Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 02-10-18

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] ND leader tells EPP congress that without Cyprus no EU enlargement can be considered

[02] US envoy highlights dramatic changes in Greece since '85

[03] Alternate FM arrives in Lisbon for talks in light of Greek EU presidency

[04] LAOS leader not supporting ND candidate for supraprefecture

[05] EU Commission proposes compensation for terrorism and crime victims

[06] Alleged ''N 17'' terrorist member denies charges of murder

[07] ECOFIN minister Christodoulakis leaves for Barcelona

[08] OTE shareholders criticize management salaries, Romania project

[09] ASE follows international markets recovery

[10] Chirac, Venizelos discuss Athens 2004 Olympic Games

[11] Vartholomeos says ''we support the ethics of human solidarity''

[12] Greek composer gives concert at Alexandria library

[13] Greek-language edition of 'Terrorism: Unholy Wars' unveiled

[14] President Clerides says UN direct talks to resume after November 15

[15] There is time for a settlement by December, says Alvaro de Soto

[01] ND leader tells EPP congress that without Cyprus no EU enlargement can be considered

LISBON 18/10/2002 (ANA - A. Panagopoulos)

''We must complete the historic step of reuniting our continent and to end once and for all the terrible divisions of the past century,'' Karamanlis said, calling on the leaders of the center-right to commit themselves that the first 10 candidate member-states, among them Cyprus, ''fulfill the criteria according to the European Commission and for this reason we should tell them the final 'yes' in Copenhagen''.

He stressed that the complete and final decisions should be taken at the Copenhagen Summit in December ''without additional terms and last minute extortion, warning that without Cyprus no enlargement can be considered''.

Karamanlis said that the EU gave its promise to those countries and that promise should be kept, underlining that ''we want a Europe with stars and not one with asterisks. A Europe with footnotes cannot be and nor will it be''.

He assessed that Bulgaria and Romania will blaze the trail for the countries of the Western Balkans, filling the void of what he called the ''Balkan hole'' of enlargement, while he stressed that the Balkan nations need the continued support of the EPP.

The Greek main opposition leader reintroduced his proposal for the establishment of a ''European cooperative'' with third countries, which cannot or would not undertake the weight of the full accession to the EU, a cooperative aiming to find common ground.

''We should make sure that we are not creating an EU of the few and powerful and disregarding the interests and the will of the medium and smaller countries in this new EU of 25 members,'' Karamanlis said.

''If our political unification is delayed from an even greater tendency for differentiation and our failure to achieve agreement, then we should promote closer political bonds between those states that are truly loyal to all the aspects of unification,'' he added.

''All those that have adopted the euro and are discussing closely for a common political and defense and immigration policy are by default the engine of a more powerful political Europe, which at the same time will be open to those who are more hesitant,'' Karamanlis clarified.

Later in the day, the EPP Congress is expected to re-elect Wilfried Martens as party president, as he is the only candidate for the post.

ND leader meets with European premiers on the sidelines of EPP Congress: Main opposition New Democracy (ND) party leader Costas Karamanlis here on Thursday had separate meetings with Austria's Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso.

In his meetings with the Spanish and Portuguese prime ministers, the ND leader discussed the prospects for alliances to be forged among Mediterranean countries in the light of the revision of the EU Joint Agricultural Policy (JAP) and stressed the importance of coordinated efforts and policies among countries that share common problems in the European south.

''Because of government mistakes, the Greek farmers are in a terrible position'', Karamanlis said, adding ''we lost the battle on all products; a new aggressive policy is needed, one that will serve the interests of Greek farmers''.

The ND leader told his interlocutors that there could not be an EU enlargement without Cyprus, stressing in his statements that his party was in support of a legislative reform in the EU and of expediting the integration policy, placing high priority on joint foreign and defense policies.

Karamanlis is on a visit here to participate in Thursday's European Democratic Union's conference focusing on ''The future role of Europe in the world'' as well as in the European People's Party (EPP) Congress taking place in Estoril on Thursday and Friday.

On his way to the conference, the ND leader said that discussions would focus on the future of Europe with main priority to the enlargement and more particularly, on the Greek side, on Cyprus' accession to the European Union (EU).

Once again a candidate to the EPP's vice-presidency Karamanlis is expected to present the conference with his report on the EPP's initiative for the democratization of the Balkans.

He is expected to stress that the EU's commitment for the gradual incorporation of the Balkan countries is a key to the actual reunification of Europe, while hard work is required not only on the part of the EU but also by the countries themselves to deal with the problems stemming from unemployment, economic instability, organized crime, insufficient infrastructure and low living standards.

Including the premiers of Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, France, Austria and possibly the Netherlands, approximately 60 leaders of EPP member-parties participate in the Congress that will also provide the venue for revealing the EPP's political platform titled ''A Constitution for a strong Europe''.

Russian FM signs Olympic Truce appeal MOSCOW 18/10/2002 (ANA - D. Konstantakopoulos)

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov signed the Olympic Truce appeal on Thursday, characterizing it a very important contribution by the Hellenic Republic not only to the Olympic movement but to world peace as well.

