Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-06-01

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 01/06/1998 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Premier to chair meeting on privatisations
• Ionian Bank employees strike continues
• Papademos: Privatisation should be completed by end of year
• Greece, EU maintain unified stance, minister says
• Kaklamanis holds consultations in Italy
• ND leader criticises government's farm policy
• Delon in Athens
• Development minister inaugurates packaging plant in Volos
• Assembly on the development of Greek islands
• French embassy car torched
• Greek javelin thrower achieves best performance of the year
• Greek soccer team touches dream
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Prime Minister Costas Simitis will chair a joint meeting of the inner cabinet and the ruling PASOK party's Political Secretariat this morning to examine the course of privatisations and particularly the issue of the Ionian Bank's sale in the wake of strong reaction by employees.

This week is considered decisive for developments regarding the Ionian Bank as its employees have decided to continue their strike with backing by the Federation of Bank Employee Unions (OTOE).

During last Friday's cabinet meeting, Mr. Simitis had called for solidarity and accord between the government's members in facing the country's problems.

Mr. Simitis is insisting on the policy he has announced. He told the cabinet meeting that the government must not be trapped by the logic of political cost and that political tension in past days cannot intercept the government's course.

Ionian Bank employees strike continues

Striking workers at Ionian Bank yesterday vowed to stay off the job in protest at the bank's planned privatisation and threatened to escalate court action if their union's appeal to have the stoppage ruled legal was rejected.

"The government should countenance the likelihood that if the bank workers' federation is ruled illegal, then unions will ask the General Confederation of Greek Labour to call the strike," Alekos Poularikas, secretary general of the national bank workers' federation (OTOE) said.

"This means the top unions in the country's trade union movement will have to be taken to court," Mr. Poularikas told a news conference outside Ionian Bank's computer centre in Piraeus.

Workers at Ionian have staged a strike since May 11, brushing off a court ruling last week that declared the stoppage illegal and slapped a 400,000- drachma fine on union leaders for each day the strike continued.

Taking part in the news conference were trade union officials from Ionian's staff association, OTOE, and the Athens Labour Centre.

"The government will day by day find itself in an increasingly tragic impasse and the bank's sale will trigger a major political issue," said Ionian Bank's union president, Yannis Markakis.

An Athens court is expected to rule tomorrow on whether the appeal is valid that was lodged by Ionian to have OTOE's strike declared legal.

Development Minister Vasso Papandreou said yesterday from Volos, central Greece, that the government was firm in its decision to privatise the Ionian Bank.

Papademos: Privatisation should be completed by end of year

The Ionian Bank's planned privatisation should be finalised by the end of the year, Lucas Papademos, the governor of the Bank of Greece, told an Athens Sunday newspaper yesterday.

"The government decided to sell out the Ionian Bank not to increase the public sector's revenues but to accelerate the restructuring of the banking sector and its adaptation to new conditions of intensified antagonism. It is for this reason that the bank's privatisation should be completed by the end of the year," the country's central bank chief told the Sunday Eleftherotypia in an interview.

Mr. Papademos also warned that the course of the country towards European economic and monetary union depended on the government's cohesion.

Mr. Papademos said that the drachma will come under continuous pressure in the near future, depending on the consistency in implementing announced policies.

He said that developments over the planned privatisation of Ionian Bank and the restructuring of Olympic Airways, were "not encouraging", stressing that the confidence of international markets should not be taken for granted as it could be withdrawn at any time.

Greece, EU maintain unified stance, minister says

Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou said in Katerini yesterday that Greece and the European Union are maintaining a unified stance and have identical views on the issues of Cyprus, the Imia islets, issues raised by Turkey in the Aegean, the country's territorial integrity and democratic institutions in Turkey.

Replying to questions by the press on the EU's position towards the financial protocol to Turkey, Mr. Papandreou said that no change in position has occurred neither from the EU nor Turkey.

He added that Greece's 14 partners believe that the EU could give the financial protocol to Turkey on the assumption that if after this it does not move towards satisfying conditions set by the EU, then it is exposed and more intense pressures will be created.

Kaklamanis holds consultations in Italy

Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis, who arrived in Palermo yesterday, held private meetings with the presidents of the Italian and French parliaments Mr. Violante and Mr. Fabius respectively.

The meetings were held in the framework of better cooperation between the parliaments of the European Union's Mediterranean countries and the preparation of the agenda for today's conference of Parliament Presidents of Mediterranean countries.

