[01] PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGNS CONTINUE, POLITICAL LEADERS CANVASS THE COUNTRY

[02] 2 IRANIAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS KILLED ON EVROS MINEFIELD, 2 OTHERS INJURED

[03] MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER TO VISIT THESSALONKI ON SATURDAY

[04] FIVE TURKISH-CYPRIOT "OFFICERS" INVOLVED IN KILLING OF GREEK-CYPRIOT

[05] TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER TO PLACE SECURITY ZONES ON TURKISH-IRAQI BORDER

[06] UN SECRETARY-GENERAL SPECIAL ENVOY TO MEET WITH CLERIDES AND DENKTASH

[07] SOCIALIST INTER'NAL CONGRESS MARKED BY GREEK-TURKISH CONFLICT ON CYPRUS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGNS CONTINUE, POLITICAL LEADERS CANVASS THE COUNTRY

Prime Minister Kostas Simitis will speak on the nation's foreign policy this afternoon in Athens, prior to traveling to Crete where he will address an open rally this evening.

Main opposition leader, New Democracy's Miltiades Evert, visited the Fthiotida village yesterday, wherein he said that Greece's rural area has been placed on the back burner and stated that all political leaders have a duty to help inject life into the country's isolated regions and in coaxing Greeks into returning to the smaller cities.

Minor opposition party leader, Political Spring's Antonis Samaras will visit Thessaloniki tomorrow and on Friday will give a press conference at the city's "Macedonia Palace" hotel.

Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Secretary-General Aleka Paparega will present her party's proposals on education during a press conference and President of the Coalition of the Left and Progress Party (Synaspismos) Nikos Konstantopoulos continued his tour in Crete.

The President of the Democratic Social Movement, Dimitris Tsovolas, has a speaking engagement in the city of Patras tonight.

[02] 2 IRANIAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS KILLED ON EVROS MINEFIELD, 2 OTHERS INJURED

Two Iranians were killed by a mine explosion when they tried to illegally enter the Greek border in Evros shortly after midnight last night and, accidentally, entered a minefield near Orestiada.

Twenty-nine year-old Tsavit Jabar Pour Subehi and 24- year-old Said Abdulrazah were killed when they stepped on mines, while two other Iranians who were with them, Afhin Hanur, 26 and Behruz Rashidi Kiwi, 31, are currently being treated at the Didimoticho hospital.

The two injured men, Hanur and Kiwi, were rescued at 5 a.m after lengthy efforts by Greek military mine- sweepers. The matter is currently being investigated by the Orestiada Police.

[03] MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER TO VISIT THESSALONKI ON SATURDAY

Greece's main opposition party leader, New Democracy's Miltiades Evert, will stop by Thessaloniki on Saturday and the party's local chapters have embarked on feverish preparations for his welcome.

Mr. Evert will arrive at Thessaloniki's Macedonia airport on Saturday evening at 6 and at 8:30 will attend a dinner at the city's "Ioannis Vellidis Conference Center" where he will address northern Greece's representatives of the production and business sectors.

On Sunday morning, Mr. Evert will visit the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair (ITF) offices and will meet with ITF's president and governing board who will brief him on the organization's progress. In turn, the N.D. leader will visit the Fair's stands of Cyprus, the European Union and the United States, as well as exhibits of other countries and organizations. Thereafter, he will attend the session of the Panhellenic Conference of Industrialists and at 1:30 pm. will give a press conference at the city's "Macedonia Palace" hotel.

Mr. Evert will return to Athens on Sunday evening.

[04] FIVE TURKISH-CYPRIOT "OFFICERS" INVOLVED IN KILLING OF GREEK-CYPRIOT

Five "officers" of the Turkish-Cypriot self- proclaimed government are involved in last month's killing of Greek-Cypriot Solomos Solomou in Deryneia, according to recent reports.

Meanwhile, a warrant for the arrest of Turkish- Cypriot Agriculture "Minister" Kenan Akin has been issued. Akin was recognized yesterday as one of the men who killed Solomou when video footage showed him firing on the unarmed Greek-Cypriot from the balcony of the Turkish guardhouse.

The regime's commanding officer, Erdal Emanet, is also shown to be armed with an automatic rifle and firing against Solomou and then onto the crowd. Greek-Cypriot authorities have also discovered three other rank officers who are considered to be co-perpetrators in the murder.

Cypriot government spokesperson Yiannakis Kasoulides stated today that Cyprus will resort to international organizations for the Turkish-Cypriot officials' punishment.

[05] TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER TO PLACE SECURITY ZONES ON TURKISH-IRAQI BORDER

In spite of Iraq's opposition and the international community's negative reactions, Turkey's Foreign Minister and ex-Premier Tansu Ciller appears determined to establish 10-20 km "security zones" within northern Iraq, in order to avert, as she stated, the entering of Kurdish separatists into Turkey.

However, Iraq reiterated its opposition to such plan yesterday when an Iraqi delegation, headed by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's advisor Hamed Yusef Humani, met with Ciller in Ankara.

Following the talks, the Turkish Foreign Minister stated that "we emphasized to the Iraqi officials that we are determined to establish a security zone at the Turkish-Iraqi border" and added that Turkey's initiative only aims at protecting the borders.

Although Turkey's plans have been approved by Washington on a temporary basis, as long as they are temporary, the announcement of such security zones at the border has been met with intense reaction from the international community and the Arab states which fear that such sectioning will further complicate this already sensitive region.

[06] UN SECRETARY-GENERAL SPECIAL ENVOY TO MEET WITH CLERIDES AND DENKTASH

The United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy Han Sung Ju is in Nicosia today with one mission in mind and that is to de-escalate the tension between the divided island's two communities.

The UN Special Envoy will hold separate meetings with the President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides and the Turk-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

As Mr. Han Sung Ju stated, his basic aim is to aid in reducing the tension by achieving a joint or separate stetement between the two sides. Moreover, he will discuss the UN proposal for direct talks between Mr. Clerides and Mr. Denktash.

[07] SOCIALIST INTER'NAL CONGRESS MARKED BY GREEK-TURKISH CONFLICT ON CYPRUS

A Greek-Turkish conflict over the Cyprus problem marked yesterday's session of the Socialist International Congress held in New York.

Greek Euro-parliamentarian Yiannos Kranidiotis and the President of Cyprus' EDEK party Vassos Lyssarides, denounced the continued occupation of Cyprus and asked the Socialist International to intervene in order to restore the human rights of the Cypriot people.

In his address, Turkish representative Erdal Inonou provocatively claimed that "the Turkish occupying regime's stay in Cyprus has brought peace and calm on the island for the past 22 years."

The Congress will close today with a ratification of a resolution which will include the Cypriot problem. Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is expected to be elected as one of the organization's vice-presidents.

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