Foreign Minister George Papandreou, attending the ceremony, underlined the significance of his Russian counterpart's signature in view of Moscow's great tradition in sport and the relation between sport and peace.

Ivanov and Papandreou held talks here on bilateral relations, the European Union's Greek presidency in the first half of 2003 and international issues.

Special importance was placed on plans for cooperation between the two sides in light of the Greek presidency and, in particular, the Saint Petersburg summit, to take place in the first half of 2003, also on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the establishment of the capital of Peter the Great.

Ivanov said the level of Greek-Russian relations is very high and mentioned a great degree of coincidence of views on crucial international issues such as Iraq, the Middle East, Afghanistan and the drug trade from this country and the Balkans. Moscow and Athens agreed to cooperate on these issues in the future.

Referring to the situation in the Balkans, Ivanov termed it alarming and underlined that political and economic measures are necessary for stabilization in the region.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Papandreou, Ivanov said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell briefed him by telephone on Wednesday night that the United States and Britain intend to table a new draft plan on Iraq at the Security Council.

Ivanov said Powell insisted that the plan would take Russian views into consideration and would aim at unity among the Security Council's five permanent members.

He added that the plan is being awaited for examination and reminded that the majority of countries that participated in the discussion at the Security Council expressed support for a political settlement to the problem of Iraq.

Ivanov also said Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet U.S. President George W. Bush in Mexico next week.

[02] US envoy highlights dramatic changes in Greece since '85

Athens, 18/10/2002 (ANA)

Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the British-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, US envoy Thomas Miller told an audience of mostly local entrepreneurs and business executives that he was symbolically removing a pin given to him recently by the son of noted publisher assassinated by the “November 17” terrorist group in the mid 1980s.

In referring directly to the fact that 17 alleged “N17” suspects are currently jailed pending trial, Miller said he swore to wear the pin – depicting an open palm stressing the anti-terrorism message of “enough is enough” – until the group’s members were “behind bars”.

Referring to ‘euro zone’ accession criteria and Greece’s prospects for meeting them back in 1985, Miller said he would not have been “too optimistic” 17 years ago, as he cited double-digit inflation and major deficits at that time. Greece did, in fact, join another 11 EU member-states in introducing the euro currency on Jan. 1, 2002.

Moreover, he called both economic and political changes in the ensuing 17 years “remarkable”.

In citing the top issues he would like to see progress on during his tenure in Greece – his third assignment and first as US ambassador in the east Mediterranean country – Miller referred to Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus issue as important challenges. Additionally, he said a major issue before his posting in Athens was terrorism.

In concluding his comments on the high-profile issue of terrorism, he said statutes of limitation for the accused “N17” suspects are not of concern, “it’s not important whether someone is convicted for this or that crime, it’s important that they go to jail,” he said, adding: “it’s also very important to allow the trial process to unfold.”

Miller again praised the three-year thaw in Greek-Turkish relations, saying relations between the two neighbors and NATO members were “strained” in 1985 and that some difficulties still exist today. However, he stressed that the current rapprochement allows for Athens and Ankara to directly talk to each other, “which is much more helpful than bringing in any third party”.

He also noted that Euro-Turkish relations are important for Europe.

In mentioning the title of his brief address, “Greek-American Relations – Then (1985) and Now”, Miller said 1985 refers to the year of his first posting as a staff-member at the US embassy, something he termed as a “reference point”.

“It’s important for us Americans to have a longer term perspective. If you look at the period of 1985 to 2001 (in Greece) the contrasts are startling,” he said in opening his address.

In response to charges by a TVX mining representative that legal challenges are threatening his company’s massive investment in a northern Greece gold mining and processing unit, Miller noted:

“The TVX story is out there … you have to come up with a system that protects citizens but also doesn’t penalize investors that play by the rules … Investors are here for one reason, to make money, they are not social workers,” he stressed.

EU troika discusses EU-Russia relations MOSCOW 18/10/2002 (ANA - D. Konstantakopoulos)

Relations between the European Union and Russia, in light of the Europe-Russia summit in Copenhagen on November 11, were discussed in talks held on Thursday between the EU's ''troika'', accompanied by commissioners Patten and Solana, and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.

Both sides pointed out that the enlargement of the EU's cooperation with Russia is in line with the interests of international stability and is very important for both sides.

The controversial issue of communication between the inhabitants of Kaliningrad with mainland Russia, given that EU candidate Lithuania lies between the city and the rest of Russia, was examined during the talks between Europe and Russia.

Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller said a solution should be found in a spirit of cooperation and with respect for Lithuania's sovereignty, the effectiveness of the Schengen Pact and the Russians' interests.

His Russian counterpart underlined on his part that the positions of the two sides on the issue approached each other during the talks.

However, neither European nor Russian officials wanted to give details on where contacts and talks on the issue have reached, which is extremely sensitive for the Russian government since for the first time citizens of this country will have to obtain visas from a third country for travel within the Russian federation.

The Danish foreign minister was accompanied to Moscow by Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, as a member of the ''troika'', but not Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio.