In his address today, Mr. Kaklamanis is expected to refer to the need of establishing a permanent dialogue between the Parliaments of all Mediterranean countries, as agreed during yesterday's conference in Athens.

ND leader criticises government's farm policy

Main opposition New Democracy party leader Costas Karamanlis visited the prefecture of Karditsa on Saturday in the framework of a four-day tour of Thessaly, central Greece, stressing the non-existence of agricultural policy on the part of the government and the incompetence of the Agriculture Minister to live up to occasions.

Mr. Karamanlis once again stressed the danger of the provinces being abandoned with disastrous social and national results, unless immediate and necessary measures are taken in support of producers.

Mr. Karamanlis said that Prime Minister Costas Simitis is the sole prime minister from European Union countries who does not support the interests of Greek farmers at relevant EU bodies. He said that when he becomes prime minister he will personally tend to agricultural issues at EU level.

Delon in Athens

Famous French film star Alain Delon was yesterday in Athens to film for national television ERT an episode of a TV series on the close of 20th century.

The 63-year-old star, who posed in front of the cameras at Acropolis, paid tribute to Frank Sinatra who recently left us.

Development minister inaugurates packaging plant in Volos

Development Minister Vasso Papandreou concluded a three-day tour of the prefecture of Magnisia in Volos yesterday, inaugurating a packaging plant owned by VPI SA, a unit producing packaging plastic for foodstuffs, beverages and refreshments.

It concerns a joint investments programme amounting to 16 billion drachmas carried out by Hellenic Petroleum SA (formerly the Public Petroleum Corporation) and the 3E company. It will employ 100 people.

The specific investment, constituting pioneering cooperation between the public and private sectors, proves the possibilities of this cooperation which is leading to the strengthening of local production for the benefit of Greek enterprises and the econ omy in general.

Ms. Papandreou referred to the issue of programme agreements on the occasion of her visit to two industries in Magnesia (METKA SA and IMAS SA), which have signed programme agreements with the Public Power Corporation (DEH) amounting to 36 billion drachmas.

Ms. Papandreou said that the Development Ministry, apart from the financing of investment programmes for enterprises in Magnesia amounting to 12 billion drachmas is going ahead with the establishment of a Biotechnical Park, as well as a Technological Park which will primarily help in the development of small and medium-size enterprises. She said that tendering for the creation of the Technological Park will be proclaimed by the end of August.

She further said that another project which will be of great help for the region is natural gas. The first industrial region of Volos will be provided with the new fuel on July 15. Contracts have already been signed for the provision of certain industries in the region with natural gas.

Assembly on the development of Greek islands

The 8th General Assembly of the Greek Islands Development Chamber of Commerce Group reached a unanimous decision in noting problems faced by insular areas, created individual committees on tourism, transport, trade, etc. with the purpose of coordinating a ctions to minimise whatever problems might arise at present.

The group's meeting started on Friday and came to a close in Vathi, Samos, at noon yesterday.

The 19 chambers participating in the group issued a resolution calling on the Greek Parliament to create a Parliamentary Committee for Islands to monitor the course of economic and social cohesion between the country's insular and mainland regions.

It also called on the government to upgrade the Ministry of the Aegean and make it a Greek Archipelago Ministry.

The 8th General Assembly was attended by Minister of the Aegean Elizabeth Papazoi.

French embassy car torched

A car belonging to the French embassy in Athens was the target of an arson attack on Saturday night in the suburb of Papagou.

The diplomatic car, whose registration plate was CD 19-17, was set alight by means of a home-made incendiary device placed beneath it consisting of two gas cannisters and a flask of gasoline.

A group calling itself "Arsonists of Conscience" yesterday assumed responsibility for the attack with an anonymous phone call to Flash, a private Athens radio station.

Greek javelin thrower achieves best performance of the year

Greek javelin thrower Costas Gatsioudis threw the 88.13 javelin metres during the 14th Vardinoyianneia Games in Rethimno, Crete, yesterday, achieving the best performance of the year in the world.

Gatsioudis, who achieved this feat in his second throw, proved that he is in excellent condition and is one of the best javelin throwers in the world.

Two national records were broken at the games on Saturday by Katerina Thanou and Thaleia Iakovidou. Niki Xanthou also jumped 6.73 metres in yesterday's women's long jump event and won first place.

Greek soccer team touches dream

Greece's Under-21 national soccer team lost 1-0 to Spain in the European Championships final here last night.

Although the Greek team was said to be superior throughout the match, it was unlucky, and was not awarded three penalties.

Spain's goal came in the 65th minute by an error of the defence.

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