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Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-12-16

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 16/12/1997 (ANA)


MAIN HEADLINES

  • Ankara annexation of occupied Cyprus 'a terrible mistake'
  • Greece wants Turkey playing by the rules and in the EU
  • Simitis briefs parties
  • President continues Ukraine visit
  • Flight delays ahead in 24-hour strike
  • Greece a springboard to Balkan investments
  • Weather
  • Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Ankara annexation of occupied Cyprus a 'terrible mistake'

Greece told Turkey today that it would be a terrible mistake if Ankara further "upgraded" its relations with the occupied northern part of Cyprus.

"This would bring Turkey into confrontation with the European Union," government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said in response to statements by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

Denktash said yesterday that the EU's decision to begin accession talks with Cyprus spelled the end of UN-sponsored intercommunal talks on the divided island republic.

Turkish premier Mesut Yilmaz warned earlier that Ankara would start taking steps to integrate the northern part of Cyprus into Turkey if accession talks between the EU and Nicosia began.

Reppas said that Turkey's relations with the occupied part of Cyprus were already very advanced, both in the economic and military sectors and stressed that Greece was ready to confront any further Turkish initiative in this direction.

Commenting on statements by Denktash that the EU decision on Cyprus' accession "discharged" him from the obligation to hold talks for the settlement of the Cyprus problem, Reppas said this statement was illustrative of the true intentions of Turkey "which was never ready to contribute to a settlement of the Cyprus problem".

Greece wants Turkey playing by the rules and in the EU

Prime Minister Costas Simitis stated categorically today that Greece did not want the exclusion of Turkey or any other country from cooperation with the European Union.

Simitis was speaking after briefing opposition party leaders on the outcome of the Luxembourg EU Summit over the weekend, in which Turkey failed to make the list of candidates for entry due to its poor human rights record, relations with Greece and its stance on the Cyprus issue, apart from economic considerations.

What Greece does want, and what was accepted by EU leaders in Luxembourg, Simitis said, was that this cooperation should be based on "rules of the game" which are accepted by all countries and pertain to "the terms, arrangements, values, rule of law and in general all those principles which consolidate peaceful cooperation".

The decisions of the EU, he added, in effect are asking Turkey and the other countries to consolidate their cooperation with the EU "so that in the future, problems are not created either with the EU or with member states".

The premier reiterated that Greece was not opposed to Turkey's European vocation and on the contrary would support it if Ankara "played by the rules".

Simitis said that Turkey would intensify its pressure throughout the long process of negotiations for Cyprus' accession to the EU "in order to secure favourable decisions for itself".

"Throughout this process what is needed is cool-headedness and cooperation with the EU. We must stress that we want peace and cooperation in the region and are opposed to the escalation of confrontation. If need be however, we shall take all the necessary steps," he said.

Simitis called for unanimity in Greece, rather than exploitation of issues for petty political purposes, and urged all political forces in the country to back this policy.

Replying to questions concerning Turkish threats to escalate tension in the Aegean, create a serious incident, or even annex the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus, Simitis said that if Ankara was to take such a step, it would be "illegal, contrary to UN Resolutions and would harm its own prospects".

"Turkey would only be harming itself and would most likely make its participation in the EU impossible," he said.

Any serious incident in the Aegean, he added, would be extremely negative for Turkey and for this reason Ankara may choose to avoid it.

Simitis said however that it still remained a possibility which could not be ruled out.

Asked about Turkey's position concerning a possible re-examination of its relationship with the EU, Simitis said that the door to the EU was open for Turkey, since its decisions made it possible for Ankara to participate in the proposed European Conference for EU hopefuls, provided certain rules were adhered to.

Simitis said there had been agreement with Karamanlis as well as the other party leaders on a number of issues, such as that Greece should pursue a policy of peace and maintain good relations with EU member states.

"There are different assessments as to tactics, but a common view was ascertained regarding the handling of the issue with Turkey," he added.

