Subject: Athens News Agency Bulletin, August 28, 1993 Athens News Agency Bulletin, August 28, 1993 ============================================ Athens, 28/8/1993 (ANA): Greece said yesterday that it had asked Turkey to investigate the "atrocious acts of vandalism and desecration" at an Orthodox cemetery outside Istanbul and take measures to prevent any recurrence. Foreign Ministry spokesman Andreas Papaconstantinou said the government had also asked Turkey to make full restitution for the damage to 14 graves at the cemetery of Neohorio. He said that the Turkish government had expressed its regret and condemned the acts of vandalism committed by unknown persons, stressing that the vandals had violated the fundamental humanitarian principle of respect for the dead. The spokesman said that Turkey had assured both the Greek ambassador in Ankara and the consul general in Istanbul that an immediate inquiry had been ordered to find the punish the persons responsible. The two Greek officials yesterday lodged protests with the Turkish authorities over the incident in which 14 graves were smashed open, marble crosses destroyed and bones scattered around the cemetery. Replying to press questions, Mr. Papaconstantinou said the possibility that the incident may be connected with efforts to stir up anti-Greek feelings in Turkey could not be ruled out. Government spokesman Vassilis Manginas said the incident had also been discussed at yesterday's inner cabinet meeting, which condemned the acts as "sad and unacceptable". Meanwhile, the government expressed its abhorrence at a similar act of vandalism committed at a cemetery in the village of Valandovo near Gevgeli in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Four crosses were smashed at the cemetery in which Greek soldiers who died in World War I are buried. Mr. Papaconstantinou said that the explanations given by Skopje were not satisfactory and that the Greek military attachi in Belgrade would continue to press the matter with the government of the former Yugoslav republic. --- The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece yesterday lodged a protest with the Turkish embassy in Athens condemning the vandalism at the Neohorio cemetery. "Such acts do not contribute to the strengthening of peaceful relations between Turkey and Greece", it added. Athens, 28/8/1993 (ANA): The foreign ministry is investigating allegations that a Greek businessman had travelled to the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus to discuss possible business deals with fugitive tycoon Asil Nadir, ministry spokesman Andreas Papaconstantinou said yesterday. "Greece does not recognise the illegal and non-existent pseudo-state in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus", he said. "Thus it is self-evident that Greece opposes any visit to the occupied areas and any entrepreneurial activity that undermines our national interests and contravenes the resolutions of the UN Security Council", the spokesman added. Turkish troops have occupied the northern-third of the Cypriot republic since Turkey's 1974 invasion. The independent entity unilaterally declared in the occupied areas, in violation of repeated United Nations resolutions, is recognised only by Turkey. In May, Nadir, 52, a Turkish Cypriot and former head of the bankrupt British conglomerate Polly Peck, skipped a 3.5 million pound bail and fled to the Turkish-occupied areas from England, where he faced charges on 13 counts of theft and false accounting. Athens, 28/8/1993 (ANA): Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis yesterday chaired a meeting of the inner cabinet to review developments on the foreign and domestic fronts. Briefing reporters after the meeting, government spokesman Vassilis Manginas said the outlook was positive for a resolution of the Yugoslav crisis and that prospects existed for a peaceful resolution in Bosnia. Turning to Greek-Albanian relations, the spokesman said: "It seems our relations with Albania can be normalised". Nicosia 28/8/1993 (ANA): President Glafcos Clerides held an exchange of views with Greek Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis during a private dinner, government spokesman Yannakis Cassoulides said yesterday. The dinner was hosted in Piraeus by Cypriot shipowner Vassos Hadjioannou during a private visit by President Clerides to Greece. Athens, 28/8/1993 (ANA): The government will uphold the ban on Sunday trading hours for all shops except those within tourist districts, Commerce and Industry Minister Vassilis Kontoyiannopoulos said yesterday. His statement was made following a meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis, to discuss the issue of Sunday trading. During the meeting Mr. Mitsotakis was quoted as saying that Sunday trading hours would not be approved for shops outside tourists districts and that if any problems arose they would be resolved through legislation. Merchant association representatives at the meeting expressed satisfaction at the premier's assurances but said the government should have taken measures before changes in trading hours were introduced by some merchants who have announced that they plan to open on Sunday. Athens, 28/8/1993 (ANA): Interior Under-secretary Angelos Brattakos yesterday proposed the establishment of a European refugee fund to help improve migrants' living conditions. He added that higher contributions could be assessed against countries that do not wish to accept refugees. Mr. Brattakos' remarks were made during the opening session of a three-day conference entitled "Towards a European migration policy" which opened in Kalamos yesterday. The conference is organised by the Piraeus Bar Association, the European Graduates Alumni Association and the Corelco vocational schools. Athens, 28/8/1993 (ANA): One person has died and another was seriously injured in the forest fire which continued to rage yesterday on the island of Samos, police said yesterday. They said Constantina Proestou, 65, was found burned to death in her farmhouse after she and her 75-year-old husband were trapped in their home. Police added that Proestou's husband has been taken to Samos hospital with severe burns. Their son has been declared missing. The fire which broke out on Wednesday has already ravaged thousands of stremmas of forest land, destroying fruit trees, olive groves, bee hives and country homes. Several villages were also evacuated as strong winds hampered fire-fighting efforts. Meanwhile, thousands of stremmas of forest land have been burned to ashes by fires blazing yesterday in Olympos Pierias and Belles Kilkis. Some 34 fires were reported blazing throughout Greece yesterday. Athens, 28/8/1993 (ANA): A German army contingent trained in fire-fighting operations arrived in Greece yesterday, the government said in an announcement. It said that the services of the contingent, comprising 13 officers and 70 troops, had been offered by the German government to provide assistance and support to Greek fire-fighting operations. The mission also includes five CH-53 fire-fighting helicopters. The German contingent will be based in Larissa.