From: zarros@turing.scs.carleton.ca (Theodoros Sp. Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Tue, 1 Feb 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, Washington, 1/2/1994 (ANA - D. Dimas): US Secretary of State Warren Christopher said yesterday that the US had not taken any decision yet concerning recognition of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Speaking to reporters before his talks with Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias as President of the European Union's Foreign Ministers' Council and EU Foreign Political Affairs Commissioner Hans van den Broek, Mr. Christopher said: "The US is examining this policy (recognition of FYROM), but we have not taken any decision yet on the matter. We think that dialogue between Athens and Skopje to settle their existing differences is desirable. We hope to continue to have good relations with the Greek government as we have has for so long. But we are also concerned at developments in FYROM". Mr. Christopher also said that measures should be taken to avoid the spread of the Bosnia war, especially to the south. Speaking to reporters, on his way out of the State Department, Mr. Papoulias said that the Cyprus issue was discussed with Foreign Affairs Committee President Lee Hamilton (D-Indiana) earlier. Mr. Papoulias was scheduled to meet with President Clinton's national security adviser Anthony Lake at midnight. For the Greek EU presidency the Bosnia situation is a top priority owing to "a looming danger of escalation of war", which the US does not appear to share, considering the crisis a "European matter". Mr. Papoulias' task is "difficult", according to political and diplomatic observers, due to the existing "rift" in handling the Bosnian issue, particularly between the US and France, which recently led to overt recriminations. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe is due in Athens tomorrow, to be briefed by Mr. Papoulias on his talks in Washington and US reaction to what the Greek presidency proposed. The Middle East was included in the agenda and Mr. Papoulias is due to visit the area in mid-February, as President of the EU Council of foreign Ministers to contribute to further progress in the Palestinian and Middle East issues. Matters of top priority for the US included in the agenda, are Russia and developments in central and eastern Europe. Nuclear weapons in North Korea and Iran were included in talks at the request of the US. Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): US Ambassador to Greece Thomas Niles said in Thessaloniki yesterday, the US wanted to make use of Greece's "vast experience" in the Balkan region. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Minister for Macedonia and Thrace Constantine Triarides, Mr. Niles said he had discussed ways in which the US and Greece might work together to attain targets of the two countries in the region. "We are here to learn", Mr. Niles said, "because Greece clearly has vast experience in this region of the Balkans, and it is this experience which we want to make use of". Mr. Niles was accompanied by State Department head for economic affairs in Eastern Europe Ralph Johnson. Mr. Triarides said the meeting was "interesting", emphasizing the "serious and Genuine" interest displayed by the US in future co-operation and economic development in the Balkans and former Eastern European countries. "I'm glad because the relative advantages of Thessaloniki and the hard work ahead us in attaining these goals have been understood by the US", Mr. Triarides said. "I hope these talks will lead to closer co-operation between the two countries", he added. A prerequisite for Balkan development is peace in the greater region, Mr. Triarides stressed. Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): Foreign Under-secretary George Papandreou had a meeting yesterday with members of the Swedish Parliament permanent committee on Sweden's accession to the European Union. Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): British Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd yesterday expressed the wish Greece and Former Republic of Yugoslavia (FYROM) find a solution to their differences. Mr. Hurd was speaking to reporters after a meeting with United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali. Asked by reporters whether Britain will encourage the two sides to resume dialogue, Mr. Hurd said: "I have not very much to contribute to that. It's obviously very desirable that Greece and FYROM should resolve their differences, so that that country can settle fully and peacefully into the international community". "We have good relations with both countries now and we hope that their discussions find a way of succeeding", Mr. Hurd added. Asked on the Cyprus problem, Mr. Hurd said: "I discussed the Cyprus issue with the Secretary General. I believe it is very important that the opportunity of these next weeks be taken. By that I mean that it is very important that the talks now going on between Mr. Denktash and Mr. Clerides on the confidence building measures should succeed. I did my best in Ankara ten days ago to urge this forward and I'll take every opportunity to do the same". United Nations, 1/2/1994 (ANA - M. Georgiadou): Alternate UN Chief spokesman Ahmad Fawzi yesterday said he had no knowledge of UN Chief's Special Representative for Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Cyrus Vance's intention to visit Athens and Skopje. "I don't know of any plans by Mr. Vance to visit the region. He is in touch with parties concerned, but I am not aware of any plans for such a visit", Mr. Fawzi told the press yesterday. Mr. Vance was "furious at the violation of the black out in this sensitive stage", sources said yesterday. There would be no relative statement by a UN spokesman, the sources added. Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): The government yesterday advised Deniz Baykal, leader of the Turkish Republican People's Party, to study the Treaty of Laussane, international law and the Greek constitution before making any statements during his ongoing visit to Greece. Asked to comment on statements by Mr. Baykal in Xanthi and Rodopi Sunday, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said: "Before making any statement, it would be advisable for Mr. Baykal to study the Treaty of Laussane, international law and the Greek Constitution which, if viewed from any angle, could serve as a model on minority issues". Mr. Venizelos added that in matters of law and institutions, Greece belonged to the European culture "from which Turkey is a long way off". The spokesman condemned incidents Sunday, in which a group of extreme right-wing youths threw stones and hurled insults at Mr. Baykal and his group in Xanthi. Mr. Baykal had earlier fueled tension in the region, by stating "Greece should recognize the Moslem minority in Thrace as Turkish". Mr. Venizelos said the government condemned all violence "irrespective of origin", adding the incidents had been caused by "isolated groups". Mr. Baykal arrived in northern Greece on a three-day visit Saturday. Greek Moslems exercised all their rights, as provided for in the Constitution, which in no way differed from rights of all other Greek citizens, the spokesman said. "Turkish politicians who visit Greece have the opportunity to see how a state which respects the rule of law and upholds human rights operates. Such an experience would be particularly useful, if a comparison were drawn between Greece and Turkey on human rights issues", Mr. Venizelos added. The spokesman said no official Turkish protest had been lodged concerning the incidents in Xanthi. Meanwhile, speaking in Thessaloniki yesterday, Mr. Baykal referred to "the Moslems living in Western Thrace" rather than "the Turkish minority" of which he spoke in Rodopi and Xanthi over the weekend. After visiting the house in which Kemal Ataturk was born, Mr. Baykal said Moslems of Western Thrace faced problems which were not insoluble. "The Greek government has taken certain steps towards resolving (the problems), and there is hope it will take more", Mr. Baykal said. He said Greece and Turkey were friends and could, in future, become closer friends. An ANA dispatch from Istanbul later said that the Turkish Foreign Ministry had asked the Greek authorities to protect Mr. Baykal and those accompanying him on his visit to Western Thrace. Quoting a ministry announcement issued late Sunday night in the Turkish capital, the dispatch said that the Turkish government, through the Greek embassy in Ankara, had asked the Greek authorities "to prevent aggressive actions by a group of fanatics and to take the necessary security measures for the Republic Peoples Party delegation". Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America yesterday stressed the need for close co-operation between government and opposition parties on national issues. Speaking to the press, Iakovos - who arrived in Athens yesterday afternoon - expressed contained optimism on the course of national issues and satisfaction at the state of relations between Greece and the US. Turning to the Skopje issue, the Archbishop said the moment calls for wise handling from the government, adding that the Overseas Greeks in the US will contribute to the promotion of the national issues. Iakovos, will leave on Thursday for Istanbul to have a meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos. Iakovos was scheduled to arrive in Athens on Saturday but had to put back his visit due to a slight indisposition. In a toast to the Archbishop, Mr. Papandreou said he was certain co-operation between Greece and the United States would grow deeper with support of the Archbishorphic and Iakovos personally. Iakovos stressed Greece's national issues were the national issues to all (the Greeks). "We stand by your side, with hands ready to move in any direction", Iakovos said. Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): Foreign Under-secretary George Papandreou leaves for Geneva today, to represent the European Union at the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Committee. Mr. Papandreou will have bilateral talks with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata and senior International Red Cross officials. Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): Agriculture Minister George Moraitis yesterday began a tour of Sweden and Norway for talks on the agricultural aspects of European Union enlargement. In his capacity as president of the EU Council of Farm Ministers, Mr. Moraitis will pay a two-day visit to Sweden before flying to Oslo for three days of talks. The Greek presidency of the EU has said it will try to help all four countries seeking accession to the Union - Sweden, Norway, Austria and Finland - to join simultaneously. Mr. Moraitis will have talks with his counterparts in Stockholm and Oslo on various problems in the agriculture sector relating to the accession of the two Scandinavian countries to the EU. At the same time, he will brief the governments of the two countries on the Greek presidency's positions concerning EU enlargement. Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): National Economy Alternate Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, proposed economic support by the European Union to the East European countries and Balkan states in particular, in a speech at a Conference of the International Economic Forum in Davos from 28 to 30 January. Mr. Papantoniou, who represented the European Union at the Forum, had meetings with the Prime Ministers of Denmark Paul Rasmussen and Bulgaria L. Berov on the sidelines of the conference, relating to progress of bilateral relations. He also had meetings with Vice President of the European Commission Leo Brittan and president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development De Larociere on the GATT issue, the possibility of financing projects and programs in East Europe, in the context of Inter-European Networks. He also met with EU counterparts on matters of common interest and others concerning the Greek Presidency. Brussels, 1/2/1994 (ANA - G. Daratos): The European commission is expected to ratify next week proposals by Commissioner Bruce Millan on "Community initiatives" to finance a package of infrastructure projects in Greece through European union Structural Funds. Community initiatives account for 9 per cent of Community resources the Structural Funds will provide in the period 1994-1999, totaling 12.73 billion ECU's out of 141.47 billion ECU's, earmarked for regions listed as "Target 1", covering the whole of Greece, and targets 2 and 5b (unemployment and underdeveloped agricultural regions apart from those in "Target 1"). The Commission is expected to ratify financing for Greece, as part of "Community initiatives" for programs amounting to 1,150 million ECU's, being at least 8 per cent of the total figure to be supplied through such initiatives. Brussels, 1/2/1994 (ANA): Greece's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell by -11 per cent (+16 per cent for all European Union member states) from 1985-1992, according to a Community Eurostat bulletin published yesterday. Per capita GDP in Greece in inflation-indexed prices was the lowest in the EU reaching 7.851 units, being double for all the EU (15.617). Prices for the US and Japan are 22.255 and 18.771 respectively. Aggregate GDP of major countries, namely Germany, France, Italy and Britain equaled 80 per cent of the Community's GDP, while that of smallest countries (Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Luxembourg) was 3.3 per cent.