From: zarros@turing.scs.carleton.ca (Theodoros Sp. Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Fri, 10 Feb 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, Brussels, 10/2/1994 (Reuter): NATO agreed yesterday to order air strikes against Bosnian Serb forces besieging Sarajevo unless they withdraw artillery and other weapons or put them under UN control within 10 days. Diplomats said the 16 allies agreed at a marathon meeting in Brussels that there could be no extension of the ultimatum and no further warnings. Greece and Canada reaffirmed their reluctance to the use of force, Greece being alone among NATO member-states to differentiate its attitude. Its reservations were included in the Atlantic Council minutes as follows: "In view of latest encouraging developments which, according to the reports submitted by cochairmen Lord Owen and Mr. Stoltenberg, registered in regard to demilitarization of Sarajevo, the Greek government considers that pursuit of an identical objective through violent means is not only meaningless, but also involves an unavoidable risk of negative results and neutralization of the whole effort to secure agreement among parties concerned on the matter. As a result, the Greek government, apart from broader reservations regarding the expediency and consequences of attacks, and the resulting escalation of the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina, cannot agree to the proposed draft decision and dissociates its position on the matter". Athens, 10/2/1994 (ANA): Greece yesterday deplored the United States Administration decision to recognize the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), saying that it was an "erroneous step". The US Wednesday formally recognized FYROM, saying it would establish full diplomatic relations with the neighboring republic once it pledges to try to resolve differences with Greece. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos, in a statement late last night, said: "The Greek government expresses discontent at the decision of the US to recognize Skopje. "Such a development cannot please Greece. It is an erroneous step on the part of the US. It is significant, though, that the US has clearly expressed reservations at establishing diplomatic relations with Skopje linking such recognition to preconditions which, in substance, refer to Skopje (symbols, constitution) and respect of human rights". "Greece continues to stress in all directions that the problem focuses on the following: The continuing provocativeness by Skopje, which should, at long last, give concrete proof of abandoning its intransigence and pseudo-irredentism. The Skopje government must not misinterpret the meaning of today's (yesterday) American move, and should refrain from feeding the Republic's opinion with fleeting illusions on the pretext of Skopje recognition by a number of states - mostly under the name of FYROM. Skopje should realize that what is especially and uniquely important for its welfare and development prospects, as well as for the long-term stability in the broader region (of the Balkans) is normalization of its relations with Greece. But this calls for specific, practical moves on which Greece's position has been made totally clear and remains steadfast. This is the direction in which the attention and pressure of the international community should turn to", Mr. Venizelos said. Athens, 10/2/1994 (ANA): Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou met with US ambassador to Athens Thomas Niles yesterday to discuss the issue, but no statements were made to news media. Main Opposition New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert said in Strasbourg yesterday, the US decision to grant diplomatic recognition to Skopje was a "wrong option" and had caught the Greek government by surprise. ND issued a statement saying the US dealt Greece a strong blow by its decision to recognize the new Balkan state. It attributed Washington's move to Greek government's "apathy and incapability of dealing with unfavorable developments on the issue". Similar reaction was voiced by Political Spring party leader and former Foreign Minister Antonis Samaras who termed the US move as a "rough landing in the recent Clinton-Papandreou romance". Washington, 10/2/1994 (Reuter-ANA - M. Georgiadou): The United States Wednesday formally recognized the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and said it would establish full diplomatic relations with the Balkan state, once it pledges to try to resolve differences with Greece. "This move is in recognition of the democratic expression of the citizens of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to establish a sovereign and independent state based on democratic principles", the White House said in a statement announcing the decision. The statement said that President Clinton had sent a letter to President Kiro Gligorov conveying the decision which, it said, would "help promote stability in the region". "In extending formal recognition, we have taken into account the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's commitment to peaceful cooperative relations and its respect for the territorial integrity of all of its neighbors and the inviolability of existing boundaries. Establishment of diplomatic relations will take place upon receipt of assurances regarding matters of importance to the US, including respect for CSCE norms and principles, enforcement of UN imposed sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro, and a commitment to work constructively with the United Nations to resolve differences with our long-time ally Greece. We recognize that Greece and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have outstanding differences which we expect will be resolved though good faith negotiations. We further expect that our recognizing The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will encourage flexibility in addressing the symbolic and constitutional issues which separate the two parties so that they can overcome the problems that stand in the way of a normal bilateral relationship. We believe that lasting peace and stability in the Balkans depends on states' mutual respect and adherence to CSCE principles. We also take note of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's commitment to democratic principles, to human rights, to the creation of an open, free market economy and to its desire to seek peaceful solutions to problems in the region". New York, 10/2/1994 (ANA): Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America yesterday expressed sorrow at the diplomatic recognition of Skopje (by the US government) which, he said, "in the eyes of the people is tantamount to betrayal of sensitivities of the American nation". "Recognition after Washington's repetitive assurances that it will respect Greek sensitivities on the Skopje and Cyprus issues has caused overseas Greeks in the United States to remain speechless and does not honor America, the leading nation of the free world", the Archbishop said. Athens, 10/2/1994 (ANA): Greece said yesterday it would not allow NATO aircraft to use the Aktion air base in Western Greece, in the event the Alliance decided to carry out air strikes in Bosnia. