Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-12-29

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 29/12/1998 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Clerides confers with Simitis, heads back to Nicosia
• Cypriot socialist leader comments on S-300 missiles
• Two foreign bank branches in Piraeus bombed
• 17 illegal immigrants' deportion stayed
• Man charged with frenzied murder of grandmother
• Interest rates on the way down
• Petroleum products unit opened
• Equities end slightly lower
• Weather
• Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides left for Nicosia today immediately after concluding talks with Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis on the deployment of Russian S-300 missiles in Cyprus. Clerides and Simitis held a 90-minute meeting, but neither made any comments on the contents of the talks. The Cypriot head of state immediately left for the airport and flew back to Nicosia where he will convene a meeting of the all-party National Council on the issue. According to the Cyprus Radio (RIK) correspondent in Athens, announcements will be issued simultaneously in Athens and Nicosia shortly after this afternoon's meeting of Cyprus' National Council at which the final decision on the missiles will be taken.

Cypriot socialist leader comments on S-300 missiles

The leader of Cyprus' Socialist party EDEK, Vasso Lyssarides, said on Tuesday that Greece was advising Nicosia to change its decision to install the S-300 missiles, not because it might lead to war with Turkey but because it would negatively affect the prospects of full EU membership for Cyprus. EDEK is a junior partner in the Cypriot coalition government and holds the defence ministry portfolio. According to an ANA despatch from Nicosia, Lyssarides added that it would be naive to believe that Cyprus' accession prospects were so fragile that they would be destroyed by the deployment of a defensive weapons system.

Two foreign bank branches in Piraeus bombed

An anarchist group calling itself the "Revolutionary Nuclei" has claimed responsibility for two powerful time-bombs that shattered two foreign-owned banks in the nearby port-city of Piraeus shortly after midnight on Monday, causing damage but without casualties, police said today. The explosions caused by the home-made devices went off outside the entrance of a five- storey building which housed the American Express Bank which recently moved to another location, but the bank's sign was still there. An anonymous caller telephoned a private radio station and an afternoon newspaper informing them of the explosions before they went off.

17 illegal immigrants' deportion stayed

A Samos court decided on Tuesday not to order the deportation of 17 illegal refugees from Iraq who were ferried to Icaria by a Turk on Christmas Day, pending a decision by the Greek foreign ministry on their request for political asylum. The 17 adults were dropped off on Icaria together with 20 children who were not required to appear in court. The reasoning for the court's decision was that the 17 Iraqis were protected by provisions of the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees, which Greece has signed. In early December, the UN refugee agency expressed concern about the fate of asylum seekers in Greece, saying that some were being deported without even having a chance to apply for asylum.

Man charged with frenzied murder of grandmother

A 29-year-old man was charged with the brutal murder of his elderly grandmother on Tuesday, after the woman was found dead early on Monday with more than 30 stab wounds. Police said Leonidas Afthonidis attacked his grandmother, Urania Patsarika, 72, in the early hours of Monday with two knives. Three of the wounds the woman suffered - two to the throat and one to the liver - were fatal. An autopsy revealed some 30 entry points. The woman had been attacked in the head, chest and abdomen. The attack was so frenzied, a coroner said, that one of the knives broke. According to reports, Afthonidis is being treated for behavioural problems and is receiving medication.

Interest rates on the way down

Greek long-term interest rates will accelerate their decline in 1999 to converge with eurozone rates, Finance Undersecretary Nikos Christodoulakis said. He forecast that 10-year state bond yields will drop to 5.2 percent by the end of 1999 from 7.12 percent currently, achieving the long-term interest rate criterion to participate in European Economic and Monetary Union. Announcing the government's state securities issuing programme for the first two months of 1999, Christodoulakis said that next Monday and Tuesday the finance ministry will offer to investors tax-free deposit bonds of two-year duration, yielding 10 percent from 10.3 percent in the previous issue.

Petroleum products unit opened

Greek Development Minister Vasso Papandreou today inaugurated a new petroleum products unit in Hellenic Petroleum's refinery facilities in Aspropyrgos. The Total Isomerism Unit, worth five billion drachmas,, is the first of a series of projects promoted by Hellenic Petroleum to develop a new environment-friedly range of oil products in the framework of Auto-oil I programme to be implemented in 1999.

Equities end slightly lower

Greek equities ended slightly lower on Tuesday as profit taking reversed a six-day advance of prices on the Athens Stock Exchange. The general index ended 0.21 percent off to 2,665.12 points after gaining 7.6 percent in the previous six sessions. Traders said the market needed a correction to let some steam off the year-end rally. Turnover was heavy at 100.7 billion drachmas with turnover at 18,966,000 shares. The parallel market index for small cap companies rose 0.41 percent. The FTSE/ASE 20 index fell 0.35 percent to 1,680.85 points.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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