ankara's policy on Cyprus remained unchanged regardless of what government was in power in Turkey, and expressed doubt on the frankness of the "fresh assurances and promises" of what the new Turkish prime minister Mesut Yilmaz called his government's "new approach in the human rights field", when the past Yilmaz government had been "equally marked by very serious human rights violations".

He said that, at the threshhold of the 21st century, "the UN can no longer, and should no longer, remain idle in the face of the deplorable situation of the human rights violations in Cyprus and Turkey's outright defiance of the resolutions calling for the withdrawal of its troops and settlers from Cyprus as a first step towards restoration of respect of human rights on the island".

"Turkey should be equally reminded that its serious breaches vis-a-vis the principles and norms enshrined in the international conventions on protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms" made Ankara accountable under international law, he said.

Turkey should also be reminded that the obligations it had assumed under international treaties, including treaties on humanitarian law, "form an integral part of Turkish domestic law, according to the Turkish constitution", he said.

Ambassador Kodellas warned that Turkey's "continuous display of total disrespect" of human rights in Cyprus not only revealed Ankara's "true identity" but also "ridicules the entire issue of human rights worldwide and undermines the credibility of international organisations".

He said that protection of human rights was a "very serious affair", with "no room for arbitrary interpretations, alibis and further postponements".

Further tolerance would send the "wrong messages not only to Turkey but also to other potential violators of human rights elsewhere," the Ambassador said, warning that remaining idle would result in regressing "to other, much darker periods of mankind" which the international community, through the promotion of respect of human rights, was trying to put firmly behind it.

Massive armaments procurement programme endorsed

The Government Council for Foreign Policy and Defence (KYSEA) yesterday endorsed proposals by National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos setting out a five-point plan on priorities of the armaments procurement programme.

Recommendations included strengthening the existing air force fleet with third-generation aircraft, for which a final decision would be made in the first half of 1998. According to informed sources, the government is considering choosing between the Mirage 2000-5, Russian Sukhoi, EF-2000 and F-16 (Block 50), F-15E, F-18 and F-22.

The same sources say that there has also been discussion of purchasing another 10 to 20 Mirage 2000s and F-16s (Block 50). In addition, the purchase of airborne refuelling aircraft and AWACS early warning aircraft was also going ahead.

The US-made Patriot system and the Russian-made S-300 system are up for consideration.

The third point of the plan regarded a final decision, to be taken next year, regarding newtanks for the army.

Exactly 170 Leopard 1 A5 are to be bought from Germany, a purchase which Mr. Tsohatzopoulos says was decided upon earlier and is not part of the current programme. or Britain.

The first phase of the armed forces' procurements programme is to be completed during the first half of 1999.

He said that 350 billion drachmas had already been spent on the programme so far, while another 100 billion will be spent by the end of the year. Some 800 billion drachmas are projected for 1998, while funds totalling 1.1 trillion drachmas are to be made available as soon as the relevant studies, which are in their final phase, have been completed.

Athens to unveil proposals at EU employment conference

Greece will present proposals at a European Union employment conference this week that would focus on jobless youth and the long-term unemployed, Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou announced yesterday, ahead of a two-day meeting on employment in Luxembourg today and tomorrow to be attended by Prime Minister Costas Simitis who will convey the proposals to his European partners.

Greece backs better training for the unemployed, and state subsidised recruitment.

Mr. Simitis will underline that the number of long-term unemployed is steadily increasing and ask for specific measures to create new jobs.

Mr. Simitis will start a mini-European tour after the conference. His first stop will be London to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair, followed by a trip to Paris.

Universal conscription of women not a gov't goal

National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos yesterday told representatives of womens' organisations that a draft law providing for womens' inclusion in civil defence units along border areas was in no way a first step towards a general conscription and militarisation of public life.

The minister expressed hope to see the buttressing of the country's defence on the basis of collective responsibility and the readiness of citizens not only in time of war, but also for the danger of natural disasters.

The representatives stressed their groups' permanent position on the principles and values of life, and called for the stipulation of a voluntary nature for their participation in the scheme.

