Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-06-03

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 03/06/1998 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Palestinian complaints about church land sales
• Thessaloniki rattled by tremors
• Greek vessel 'search' a misunderstanding
• Simitis confers with ministers on foreign, defence policy
• Two found dead on dinghy
• Gov't to guarantee Ionian Bank jobs in sale
• Gov't rejects talk of Ionian sale delay
• Helexpo exhibition in Belgrade
• PM pledges gov't will follow through EMU entry
• Tsohatzopoulos-Omirou meeting focuses on joint defence doctrine
• Kaklamanis dismisses Turkish counterpart's remarks
• Tsohatzopoulos on official visit to Slovenia
• Joint Greek-US military exercises in Aegean
• Greece, Portugal lead EU in traffic deaths
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

An adviser to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat today criticised Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Diodoros for selling church property to Israeli developers in what he said was a policy that could fatally harm the Mideast peace process. Basha Abu Sharif, an author and adviser to Arafat, told reporters in Athens that Diodoros had already sold land in Jaffa for 22 million dollars and was in talks to sell the Profitis Elias monastery to an Israeli company for another 30 million dollars. The sale, along with Israeli settlements in the area, Sharif said, would consolidate the Israeli 'stamp' on the Palestinian sector of Jerusalem. "The sale of this land could scotch the peace process for good," Sharif said during a joint press conference on the Mideast peace process with leading Israeli peace activist Uri Avneri.

Thessaloniki rattled by tremors

Four earthquakes, ranging in intensity from 4.5 to 5.2 on the Richter scale, and a series of smaller tremors shook northern Greece over a 13-minute period this morning, but no damages were reported. The Thessaloniki University's geophysics laboratory recorded a 4.8 Richter quake at 11:38 a.m., followed by a 4.5 quake at 11:43, a 5.2 Richter quake at 11:47 and a 4.7 Richter quake at 11:49, and a series of smaller shocks registering below 4.0 Richter in the following few minutes. The series of quakes had its epicentre 135 km. southeast of Thessaloniki, at a distance of 20 km south of the Sithonia peninsula in Halkidiki.

Greek vessel 'search' a misunderstanding

Greece today denied press reports that a Greek cargo ship had been inspected by a British helicopter while sailing off the coast of Cyprus en route to Larnarca. "There has been a major misunderstanding," government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said. He said that a British naval helicopter had approached the Greek vessel "Raphael" in the course of a search and rescue exercise but that the captain of the ship had not understood the helicopter's intentions. According to an ANA report from Nicosia yesterday, a local private television station cited the Raphael's captain, Emmanuel Kordoras, saying he was asked to provide cargo documents, and believed his ship was being searched for Russian S-300 missiles, which the Cypriot government has ordered.

Simitis confers with ministers on foreign, defence policy

Prime Minister Costas Simitis today chaired a government meeting on the gamut of issues relating to foreign and defence policy, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said. Participating in the meeting were Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos and Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos. The agenda included developments in the Cyprus issue, Greek-Turkish relations, the armed forces procurements programme and NATO structures. Reppas said that the meeting confirmed that government policy on these issues were the right ones and would not change.

Two found dead on dinghy

An Australian holidaymaker and his Greek cousin were found dead aboard an inflatable dinghy two nautical miles off the Attica coast this morning and authorities are investigating whether they ran foul of guards at nearby fish farms. George Karalis, 28, a resident of Australia visiting Greece for the summer, was found in the water with a rope around his waist tying him to the boat. His cousin, George Loizos, 32, had chest wounds that harbour authorities say appeared to have been made with a sharp object. Rafina harbour police found the bodies after being alerted by a fishing vessel in the Marathon region.

Gov't to guarantee Ionian Bank jobs in sale

The government said yesterday it put forward a proposal fully guaranteeing jobs at Ionian Bank, by incorporating the bank's existing labour regulation in a sale contract. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with trade union leaders, in which Labour Minister Miltiades Papaioannou and Undersecretary Christos Protopapas also participated, National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou said the meeting took place in a positive climate, and expressed a view that the new proposal raised no obstacles to the prospect of privatisation.

