From: zarros@turing.scs.carleton.ca (Theodoros Sp. Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Tue, 15 Feb 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, Athens, 15/2/1994 (ANA): Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias leaves today on a lightning visit to Belgrade for talks with Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, it was announced yesterday. Mr. Papoulias told reporters the aim of his visit was to see "how we can join forces with all European Union member states, in order to safeguard peace in the region, which is going through an extraordinary crisis". Meanwhile, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said that the purpose of Mr. Papoulias' visit was "self-evident, given tension prevailing in the region and Nato's decision for military action, and naturally the relevant ultimatum". He added that "all efforts are focused on seeking an immediate, peaceful, viable and lasting solution to the Bosnian problem". Asked if Mr. Papoulias was going to Belgrade in his capacity as chairman of the EU Council of Ministers, the spokesman replied that "the Foreign Minister has that capacity". Meanwhile, Mr. Papoulias said in a TV interview that depending on the results of his meeting with Serb President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade, he intends to call an extraordinary European Union Foreign Ministers' Council in order to avert NATO air strikes against Bosnian Serbs. Athens, 15/2/1994 (ANA): Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias, in his capacity as President of the EU Foreign Ministers' Council, held a meeting yesterday with his visiting Albanian counterpart Alfred Serekki to discuss relations between Albania and the European Union. At a joint press conference, following the meeting, the ministers stressed the good relations between Albania and the European Union and Tirana and Athens. Mr. Papoulias said the European Union supported the course of democratisation in Albania and the changes taking place in the country. Mr. Serekki said Albania was going through favourable times, since, after the Maastricht agreement, came the Greek presidency of the European Union. Turning to the Skopje issue, Mr. Papoulias said the UN-sponsored talks with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia hinged on the neighbouring state's accepting a list of Greek demands. "The resumption of dialogue with Skopje depends on its acceptance of conditions set by Greece. In the event of a refusal, we are faced with a suspension of the dialogue, as Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou has stated", Mr. Papoulias said. The Minister said the Greek government would have had no "reservations toward Skopje had not the latter shown through its constitution, its symbols or its propaganda, that it supported circles that did not want stability and peace in the region". He said Skopje could not talk about peace and stability in the region when it had territorial claims on Greece's northern province of Macedonia. The meeting took place on the eve of Mr. Papoulias' trip to Belgrade for crucial talks with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic in a bid to avert NATO air strikes in Bosnia. Greece has voiced strong opposition to military action in the former Yugoslavia saying such a move could spark a Balkan war. It has also called on other Balkan states, including NATO-ally Turkey to refrain from taking part in a military operation in the former Yugoslavia. On the issue of Nato's ultimatum to the warring factions in Sarajevo last week, Mr. Serekki said the Albanian government supported Nato's threat maintaining that the strict warning would bring the warring factions to the negotiating table and the aggressor out of the war-torn republic. "The government of Tirana supports the strict NATO decision for Bosnia-Hercegovina. It does not interpret the decision as a military operation but as proof that the international community will solve the problem and pressure the parties to sit at the negotiating table and force the aggressor to retreat", Mr. Serekki said. Athens, 15/2/1994 (ANA): Greece will enter a new phase of relations with Skopje, either through a fresh initiative of UN Chief special mediator for Skopje Cyrus Vance, or a Greek government initiative, Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias said yesterday, in an interview with a Greek T.V. channel. Asked whether he had in mind a Foreign Ministry initiative, Mr. Papoulias replied "That is what I mean". Mr. Papoulias also said that depending on the results of his meeting with Serb President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade, he intends to call an extraordinary European Union Foreign Ministers' Council in order to avert NATO air strikes against Bosnian Serbs. Brussels, 15/2/1994 (ANA - G. Daratos): The Belgian Foreign Ministry yesterday gave clarification on a recent statement by Belgian Foreign Minister Willy Claes that he intended to exert pressure on Greece to force it to change its position on the Yugoslav crisis dismissing related reports as "absurd" and "ridiculous". "Mr. Claes said he would try to convince, not pressure, the Greek government", an authorised Belgian Ministry source said yesterday. "It would have been absurd and ridiculous", the source said, adding that Mr. Claes would make an effort to persuade the Greek government to alter its position on the Yugoslav crisis during his visit to Athens on Thursday. The members of the Community Troika, Belgium, Greece and Germany are meeting here on Thursday to prepare a communiqui on the common positions of the 12 on the Bosnian crisis, which they will present to the Russian Foreign Minister. In a statement to the Belgian T.V. channel RTL, Sunday, Mr. Claes said the EU Presidency would lose credibility unless Greece was pressured into giving priority to the Yugoslav crisis. Maintaining that "Greece's position (on the Yugoslav crisis) undermines the coherence of the position of the 12", Mr. Claes said: "It is sad that Greece holds the EU Presidency, which is threatened with losing credibility unless we pressure Greece to give priority to the Yugoslav crisis". Athens, 15/2/1994 (ANA): Greece and Bulgaria will sign a protocol on military co-operation for 1994, during the 3-day visit of the Chief of the National Defence General Staff Admiral Christos Lymberis to Sofia. Brussels, 15/2/1994 (ANA - K. Verros): Alternate National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou outlined the programme of the Greek presidency during the first half of 1994 at an ECOFIN council meeting yesterday, underlining that, despite the prospect of some recovery in 1994, the European Union "is facing a crisis which is continuing, and creates dangers for its further course". "It is the result not only of circumstantial developments, but also of long-term structural problems", he said. Mr. Papantoniou added the Greek presidency's main concern in the framework of the European Union's Council of Economy and Finance Ministers (ECOFIN), is tackling unsettled matters emanating from the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty and its main pursuit is promoting initiatives and measures on unemployment and increasing employment. Brussels, 15/2/1994 (ANA - K. Verros): Alternate National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou told a press conference yesterday the Greek government will finally table the revised convergence programme in late April for discussion by the Council of Economy and Finance Ministers (ECOFIN) on June 6. Speaking to reporters after an ECOFIN Council meeting, Mr. Papantoniou said the move will come a week before Euro-elections, as the new European Parliament and the European Commission hopes that measures included in the programme will lead to the "reversal of the very difficult state" of the Greek economy. Athens, 15/2/1994 (ANA): Former Premier Constantine Mitsotakis had a meeting with Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias at the Foreign Ministry last night to brief him on the contents of a telephone conversation he had Saturday with Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. Following the meeting, Mr. Mitsotakis told reporters he briefed Mr. Papoulias on "information I have concerning the development of the issue, from the Serbian part and, generally". According to sources, Mr. Mitsotakis had a lengthy telephone discussion with Mr. Milosevic on Saturday who has requested the former Prime Minister to mediate for a settlement of the Yugoslav crisis. The request was also conveyed yesterday by Ambassador Milan Milutinovic, the rump Yugoslavia's envoy to Greece. After delivering Mr. Milosevic's message to Mr. Mitsotakis, the Yugoslav envoy, was asked whether or not Mr. Mitsotakis would accept the request, and he replied "I hope so", but did not elaborate on details of the initiative. Athens, 15/2/1994 (ANA): Former Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis will form his own political party, but sources close to the former Prime Minister insisted that was out of the question, press reports said yesterday. Athens, 15/2/1994 (ANA): The government said yesterday it had no official information on reports that Cyrus Vance, the UN special mediator for Skopje, would launch a fresh initiative to settle differences between Greece and the Former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia (FYROM). "The government is not aware of any official information regarding the so-called intentions by Mr. Vance to undertake such a specific initiative", government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said. The reported initiative was made known on Sunday by conservative deputy Stavros Dimas on his return from Washington, where he headed a New Democracy party delegation which held talks with Mr. Vance. Mr. Dimas said: "Mr. Vance did not specify the form or timing of the initiative". Mr. Venizelos called on Mr. Dimas to inform Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias "if he had a message (from Mr. Vance) to convey (to the Greek government) or was under the impression that Mr. Vance was planning such an initiative". Mr. Venizelos reiterated that Greece's position on the Skopje issue remained firm, once again calling on the neighbouring state to provide tangible examples of good will. --- Members of the New Democracy party delegation, returning from the US yesterday, where they promoted Greek national policy issues, stated that the present government's decision to abandon the dialogue with Skopje in the framework of the UN was a mistake. The delegation met with Special Mediator Cyrus Vance who reportedly seemed ready to undertake an initiative for a resumption dialogue.