Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-05-11

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 11/05/1998 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• WEU ministerial summit begins today on Rhodes
• New Archbishop of Athens and All Greece enthroned
• Kranidiotis: Athens will never accept recognition of pseudo-state
• Balkan military medicine sessions begin in Athens
• Tsohatzopoulos dismisses Ankara's claims of Greek support for PKK
• Restructuring of public debt through long-term state bonds
• Karamanlis cites ND support for private non-profit universities
• First-ever Greek-Panamerican conference opens
• Anarchist group claims responsibility for firebombing
• Better Greek-Albanian law enforcement cooperation urged
• Russia to honour S-300 missile contract with Cyprus
• Greek Soccer Championships
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Foreign and defence ministers from 28 European countries begin a two-day meeting on the eastern Aegean island of Rhodes for talks focusing on the Western European Union (WEU).

WEU Secretary-General Jose Cutilheiro, NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana as well as EU Commissioner responsible for foreign affairs Hans van den Broek will be among the participants at the meeting, the first hosted by Greece as the holder of the cur rent rotating six-month presidency. Greece became a full WEU member in March 1995.

Issues to be discussed by 56 foreign and defence ministers from WEU member- states, associate members and observer states include the organisation's role and prospects after the Amsterdam and Madrid summits, the WEU's role in the management of crises and upgrading its operational capabilities.

Informal talks are expected to focus on the Kosovo issue and the WEU's contribution in defusing the crisis.

The WEU comprises 10 European Union and NATO as full members as well as 18 associate members and observer nations from the wider region.

On Saturday, Mr. Akis Tsohatzopoulos said that after the Amsterdam summit, the WEU will gradually consolidate its own military infrastructure, creating its own staff and attempting to better utilise resources, evolving into a more effective instrument to ensure peace and stability in Europe than in the past.

Today, he said, there is a tripartite relationship between the European Union, the WEU and NATO.

Asked whether Cyprus had a place in the new security structure being formed in Europe, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said that the Cypriot defence minister had briefed European socialists on the latest developments in the Cyprus issue.

The Greek minister noted that WEU secretary-general Cutilheiro had recently visited Nicosia as part of WEU procedures also being undertaken with other candidate EU countries. Cyprus recently officially applied to be made an associate member of the WEU.

New Archbishop of Athens and All Greece enthroned

Newly elected Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos was enthroned Saturday morning in a grandiose ceremony at the Athens Metropolitan Cathedral, attended by government and opposition officials as well as ecclesiastical representatives from Gre ece and abroad.

Christodoulos, who replaced the late Archbishop Serapheim as head of the Autocephalus Orthodox Church of Greece, was greeted by the Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis,Education and Religious Affairs Minister Gerasimos Arsenis and Orthodox Church representatives, while earlier, Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos presented him with the Key to the City.

The new prelate of the Greek Orthodox Church, in his enthronement address, spoke of "the urgent need of our people to see their expectations of the Church fully met."

"What we need more than anything else is to bring the Church closer to the world, the people, the young who experience more tragically than anyone else the existential void, living in a secularised and nihilistic society without meaning and content",he said.

"Europe is the child mainly of Hellenism and Christianity, in name and culture. The heart of Europe is in Greece, and without Greece Europe is inconceivable," he said.

"As Church, we support the efforts of our people, the government and leadership for full EU membership. This does not mean a negation of our identity or our Greek Orthodox faith. Our union with Europe does not annul diversity. On the contrary, the protection of the identity of all European peoples constitutes the main characteristic of the European world. It is for this reason that we are staying in Europe, not as poor relatives or distant orientals foreign to the European spirit, but familiar with our large European home," he said.

Regarding Church-state relations, Christodoulos stressed that the Church never sought to replace the role of the state and that cooperation between the two institutions had proved to be in the interest of the nation and reflected the people's will.

Kranidiotis: Athens will never accept recognition of pseudo-state

Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis reiterated that Greece would in no way accept schemes leading to the recognition of the illegal pseudo- state in Turkish-occupied Cyprus.