Gov't rejects talk of Ionian sale delay

The national economy ministry yesterday dismissed as groundless a press report claiming that the government had decided to postpone the sale of a majority stake in state-owned Ionian Bank. The ministry repeated in a statement that its plan to privatise the bank through the Athens Stock Exchange would proceed according to a timescale already announced, and with absolute transparency. A decision on the sale of a majority stake in Ionian Bank was expected to be approved by a shareholders meeting of listed Commercial Bank, Ionian's main shareholder, on June 19, the statement said.

Helexpo exhibition in Belgrade

The first-ever exhibition of exclusively Greek enterprises will be held in Belgrade by Helexpo between Oct. 6-9. Belgrade was the first choice of businesspeople, following results of a relevant Helexpo questionnaire last year. Skopje, the capital of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), was runner-up.The event is the first organised exhibition to be held in order to present Greek products and services in Belgrade.

PM pledges gov't will follow through EMU entry

Prime Minister Costas Simitis reiterated last night that the government would not waver on its course towards taking Greece into Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), while it would also exhaust its four-year term. "EMU is a difficult but necessary path. We have before us two difficult years," he said during a Parliamentary debate on the country's European prospects, adding that his government guaranteed final success. The prime minister attacked the opposition, saying it was responsible for the reactions to the necessary measures.

Tsohatzopoulos-Omirou meeting focuses on joint defence doctrine

National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos and his Cypriot counterpart Yiannakis Omirou held talks yesterday on technical and organisation issues concerning joint defence doctrine strategy. They also discussed current issues within the framework of bilateral cooperation to safeguard the two countries' effective defence capability. Both ministers also criticised the British government over a report appearing in the "Sunday Times" on the evacuation of British nationals from Cyprus in the event of an armed conflict, as well as countries in Europe and other allies over their mediation positions on Cyprus.

Kaklamanis dismisses Turkish counterpart's remarks

Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis rejected in Palermo, Sicily his Turkish counterpart's statements that Athens is directly involved in Cyprus while Ankara is only indirectly involved. Turkish National Assembly President Ismet Cetin's comments came during a Euro-Mediterranean parliament presidents' conference in Sicily's capital this week. Mr. Kaklamanis called on Mr. Cetin to respect his audience's intelligence and refrain from attempts at convincing participants that Turkey's 1974 invasion and continued occupation of 37 per cent of Cyprus is an indirect involvement.

Tsohatzopoulos on official visit to Slovenia

National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos leaves today on a two-day official visit to Slovenia at the invitation of his Slovenian counterpart Alojz Krapez. The Greek minister is scheduled to meet with his Slovenian counterpart, Foreign Minister Boris Frlec and President Milan Kucan. He will also visit several Slovenian military bases and the Hellenic Navy frigate "Macedonia" which is docked at the port of Koper.

Joint Greek-US military exercises in Aegean

The first of two days of joint Greek-US military exercises ended yesterday following maneuvers involving the linking of forces, joint training and a commando assault on the small Aegean island of Agios Efstratios. The exercise, code-named "Alexander the Great '98", is being carried out in the area of the Pagasitikos Gulf, Skyros and the northeast Aegean.

Greece, Portugal lead EU in traffic deaths

Greece and Portugal apparently hold the dubious honour of first place in the EU in terms of traffic-related fatalities, according to the Union's statistical service, Eurostat. Eurostat reported that 195 people were killed in traffic accidents in Greece for every one million residents, while in Portugal the number of deaths per one million people was 217. Deaths in traffic accidents rose by 20 per cent in Greece between 1989 and 1995, compared to a decline of 4 per cent in the rest of the European Union. Eurostat also noted that Greece has 927 deaths per one million cars - the EU average is 277 - while the same number for Britain is 64.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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