[03] Alternate FM arrives in Lisbon for talks in light of Greek EU presidency

LISBON 18/10/2002 (ANA - E. Boukaouri)

The two men will discuss bilateral issues in light of Greece's EU presidency. They will also discuss institutional issues for the future of Europe, enlargement and fiscal issues, as well as the common policy on agricultural and fisheries issues.

On Friday, Yiannitsis will meet with Portuguese Foreign Minister Antonio Martins da Cruz.

In statements to ANA, Yiannitsis said that Greece considers the completion of the enlargement process its basic priority for its upcoming EU presidency , both in relation to the 10 candidate member-states, for which the accession was approved, and for Bulgaria and Romania who are following for accession negotiations.

[04] LAOS leader not supporting ND candidate for supraprefecture

Athens, 18/10/2002 (ANA)

Tzannetakos will be facing the ruling PASOK party's candidate Fofi Gennimata in the runoff election for the Athens-Piraeus supraprefecture.

Referring to the runoff election for the Athens municipality, Karatzaferis said his party will support ND's candidate Dora Bakoyianni and in the municipality of Piraeus ND's candidate Christos Agrapidis.

During last Sunday's first round of elections, Karatzaferis had polled a surprising 13.6 percent of the vote and had come in third behind Gennimata and Tzannetakos.

[05] EU Commission proposes compensation for terrorism and crime victims

BRUSSELS 18/10/2002 (ANA)

The proposal for this new directive obliges member-states to pay compensation to victims of premeditated crimes or terrorist actions that took place in their territory. Also, compensation would have to be paid to relatives of victims, that is to first blood relatives and to members of the victims' family that were under his or her guardianship.

The Commission's proposal mandated that victims or their relatives would have to submit a request for compensation from the culprits, before any payment can be made by the states.

According to the proposal, if a citizen of a member-state falls victim to crime or terrorism in another member-state, he would have the right to request the necessary aid from the authorities of the member-state of his residence.

This directive, the Commission said, would secure the rights of tourists, employees and citizens that move freely within the European Union.

[06] Alleged ''N 17'' terrorist member denies charges of murder

Athens, 18/10/2002 (ANA)

Sotiropoulou was charged for her alleged participation in the murders of British Brigadier Gen. Stephen Saunders and the murder of Thanos Axarlian, a university student that was passing by the street where the terrorist group was attempting to murder former minister Yiannis Paleokrassas, as well as the explosion of a bomb in Piraeus last June.

According to reports, Sotiropoulou denied all charges and furthermore denied her participation in the murderous terrorist group, while she is said to have expressed her anger for the supplementary charges that were filed against her.

[07] ECOFIN minister Christodoulakis leaves for Barcelona

Athens, 18/10/2002 (ANA)

The EU summit in Barcelona in mid-March authorized the EIB to establish a new financing facilitation for the Euro-Med partnership relationship and investment activity.

A Finance ministry announcement said the EIB place priority on the funding of investments falling under the targets of the Euro-Med Partnership Relationship, which was initiated in November 1995 in Barcelona.

[08] OTE shareholders criticize management salaries, Romania project

Athens, 18/10/2002 (ANA)

The company's chairman and chief executive officer, Eleftherios Antonakopoulos, conceded that although Romtelecom in the Balkan country had reported profits in 2001 and 2002, returns on investment were low.

Needed was a capital injection of 450 million US dollars in Romtelecom. OTE had 200 million dollars ready, and the remaining 250 million were being sought through a syndicated loan.

''For this investment to be implemented, OTE is awaiting a reply from the Romanian government. If a reply is not given within a specified time period, then OTE will look into alternative arrangements to meet the crisis,'' Antonakopoulos told shareholders.

At the same time, investments in the Balkans were essential due to competition evolving at home after recent liberalization of the fixed-line market, although returns would not be immediate, he added. Complaining of high salaries for top OTE executives, shareholders singled out the general settlements director, Lazaros Angelou, although they endorsed his appointment by majority vote.

Antonakopoulos said OTE executives' salaries lay within an average range compared with other companies, some smaller that OTE.

He added that the firm ranked third in Europe on the basis of profitability among other telecom groups; and ranked top in credit ratings.

[09] ASE follows international markets recovery

Athens, 18/10/2002 (ANA)

The general index rose 1.41 percent to end at 1,826.69 points, with turnover a low 73.6 million euros.

The Insurance, Holding and Bank sectors scored the biggest percentage gains of the day (3.64 percent, 3.12 percent and 2.81 percent, respectively), while the Industrials and IT sectors scored the smallest percentage gains (0.27 percent and 0.17 percent, respectively).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks rose 2.02 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index ended 1.38 percent and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index rose 1.61 percent.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 250 to 72 with another 37 issues unchanged.

The most heavily traded stocks in value were Hellenic Telecommunications Organization, Sex Form, Football Pools Organization, Coca Cola HBC and National Bank of Greece.

Derivatives Market Close: Turnover at 94.7 mln euros Thursday

Equity Index Futures: