Athens, 21/8/1999 (ANA).
Greece said yesterday that its stance had not changed regarding the lifting of its veto on the European Union Financial Protocol allocating aid to Turkey in view of the catastrophic earthquake which has claimed thousands of lives in the neighbouring country.

Foreign Minister George Papandreou and Alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis were asked by reporters if Greece was considering re-examining its position on the release of EU funds to Turkey as they left a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Costas Simitis in preparation for his visit to Albania next Tuesday.

"Our position is undoubtedly the same. It is of course too early to speak about certain things, since we must wait and see what the EU's reaction will be to the catastrophe," Mr. Papandreou said.

Mr. Papandreou expressed the view that there would be some informal discussion regarding the type and size of EU aid for Turkey at the forthcoming Council of Ministers in Gymnich.

Asked the same questions, Mr. Kranidiotis replied that "our position remains the same". "We shall see what initiatives will be taken by the EU which will discuss the issue," Mr. Kranidiotis said, adding that "the issues which are connected with Turkey's European vocation are based on the terms set by the EU itself at the Luxembourg summit and other meetings".

Greek quake aid continues: Two more Greek air force C-130 aircraft left Elefsina military airport yesterday for Istanbul with 14 nurses of the Hellenic Red Cross and a three-member "Doctors of the World" team to help quake relief efforts. The aircraft also carried 15 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, bedding, tents, two mini-buses and three tonnes of flame retarding agent to be used in the fire at Turkey's biggest refinery in Izmit.

A group from the "Doctors of the World" organisation yesterday called on Turkish Ambassador in Athens, Ali Tuygan, who expressed the gratitude of the Turkish people for their valuable support. Mr. Tuygan described the quake which hit northwest Turkey early on Tuesday as "the biggest catastrophe of the century".