From: than...@athena.mit.edu (Thanos Tsekouras) Subject: Greek News 19 May 1993 Date: 20 May 1993 01:44:42 GMT Bulletin of news from the greek consulate. ANA (=Athens News Agency) Athens 19/5/93. Tough negotiations to arrive at a nationally acceptable solution to the Skopje issue are continuing, government spokesman Vassilis Manginas said yesterday, adding that both the question of the name of the republic and the confidence building measures constitute an indivisible package. He stressed that, with regard to the name, Greece's starting point is that the term "Macedonia" not be included and said it was possible that there would be another round of negotiations. There may be a delay in the negotiations since no exact time-limit has been set for Athens and Skopje to reply to the proposals made by the UN, Mr Manginas said. Asked whether Athens was any closer to accepting the name 'Macedonia' for the republic with an ethnological or geographical qualifier, he said only that the government was continuing tough negotiations. Diplomatic sources in New York say that within 20 days - without this time-limit being obligatory - Athens and Skopje must reply and comment on the mediators proposals to resolve the issue. The same sources estimate that there will not be convergence of views between Athens and Skopje by that time and that the next step will be either to recall representatives of the two sides for talks with the mediators Cyrus Vance and Lord Owen, or for the mediators to ignore the stance of the two sides and submit their report to the Security Council or, alternatively, call Athens and Skopje to engage in direct dialogue under the auspices of the UN. According to the same sources, the hope is being expressed that there will be no unilateral recognitions of Skopje until after the negotiating process is completed, in accordance with the wishes of the Security Council, which urged that no action be taken that would impede the success of the negotiations. Athens, 19/5/93 (ANA). Prime Minister C. Mitsotakis yesterday welcomed Danish voters' approval of the Maastricht treaty, saying it eliminated one of the few remaining obstacles to European union. .... Athens, 19/5/93 (ANA). Foreign Minister Michalis Papakonstantinou left for Rome yesterday afternoon to addend today's West European Union (WEU) foreign ministers' meeting. The meeting will examine the situation in Yugoslavia, with emphasis on developments in Bosnia and will also examine the issues of implementing the embargo against Serbia in the Adriatic and Danube region. Talks are further expected to focus on the issue of the consolidation of the WEU. The process has already started, under the Italian presidency, with Greece's accession as a full member last November, the accession of Turkey, Iceland and Norway as associate members and Denmark and Ireland - the only two EC member-states which are not WEU members-as observers. Athens, 19/5/93 (ANA). A delegation of Romanian parliamentarians arrived in Athens yesterday to attend a parliamentary session of the Greek house due to endorse Romania's association agreement with the European Community. The six-member delegation, headed by the president of the Romanian Parliament, Dr Oliviou Gherman, was invited to Athens by the president of the parliament Athanassios Tsaldaris. The Romanian deputies are scheduled to hold talks with government and political party officials today, and observe the Greek parliament's ratification of an EC economic agreement with Romania tomorrow morning. Romania signed an association agreement with the EC in January as part of its post- communist policy moves seeking gradual integration with the West. Istanbul 19/5/93 (ANA - A. Kourkoulas). Newly -elected Turkish President Suleyman Demirel said he would step up efforts to upgrade relations between Turkey and Greece. "I will continue my efforts to develop our bilateral relations", he said in reply to President Constantine Karamanlis' letter of congratulations. President Karamanlis sent a telegram Sunday to Mr Demirel congratulating him on his victory. Athens 19/5/93 (ANA). The first cooperation agreement between Greece and Moldavia wa signed yesterday by Foreign Minister Michalis Papaconstantinou and his Moldavian counterpart Nicolae Ciu. Mr Ciu is on an official visit to Greece, the first by a Moldavian government official. The agreement outlined the framework for bilaterl economic and political cooperation. Speaking after the signing, Mr Papaconstantinou said that Greece desired "particularly good relations" with all the new republics, noting that there were historical ties between Greece and Moldavia. Mr Papaconstantinou said that he had accepted an invitation to visit Moldavia at a date to be set through diplomatic channels. Mr Ciu expressed the hope that the two countries would soon sign a high-level friendship and cooperation agreement, adding that his talks with Mr Papaconstantinou had also focused on the development of diplomatic relations. Replying to press questions, Mr Ciu said that Moldavia had not recognised Skopje and supported Greece's positions on the issue. The Moldavian minister also held a meeting yesterday with Deputy Prime Minister Tzannis Tzannetakis and National Economy Ministy' Secretary General Mr Theofanous focusing on financial issues as well as prospects for further development of bilateral relations. Athens 19/5/93 (ANA). Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis may meet with Albanian President Sali Berisha in Corfu during a private visit over the weekend, according to informed sources. Asked about the possibility of such a meeting, government spokesman Vassilis Manginas said yesterday that there was a report that Mr Berisha would pay a private visit to Corfu at the weekend, but added that it was unconfirmed. Mr Manginas said that Greece desired the improvement of relations with Albania but would "affectively protect society from the unacceptable phenomena caused by the unchecked entry into the country of economic refugees and the only way to do this is to secure the border". The spokesman described as "inaccurate" press reports yesterday claiming that it had been decided in talks Monday between Mr Mitsotakis and his Albanian counterpart Aleksandr Meksi to give legal status to Albanian illegal immigrants in Greece. He said that the issue had been discussed by the two leaders but that neither the number of the illigal immigrants had been determined nor any decision taken. Mr Mitsotakis and Mr Meksi signed four agreements on closer economic ties in Athens yesterday during talks focusing on bilateral economic relations, the issue of the Greek minority in Albania and the legal status of Albanian refugees in Greece. Athens 19/5/93 (AFP/ANA). Czech President Vaclav Havel will be arriving in Athens Sunday for a three-day visit, during which he will meet with President Karamanlis and Prime Minister Mitsotakis, the Czech Presidency announced yesterday. During his stay, President Havel will receive the Onnasis Institute Award, which is awarded to "personalities that have offered their services to humanity, who have contributed to understanding between peoples and who have served human dignity", the announcement added. This is the first time that the Onnasis Award to be awarded to Mr Havel by President Karamanlis, has been awarded to a head of state. Athens 19/5/93 (ANA). Ankara is gradually realising its vision of Panturkism, according to professor of political sciencews at Belgrade University and an expert on Turkish affairs Miroliup Yeftic. Speaking at a press conference here yesterday, Mr Yeftic underlined the significance of recent statements by newly-elected Turkish president and former prime minister Suleyman Demirel, who recently spoke of the borth of a "Greater Turkey" stretching from the Great Wall of China to the Adriatic. Mr Yeftic said that the policy of Panturkism was being implemented in two stages, the first involving the re-incorporation of the old Ottoman territories with present-day Turkey and the second aimed at uniting the Turkish-speaking areas of the former Soviet Union with Turkey. The second stage, Mr Yeftic said, did not include Azerbaijan, which would be united with Turkey in the first stage. He said Ankara had already begun to implement the plan, citing Turkish involvement in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Turkish government, Mr Yeftic said, was providing all possible help to President Ajija Izetbegovic to set up an independent state in Bosnia-Herzegovina, with the ultimate aim of securing the latter's unification with Turkey. Mr Yeftic forecast that Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ankara would turn its attention to Kosovo and the area of Novi Bazar in Serbia. At some point, he predicted, the Turks of Bulgaria and the Islamised Bulgarians would rise up, while at the same time, Moslem Albania and Moslem Bosnia would exert pressure to Bulgaria. "The international community", Mr Yftic said, "will act as it did in the case of Cyprus and the vision of Panturkism will become reality". Athens 19/5/93 (ANA). US Secretary of State Warren Christopher will visit Greece on June 10-11 to attend the NATO meeting of ministers, government spokesman Vassilis Manginas said yesterday. After the NATO meeting, the spokesman added, Mr Christopher will fly to Ankara. Mr Christopher is expected to hold talks with government officials on the situation in the former Yugoslavia on the sidelines of the meeting. Meanwhile, replying to press questions, the spokesman said that Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis was in constant contact with the Serbian leadership and the UN international mediators within the framework of Greece's efforts for a peaceful solution to the problem of former Yugoslavia. Copied by Thanos Tsekouras