Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-03-04

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, 04/03/1998 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Papandreou confers with Burns on Kosovo
• Athens accepts Commission's financing plans for Turkey
• Police make major hash haul in northern Greece
• Albanian former president Alia gets clean bill of health
• Bed-wetting physiological, not psychological, experts say
• Greece in NATO exercise in North Atlantic, Iberian Peninsula
• Van Den Broek-Kranidiotis discuss Cyprus' EU accession
• Weather
• Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou and U.S. Ambassador in Athens Nicholas Burns today had an impromptu meeting for talks on developments in Yugoslavia's overwhelmingly Albanian-speaking Kosovo province following the flare-up of violence in recent days.

During the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, Papandreou briefed the US envoy on foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos' visit to Belgrade on Friday.

Papandreou told reporters after the meeting that he discussed with Burns the latest developments in the Kosovo and stabilisation of the situation, since "any negative development in the region will also negatively influence all the neighbouring countries, including Greece".

"I also had the opportunity to refer to the intiatives being taken by the Greek government, and we exchanged our assessments on the latest developments, " Papandreou said. "I further informed the Ambassador that Mr. Pangalos will visit Belgrade soon and that we are in close contact with our neighbours and with Albania, as well as with FYROM, in which efforts are being made to confront the problem".

Burns said after the meeting that "the United States is very concerned with this situation in the Kosovo, and we very much hope that there can be peace and stability in this region".

Questioned on a letter from US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright the envoy personally delivered to Pangalos, Burns replied:

"...I would not like to speak about that. I believe the Greek government is the authority to reply. There is good communication between the US Secretary of State and Mr. Pangalos, as it should be among the ministries of two allies, but I would not like to go into the details of the letter. We should have the ability to adequately discuss some things in private".

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said later that Pangalos' visit to Belgrade on Friday did not signal an initiative of the foreign minister but was merely indicative of Greece's presence in the region.

Clarifying that the visit had been planned some time ago, Reppas said Pangalos would be discussing respect for the rights of the Albanian- speaking population of Kosovo and Yugoslav sovereignty in the region.

Replying to questions, the spokesman said there were no plans for Pangalos to visit Tirana, Pristina or Skopje, since this had not been requested by the respective governments.

Asked whether the crisis in Kosovo dictated a more flexible relationship with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Reppas said Greece's relations with Skopje were "very good, are constantly improving and new horizons are opening up".

He described Greece's relations with the neighbouring country as "flexible, based on the prudence of both sides".

Referring to the visit tomorrow of a FYROM government delegation, headed by Foreign Undersecretary Ognem Malevski, said talks would focus on bilateral issues, trade, economic relations, while adding that it would "logical" also to discuss the Kosovo crisis.

Reppas meanwhile described Albright's letter to Pangalos as being "usual" in view of the Greek foreign minister's forthcoming visit to the United States.

The spokesman denied press reports that the letter raised the issue of Greece reducing the extent of its national air space.

Athens accepts Commission's financing plans for Turkey

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said today that it was satisfied with the European Commission's framework for the funding of Turkey but said Athens would not lift its veto for as long as Ankara failed to fulfil the conditions set for Turkey's European vocation at the Luxembourg summit.

The Commission today proposed measures for strengthening Turkey's relations with the European Union, ranging from a broader customs union and closer cooperation in industry, services and agriculture.

It urged EU members to release funds amounting to 375 million ECU to finance the measures.

Reppas said meanwhile that recent statements by Turkish President Suleyman Demirel and Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit on Greek-Turkish relations helped neither Turkey nor its European vocation and only made matters worse.

Police make major hash haul in northern Greece

Kastoria police today seized more than two tons of hashish loaded on mules, the biggest haul to date on the Greek-Albanian frontier, but the mule drivers managed to escape over the border into Albania.

A police spokesman told the ANA that 2.17 tons of hashish was loaded on 15 mules driven by unidentified persons who fled across the border when they spotted the police.

The spokesman said police had set up an ambush, acting on a tip-off, adding that the narcotic was destined for an area in central Greece, citing police sources.

Albanian former president Alia gets clean bill of health

Former Albanian president Ramiz Alia is to return home at the end of this week after his recovery from quadruple by-pass surgery performed last month at Thessaloniki's Papanikolaou Hospital.

Alia, who was recently released from hospital, was seen eating out in Thessaloniki yesterday with two young relatives and his surgeon Dr. Panayotis Spyrou.

Bed-wetting physiological, not psychological, experts say

Bed-wetting continues to plague up to 100,000 Greek children between the ages of 5 and 15 and another 60,000-100,000 adult Greeks and experts now say that labelling the condition a psychological problem is wrong.

Recent studies at Thessaloniki's Aristotelian University have shown that the condition is of a purely physiological nature which must be deal with by doctors trained in the condition.

Bed-wetting can, however, prompt psychological side-effects such as low self-esteem, social marginalisation and, in extreme cases, sexual disorders post-puberty.

The issue of childhood bed-wetting will be the focus of the 5th Urological Seminar to be held in Thessaloniki on Saturday. The seminar is to be attended by Greek, German, U.S. and Danish experts.

Greece in NATO exercise in North Atlantic, Iberian Peninsula

The NATO alliance's largest exercise of the year,code-named "Strong Resolve '98" will take place in the North Atlantic and the Iberian Peninsula between March 9-21.

All NATO member-states will participate in this massive military exercise, while seven countries observing NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) initiative will also participate for the first time, including Austria, Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden.

The exercise is aimed at testing NATO's ability to tackle two crises developing in two different geographic regions at the same time.

Greece will participate in the exercise in the Iberian Peninsula with the frigate "Spetsai", four F-16 aircraft, as well as with a number of officers for the staff of the joint combined force.

Van den Broek-Kranidiotis discuss Cyprus' EU accession

Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis met in Brussels last night with Foreign Affairs Commissioner Hans van den Broek.

The meeting came a few days after a five-day visit Mr. Kranidiotis paid to Cyprus and in light of today's visit to the island republic by Mr. van den Broek, where he will be accompanied, according to reports, by Britain's envoy to Cyprus Sir David Hannay.

In a statement after meeting with Kranidiotis, Mr. van den Broek said the refusal of Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash to see him was regrettable and expressed the hope he will change his position soon.

He said that with Mr. Kranidiotis he also discussed the issue of the participation of the Turkish Cypriots in the negotiating delegation of Cyprus. He will also discuss the issue with Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides.

He further said that he will discuss the issue of a resumption of inter- communal talks with Mr. Clerides.

Replying to a question on whether the issue of the Turkish Cypriots' participation could jeopardise the start to accession negotiations with Cyprus on March 31, Mr. van den Broek said it will be seen what will be done by then.

Mr. Kranidiotis said he briefed Mr. van den Broek on Greek positions and on his discussions in Cyprus and on Greece's reservations over all the plans of the British EU presidency on the opening positions of the "15" at the start to the EU's enlargement process on March 30-31.

The proposals of the EU presidency on the opening position of the "15" regarding Cyprus do not satisfy Greece and at present a compromise formula is being sought in the framework of the "15".

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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