From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Sat, 26 Nov 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, November 26, 1994 ---------------------------------------------- * Prime Minister certain Greece will co-operate with EMU as of 1999 * "We follow events in Albania with great care," Venizelos says * New Democracy statement * Van der Stoel * Papantoniou reiterates policy targets reached * Turkish military brief Demirel, Ciller on Greek-Turkish relations * Kranidiotis details Greek views before General Affairs Council * Kinkel - Soysal * Venizelos: Gov't awaits "Washington Post" amends over Patmos slip up * Dodecannese: Venizelos "usual reply" to recurring Turkish disarmament claim * Romaios: Gov't to go ahead with major projects Prime Minister certain Greece will co-operate with EMU as of 1999 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 26/11/94 (ANA): "Greece will be ready to participate, on an equal basis, in the third stage of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) as of 1999, which is the most probable year for this stage to begin," Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou said in an address at an official banquet following the end of the conference on "Transition to Monetary Union: Greece-Europe." "The country's will to participate in EMU is a given fact. In this context, many successful adjustment steps have been made in 1994 on the Greek economy's convergence course," Mr. Papandreou said. Mr. Papandreou emphasised that the vision of a united Europe should not shrink down to agreements between two, three or five countries, adding that the concept of a multi-speed Europe is harmful to Europe, while European unification means utilising the multiple form and individual characteristics of member-states. For this reason, he added, Maastricht criteria require a realistic interpretation. He said the Treaty has a basic lack of symmetry and, in particular, the prerogative of issuing money is transferred from national governments to a European central bank where no democratic control is conducted or liquidity needs of individual countries taken into consideration. "An additional problem is the fact that the small Community budget contributes to the creation of a problem in carrying out the fiscal policy of member-states," he said. Mr. Papandreou said the question of how we want to build the European economy and the society of the future remains open. "The representative character of European institutions certainly requires support and creating a single European social location. These issues must be examined by the intergovernmental conference in 1996," he said. Mr. Papandreou said Europeans must be prepared to work hard to achieve a common currency and forge a common European concept on basic political issues. He referred to positive developments on the drachma and inflation in Greece, which will allow a gradual decrease of interest rates and the stabilisation of the public debt as of next year. Commenting on Mr. Papandreou's speech, the main opposition New Democracy party said in an announcement: "Mr. Papandreou's speech and his assessments on the course of the Greek economy do not even convince the members of his government." "We follow events in Albania with great care," Venizelos says --------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 26/11/94 (ANA): Greece yesterday reserved comment on Albania's decision to free a fifth of its prisoners, saying it did not meddle in affairs of other countries. "We follow events in Albania with great care, but do not interfere," government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said. He added Greece remained steadfast in its attitude on ethnic Greek minority rights, adding "we hope the Albanian government will pick up the message of the international community and take appropriate steps to put an end to the hardship of ethnic Greeks in Albania." Under a partial amnesty decree, approved by parliament in Tirana late Thursday, 250 out of 1,210 persons serving time will be released. A further 450 will have their sentences commuted by as much as one third. Former communist president Ramiz Alia, Nexhmije Hoxha, widow of the late Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha and other former leading communist party members are not included. Despite a request by some opposition parties, five leaders of an ethnic Greeks organisation, jailed last August from five to seven years on charges of espionage, have not been pardoned. They were included among prisoners whose sentences have been reduced. Their conviction strained already tense relations between Greece and Albania, leading Athens to block a European Union loan of 35 million ECUs to Tirana. Greece branded the trial a parody of justice, saying it was part of Tirana's drive to terrorise the ethnic Greek minority, estimated by Athens at 300,000. Meanwhile, five Albanian district attorneys visiting Greece met with the President of the Supreme Court, Vassilis Kokkinos, and District Attorney, Athanasios Sioulas. The Albanian attorneys declined reporters comment on a Tirana Court verdict sentencing to jail terms the five ethnic Greek leaders in Albania, saying they were not familiar with the case. New Democracy statement ----------------------- Athens, 26/11/94 (ANA): Commenting on Albania's intention to reduce the sentences of the five ethnic Greeks, a main Opposition New Democracy party statement said the "Albanian government's notion of justice is satisfied by a symbolic reduction jail terms of the five imprisoned Greeks." ND called on the government "to inform the Greek people of intended action on the issue, at the critical Foreign Ministers' Council in Brussels, on Monday." The Council will discuss Greece's national issues. Van der Stoel ------------- United Nations, 26/11/94 (ANA/M. Georgiadou): Commenting on his report on Greek minority rights in Albania, Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) High Commissioner Max van der Stoel told reporters yesterday that "we analysed the situation and suggested steps which should be taken in order to satisfy the desires of the Greek minority in Albania." Asked to comment on "the Albanian minority in Greece" a reference to which was made in the report, Mr. van der Stoel said "Albanian officials often stress that there is literally an Albanian minority in Greece. They