Simitis briefs parties

Prime Minister Costas Simitis today began a series of meetings with political party leaders to brief them on the outcome of the recent European Union summit in Luxembourg.

The first to be briefed was main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Costas Karamanlis, who told newsmen later that such meetings were useful.

"We had a positive development in Luxembourg, because our European partners showed that they perceive and realise Turkey's bad faith and provocativeness and, at least at this stage, they appeared determined to repel this attitude," Karamanlis said.

"Greece should be vigilant and ready to defend our national rights and interests," he said, adding that "this requires national understanding and such an attitude on the part of the plitical parties and politicians that will place the national issues above and beyond party disputes and formulate a strategy that is cohesive, consistent, firm, serious and effective."

Second in line was Communist Party of Greece (KKE) secretary general Aleka Papariga, who later said that "the interests of the hardcore of the EU member states triumphed at the Luxembourg summit and not the principles of justice".

"The Luxembourg decision was a tactical manoeuvre vis-a-vis Turkey because the strong member-states want to better negotiate their economic and commercial interests with Turkey in view of enlargement," she said.

Papariga expressed concern because, as she said, the European Union "does not speak clearly and unreservedly about a single sovereignty of Cyprus in the context of the accession process, and consequently we fear that this procedure may be used to consolidate dual sovereignty".

She said the Luxembourg developments also had another side, as "they give Turkey and the U.S. the opportunity to intensify their demands for an overall settelement of the Aegean and Cyprus problems".

Papariga also said it was "one thing for Turkish Cypriots to participate in the context of a single Cyprus delegation, and another thing to standardise the participation of the Turkish Cypriots as a separate entity, and such a danger is visible".

After his briefing by the Prime Minister, Coalition of the Left and Progress leader Nikos Constantopoulos put forward three suggestions for the avoidance of friction in the Aegean and Cyprus, which he described as the "sensitive and delicate points".

First of all, he said, it needed to be determined "which political conditions would ensure that the European Union would consider as its own issue a dispute of Greece's sovereign rights or threats aimed at Greece's expense".

Second, the planning needed to be determined "with which the Greek government would confront possible antagonistic and conflicting American and NATO initiatives in the region, given that their focus differed".

Third, the procedure and tactics needed to be determined with which the government would ensure the conditions so that "the present period of mobility would not end without the formulation of positive political results of de-escalation of the tension".

Constantopoulos said the EU summit decisions formulated a new framework that demanded vigilance and caution, as a wide field of tough negotiations, dangers and problems was opening up for the country.

Consequently, he said, Greece needed to have an in-depth strategy and stress that EU-Turkish rapprochement was necessary and that Greece's strategic goal was not for Turkey to be cut off and isolated from Europe.

At the same time, he added, Turkey needed to realise that the framework of conditions put forward regarding human rights, guarantees and respect of international law were in effect for everyone wishing EU membership.

President continues Ukraine visit

Greek President Kostis Stephanopoulos and his Ukrainian counterpart Leonid Kuchma today urged business circles in both countries to cooperate in order to further develop bilateral economic ties.

Stephanopoulos met in Kiev today with Kuchma and prominent businessmen of both countries as part of the Greek president's official three-day visit to Ukraine which began yesterday.

He is accompanied by Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou and a group of Greek businessmen who have invested in Ukraine.

Stephanopoulos said that Ukraine held a place of special economic importance among the countries of central and eastern Europe since it had "enormous economic potential".

"Ukraine has vast natural resources, a strong productive base and has shown in practice that it wants to develop a free market economy," he said.

At the same time, he said, Ukraine has very highly trained manpower which enables it to become, in the immediate future, "one of the most interesting and attractive economies for Greece".

Stephanopoulos underlined that Greece desired the forging of closer ties between the two countries, particularly in the economic sector, noting that the know-how and experience of Greek companies served as a guarantee for closer bilateral economic relations.

