Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-06-18

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 18/06/1998 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Pangalos comments on Turkish reaction to Cardiff
• Turkish warplanes in Cyprus illegal - Pangalos
• Air space infringements by Turkish jets
• Bosnian Serb president has talks in Athens
• Thessaloniki Jews get goodwill gesture from Swiss banks
• Christodoulos most popular public figure
• Poll shows gov't popularity down
• Gov't says dip is temporary
• Premier briefs President
• Request to lift MP's immunity
• Weather
• Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said today that Turkey's reactions to the outcome of the European Union summit in Cardiff showed that Turkey was beginning to understand how European procedures worked. Efforts were made at the summit to persuade Greece to lift its veto of EU funds for Turkey and facilitate closer ties between the EU and Ankara. But Greece insisted on adherence to decisions taken at last December's summit in Luxembourg, when Turkey was told that its candidacy for membership would depend on whether it improved its human rights record and relations with Athens. Pangalos meanwhile categorically rejected press reports claiming that the decisions taken in Cardiff would make it possible for Greece's veto on funds for Turkey to be side-stepped.

Turkish warplanes in Cyprus illegal - Pangalos

Commenting on the presence of Turkish warplanes in the occupied north of Cyprus, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said the Greek government was not worried about this but was briefing the international communtiy regarding Turkey's stance. Replying to questions, Pangalos said that flights by Turkish warplanes in Cyprus airspace were illegal, adding that Ankara had adopted this practice "precisely because it has enforced an occupation regime on half of Cyprus". Reppas said the joint defence doctrine was a vested right and the presence of Greek aircraft in Cyprus was lawful in every respect.

Air space infringements by Turkish jets

Hellenic Air Force radars have picked up five traces of Turkish jetfighters infringing the Athens Flight Information region in the northern and central Aegean, reliable sources said. The sources said that the Turkish fighter planes, spotted by radar flying over the wider area of Lesvos island, were moving inside the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) without having previously submitted flight plans. Greek jetfighters had taken off from nearby airports to identify and intercept the infringing planes, the sources said. They said the precise number of Turkish planes was not yet known, nor whether any of the infringements had developed into airspace violations.

Bosnian Serb president has talks in Athens

The case of Bosnia should be a patent lesson to the parties involved in the present Kosovo crisis, Bosnian Serb President Biljana Plavsic said today, following talks with Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos. "Nobody has the right to experiment with the peoples in the region," Plavsic told reporters after the meeting, at which both sides had agreed to undertake efforts to maintain peace in the Balkans region and in Kosovo. Pangalos said an end had to be put to hostilities and clashes and individual rights and democratic freedoms had to be consolidated.

Thessaloniki Jews get goodwill gesture from Swiss banks

A group of Swiss banks as a gesture of good will has decided to grant financial support of 235,000 US dollars to Thessaloniki Jews who survived the Nazi Holocaust. The sum is part of funds totalling 1.5 million dollars approved by the group as "aid" for Jewish Holocaust survivors around the world. The money is being given at a time when the world Jewish community is increasing pressure for the return of Holocaust victims' bank deposits. Large Swiss banks, the World Jewish Congress and lawyers for Holocaust victims have launched talks - brokered by the United States - on a global settlement of Nazi-era claims.

Christodoulos most popular public figure

Greece's outspoken new Archbishop Christodoulos is the most popular public figure in the country, according to a nationwide opinion poll conducted by MRB. Among 2,000 respondents, Christodoulos topped the popularity vote with 73.3 percent, followed by Athens mayor Dimitris Avromopoulos with 70.1 percent as his main opponent for the Athens mayorship in October municipal elections Maria Damanaki -- former leader of the Coalition of the left and Progress who has the backing of the ruling PASOK party in her mayoral candidacy -- trailed with 32 percent.

Poll shows gov't popularity down

The main opposition New Democracy party also led the opinion poll with 29.1 percent against 23.7 percent for the ruling PASOK party, followed by the Democratic Social Movement (DHKKI) with 6 percent, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) with 5.7 percent, the Coalition with 4.8 percent, and Political Spring with 1.6 percent. The poll showed an almost across-the- board decline, with Prime Minister Costas Simitis' popularity plunging to 28.4 percent from 36.1 percent in a similar MRB poll in December 1997. Main opposition ND leader Kostas Karamanlis, in second place, also fell from 40.6 percent six months ago to 31 percent. On privatisations, 26.8 percent of those polled consdered them "definitely necessary', 35.3 percent "probably necessary", and only 13.2 percent "definitely unnecessary", while 54.8 percent considered Greece's entry in EMU the country's primary priority, 46.6 percent believed that the 2001 targets would be achieved, and 58.2 percent agreed with Greece joining the euro currency mechanism.

Gov't says dip is temporary

Asked to comment on the results of the poll later, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said the drop in popularity of the ruling party and the prime minister was "temporary". "You can not compare the policies being applied (by the government) with the 'policy of speech-making' by the opposition," Reppas said. Reppas pointed to the large percentage in favour of the basic aims of government policy, namely, inclusion in economic and monetary union and a programme of structural changes to the economy. Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said he was convinced that the government would recover lost ground and called on those supporting main opposition New Democracy to ask some tough questions about the opposition party's positions. "Compare the stance it is taking on the privatisation of Ionian Bank and the protests by teachers on the abolition of the waiting list and the new exams with the government's and decide: Can this party govern?" Pangalos said.

Premier briefs President

Prime Minister Costas Simitis today briefed President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos on latest developments in national issues and on the domestic front, and the outcome of the European Union summit in Cardiff. "In Cardiff, there were the expected developments as well as unexpected events. The result was positive, and so was the climate," Simitis said to Stephanopoulos, who asked the Premier if he was satisfied as they entered the Presidential Mansion for their one-hour meeting. Simitis told reporters latger that he briefed the President on all foreign policy matters and domestic developments "the positive developments at Cardiff, the positive developments in the economic indicators, and the effort for structural changes, which the government will continue with persistence and consistency".

Request to list MP's immunity

A public prosecutor today passed on to Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis the case file concerning the recent death of a young woman and requested the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of the main opposition New Democracy deputy in whose car she died. Athens prosecutor Christos Markoyiannakis has requested the lifting of Constantine Karaminas' immunity so that the deputy can be formally charged with manslaughter due to negligence and driving while intoxicated. Karaminas was at the wheel of his Mercedes when 26-year-old teacher Eleni Pilidi, sitting in the back seat, was killed after the car crashed into three parked vehicles before slamming into an electricity pole early in the morning of June 1.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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