From: miltos@nfl2.irc.nrc.ca Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Fri, 15 Oct 1993 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency bulletin, October 15, 1993 Athens, 15/10/93 (ANA) - Greece yesterday lodged a demarche with the People's Republic of China over its recognition of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as the "Republic of Macedonia". Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said a strong protest had been lodged directly with Beijing, adding that China's ambassador to Greece, Jiagan Wu, had been summoned to the foreign ministry. Mr Venizelos said that the ambassador, who had been received by Ambassador Petros Angelakis, had requested the Greek government's "understanding" about the issue and emphasised that Beijing did not wish to disrupt its relations with Athens. "The fact that he asked for Greece's understanding does not mean that he receive it", Mr Venizelos said, reiterating Greece's firm position on the issue of the former Yugoslav republic's recognition. "Greece will not recognise on its northern border a state whose name includes the word "Macedonia" or any of its derivatives", Mr Venizelos said. Athens, 15/10/93 (ANA) - National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis yesterday said the government would review the issue of Greece's participation in the multinational forces in Somalia, after the death of a Greek army sergeant there. Sergeant Michalis Soumbouros of Veria was killed yesterday in an ambush on an aid convoy distributing food to Somalis. His body will be flown to Greece today for burial. Mr Arsenis said that the foreign and defence ministries would review the issue of Greece's participation in the multinational forces in Somalia, adding that this was one of many foreign policy issues that the new government had intended to review. Asked whether the government would also review Greece's participation in other United Nations operations, such as the multinational forces in Iraq, Mr Arsenis said the government's positions would be announced when Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou presents his programme to parliament next week. Mr Arsenis conveyed the government's condolences to the sergeant's family. Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou also sent condolences to the victim's family. Athens, 15/10/93 (ANA) - A Communist Party of Greece (KKE) statement yesterday said the Greek soldier's death confirmed that Greece had no reason whatsoever to be in Somalia, the party's position all along. "The Greek military contingent should be withdrawn immediately from Somalia where it is stationed under pretext of "humanitarian aid", the KKE said. The Coalition of the Left and Progress also deplored the news of Michalis Soumbouros' death and insisted the Greek government immediately withdraw the peacekeeping contingent from Somalia. Athens, 15/10/93 (ANA) - Messages of congratulations from foreign leaders continued to reach new Premier Andreas Papandreou yesterday. German Chancellor Helmut Kohl expressed the hope that the two countries would succeed in establishing even closer and more friendly relations, and step up the procedure for European unification, especially as Greece will be holding the rotating presidency of the EC in the first half of 1994. Austrian Chancellor and Social-Democratic party chairman Dr Franz Vranitzky stressed that, at a time of economic recession, growing unemployment and significant political and social challenges, voters sought policies ensuring development and social protection, ensured only by social democracy. "Your electoral victory is a sign of further encouragement, after the victories of our friends in Spain and Norway, and a boost for social democracy in general", the message added. Others to send messages were Patriarch Diodoros of Jerusalem, Belgian Foreign Minister Willy Claes, in his position as president of the European Socialists Party, Norwegian Socialist Party leader Thorbojern Jagland, Portuguese Socialist Party Secretary General Antonis Guterres, the Turkish deputy premier and Social Democrat Populist party leader Murat Karayalcin, socialist leaders from Spain, Israel, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria and Montenegro. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in his congratulatory telegram to Mr Papandreou wished that the friendly relations between the two states not only be maintained but furthered. Istanbul, 15/10/93 (ANA) - Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller yesterday sent a congratulatory message to new Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou. Ms Ciller's message said that "the peoples of Greece and Turkey should live in peace and co-operation" and she recommended "an effort to develop relations through dialogue, based on fraternity, good neighbourliness, respect and security of the two peoples". Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin also sent a message to his new Greek counterpart Karolos Papoulias, wishing him success and expressing his hopes for "the development of bilateral relations, based on mutual benefits to be drawn", and announcement said. Athens, 15/10/93 (ANA) - New Democracy leader Constantine Mitsotakis yesterday chaired a meeting of senior party officials to discuss the procedures for the election of a new party leader. "The process will proceed at the quickest possible pace", he told reporters after the meeting. Mr Mitsotakis declined to give a date for the election of a new leader but said the ballot would be held by early November. "New Democracy will proceed united to elect its new leader and will proceed united after his election", he said, adding that he would remain a "simple deputy" of the party and "continue to fight in support of the party that I believe in". Mr Mitsotakis, responding to press questions, said he would deliver the main opposition party's response to the government when it presents its programme to parliament next week. Athens, 15/10/93 (ANA) - Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou will receive US chief of mission James Williams today in the presence of Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias. Mr Papandreou will personally reply to the letter of congratulations US President Bill Clinton addressed him and the issue of his trip to the US will be settled through diplomatic channels, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said. At noon today, Mr Papandreou will receive Sir Leon Brittan, the EC commissioner for foreign affairs and external trade issues. Sir Leon's duties include GATT and the Uruguay round which will be examined at the EC special summit in Brussels at the end of the month. The meeting will be attended by Alternate Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, who will meet with Sir Leon beforehand, and National Economy Under-secretary George Romaios. Mr Papandreou also met with Greece's recently-appointed ambassador the US Loukas Tsilas at noon yesterday. Asked to comment on contracts for major projects, Mr Venizelos referred to PASOK's pre-election pledges and to criticism it had made in parliament. Specific settlements will be announced by ministers after the vote of confidence in