insisted on us making a research. Conducting such a research is opposed by the Greek government." Mr. van der Stoel said that "in my report I merely referred to the statements of both sides on this issue." Papantoniou reiterates policy targets reached --------------------------------------------- Athens, 26/11/94 (ANA): National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou yesterday assured that economic policy targets in 1994 had been met despite an unfavourable climate both at home and abroad and European Commission Economic Affairs Commissioner Henning Christophersen's recent pessimistic assessments of the Greek economy. Mr. Papantoniou was addressing an audience of leading businessmen and bankers participating in a conference on Monetary Union organised by the Economic and Industrial Research Institute (IOBE) and the Federation of European Monetary Union. "There is a plethora of positive factors concerning the rate of inflation, exchange reserves, trade deficit and the budget deficit which are indisputable," Mr. Papantoniou said. "1995 will be the first year of substantive implementation of the Convergence Plan which, according to assessments, will lead three years later to development rates which will be even higher than those anticipated" he added. Mr. Papantoniou said the necessary conditions for this development course are stabilisation policy, public investments, structural policy with emphasis on privatisation and the opening of new markets in the Balkans. "The necessary policy to apply this convergence prospect without social tensions is a combination of stabilisation and development on the one hand, and the attainment of political consensus to the widest possible extent on the other," he said. In this context, Mr. Papantoniou expressed hope the Economic and Social Committee would not function as a springboard for trade union claims. Replying to questioners, he said the government would choose the time to formally institute the Central Bank's independence by the end of 1996. Mr. Papantoniou reaffirmed there will be no deviation in the budget deficit, adding that the same tight incomes policy will also be applied next year. He called on the mass media not to focus only on the economy's unfavourable side, but also on the positive one and so contribute to support for economic policy. Referring to the four-day working week, Mr. Papantoniou said the four-day working week would be applied in Greece to such extent as would be implemented in the other European countries, adding that "for the time being the prospect does not seem near." Mr. Christophersen said last Wednesday that Greece's convergence programme was not expected, according to Commission forecasts, to reach its targets and that further measures would be necessary. The Commission forecast Greek inflation at 10.5 per cent in 1994, 9.5 in 1995 and 9 in 1996. The National Economy Ministry forecasts 7 per cent in 1995. The Commission also forecast Greek unemployment at 10.2 per cent in 1994, 10.6 in 1995 and 10.8 in 1996. It further overshot Greek predictions on the fiscal deficit for this year by one trillion drachmas, predicting a fiscal deficit of 17.9 per cent of GDP against government predictions of 12.5 per cent. Mr. Papantoniou had said he was "astonished" by the figures cited by the commissioner and questioned the reliability of the Commission's forecasts. "Mr. Christophersen ignored latest National Economy Ministry figures in making his comments," Mr. Papantoniou had stressed. "The Commission is not aware of the details which go into the 1995 budget. Since the budget has not been tabled in Parliament, he (Mr. Christophersen) would not be able to have access to those figures," he had added. Referring to yesterday's statement by Mr. Papantoniou, an announcement by the opposition Political Spring (Pol.An) party's press office said " open-ended austerity policy is continuing, the crisis in the Greek economy is intensifying and reaching the limits of a social crisis." "The National Economy Minister, in making an early announcement of yet another four-year period of tight austerity, also forecast the decline in the living standards of wage earners and pensioners and ignored the serious problems faced by farmers. As a result: the open-ended austerity policy is continuing, the crisis in the Greek economy is intensifying and is reaching the limits of a social crisis," the announcement said. "Political Spring calls on the government, once again, to go ahead with an immediate change in the hard drachma exchange policy, developing measures increasing the supply of goods and services and a prompt 10 per cent corrective increase in salaries for low wage earners and low-pay pensioners," it added. Turkish military brief Demirel, Ciller on Greek-Turkish relations ----------------------------------------------------------------- Istanbul, 26/11/94 (ANA/A. Kourkoulas): Thursday's briefing of President Suleyman Demirel and Prime Minister Tansu Ciller by the Turkish general staff also included a discussion on Greek-Turkish relations, Turkish press reports said. "Considering Greece's territorial waters might be extended to 12 miles, it was decided to continue with military measures in Thrace and the Aegean ," Milliyet newspaper wrote, but relevant reports could not be confirmed. The briefing primarily focused on operation plans in eastern and south-eastern Turkey, as part of continuing warfare against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), reliable sources reported. Kranidiotis details Greek views before General Affairs Council -------------------------------------------------------------- Brussels, 26/11/94 (ANA): The granting of macroeconomic aid of 35 million ECU to Albania, which has been 'vetoed' by Greece following the conviction of 5 ethnic Greeks on fabricated charges of espionage in September, and the preparation of the European Union-Turkey Association Council, scheduled for December 19 and 20, will be the basic issues to be tackled by the EU General Affairs Ministers' Council session in Brussels Monday and Tuesday. Greece will be represented by Foreign Under-Secretary Yiannos Kranidiotis. According to a statement by the general secretariat of the Ministers' Council yesterday, "the Council is expected to approve the granting of the first instalment of macroeconomic aid to Albania, amounting