Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-06-04

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 04/06/1998 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Foreign,defence policy dominate meeting chaired by premier
• Vessel inspection reports denied
• Athens reiterates support for Ljubljana's Euro-Atlantic prospects
• Greek-American leaders call for end to US remarks on S-300s
• 'Black paper' on Turkish violations of Lausanne Treaty
• Germany's von Weizsaecker speaks on Greek-German relations
• EU sees completion of main highway, Egnatia projects around 2004
• OA pilots' interest in purchasing carrier's shares
• EU gives Greece 326 Blue Flags for clean beaches
• Series of earthquakes southeast of Thessaloniki
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday chaired a high-level government meeting on a wide range of issues related to foreign and defence policy, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas later said.

Participating in the meeting were Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos and National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos. The agenda included developments on the Cyprus issue, Greek-Turkish relations, the armed forces' procurements programme and NATO structures.

Mr. Reppas said that the meeting confirmed that government policy on these issues was correct and would not change.

Responding to reporters' questions, Mr. Reppas said that the issue of confidence-building measures in the Aegean was not discussed and neither was the Cypriot government's decision to install S-300 missiles. "This (latter) issue has been repeatedly exa mined by both the Cypriot and Greek governments and nothing has changed," Mr. Reppas said.

"The issue is one that is related to Cypriot defence and one that is examined in the framework of relations between Greece and Cyprus," he added.

Also attending the meeting were Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou, Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis, Defence Undersecretary Dimitris Apostolakis and the chief of the national defence general staff Gen. Athanasios Tzoganis.

Mr. Pangalos told reporters after the meeting that it had been held in the wake of the NATO foreign ministers' summit and in the light of the forthcoming NATO defence ministers meeting.

Vessel inspection reports denied

Athens yesterday denied press reports that a Greek-flagged cargo ship had been stopped at sea and inspected by a British helicopter while sailing off the coast of Cyprus en route to Larnarca.

"There has been a major misunderstanding," governemnt spokesman Dimitris Reppas said.

He said that a British naval helicopter had approached the 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 on Tuesday, a local private television station said Raphael skipper Emmanuel Kordoras maintained that he was asked to provide cargo documents, believing his ship was being searched for Russian S-300 missile compon ents.

Mr. Reppas said that the misunderstanding had been resolved after explanations were given.

In a related development, British officials in Cyprus yesterday described the reports as "complete fabrication with no basis in fact".

In a press release, they added that the Wessex helicopter was on a routine search-and rescue training flight.

"The MV Raphael was aproached by a RAF Akrotiri-based helicopter and a request was made by radio to lower a RAF cargo-master onto the deck and then lift him back off. There was no reply from the vessel to the request and so the helicopter then flew away", it adds.

British officials stated that contrary to the reports "no instructions were issued to the MV Raphael and no-one boarded the ship".

Athens reiterates support for Ljubljana's Euro-Atlantic prospects

Slovenia enjoys Greece's backing for its accession to Euro-Atlantic institutions, according to results from a meeting yesterday between National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos and his Slovenian counterpart Alojz Krapez.

Apart from talks between the two ministers, discussions were also held between delegations from the two ministers. According to reports, Slovenia's accession to NATO was discussed, a process supported by Greece. Slovenia is not among the countries selec ted to join NATO immediately. However, there is optimism that the next phase of the alliance's enlargement will include it. Developments in the wider Balkan region were also discussed and particularly the crisis in Kosovo. It appears that the views of the two countries coincide on these issues.

Slovenia is one of the countries of former Yugoslavia which was quicker in escaping the crisis and emerged relatively unharmed, while it is a candidate country to join the European Union.

The two countries' delegations were due to meet again late last night and today and, according to reports, the signing of a defence cooperation agreement is being discussed, which is expected to be completed within the year. The two defence ministers were due to attend a dinner yesterday and meet again today. Mr. Tsohatzopoulos will meet with the country's Foreign Minister Boris Frlec today, as well as with the President of the Republic of Slovenia Milan Kucan.

Greek-American leaders call for end to US remarks on S-300s

Greek-American leaders have urged US President Bill Clinton to intervene and stop US officials from making statements about the deployment of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles in Cyprus, saying that such statements "tacitly encourage Turkish aggression".

The Washington-based National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes, in a letter to Mr. Clinton released in Athens yesterday, said that "If Turkey in the coming months again attacks its small defenseless neighbour, Cyprus, as Turkey says it will, these America n officials will bear some of the responsibility".

"For American officials to deal with this matter by criticising Cyprus' plans to install defensive missiles and saying nothing critical about Turkey's threatening military overflights, Turkey's illegal military occupation of Cyprus or Turkey's stated plans to attack Cyprus, is tantamount to providing tacit justification for the attack Turkey is planning against Cyprus," the letter states.

"When such blame-the-victim statements come from the world's only remaining superpower," the letter went on, "voices for peace in Turkey are weakened and voices for aggression (are) encouraged".

The Greek-American leaders called on the US president to "personally intervene now to stop this aggression-encouraging policy of blaming the victim rather than after Turkish aggression has occurred, as you did in the case of Imia (islets)".

"The way some of our (US) officials have blamed the victim on the issue of the Cyprus defensive missiles is a microcosm of our country's larger traditional policy which inadvertently provides support for aggressors and undercuts non-aggressors in Turkey .

"The record shows clearly that the only time in the last two-and-a half decades that moderate, non-aggressive Turkish voices surfaced temporarily in the Turkish media was when American policy began to take a firm stand against such aggression. The aggressors in Turkey are increasingly destabilising the region," the letter said.

