Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-11-21
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 21/11/1997 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- Simitis holds firm on Turkish inclusion in European Conference
- Greek positions on new NATO structure agreed
- Israel welcomes memorial to Thessaloniki Jews
- Budget up for discussion next week
- No reshuffle in the offing - gov't
- Thessaloniki hosts ministerial conference on mass media
- Syrian ship sinks off Hios
- Seaman injured in boat fire
- Doctors' strike to continue
- Weather
- Foreign Exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
Simitis holds firm on Turkish inclusion in European Conference
Prime Minister Costas Simitis last night reiterated Greece's objections to
including Turkey in a European Conference for countries wishing to join the
European Union, as long as Turkey did not satisfy the conditions the EU had
laid down, according to an ANA dispatch from Luxembourg.
In a press conference following a dinner for the 15 heads of government
given by current European Council president, Luxembourg's Prime Minister
Jean-Claude Juncker, Simitis said that while Greece's 14 EU partners
believed Turkey should be included in the Conference, many EU member states
were critical of Turkey's stance on its relations with Greece and of its
human rights record.
He did not deny that during the dinner he was the only one to raise
objections to Turkey's participation in the Conference, but noted that
Greece's views were also shared by other delegations, chiefly those from
Scandinavia.
Simitis observed that Juncker appeared to concur with Greece's insistence
that Turkey take specific measures with regard to respect for minority and
human rights, apart from the Cyprus issue and that it recognise the
jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
He also said it had been clear in the Luxembourg talks that the majority of
member states no longer shared the European Commission's view that
negotiations should begin with an initial six candidate states - Slovenia,
Estonia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Cyprus. Most now believed,
he said, that talks whould begin with all ten eastern European states as
well as Cyprus, but not simultaneously and on a case-by-case basis.
The prime minister said Greece would be willing to discuss certain aspects
of a plan by European Commission president Jacques Santer to strengthen
Turkey-EU relations under certain conditions, including an acceptance by
Turkey of the jurisdiction of the International Court.
The Council president and Santer are to visit Ankara to brief the Turkish
leadership on yesterday's talks.
Greek positions on new NATO structure agreed
Greece's positions regarding the new structure of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (NATO), ahead of a December 1-3 meeting of Alliance defence
ministers, were finalised today at a meeting jointly chaired by Foreign and
National Defence Ministers Theodoros Pangalos and Akis Tsohatzopoulos.
Pangalos told reporters after the meeting that the Greek positions on the
Alliance's new structure were "solid and constructive" and would help in
not only strengthening Greece's role in that context but also in "the
development of NATO in the new conditions that have been created in Europe
and worldwide".
Tsohatzopoulos called the upcoming December meeting in Brussels "important"
since the final decisions would be taken on the structure and manner of
operation of the Alliance, which he said would be transformed into a "new
organisation of collective security of Euro-Atlantic range".
He also expressed certainty that, following the finalisation of the Greek
positions, the desired results would be achieved at the December meeting.
Greece has initially taken a positive view on the new structure of the
Alliance, which provides for the establishment of headquarters of its
Southeastern Europe flank in Italy with four sub-headquarters in Greece,
Italy, Spain and Turkey.
As for the reservations regarding the areas of operational control -- which
will be abolished under the new structure -- the Greek government has made
it clear that abolition of the operational control areas does not pose any
problem for Greece's sovereign rights, given that the country maintains the
right of veto on issues related to the planning, design and materialisation
of military exercises.
Israel welcomes memorial to Thessaloniki Jews
Israel today welcomed the Greek government's establishment of a monument
dedicated to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust in the northern Greek
capital of Thessaloniki and said it was sending a large delegation to
attend the ceremony on Sunday.
A government statement released through the Israeli Embassy in Athens said
Israel "welcomes the decision and initiative of the Greek government to
hold the unveiling ceremony of the Monument of the Jewish Martyrs for the
victims of the Holocaust in Thessaloniki".
It said Minister of Health Yehoshua Matsa would head the Israeli delegation.
Matsa comes from a historic Jewish family that has roots in the Greek town
of Ioannina since his ancestors, who were expelled from Spain in 1492 --
after the Holy Inquisition -- actually came to Ioannina and remained there
for about 200 years prior to returning to Israel 13 generations ago.
"The Israeli Minister, therefore, has special ties with Greece and is
expected to also visit Ioannina during his stay here," the announcement
said.
Greece's head of state Kostis Stephanopoulos will unveil the monument in a
ceremony attended by dignitaries from around the world, including a U.S.
Congressional delegation led by chairman of the House of Representatives
Foreign Affairs Committee Benjamin Gilman.
Other members of the Israeli delegation will include head of the Israeli
Prime Minister's Office Moshe Leon, who also has ties with Thessaloniki,
chairman of the governing board of Yad Vashem -- the Israeli organisation
for the perpetuation of the memory of the 6 million victims of the
Holocaust -- Avner Shalev, survivors of the Holocaust from Thessaloniki now
living in Israel, the president of the Women's International Zionist
Organisation (WIZO), and represen- tatives of the Israel-Greece Chamber of
Commerce, while leading journalists from top Israeli newspapers such as
Maariv, Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot and the Jerusalem Post will cover the
event.