"The basis of talks must be the bizonal, bicommunal federation, and in no case shall we accept separatist or partition schemes that lead to any direct or indirect recognition of the pseudo-state," he said after Friday's meeting with special UN represent ative for Cyprus Diego Cordovez.

Asked what Mr. Cordovez's next plans were after the latest fruitless round of US mediation, he said they had not yet taken any concrete form.

"Yesterday he briefed the five permanent members of the UN Security Council on developments and I imagine they will soon formulate a view on further moves," he said.

He added that he did not know whether there would be a follow-up to the recent US initiative.

"This phase has been completed," he said.

Balkan military medicine sessions begin in Athens

National Defence Undersecretary Dimitris Apostolakis yesterday opened in Athens the sessions of the 3rd Conference of the Balkan Committee of Military Medicine.

Participating in the sessions are delegates from Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Greece.

The mission of the Balkan Committee, Mr. Apostolakis said, was to bring together the military medical communities of these countries, which necessitates the harmonious cooperation of all sides.

"The task of military doctors is to respect and save human lives...Let us open our eyes to a new era of peace, friendship and cooperation between Balkan nations," Mr. Apostolakis said.

Tsohatzopoulos dismisses Ankara's claims of Greek support for PKK

Turkey is "deluded" if it continues to believe that Greece supports the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said on Saturday.

Mr. Tsohatzopoulos was responding to comments on Saturday by his Turkish counterpart Ismet Sezgin, namely, that he would bring up the issue of Greece's alleged support for the PKK when he visits Rhodes for a Western European Union's (WEU) summit of defence and foreign ministers, which opens today.

Mr. Tsohatzopoulos told reporters that he was unaware of Mr. Sezgin's comments, but "my colleague is deluded if he believes that something like that is the case."

If the issue is brought up, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said, "the appropriate responses will be extended".

Greece on Friday rejected US State Department criticism of Athens concerning Athens' alleged support for the PKK as "unjustified", and welcomed a statement that its position was acknowledged, "albeit belatedly".

US State Department spokesman Lee McClenny had said earlier in the week that Washington was "seeking the Greek government's views" on whether or not a PKK office was being established in Greece.

The government rejected the insinuations and on Thursday, US State Department spokesman Jim Foley expressed Washington's satisfaction over Greece's stance on the issue.

"The Greek foreign ministry briefed our embassy in Athens that there never was, there is not, nor will there ever exist a PKK office in GreeceIwe welcome this commitment, which is in line with Greece's international commitments for countering terrorism, " Mr. Foley said.

Mr. Sezgin later made milder comments upon arrival with a yacht on the Greek island.

Asked if he would bring up the issue of alleged Greek support for the PKK, the Turkish minister said that relevant discussions have been made at the diplomatic level, specifically with the Greek ambassador to Ankara.

Restructuring of public debt through long-term state bonds

Finance Undersecretary Nikos Christodoulakis reiterated Athens' resolve to implement announced institutional reforms and accelerate privatisations.

Speaking before dozens of US institutional investment executives at the Harvard Club on Friday, he referred to the restructuring of Greece's public debt through the issuance of long-term state bonds, and the recent reiteration of confidence in Greece's creditworthiness by the Moody's international credit rating agency.

He stressed that investors were increasingly regarding Greece as an emerging market, but also as part of a European investment portfolio.

Karamanlis cites ND support for private non-profit universities

Main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis yesterday addressed a one-day ND meeting focusing on education.

"Education and culture constitute a unified notion and should be the first priority on a national and social level," Mr. Karamanlis told his audience, which was comprised pf university professors, trade unionists and ND cadres.

The ND leader accused the government of not having a policy on education, saying that all reforms undertaken by PASOK governments had "a disappointing result".

Mr. Karamanlis said that ND was in favour of the establishment of private non-profit universities, noting that "competition never harmed anybody."

First-ever Greek-Panamerican conference opens

Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis addressed the first-ever Greek- Panamerican conference in New York on Saturday, commenting on Greece role in the Balkans and the international scene.