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos added Greek crews currently serving with the airborne early warning and control system planes (AWACS), would be withdrawn "if their activity were connected with military operations". At the same time, the spokesman said, Greece would not veto any NATO decision to commence air strikes, but would insist on having its positions and reservations recorded in a footnote to any final statement issued by the Alliance. Mr. Venizelos said Greece's attitude, an outcome of a meeting of political party leaders chaired by President Constantine Karamanlis in May, was to be set out by Greece's envoy at yesterday's meeting of NATO permanent representatives in Brussels. If Greece exercised its right of veto, the spokesman said, it would in effect become a party to the crisis in former Yugoslavia "and this is how it would be viewed by the international community". Mr. Venizelos expressed the hope Greece would not find itself "in such a dilemma", adding it was possible to find a peaceful and viable solution to the crisis. Asked if there was a possibility of a specific peace initiative for settling the crisis, Mr. Venizelos replied "there is always a possibility". "It is no coincidence that foreign ministers of both Balkan and non-Balkan countries bordering former Yugoslavia are meeting today (yesterday) in Geneva with international mediators Lord Owen and Thorwald Stoltenberg", the spokesman said, adding Turkey would not be represented at the meeting. Asked how Athens would respond if Turkish forces participated in any air strikes in Bosnia, Mr. Venizelos "Greece will fully and unequivocally reiterate its position, which is already known". Greece has repeatedly said Balkan states should refrain from participating in any military involvement in former Yugoslavia. Vienna, 10/2/1994 (ANA - D. Dimitrakoudis / Reuter): Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias yesterday lauded the agreement on a cease-fire in Sarajevo, saying it was an "absolute confirmation of Greece's stance not to consent to air strikes". In a statement to the ANA on the end of protracted talks in Geneva between foreign ministers of seven nations neighboring former Yugoslavia and the co-chairmen of the conference on Former Yugoslavia Lord David Owen and Thorvald Stoltenberg, Mr. Papoulias said: "Of course there should be reservations since many times agreements have not been observed in the past. However, it is hoped that observance will be successful this time, especially owing to the gravity of the situation". Bosnian Serbs earlier yesterday agreed to a cease-fire in Sarajevo, that would put their siege guns under UN control. General Sir Michael Rose, commander of UN peacekeeping forces in Bosnia, said senior officers of the rival Bosnian government and Serb armies reached agreement on the pact at Sarajevo airport. Attending yesterday's session were foreign ministers from Austria, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Romania and a deputy foreign minister from Hungary. Turkey, which had been originally invited, decided not to attend. Mr. Papoulias said Greece would not give its consent for air strikes because it believed they would achieve nothing, destroy everything the peacekeeping process has achieved so far, and dynamite the effort by the co-chairmen, adding that despite backtracking considerable success had been achieved. The latest news from Bosnia is positive news and bears out Greece's stance, he said. Mr. Papoulias expressed satisfaction at yesterday's informal session in Geneva, terming it "extremely interesting". Stressing that the issue is an exclusive Balkan problem, Mr. Papoulias said Balkan countries should play an important role in any effort to find a peaceful solution. All support the plan of European action for peace, for which there is no alternative solution, he said. The session focused on possibilities of economic co-operation in the region, after an end to hostilities and negative repercussions for countries bordering former Yugoslavia stemming from the embargo. It was agreed that the problem should be raised at European Union agencies in a position to help in planning infrastructure projects in the wider region and their inclusion in various EU programs. In a statements to ANA, Mr. Papoulias said all participants agreed that no solution exists other than survival of the European plan of action. Moreover, all of them reiterated they felt grave concern at the danger of the conflict spreading south in the Balkans. Strasbourg, 10/2/1994 (ANA): Alternate Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos yesterday outlined the Greek Presidency's views on European Union enlargement at a European Parliament plenary session, underlining existing difficulties in enlargement negotiations on the accession of Austria, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Mr. Pangalos expressed the Presidency's satisfaction over "results achieved in negotiations so far", stressing that "a great deal of work is still necessary" for negotiations to be completed by the end of February. He reiterated that the Presidency is determined to maintain the present impetus in negotiations. The Greek Presidency has planned a special meeting on enlargement negotiations at ministerial level on February 21-22 and a marathon meeting of ministers on February 25-28. Mr. Pangalos referred to political difficulties in the negotiations and said that all states, both candidates and European Union members, should shoulder their responsibilities. According to Community sources, most matters requiring a solution lie in the sectors of agriculture, where "400 technical points remain open", and regional policy primarily concerning allocation of Structural Fund resources. Athens, 10/2/1994 (ANA): Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Carey begins a six-day visit to Greece today, for talks with church of Greece clerics. The visit is response to an invitation Archbishop Serapheim of Athens, Primate of Greece. Dr. Carey is accompanied by Ms. Carey, the Rt. Revd. John Hind, newly appointed Anglican Bishop of Europe, and other clergy. He is scheduled to call on the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, take part in various discussions and visits, and meet members of the Anglican community in Athens and leaders of other denominations and faiths. The Archbishop of Canterbury will officiate at a service in St. Paul's Anglican Church.