Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-05-17
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 17/05/1998 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- Rotation strikes in banks continue
- Defence minister begins two-day Sweden visit
- Cyprus defence minister calls for demilitarisation
- Greek Euro-MP Nana Mouskouri to sing for Bosnia
- "Arsonists of Conscience" claim torching of Turkish diplomatic
car
- Three die in floating crane accident
- Weather
- Foreign exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
Rotation strikes in banks continue
Employees at the Agricultural Bank of Greece strike tomorrow, with their
colleagues at Commercial and Attica striking on Tuesday, as part of ongoing
labour protests against the government's decision to sell state-run Ionian
Bank.
Ionian Bank employees have been on an indefinite strike for a week,
paralysing the bank's operation in all sectors.
Rolling strikes by bank staff are scheduled to continue until June 12 when
Commercial Bank shareholders vote on whether the approve the sale of
subsidiary Ionian.
On Saturday, National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantonioutold
reporters that the government's decision was "without doubt or reservation"
the only solution that would support the interests of the staff of
Ionian.
"This solution completely ensures both jobs and prospects for jobs for all
the staff," Papantoniou said, speaking on the sidelines of the ruling
party's joint meeting of the Central Committee and Parliamentary Group.
He said a "small minority" of unionists were calling for Ionian to be
merged with parent company Commercial which, he added, would lead to "mass
lay-offs, over 3,000 sackings and the closure of 153 branches - in
effective, the dissolution of the bank".
"I am truly surprised by this stance, which includes elements which are
outside the realm of legality and are harming the economic interests of
Ionian Bank and undermining its very future... It is a tactic leading to a
dead-end and irresponsible both for the workers as well as the future of
the bank," he said.
Earlier on Saturday, a large crowd of striking Ionian employees booed the
prime minister and ministers arriving at the hotel where the session took
place.
The protesters briefly threatened to invade the hotel, but were thwarted by
police and later allowed to continue their gathering.
Defence minister begins two-day Sweden visit
National defence minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos arrives in Sweden late
tonight for a two-day official visit and talks with Swedish counterpart
Bjorn von Sydow and foreign minister Lena Hjelm-Wallen. He will also visit
a naval installation and several high-tech equipment and materiele
manufacturing units.
Cyprus defence minister calls for demilitarisation
Visiting Cyprus defence minister Yannakis Omirou said today that Nicosia
had the "good intention to suspend or even cancel" the deployment of
Russian-made S-300 defence missiles if Ankara agreed to demilitarise the
Turkish-occupied northern sector of the island republic.
Omirou and Greek counterpart Akis Tsohatzopoulos also called on US
mediators on the Cyprus issue to turn their attention to Ankara for
achievement of total demilitarisation of the island, so that tension would
be reduced and a solution to the problem could be found.
Greek Euro-MP Nana Mouskouri to sing for Bosnia
Greek Europarliamentarian and internationally-renowned singer Nana
Mouskouri will give a small concert in Travnik and sing at Sarajevo's
Catholic Cathedral and an Orthodox church next weekend.
Mouskouri, who is also a roving ambassador for UNICEF, will present a check
for 51,000 dollars to Alija Izetbegovic, chairman of Bosnia's three-man
presidency, to help build a European school in the northern Bosnian town of
Tuzla. The money was raised at a benefit concert in Germany in March
sponsored by the Europarliament's Christian Democratic European People's
Party.
The planned European school in Tuzla will follow the model of that already
existing in war-battered Sarajevo.
"Arsonists of Conscience" claim torching of Turkish diplomatic
car
An anonymous caller to a radio station today said the group "Arsonistsof
Conscience" was responsible for an arson attack on a Turkish diplomatic
vehicle earlier in th day, the second attack carried out by the group in as
many days.
On Saturday, another anonymous caller said Arsonists of Conscience had
carried out the attack the same day on a vehicle belonging to the European
Commission representation in Athens.
Neither of the attacks, using makeshift incendiary devices, caused any
injuries.
Two fire trucks were called in to put out the fire caused by the torching
of the Turkish vehicle, which was parked at an apartment building in the
northern Athens suburb of Halandri.
Fire Department officials said the fire caused an estimated two million
drachmas of damage to the BMW.
The Commission vehicle, which was parked on the street in downtown Kolonaki,
suffered serious damage from the incendiary device comprised of two gas
cannisters and a four-liter can of petrol.
Another four vehicles, including one diplomatic and two state-owned cars,
were early on Saturday targetted by arsonists in Athens.
The first attack with a makeshift incendiary device, at 1.20 am local time,
was against a Mercedes car belonging to Libyan Embassy attache Alaiam
Mabrut which was parked near his home in Aghia Paraskevi.
Two hours later, the Toyota jeep belonging to retired judge Costas Kakaris,
79 was seriously damaged in a similar attack. The car was parked outside
Kakaris' home in downtown Kolonaki.
Twenty minutes later, at 3.40 am, two cars parked in Neo Psychico belonging
to the state Anti-Seismic Planning and Protection Organisation were
seriously damaged in a firebomb attack.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for those arson attacks.
Three die in floating crane accident
Three men died in a tragic accident Saturday while on a floating crane
being used in harbour dredging works in the area of Tsoukaleika near the
western port city of Patras.
The three were identified as Ioannis Kastellorizos of Piraeus, the crane
operator, and seamen Christos Drimonis, also of Piraeus and Dimitrios
Varsamos from Samos.
All three were aged between 35 and 40.
According to initial reports, the three died of asphyxiation after becoming
trapped in the hold of the crane.
Kastellorizos reportedly descended into the hold first, followed by
Drimonas and then Varsamos. Police believe one went to the aid of the other,
each in turn losing consciousness.
A colleague, Dionysis Economopoulos, who discovered the three bodies, has
been taken to the Aghios Andreas Hospital suffering from shock.
The Patras Central Harbour Authority is conducting an investigation into
the cause of the accident.
The Patras public prosecutor today charged the captain of the floating
crane "Armos Vasilios", Efstathios Bratakos, 40, with three counts of
unintentional homicide.
Specialists said that a small portal leading into the hold of the crane,
which had been hermetically sealed for some time, should have been opened
up at least seven days before anyone entered, allowing for replenishment of
the oxygen.
WEATHER
Unsettled weather is forecast over the whole of the country Monday, with
local showers and chance of storms. Athens will be overcast, growing
increasingly cloudy with chance of rain in the evening and temperatures
ranging from 15-23 C. The same in Thessaloniki, with temperatures between
13-18 C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Friday's rates (buying) U.S. dollar 305.645
British pound 498.222 Japanese yen(100) 227.833
French franc 51.201 German mark 171.735
Italian lira (100) 17.433 Irish Punt 432.710
Belgian franc 8.332 Finnish mark 56.504
Dutch guilder 152.406 Danish kr. 45.132
Austrian sch. 24.431 Spanish peseta 2.023
Swedish kr. 39.662 Norwegian kr. 40.980
Swiss franc 206.584 Port. Escudo 1.678
Aus. dollar 191.783 Can. dollar 211.256
Cyprus pound 580.122
(L.G.)
|