"Greece has adjusted to the new realities after the end of the Cold War and formulates its foreign policy by taking into account the presence of only one superpower, the globalisation of the economy and, therefore, the primary role of the economy, as well as the fact that there are no permanent and stable alliances..." he said.

"Greece utilises its position as a member of the EU and NATO, and as the strongest (state) economically in the region, which renders it a factor of stability.

"It is a role which must project. Greece supports and relies on international legality, does not seek disputes and has managed to develop a good relation with the US on an equal basis, characterised by respect and confidence, irrespective of whether US policy options are satisfactory to us," he said.

PASOK Secretary Costas Skandalidis told the conference that Greece's active foreign policy was causing Turkey's isolation, and that negotiations for Cypriot membership of the EU amounted to a change of the balance of power in the area through political means.

Anarchist group claims responsibility for firebombing

The self-styled anarchist group "Children of November" on Saturday claimed responsibility for the firebombing of Transport Minister Tassos Mantelis' political office on Friday night.

An anonymous caller to a private radio station and an Athens daily claimed that the group had planted the makeshift incendiary device at Mr. Mantelis' office.

The explosion shattered windows at the sixth-floor office in downtown Athens but there were no injuries.

"Children of November" first surfaced last month when an anonymous caller claimed two bomb attacks on the offices of ministers.

Neither of those attacks, one on the office of Labour Undersecretary Christos Protopapas and the other at offices used in the past by Labour and Social Security Minister Miltiades Papaioannou, caused no injuries.

Better Greek-Albanian law enforcement cooperation urged

A small criminal element was "poisoning" the good relations between Athens and Tirana, Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano and Public Order Minister George Romeos agreed on Saturday, following their meeting in Thessaloniki.

Mr. Romeos and Mr. Nano, who was in Thessaloniki to address a meeting of northern Greek businesspeople, discussed how to combat criminal activity by Albanian criminal gangs in Greece.

"There must be joint action to deal with criminal activity on the Greek- Albanian borders," a statement by the two men issued after the meeting noted.

Mr. Romeos said that Greece would help the Albanian side with technical support and with advice to aid in the restructuring of the Korce and Gjirokaster police forces to combat criminal activity near the border.

Greece will also provide Albanian border police with patrol cars and bulletproof vests.

Russia to honour S-300 missile contract with Cyprus

Russia will honour the terms of its contract to supply S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Cyprus, the Russian ambassador to Cyprus told ANA in an interview yesterday.

"Our contract is specific and foresees the provision of the defence system to Cyprus. No changes have been discussed and consequently, there will be none. There is no such issue," Georgi Muratov said, in response to rumours on plans to divert the missiles to Greece.

In addition, Mr. Muratov rejected any idea of recognising the illegal regime in the Turkish-occupied part of the island republic.

"In today's world, it is not possible to recognise a state created with the use of foreign troops. It would overturn and destroy the international order of things," he said, responding to a question regarding Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash's demand that his regime be recognised.

Referring to recent statements by US officials on recognising the "realities" on Cyprus, Mr. Muratov said: "Realities in Cyprus are known. There is one permanent government, the government of the Cyprus Republic with President (Glafcos) Clerides, there are two communities. There is an impasse in the bi-communal dialogue."

"We acknowledge these facts, we acknowledge that Mr. Denktash is the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community. But nobody is about to recognise the division of Cyprus or the existence of the so-called Turkish Cypriot state, because that would be in compl ete opposition with decisions of the (UN) Security Council," Mr. Muratov added.

Greek Soccer Championships

AEK-Kalamata 4-2 Ionikos-Panathinaikos 0-1 Athinaikos-OFI 0-2 Iraklis-Paniliakos 0-0 Kavala-Panionios 1-0 Veria-PAOK 1-3 Olympiakos-Apolon 5-3 Panahaiki-Proodeftiki 1-1 Ethnikos-Xanthi 1-0 Standings, points after 32 rounds: Olympiakos 85, Panathinaikos 79, AEK 70, PAOK 67, Ionikos 58, Iraklis 48, OFI 45.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(C.E.)

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