"The Jewish presence in Thessaloniki dates back to antiquity. In recent
history the legacy of the Jewish community paralled that of the city and
the important contribution of the community's presence there remains with
us today. During World War II, 50,000 Greek Jews from Thessaloniki, 96
percent of the Jewish population of that city, were put to death in Nazi
concentration camps," the announcement said.
But, it added, "the history of the Jews of Thessaloniki is not just a
history of destruction, but a story of courage and revival. It is
characterised by the courage of those brave Greeks who risked their lives
in order to save their Jewish compatriots".
Budget up for discussion next week
A parliamentary committee begins discussion of the government's budget for
1998 next Wednesday, Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis said
today.
The budget will be brought before the plenary session of the House on
December 17 with the Parliament voting on the economic measures on December
21.
No reshuffle in the offing - gov't
The Greek government today denied persistent press reports that a cabinet
rehuffle was in the pipeline.
Acting government spokesman Yiannis Nikolaou said the government believed
it was directing its energies productively.
He dismissed claims that there were problems in ruling PASOK's Parliamentary
Group, saying"these are problems that come up", and that they would be
dealt with by the deputies themselves.
Thessaloniki hosts ministerial conference on mass media
Thessaloniki will play host to more than 40 ministers from the Council of
Europe and invited states as they meet for the 5th European Ministerial
Conference on Mass Media Policy, which begins on December 11.
A press release from the Council of Europe said the meeting was being held
in the northern port city at the invitation of the Greek authorities and
would study the current situation, the positive and negative aspects of the
development of the information society and its influence on how society
operates as well as on relations between individuals, groups and countries
as well as possible action by governments to respond to it.
Apart from the Organisation's 40 member-states, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Georgia, Monaco, the Holy See, Canada, the United States
and Japan will also be represented.
The conference hopes to provide a forum for the ministers to explore means
of fostering new services that promote freedom of expression and information,
artistic creation, intercultural exchanges and participation in public life,
but also ways of limiting or regulating access to services which may be
used to the detriment of human rights, the protection of minors and basic
democratic values.
The ministers will also study self-regulation measures which could be taken
by media circles and those who create and run services. The conference will
also provide an opportunity to decide on practical measures to be taken by
governments at national and international levels.
Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Hans-Christian Kruger and
Greece's Press and Media Minister Dimitris Reppas will official open the
proceedings of the conference.
Discussions will be based on the general theme of "The information society:
a challenge for Europe" and the sub-themes of "the impact of new communication
technologies on human rights and democratic values" and "rethinking the
regulatory framework for the media".
Syrian ship sinks off Hios
A Syrian-flag freighter was sinking after colliding with a small Greek
tanker early today off the island of Chios, and first reports by the
Merchant Marine Ministry said the 12-member crew of the Syrian vessel were
safe.
A Ministry spokesman said the crew abandoned the freighter "Nadine", which
was carrying no cargo, after it started taking on water following its
collision with the tanker "Phiandra" north of Hios while delivering heating
oil to the island.
The Ministry said the causes of the collision could not be immediately
determined. It said the Syrian vessel's crew had been picked up by the
Bulgarian freighter "Burgas" which was sailing nearby.
The Phiandra's 7-member crew were all safe, the Ministry added.
Seaman injured in boat fire
A Greek seaman was injured when fire which broke out early this morning
aboard the Greek tourist boat "Skopelos Star", docked in the Patras marina,
port authorities said.
The blaze was put under control in a four-hour operation after causing
extensive damage to the small vessel, the authorities said.
Port police were investigating the causes of the fire.
Doctors' strike to continue
Doctors in Attica's public hospitals today voted to extend their strike
until Wednesday, November 26, after a new government proposal on salary
scales was rejected by the Athens-Piraeus Union of Hospital Doctors
(EINAP).
Meanwhile, the Hospital Doctors' Federation (OENGE) last night decided to
end the strike in regional hospitals and to accept the latest pay proposals
made by Finance Undersecretary Nikos Christodoulakis.
WEATHER
Unstable weather with cloudiness and rain will continue in most parts of
Greece today with occasional snowfall in the mountainous regions in the
north. Winds variable, moderate to strong. Athens will be partly cloudy
with spells of sunshine and temperatures between 9-17C. Cloudy and rainy in
Thessaloniki with temperatures from 6-10C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Thursday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 269.090
Pound sterling 456.876 Cyprus pd 530.918
French franc 46.479 Swiss franc 192.026
German mark 155.650 Italian lira (100) 15.884
Yen (100) 212.367 Canadian dlr. 189.770
Australian dlr. 184.929 Irish Punt 405.867
Belgian franc 7.547 Finnish mark 51.584
Dutch guilder 138.156 Danish kr. 40.898
Swedish kr. 35.674 Norwegian kr. 38.291
Austrian sch. 22.112 Spanish peseta 1.843
Port. Escudo 1.525
(M.P.)
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