to 15 million ECU. Also, the Council will adopt a statement stressing the significance of the process of reform and respect for human rights in Albania. The statement will make possible a solution to the problem existing for some months now. The second instalment of macroeconomic aid (20 million ECU) will be granted after a unanimous decision of the Council of Ministers on the situation in that country. A spokesman for the EU German presidency said yesterday that "a problem impeding the granting of aid is not expected to arise". Mr. Kranidiotis declared he expected the outcome of ongoing negotiations, but gave no further details. He pointed out, however, that the release of the five ethnic Greeks, although not a condition, would help in lifting the 'veto'. Regarding the customs union between Turkey and the European Union, Mr. Kranidiotis said that Greece has expressed "it will retain general reservation". He added Greece had set a number of conditions for progress on the issue. "The conditions are mainly of a political nature, connected with the continuing (Turkish) occupation of (northern) Cyprus, the situation concerning human rights and democracy in Turkey, the more general attitude of Turkey towards Greece and, with respect to recent developments, the implementation of the convention on the Law of the Sea and Turkey's behaviour with regard to the 1619 persons missing since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus," Mr. Kranidiotis said. He added that there were also reservations of a technical nature, concerning a series of problems that may arise in the Greek economy and trade, as a result of the (EU-Turkey) customs union. Mr. Kranidiotis warned that Greece would have recourse to the European Court if any attempt were made to change the legal basis of the EU-Turkey Customs Association agreement. "Greece," he said, "will have recourse to the European Court in the certainty that it will win. We shall also ask the Court to give its opinion on the matter." He added that Greece has submitted three memoranda, one concerning the prospect of enlargement with central and eastern European countries, one on Mediterranean policy, and another on Cyprus and the need to promote its accession to the EU. He mentioned that he had sent a letter to Commission President Jacques Delors, Commissioner van der Broek and Greece's Community partners on the issue of Cypriot accession, stressing that a Community initiative on the immediate start of negotiations would constitute "a clear and unequivocal message on the unacceptability of the status quo in Cyprus, would change the negative stand of the Turkish side, and act as a strong lever of pressure for the attainment of a solution, and the ending of 20 long years of disappointments". Regarding the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) issue, Mr Kranidiotis said that he will ask the foreign ministers of Germany and France to exercise pressure by the EU on FYROM, for relaxing President Gligorov's intransigence. He added that the US and other countries were making efforts for the lifting of the veto against the FYROM's entry to the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE). Kinkel - Soysal ---------------- Athens, 26/11/94 (ANA): Speaking in Bonn yesterday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mumtaz Soysal threatened that if Cyprus joined the EU without simultaneous Turkish accession, Turkish occupied northern Cyprus would be "united" with Turkey. "This will also solve the Cyprus problem", he said. Addressing Mr. Soysal, German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel said, "with some flexibility on both sides, we can overcome all o-pen issues. "Turkey", he added, "belongs to Europe, and is closely linked to the continent spiritually, culturally, and economically". Venizelos: Gov't awaits "Washington Post" amends over Patmos slip up ----------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 26/11/94 (ANA): The government has written the Washington Post protesting an article challenging Greece's sovereignty over the Aegean island of Patmos. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said the letter had been sent on October 24, and the government was awaiting its publication together with a rectification remark by the newspaper. Mr. Venizelos said that the article was not political in nature and attributed its content to the fact that the writer "has no knowledge of either geography or history". Dodecannese: Venizelos "usual reply" to recurring Turkish disarmament claim ----------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 26/11/94 ANA): Turkey is constantly raising the issue of disarming the Dodecannese islands, while Greece responds in the usual manner, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said yesterday. The spokesman was commenting on an article in the Athens daily "Messimvrini" saying NATO warships which took part in the recent naval exercise "Niriis '94" in the southern Aegean had not called at Rhodes at Turkey's request. Turkey insists the Dodecannese should be treated a demilitarised zone. "Greek reaction was immediate," Mr. Venizelos said, adding "there is a positive response from the US, which notes there is no problem, since US vessels are anchored in the Dodecannese, and will go on doing so in future." Earlier, National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis denied the newspaper report, saying: "The exercise was successfully carried out, according to plan. No more, no less." A Political Spring statement blamed Mr. Venizelos for "his statement acknowledging that the Greek government had allowed that doubt be cast over our rights in the Aegean." Romaios: Gov't to go ahead with major projects ----------------------------------------------- Athens, 26/11/94 ANA): Alternate National Economy Minister George Romaios yesterday said the government was determined to go ahead with major projects. Speaking at a press conference in Patras, Mr. Romaios said there was a temporary contractor for the Rio-Antirrio bridge project, and negotiations on economic issues would be completed in a few days. He said he was confident a joint venture would be established next year, and the project set under way. Mr. Romaios said Rio-Antirrio project terms would be considerably improved, in the same manner as those for the Spata airport project had been.