Initial UN support for regional informatics centre in Thessaloniki

UN Deputy Secretary General Vladimir Petrovski expressed support for the Greek proposal for the UN regional informatics centre being established in Thessaloniki.

Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the conference on public administration, coming to a close today, Mr. Petrovski said the proposal made by Prime Minister Costas Simitis at the conference was "very good", adding that for the time being relevant interest has not been shown by any other country and that what remains to be done is to find a way to join the centre to the UN's mechanism.

Referring to the conference, Mr. Petrovski expressed satisfaction and said reforms implemented by the Greek government are positive, underlining that they can constitute a very good example for countries in central and eastern Europe which are in the process of transition.

Intracom sees profits of 75 bln

Greece's Intracom, a listed telecoms and information technology producer, sees 1998 turnover rising to 75 billion drachmas from 56.1 billion in 1997, company sources said.

Profits this year should total 9.1 billion drachmas against 7.2 billion in 1996, the sources said.

The firm, whose customers include NATO, Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation and the Greek armed forces, is expected to raise its share capital early in 1998.

The shares will be offered to institutional investors abroad, and Saloman Brothers will act as lead underwriter and coordinator for the issue, the sources said.

The capital raised will be used to help expand the firm's activities, including takeovers of high-tech firms across the Atlantic.

Stocks end higher

Greek equities ended substantially higher on the Athens Stock Exchange led by strong buying interest in issues of the industrial sector.

The general index closed 1.49 percent higher at 1,415.77 points but significantly off the day's highs, while the FTSE/ASE index rose 1.20 percent at 818.70.

Trading remained moderate with turnover at 17.8 billion drachmas.

Sector indices scored gains. Banks rose 0.28 percent, Insurance was 2.14 percent up, Leasing increased 0.08 percent, Investment rose 1.49 percent, Constructions were 0.82 percent up, Industrials soared 3.09 percent, Miscellaneous increased 1.13 percent and Holding was 1.35 percent higher.

The parallel market index for small cap companies rose 1.88 percent.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 157 to 61 with another 21 issues unchanged.

Intracom, Heliofin, Ideal and Macedonian Plastics scored the biggest percentage gains at the upper limit of 8.0 percent, while Etma, Ermis, Lambropoulos and Pairis suffered the heaviest losses.

National Bank of Greece ended at 26,450 drachmas, Ergobank at 15,100, Alpha Credit Bank at 16,500, Delta Dairy at 3,395, Titan Cement at 12,000, Intracom at 12,710 and Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation at 5, 310.

Contractors want rail link to new airport

Georg Risch, the German director general of the Athens Airport construction company has called for a railway link between the new airport and Athens before the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Speaking during a conference on air traffic control in Athens, he said that the construction of a railway line from Athens to Spata airport was imperative.

Risch said also that works on the Spata airport site have been progressing rapidly and stressed that Hochtief, the German contractor of the project, and Olympic Airways, the national carrier, were cooperating smoothly.

Representatives of air traffic controllers said that a new air traffic control system would be fully operational by January 31, 1998.

They also mentioned that delays in the Athens FIR have been considerably reduced by 17.3 percent in the first nine months of the year, while the number of flights has increased by 5.9 percent.

Foreign diplomats visit Thrace

A delegation of more than 30 foreign diplomats will start a three-day tour of Thrace, northern Greece, aimed at promoting the region's investment opportunities.

During the visit a seminar will be held in Evros chamber of commerce to present the Greek government's economic policy.

National Economy secretary general Apostolos Fotiades will represent the government in the meeting.

The delegation includes economic and commercial attaches and ambassadors from Albania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, England, Germany, Italy, Tunisia, Syria, Morocco, Thailand, Pakistan, Chile, Canada, USA, China, Japan, India and Indonesia.

Workplace health, safety a priority

Greece's development ministry has earmarked 3.5 billion drachmas to support measures for workers' safety and health through a government-sponsored Industry Operational Programme.

A development ministry official said that workers should be fully informed about the existing legal framework regarding health and safety at work.

He said Greek legislation had been fully harmonised with community law and urged businesses, small or large, to strictly implement the rules.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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