Earlier, Stephanopoulos met with the Ukrainian Parliament President Olexander Moroz and addressed the country's national assembly on bilateral relations and Greek foreign policy.

He observed that the presence of thousands of ethnic Greeks in Ukraine would continue to constitute a strong bridge of friendship and cooperation between the two peoples, both at a bilateral level and within the framework of European developments in general.

Stephanopoulos reiterated Greece's support for Ukraine's efforts to adapt to European and Atlantic structures and said both countries agreed that all disputes between states should be resolved in accordance with the principles of international law, respect for existing borders and sincere efforts for peace and cooperation.

Greece's adherence to international legality and the principles of the UN Charter, he said, had made the country particularly sensitive towards the continuing Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus and Turkey's persistent refusal to respect international treaties governing the status quo in the Aegean.

He said Ankara had even reached the point of disputing Greece's sovereign rights, creating tension in the region and thus not leaving room for the development of a network of harmonious relations and peaceful cooperation in the sensitive region of southeastern Europe.

At noon Stephanopoulos left for Odessa.

Flight delays ahead in 24-hour strike

Transport in Athens and around the country will be disrupted Thursday as both civil aviation and Athens' urban transport unions stage work stoppages.

The civil aviation union (OSPA) is to hold two four-hour stoppages from 06.00 to 10.00 and 16.00 to 20.00 within the framework of the 24-hour strike called for that day by the General Confederation of Trade Unions of Greece (GSEE).

Athens' blue and green buses as well as the trolley buses are to be off the roads for the entire 24-hours. The respective unions are demanding the purchase of new vehicles and the recruitment of more staff.

Greece a springboard to Balkan investments

Greece was the safest and best springboard for investors interested in the wider region of southern and eastern Europe, the Black Sea coasts and the Caucasus, Macedonia-Thrace minister Philippos Petsalnikos told a press conference in New York.

This was particularly true of the Macedonia-Thrace region following the end of the cold war, with the northward shift of the centre of numerous economic activities, he told reporters late last night.

Thessaloniki, he added, was in practice recognised as the centre of the Balkans, visited frequently by heads of state, and a city that many others ennvied for its cultural infrastructure, which was projected throughout 1997 during its term as Cultural Capital of Europe.

Petsalnikos, in the U.S. at the invitation of the State Department and the US Information Agency (USIA), held talks in Washington with State Department officials on the initiative for cooperation in southeastern Europe, focussing mainly on transports and the development of trade. It is noted that a Special Secretariat for Transports has been set up in Thessaloniky by the Ministry.

He also discussed Greece's relations with neighbouring countries in the framework of the new political and economic map being formulated in the Balkans during a meeting with Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Marc Grossman.

Grossman concurred on the lead role Greece in the economic sector was called on to play in the region, and also in relation to cooperation among the Balkan countries, pointing out that it was time that "Turkey realises that bilateral problems, such as the Imia issue, should be referred to the International Court of Justice at The Hague".

Petsalnikos also had informational meetings with World Bank officials on the prospects offered by northern Greece, and delivered a lecture at Harvard University on inter-Balkan economic relations.

WEATHER

Light rain is forecast in most parts of Greece today with light snowfall in the mountainous regions of central and northern Greece. Winds will be variable, strong to gale force. Athens will be cloudy with light rain and possible snow on Mt. Parnes. Temperatures will range from 4-9C. Clouds and sleet in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 0-5C.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Monday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 277.720 Pound sterling 454.653 Cyprus pd 532.704 French franc 46.674 Swiss franc 193.336 German mark 156.319 Italian lira (100) 15.950 Yen (100) 211.445 Canadian dlr. 195.801 Australian dlr. 182.330 Irish Punt 404.538 Belgian franc 7.576 Finnish mark 51.784 Dutch guilder 138.711 Danish kr. 41.031 Swedish kr. 35.688 Norwegian kr. 38.093 Austrian sch. 22.211 Spanish peseta 1.848 Port. Escudo 1.530

(M.P.)


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