parliament, he said, adding that the Delors II package funds will be utilised in "the appropriate way and not in the way New Democracy had done before the elections". Asked whether this meant renegotiating certain conditions with the Community, Mr Venizelos said New Democracy's great achievement was in having the amounts allocated to Greece under the Delors II package reduced. Athens, 15/10/93 (ANA) - Alternate Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos is scheduled to leave for Paris on Monday to attend a meeting of the Schengen treaty member states. Diplomatic sources said Mr Pangalos would also go to Brussels for contacts with European Commission in light of Greece's assumption of the rotating EC presidency on January 1. The Schengen group, comprising most EC member-states, takes its name from the town where the 1985 agreement on the movement of persons were signed. In addition to regulating immigration from third countries, the treaty also provides for co-operation among member-states in combating smuggling and drug trafficking. Belgrade, 15/10/93 (Macedonian Press Agency) - Serbian Education Minister Milovoye Laciz yesterday conferred with Greek Charge d'Affaires Michalis Spinellis on fees charged Greek students attending courses at Serbian universities. It was agreed that fees be kept at their previous levels for all non-science courses. Science equipment or materials have become extremely expensive as a result of the UN embargo against Serbia. Mr Spinellis declared there was still a large number of Greek students keen on being admitted to Serbian universities. Athens, 15/10/93 (ANA) - The government said yesterday that it would ask parliament to be reconvened on October 21 so that the government would receive a parliamentary vote of confidence before the emergency European Community summit in Brussels. Government Spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said the cabinet would request that the date of parliament's return be moved forward so that the debate on the confidence motion be concluded by October 25. Asked about the appointment of Dimitra Papandreou, the premier's wife, as director of Mr Papandreou's office, the spokesman said Mrs Papandreou would handle the office's daily operations. "She had to have a post near the prime minister, without this implying interference in the cabinet structure", Mr Venizelos said, adding that both Mrs Papandreou and Professor Dimitris Tsatsos, who has been appointed the premier's special advisor on institutional and education issues, would not receive salaries for their work. Mr Venizelos also announced that the inner cabinet would convene at regular cabinet would convene at regular intervals and would comprise: the minister to the prime minister's office; the defence, foreign and national economy ministers; the alternate foreign minister; the deputy minister to the prime minister; the press under-secretary and government spokesman. New York, 15/10/93 (ANA) - Thomas Niles, the new US ambassador to Athens, visited Archbishop of North and South America Iakovos yesterday in view of his departure to Athens to assume his duties. Mr Niles and former US ambassador to Athens Michael Sotirhos, who accompanied him, attended a working lunch offered by the Archbishop in his office at the diocese. The meeting was cordial and its content substantive, Iakovos said after his talks with the two ambassadors. Athens, 15/10/93 (ANA) - Merchant Marine Minister George Katsifaras yesterday rejected press reports of "an ecological disaster" at Pylos and said clean-up crews had the oil spill under control. "This is not an ecological disaster but rather an accident which was furthered by the captain's mishandling after the tanker 'Iliad' ran aground outside Navarino bay", he told a press conference. Mr Katsifaras, who was sworn in as Greece's new merchant marine minister on Wednesday, called the news conference after returning from an aerial survey of the area. Emergency crews have been battling since Saturday to clean up a three-mile-long oil slick caused from two spills after the 83,460 dwt hit bottom off Sfakteria islet. "The pollution is already under control and more than 6,000 sacks of waste have been collected. These will be transferred to the New Liosia landfill (near Athens) because there is no appropriate depository in the Peloponnese", Mr Katsifaras said. He added that a total of 340 cubic meters of Syrian crude (286 tonnes) oil had been lost in the spill, of which one third evaporated on the first day. He also rejected press reports that chemical dispersants had been used during the clean-up. The ship's captain, 40-year-old Spyros Hatzias has been arrested and charged with causing environmental damage following reports that he had refused a pilot to lead the tanker out of the bay. Mr Katsifaras said oil tankers will from now on be required, through a presidential decree to be issued today, to follow a pilot, adding that a clean-up station would be established in Pylos to deal with similar incidents. Athens, 15/10/93 (ANA) - Transport Minister Ioannis Haralambous said yesterday that a new public transport bill would be among the first pieces of legislation to be submitted to parliament by the government. "The government's basic goal is to create an authority that will run public transport (in Athens) in co-operation with local authorities and other public transport authorities", he told a delegation of former workers of the Urban Transport Organisation (EAS). EAS was dissolved in August 1992 by the then conservative government as part of its privatisation programme after EAS workers refused to call off a two-week strike to protest against the planned lay-off of more than 1,000 bus company workers. Mr Haralambous said the process to dismantle the Transport Enterprises, or SEP, set up by the conservatives, had been set in motion. He added that a single public transport authority would be created through which the former EAS workers would be reinstated. The transport minister's statements echoed remarks by Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou at his government's first cabinet meeting Wednesday. Mr Papandreou said his government would move ahead quickly with legislation to overturn bills adopted by the previous parliament regarding the privatisation of EAS and the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE). Melbourne, 15/10/93 (ANA - S. Hatzimanolis) - The Australian parliament's Human Rights Commission is considering investigating charges of oppression of the ethnic Greek minority in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Albania. Australian MPs are reported to be considering an inquiry after receiving written and verbal testimony by representatives of the Panmacedonian Union and the Committee for Support of North Epirus Greeks, who recently appeared before an Australian bipartisan human rights subcommittee of the Joint Commission on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade in Melbourne. The Commission also received a delegation of Greeks, Croats and Serbs. Members of the Commission were quoted as saying they would examine carefully both verbal and written recommendations submitted to them, and take all possible action.