"Your taking such an action can stop the promised Turkish military strike and can, as well, move the Cyprus settlement (effort) past its current Turkish roadblock," the letter reads.

'Black paper' on Turkish violations of Lausanne Treaty

Parliament's foreign affairs and defence committee yesterday adopted a proposal to publish a "black paper" containing Turkey's violations of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne in relation to Greece.

Main opposition New Democracy (ND) deputy Ioannis Varvitsiotis tabled the proposal, stressing that it should be send to other national parliaments and international organisations.

The committee also decided to include crimes committed against the Greek residents of Istanbul, Asia Minor, Imvros and Tenedos as well as the Black Sea Greeks' (Pontians) genocide.

The issue is expected to be discussed at the plenum.

Germany's von Weizsaecker speaks on Greek-German relations

Former German president Richard von Weizsaecker focused on the role of Greece and Germany during a speech last night at the Athens Concert Hall.

His address was attended by Prime Minister Costas Simitis, several ministers, politicians, ambassadors and academics.

The former German president was very positive in his references to the Greek government, terming efforts being made by Athens to promote the convergence of the Greek economy with the EU as "worthy of admiration" .

Mr. Weizsaecker also said it is up to Turkey to create those preconditions to enable progress in Greek-Turkish relations, adding also that it is in Greece's hands whether it will close or open the door linking Turkey with the Europe.

Summing up, Mr. Weizsaecker said the German people are prepared to support Greece in its effort towards its European course, and do not forget neither how much Greece suffered in the war nor that it was among the first countries which extended a hand for reconciliation.

EU sees completion of main highway, Egnatia projects around 2004

The Patras-Athens-Thessaloniki highway and the Egnatia Motorway projects are expected to be completed around the year 2004, according to a report on the course of inter-European transport networks, presented here yesterday by EU Commissio ner Neil Kinnock. According to the European Commission's report, inter-European networks projects are divided into three categories: projects which have almost been completed; those expected to be completed around 2005, and whose financing has been secure d for most of their part; those to be completed after 2005 and whose method of financing remains uncertain.

The European Commission lists the two Greek projects in the second category, given that work has been scheduled. Both projects have already received and will receive substantive economic support by the Cohesion Fund and the European Regional Fund, as well as loans from the European Investment Bank. The report said that Athens intends to find new sectors of strengthened cooperation between the public and private sectors for the funding of both motorways.

OA pilots' interest in purchasing carrier's shares

With Olympic Airways (OA) pilots presenting themselves as prospective shareholders of the ailing national carrier, the president of the Association of Civil Aviation Pilots (EXPA) said yesterday that investors had approached the association proposing to a ssist its members in buying OA shares.

The government has not placed shares of the ailing national carrier up for sale but has warned that OA will close if a five-year cost-cutting programme is sabotaged by unions.

Ioannis Athanasopoulos, who made the statement during an interview with a radio station, was asked whether he had a legitimate right to speak on behalf of OA and whether the ministers of national economy and transport were aware of this development.

He responded by assuring that both ministers were aware of the latest moves, adding that he preferred the ailing carrier to be sold to the private sector than continue to operate under a state-appointed administration. He further observed that the state had purchased OA from Aristotle Onassis in excellent condition, with the company now in dire straits.

Asked whether those private investors wishing to assist the association in purchasing OA shares actually were in a position to buy a package of shares, Mr. Athanasopoulos repeated that if the offer was considered favourable, then "we have the ability to do so".

EU gives Greece 326 Blue Flags for clean beaches

The European Union has awarded Greece 326 blue flags for the quality of its beaches in 1998, up 15 from the previous year, along with seven blue flags for its marinas, Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis told a news confer ence yesterday.

Mr. Laliotis told journalists that the government had earmarked 800 million drachmas for beach cleaning operations in 29 prefectures around the country.

In 1997, a government sponsored programme led to the removal of 17,000 tonnes of garbage from a total of 879 kilometres of beaches in 25 prefectures.

Mr. Laliotis also announced a plan to support municipalities and local communities in drafting studies on facelifts for the country's beaches, particularly in the Attica region.

The ministry has an Internet address this year. It is also running a media publicity campaign to raise public awareness on the importance of clean beaches.

Series of earthquakes southeast of Thessaloniki

Four earthquakes, ranging from 4.5 to 5.2 on the Richter scale, and a series of smaller tremors shook northern Greece over a 13-minute period yesterday morning. No damages were reported.

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, as well as a series of smaller shocks registering below 4 Richte r in the ensuing minutes.

The series of quakes were centred some 135 km southeast of Thessaloniki, at a distance of 20 km south of the Sithonia Peninsula in Halkidiki.

Thessaloniki University seismologist Manolis Skordilis said the 5.2 Richter tremor "appears to have been the main earthquake, but this cannot be stated with absolute certainty due to the small difference in its intensity with the others".

He said the earthquakes emanated from the seismic zone known as the "Northern Aegean rift", adding that the area is seismogenic and had produced strong earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7 Richter in December 1981 and January 1982, respectively, and a 6.8 Ri chter quake in 1983.

The rift runs northeast-southwest off Mount Athos, turns eastward in an east-northeasterly direction, reaches Propontis and continues into Asia Minor, Mr. Skordilis said.

Prof. Vassilis Papazachos, director of the laboratory, told ANA it was "too early to make precise evaluations because the phenomenon was still at its start," adding that assessments could be made after the first 24 hours had passed.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(L.G.)

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