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Athens News Agency: News in English, 97-01-29

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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


NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 29/01/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

  • Gov't says: Farmers` protests won`t affect `course of economy`
  • Exporters call for measures
  • Russian envoys tour Athens, Nicosia and Ankara
  • Ciller threatens NATO expansion, Italy reacts
  • Turkish planes violate Greek airspace
  • W.C.C. protests bishop's sentence in Turkey
  • Greece to extradite woman for German disco bomb

    NEWS IN DETAIL

    Gov't says: Farmers' protests won't affect 'course of economy'

    National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou assured yesterday that the course of the economy would not be adversely affected by a fresh round of farmers protests, which began yesterday.

    Speaking to the press after a 70 minute meeting with Prime Minister Costas Simitis focusing on issues concerning the government's economic policy, Mr. Papantoniou described as "satisfactory" the course of the economy, stressing that the government was d etermined to stick to its policy.

    "When the protests were widespread, inflation was not affected adversely at all," he said.

    Mr. Papantoniou said he also discussed with the premier the absorption of European Union funds and implementation of the budget.

    Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said the government had taken all the precautionary measures necessary to prevent the occupation of public buildings by farmers.

    Mr. Reppas expressed disapproval at a movement to blockade the Agrotica trade fair in Thessaloniki, accusing the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) of triggering the movement.

    Exporters call for measures to prevent farmers' blockades

    The Panhellenic Exports Association called on National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou to take measures against new blockades by protesting farmers.

    In a letter to Mr. Papantoniou, association representatives requested that the minister, in his capacity as "head of the Greek economy," should take all necessary measures in order to avert a new blow to export activity.

    "International importers are beginning to wonder whether they can count on their Greek supplies led to cancel specific exports and thus undermine export activity," it added.

    Some 600,000 people are employed in the export sector in Greece, which records annual revenues of some $12 billion (2.6 trillion drachmas).

    Russian envoys to tour Athens, Nicosia and Ankara

    Two envoys of Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov will visit Ankara, Athens and Nicosia in order to highlight Moscow's will to play an active role in finding a solution to problems in the southeastern Mediterranean, particularly with regards to the Cyprus problem.

    The director of the third directorate for European Affairs at the Russian foreign ministry, Vladimir Tchizov, and deputy director of the ministry's international organisation's department, Aleksandr Orlov, arrived in Athens yesterday and are scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos this morning.

    According to diplomatic sources, Russia aims to promote an active involvement of the five permanent members of the UN's Security Council, in cooperation with the European Union's representative, in finding a solution to the Cyprus issue, saying that the experience of Bosnia had shown the need for collective action in order for problems to be faced effectively.

    The same sources said Moscow is also aiming for a plan for the solution of the Cyprus issue to be worked out by the Security Council's five permanent members, in cooperation with the European Union's representative.

    Moscow is also proposing the establishment of a permanent "contact group" for the issue, to be comprised of representatives of the Security Council, who will reinforce efforts by the UN Secretary General.

    Negotiations for Cyprus EU accession to start 6 months after IGC

    European Commission President Jacques Santer has confirmed that negotiations for Cyprus' full EU membership will start six months after the end of the inter-governmental Conference (IGC), clarifying that "there is no differ ence of views in the Commission on this".

    "We arrived at a total agreement regarding enlargement with Cyprus on March 6, 1995. We remain put on this agreement with Cyprus, for negotiations to begin six months after the completion of the IGC," he said in answer to a question in the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe.

    Referring to Greek-Turkish relations, he expressed hope that problems will be solved, and said that the Council of Ministers had dealt with this issue.

    Ciller threatens to block NATO expansion

    Turkish Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller said in Rome yesterday that Ankara had no territorial claims on Greek land, and appealed to the international community to help spur talks with Athens to end what she called "political nonsense".

    "We have no territorial claims whatsoever at all," she said on the eve of a meeting with an informal "contact group" with Turkey - otherwise known as 5+1 - comprised of the foreign ministers from Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Britain.

    Ms Ciller also stressed that Ankara could veto NATO expansion eastwards, unless the European Union decided to forge closer links with Turkey.

    Italian reactions

    Ms Ciller's official visit caused strong reactions in the Italian Parliament, with 21 members describing the visit as "untimely" in a letter to Prime Ministe Romano Prodi and Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini, stressing that a time of ongoing investigations into recent revelations regarding her connections with drug trafficking, and continuous violations of human rights, it is "scandalous" for the government to be reaching agreements with her.

    Turkish aircraft violate Greek airspace

    Turkish aircraft violated air traffic regulations and Greek national airspace on five occasions yesterday, reports said. Two pairs of F-16 and F- 4 aircraft entered the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) on four occasions, engaging in violations of Greek airspace in the area between the eastern Aegean islands of Hios, Limnos and Lesvos. In all cases, the Turkish aircraft were identified and escorted out of national airspace by Hellenic Air Force F-16s and F-1s.

    W.C.C. protests bishop's sentence by Turkey

    The Geneva-based World Council of Churches has written to Turkish Justice Minister Sevket Kazan requesting the immediate rescinding of an Istanbul court judgement sentencing a bishop of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to five months imprisonment.

    The court handed the suspended sentence on Metropolitan Iakovos of Laodikia for officiating at a service at a Bulgarian Orthodox Church near Fener.

    In the letter to Mr. Kazan, the World Council of Churches points out that the Metropolitan was officiating at the invitation of the parish council and his presence was in keeping with an agreement between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Patriarchate of Sofia.

