From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Fri, 5 Aug 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin --------------------------- * Aegean islands: Greece acts according to international law, Athens tells Ankara * Greece reiterates 'must' for Euro standards in Kurdish MPs trial * Press law to be amended * Russia backs fair Cyprus settlement efforts- Yeltsin to Evert * Greece to Albania: provocation will not go unanswered * EU, CSCE ambassadors briefed * Pol.An. spokesman * Greek Gov't regret at Bosnia developments * Road toll daily average six dead, 12 injured * New Democracy picks candidate for Piraeus mayorship * Large Cypriot and Greek banks set up joint factoring venture * Ministerial panel confers on outstanding hotel debt settlement * Gasoline price two drachma hike Aegean islands: Greece acts according to international law, Athens tells Ankara -------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 05/08/94 1994 (ANA): The legal status of the Aegean islands is "well-known" and Greece always acts within the framework of international law, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said yesterday. The spokesman was commenting on a statement by Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Ferhat Ataman, who claimed that "the sale of arms to Greece and their positioning on the islands of the Aegean makes the countries effecting such arms exports Greece's instruments." Mr. Ataman also accused Greece of "violating fundamental principles of international law", and called on countries selling arms to Greece not to become "instruments" of Athens. "Greece always acts within a framework determined by international law, the UN Charter and the reciprocal nature of those international treaties pertaining to the (Aegean) islands. Greece also lawfully exercises its sovereign rights which are not negotiable, "Mr. Venizelos said. "It is another country," Mr. Venizelos added, "which is historically accused of having expansionist designs and creating tension." "I regret each time I am obliged to ascertain, as the representative of the government, that Turkish officials remain dedicated to this policy of creating a climate of artificial tension. We shall continue to follow this situation with cool-headedness. We shall not contribute to the creation of this climate of tension. But it is self-evident that we shall continue to exercise our sovereign rights, within the framework of international law. And it should not be forgotten that it is Greece which constantly invokes international law and calls for acceptance and implementation of international law," Mr. Venizelos said. Greece reiterates 'must' for Euro standards in Kurdish MPs trial ------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 05/08/94 1994 (ANA): Greece reiterated yesterday that issues such as the trial of the six Kurdish members of parliament facing treason charges should be dealt with in the framework of European legal standards and respect for democratic freedoms and human rights. "It is within this framework that the Greek government acts," government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said. The six MPs are facing treason charges for alleged ties to separatist rebels. The court case, which began in Ankara on Wednesday under tight security and close scrutiny from human rights groups, has attracted wide attention as a test case of Turkey's commitment to democracy. The spokesman also categorically denied reports that the US had lodged a demarche with the Greek government over an article by ruling PASOK party Executive Bureau member Michalis Charalambidis in which he condemned the Turkish action against the six Kurdish deputies and the Kurdish people. Press law to be amended ------------------------ Athens, 05/08/94 1994 (ANA): Ministers of Justice George Kouvelakis and of the Press Evangelos Venizelos have tabled a bill in Parliament abolishing certain penal provisions related to the press. The preamble to the bill states that the above provisions, carried in legislation enacted under the Metaxas dictatorship (1936-1941) , were either unconstitutional or have remained inoperative. Russia backs fair Cyprus settlement efforts- Yeltsin to Evert ------------------------------------------------------------ Athens, 05/08/94 1994 (ANA): Russia supports efforts for a just solution to the Cyprus problem within the framework of a single, unified Cypriot state, said Russian President Boris Yeltsin in a letter to main opposition New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert. A ND statement yesterday said President Yeltsin's letter was in response to a letter Mr. Evert had written the Russian President on the Cyprus issue on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of the island-republic last month. Greece to Albania: provocation will not go unanswered ------------------------------------------------------ Athens, 05/08/94 1994 (ANA): Greece warned yesterday that "the latest Albanian provocation" would not go unanswered and reiterated its intention to re-examine its position on granting European Union economic assistance to Tirana. Referring to the trial of six leading members of the ethnic Greek political organisation "Omonia", scheduled for August 15, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said that "the latest Albanian provocation cannot and will not go unanswered." He intimated that Greece would begin to "escalate" its reaction to provocation on the opening day of the trial. Five of the defendants are accused, among other charges, of "treason, aiming to annex Albanian territory and serving foreign espionage services. "The six were arrested in April along with scores of other ethnic Greeks who have since been released. Mr. Venizelos also reiterated Greece's intention to re-consider its position on granting EU economic assistance to Albania. On July 18, the EU General Affairs Council approved granting 35 million ECU's as free macro-economic aid to Albania, after adopting criteria set by Greece, linking the assistance to progress in democratisation and human rights. "Greece will determine its stance according to the outcome of developments, either at the Council of Ministers or the General Affairs Council," Mr. Venizelos said. He also reiterated a statement on Wednesday, rejecting Albanian claims that the trial of the five constituted a "penal" matter which was being handled by the judicial authorities. "Such issues are issues of relations between states, relations between governments, since they take the form of specific action. It is all the more true when the Albanian authorities bring 'charges' of this type, and attempt to directly involve the Greek authorities with accusations which are clumsily expressed and are not accepted by the international community," Mr. Venizelos said. Replying to questions, the spokesman ruled out the possibility of even a telephone conversation between the Greek and Albanian Foreign Ministers, Karolos Papoulias and Alfred Sereqi "since the (recent) meeting between the two did not have the desired results, at