    "According to this agreement," the letter says, "the Bulgarian parishes in Istanbul are under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as the Greek parishes in Bulgaria are under the Bulgarian Patriarchate".

    Describing the court decision as "unwarranted and unlawful", the council said it constituted "a serious breach of the internationally accepted norms and principles of religious freedom, liberty and belief, and is violative of church, state relations."

    The letter calls on Mr. Kazan "to take immediately the necessary steps in view of rescinding the decision of the Court."

    Culture ministers begin arriving in Thessaloniki

    Culture ministers from 40 countries in the Balkans, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and the European Union began to arrive in Thessaloniki yesterday in order to participate in a two-day meeting of culture ministers tomorrow.

    As official guests of the Cultural Capital of Europe organisation, the ministers will also attend a three-day opening ceremony for the Cultural Capital.

    The culture ministers of Armenia, Georgia and Jordan arrived in Thessaloniki yesterday, while the rest are scheduled to arrive Friday.

    Museum won't be built over recently discovered Lyceum

    Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos has announced that a new area will be found for the proposed "Vasili and Eliza Goulandri" Modern Art Museum in Athens.

    Following a meeting he had with Eliza Goulandri, the minister announced that they had arrived at the decision that a museum could not exist over the site of the recently uncovered ancient ruins believed to be Aristotle's Lyceum.

    "Co-existence is not the solution which favours the double aim: the display of the findings on one hand, with the parallel presence of modern Greece on the other," Mr Venizelos said.

    Water pipeline inaugurated in Georgia

    The board president of the National Foundation for Welcoming and Rehabilitating Greek Expatriates (EIYAPOE), George Iakovou, inaugurated this week a pipeline in Chalka, Georgia, for the transport of drinking water to many villages in the region, including several that are populated by ethnic Greeks.

    The pipeline, whose construction was funded by EIYAPOE, has a length of more than 20km.

    New OTE satellite station begins operation

    The Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) yesterday announced the official operation of its new satellite station at the Thermopyles Communications Satellite Centre.

    The station will cover telephone, telex, telefax and computer data for Inmarsat-A terminals in the east Atlantic ocean region.

    The estimated investment for the satellite station is 730 million drachmas.

    Packaging '97 exhibition to be held

    The international exhibition entitled "Packaging '97" will be held at the Piraeus Port Authority's (OLP) exhibition centre from February 20-25, sponsored by the Greek Packaging Institute and the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

    More than 260 companies will participate in the exhibition and will come from the sectors of machinery and packaging systems, agricultural, industrial and consumer packaging, storage room equipment, automation and recycling as well as printing machin ery and systems. In another development, exhibitors from countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia will participate in the 10th international foodstuffs and beverages exhibition at the Peace and Friendship Stadium from Feb. 13-17. Apart from Greek compan ies in the sector, embassies, ministries and foreign chambers of commerce will participate in the exhibition with national pavilions.

    Technical chamber delegation in Romania

    A delegation of the Technical Chamber of Greece's department of central Macedonia (TEE/TKM) arrived in Bucharest yesterday to promote cooperation at a scientific and business level as well as Greece's technical potential. The delegation, due to stay in Romania for five days, is comprised of members of TEE/TKM's board, the dean and professors of the Aristotelion University in Thessaloniki's polytechnic school and representatives of five construction companies from Athens and Thessaloniki. A cooperation protocol will also be signed between TEE/TKM and the Romanian Union of Architects.

    Helexpo to organise trade exhibition in Odessa

    Helexpo will organise a Greek products exhibition in Odessa from March 21- 25, aimed at promoting Greek products and trade cooperation. An announcement by the Small Manufacturers Chamber of Thessaloniki has informed its members that it intends to cover part of the expenses of businessmen wishing to participate in the exhibition. Products from the sectors of light Greek industry, handicrafts and services will be exhibited at the Odessa exhibition.

    The deadline for declaring participation in the exhibition expires on Feb. 10.

    Greece to extradite woman for German disco bomb

    Greece will extradite a German woman, Andrea Hausler, 31, in connection with a deadly 1986 disco bombing in West Berlin, which killed three people and wounded 200, mostly US military personnel.

    "She will be on a flight to Germany on Wednesday (today). All documents have been signed by the justice minister and she did not appeal the extradition order," a justice ministry offocial said.

    The woman, was arrested last October in Halkidiki near the northern port city of Thessaloniki at the request of German authorities.

    WEATHER

    Fair with local clouds and possible drizzle in the afternoon in most parts of Greece. The Cyclades, eastern Peloponnese, Crete, Thrace, Thessaly and Macedonia will be partly cloudy with moderate northerly winds becoming stronger later in the day. Athens will be mostly sunny with temperatures between 3-11C. Thessaloniki will be overcast with temperatures between 1- 8C.

    FOREIGN EXCHANGE

    Closing rates - buying US dlr. 256.769 Pound sterling 414.537 Cyprus pd 518.419 French franc 46.033 Swiss franc 179.076 German mark 155.218 Italian lira (100) 15.953 Yen (100) 212.576 Canadian dlr. 191.000 Australian dlr. 198.102 Irish Punt 408.605 Belgian franc 7.529 Finnish mark 52.636 Dutch guilder 138.210 Danish kr. 40.732 Swedish kr. 35.166 Norwegian kr. 39.234 Austrian sh. 22.069 Spanish peseta 1.844 Portuguese escudo 1.552

    (C.E.)


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