least from Greece's point of view, and for which the Albanian side was responsible." Asked what Greece intended to do if Albania did not drop the charges, as demanded by Athens, Mr. Venizelos declined to reply, saying that he would not announce "Greek diplomatic tactics and the plans of the Greek government." Mr. Evangelos Venizelos said Tuesday the charges were" gross violation of human rights and democratic freedoms" and demanded that they be immediately dropped. EU, CSCE ambassadors briefed ----------------------------- Athens, 05/08/94 1994 (ANA): The Athens-accredited ambassadors of the European Union and Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) member countries were briefed yesterday on Greece's position on the persecution of the six ethnic Greeks, the Foreign Ministry announced. Political Affairs Director Ambassador Pavlos Apostolidis, briefed the envoys on Athens' stance regarding the trial of the six. Greece's ambassador at The Hague was due to brief also CSCE High Commissioner for Ethnic Minorities Max van der Stoel on the issue later yesterday. Meanwhile, Greek envoy to Tirana, Christodoulos Tsalikis, is expected to meet with Albanian Foreign Minister Alfred Sereqi Tuesday. Pol.An. spokesman -------------------------- Athens, 05/08/94 1994 (ANA): Political Spring party (Pol.An.) spokesman Akis Gerontopoulos, commenting yesterday on the Albanian government's intransigent stand towards the ethnic Greek minority, said, "the government seems not to realise the magnitude of its failure in dealing with intensifying Albanian audacity". "Let it realise, even at this belated hour, that possible continuation of lukewarm reaction will lead to fresh persecutions against ethnic Greeks in Northern Epirus". Greek Gov't regret at Bosnia developments ------------------------------------------ Athens, 05/08/94 1994 (ANA): Commenting on yesterday's developments in the Bosnian issue, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos expressed Greek government regret "as current developments do not facilitating the required solution to the problem". Road toll daily average six dead, 12 injured ------------------------------------------- Athens, 05/08/94 1994 (ANA): Road accident daily average toll amounts to six dead and 12 seriously injured in Greece, according to figures released yesterday by Alternate Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas Geitonas. Every year, 2,000 people die and approximately 32,000 are injured in road accidents, Mr. Geitonas said replying to a question by Political Spring (Pol.An.) deputy Andreas Lentakis. Mr. Geitonas added strict instructions had been given to contractors performing construction work on national motorways to ensure that sections in which work is in progress are properly designated with warning signs. New Democracy picks candidate for Piraeus mayorship --------------------------------------------------- Athens, 05/08/94 1994 (ANA): President of the Piraeus Traders' Association Charalambos Kefalas yesterday announced that the New Democracy party had decided to back his candidacy for the post of mayor in the October municipal elections, after meeting with representatives of the city's professional bodies in party HQs. In a statement, New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert welcomed the "initiative of professional associations and trades in Piraeus to contest the city's municipal authority" in Mr Kefalas' person. The announcement, however, met with critical comments by certain party deputies, particularly Ilias Vouyiouklakis, who stated that during Wednesday's meeting of the party's deputies for Piraeus with Mr Evert, he appeared to rank second in his colleagues preferences for the post, after former mayor Mr Andreas Andrianopoulos. Commenting on the latter's refusal to stand again, he said, "I think that, naturally, I should have been the candidate." Large Cypriot and Greek banks set up joint factoring venture ---------------------------------------------------------- Nicosia, 05/08/94 (ANA/CNA): The Bank of Cyprus and the Greek "Alpha (First) Bank of Credit" have agreed to establish a factoring service in Greece. The new company marks the opening of substantial co-operation between large banks of the two countries. The agreement was signed Tuesday by the chairmen of the Bank of Cyprus and First Bank of Credit, Solon Triantafyllides and Yiannis Kostopoulos respectively. The two banks will be equal shareholders in a new company with an initial share capital of two billion drachmas (almost eight million dollars). The company will cover all types of factoring services available globally for domestic and foreign commercial transactions. These services include management, collection and financing of commercial claims, guarantees for commercial transactions and associated consultancy services. The agreement follows one year of ground work which included market surveys, a feasibility study and the signing of a provisional agreement in May. The new company is expected to become operational this year. Ministerial panel confers on outstanding hotel debt settlement -------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 05/08/94 1994 (ANA): The settlement of outstanding hotel debts was discussed yesterday, at a meeting between Ministers of National Economy Yiannos Papantoniou, Tourism Dionysios Livanos, and president of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers Mr Plevris. Outstanding hotel debts amount to 75-80 billion dr., of which 20 billion is interest on deferred payments, which banks appear unwilling to write off. Most of the hotels concerned are in Northern Greece and the Eastern Aegean. A decision was not reached yesterday , but a new meeting has been scheduled for August 22, with the participation of banks concerned, mainly the Bank of Greece, the Hellenic Bank for Industrial Development (ETBA), and the National Mortgage Bank of Greece. The banks appear willing to accept a scheme of capitalisation of debts, guaranteed through a government bond provision. Gasoline price two drachma hike ------------------------------- Athens, 05/08/94 1994 (ANA): The price of all types of gasoline (regular, super, and lead-free) went up by 2 dr. per litre yesterday. The price of diesel fuel also rose by 1 dr. per litre. A Trade Ministry statement yesterday said the increase was exclusively due to a rise in the international price of gasoline, which counterbalances the recent fall in the value of the dollar. Although this fall reduces the cost of imported crude oil for refining, it is not always possible to pass the benefit over to the consumer, due to a simultaneous increase in the international price of gasoline which is also imported as a final product, the statement said. A New Democracy party statement said, in response, that although the price of the dollar is at its lowest levels in recent years, the price of fuel is going up. "Inflation is on an upward course and the recent rises have given it an even stronger boost. The government appears incompetent and non-existent in this sector, too".