From: zarros@turing.scs.carleton.ca (Theodoros Sp. Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Sat, 13 Nov 1993 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens (13/11) ANA- Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou said yesterday that the "black hole" of deficits inherited by the government was larger than expected but that there was every hope that the 1994 budget could be balanced without departing from pre-election commitments. Speaking to reporters after chairing a Cabinet meeting, Mr. Papandreou said that the budget would be "very strict", adding that "we are obliged not only to protect the country from a dangerous course, but to reverse that course". Mr. Papandreou also referred to the "positive prospect of development" through the major infrastructure works which, he said, may be financed from the Delors II package, the EC Cohesion Fund and public investment funds. He reiterated that the new tax bill would be ready by early March and that it would be "effective and fair". He also restated the government's commitment to guarantee the real income of workers, that is by giving wage increases equal to the rate of inflation. Mr. Papandreou said that the government's final decisions on the water shortage problem facing Athens would be announced on Tuesday. Bucharest (13/11) ANA- Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias expressed "reserved optimism" for a peaceful settlement of the Bosnian crisis and a rapprochement between Serbia and Croatia in meetings with Romanian leaders yesterday. Outlining results of his contacts with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, Mr. Papoulias said both believed "they are not far" from a final solution. Mr. Papoulias arrived in Bucharest from Sofia yesterday morning to hold talks with his Romanian counterpart Todor Melescanu, President Ion Iliescu and Patriarch of Romania Theoktistos. Both sides agreed on the need for a cease-fire in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the need to resolve differences and examined the lifting on sanctions against New Yugoslavia and prospects for Balkan co-operation and bilateral issues, mainly economic matters. Mr. Papoulias briefed them on Greece's stance on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), as outlined in letters addressed to UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali and the five permanent Security Council members. Romania agreed with Greece and Bulgaria on co-ordinating action aimed at the payment of compensation by the European Community as a result of damaged suffered from the embargo on Serbia. Bucharest had initially opposed the imposition of sanctions against Belgrade. Mr. Papoulias assured Romania that when Greece assumes the rotating EC presidency it will support the requests of Balkan countries for rapprochement with Europe and will promote programmes of mutual interest and overall acceptance and value for the Balkans. Talks he held with the Bulgarian and Romanian governments included discussion of the creation of major road networks for Igoumenitsa-Black Sea, Alexandroupolis-the Black Sea coast-Kiev-Moscow and Thessaloniki-central Europe via Bulgaria. These networks will be included in Community financing. Co-operation both between countries in the region and with the EC to modernise ports, telecommunications, transport and other infrastructure works was also discussed. Mr. Papoulias expressed his satisfaction at progress in bilateral relations between Athens and Bucharest while maintaining regular co-operation was also agreed at government level. In the context, the Romanian foreign minister has been invited to Athens. Mr. Papoulias will continue his tour of Balkan capitals by visiting Sarajevo today and then Tirana. Istanbul (13/11 ANA-A. Kourkoulas) - Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias will have a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Hikmet Cetin on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels, the semi-official Anatolian news agency reported yesterday. Mr. Papoulias made the statement to the agency during his one-day visit to Sofia. "I shall meet my Turkish counterpart in a few days in Brussels during the NATO summit. We shall then make an assessment of recent developments in the Balkans and Yugoslavia", Mr. Papoulias said. "If a Balkan conference is to be set up for the solution of the Yugoslav crisis, it would have to include the participation of Turkey, which has a role to play in the region", he added. Referring to the situation in Skopje, Mr. Papoulias said if there were an civil war in the country, "we shall oppose any external intervention in that clash". Athens (13/11) ANA - Greek tourism is still suffering the repercussions of the war in former Yugoslavia, with northern Greece the area hardest hit, according to figures released yesterday by the National Tourism Organisation of Greece (EOT). Tourist movement figures for the first nine months of 1993 show that the war in what was once Yugoslavia is the only restraining factor to the quantitative growth of tourist flow to Greece. The figures further show that Greece remains a tourist destination country, attracting the interest of tourists all over the world, and for this reason has been able to meet, at least for the current year, competition in the "international tourism exchange". EOT data shows that northern Greece bore the brunt of the Yugoslav strife, with the greatest losses suffered by Halkidiki and Pieria, traditionally the two most popular tourist destinations in the area. Pieria in particular recorded a skimpy hotel occupancy rat of 42.06 per cent, despite a 7 per cent increase over the corresponding nine-month period in 1992. Halkidiki had a hotel occupancy rate of 72.55 per cent, although 200 new hotels units opened up for business during the nine-month period in question. London (13/11 ANA-L. Tsirigotakis) - Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos, currently on a visit to London, was the main speaker yesterday at a meeting at the British Museum. The Patriarch was introduced to the public by the curator of the museum and Sir Steven Runciman, the distinguished expert on Byzantine history. The Patriarch spoke on "Memory and the Children of the Mind". In ancient Greece, the "children of the mind" were the nine Muses, the Patriarch said, adding that memory constituted the guardian of collective mind and the mind is the element which keeps history alive and helps its development. The power of the mind, he said, was what had helped Orthodoxy and Hellenism keep going during difficult times. The Patriarch was later given a conducted tour of the museum, where a number of Greek antiquities are being exhibited. In the afternoon, the Patriarch attended a special meeting where the met members of the Greek community in London. In the evening yesterday, an official dinner was held in his honour at the historic Banqueting Hall. Athens (13/11) ANA- The European Conference on Peace, Democracy and Co-operation in Balkans, called to discuss measures necessary to consolidate peace in the Balkans and organised by the KEADEA organisation, started yesterday afternoon at the Thessaloniki International Fair's convention centre. The opening ceremony was attended and addressed by Interior Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos, Macedonia and Thrace Minister Kostas Triarides, PASOK Eurodeputy Paraskevas Avgerinos, Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Deputy Ioannis Katsaros, Thessaloniki Prefect Kostas Papadopoulos and KEADEA president and former minister Christos Markopoulos. The conference is attended by Eurodeputies and deputies from many European countries and includes representatives of peace movements and nongovernment organisations. Athens (13/11) ANA- The first congress of Balkan local government delegates opened in Thessaloniki yesterday with participants from Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania. The congress is jointly sponsored by KEDPE (Central Union of Greek Municipalities and Communities) and its Spanish counterpart the ECOS Community programme is partially funding the conference. Its purpose is to expand relations among Balkan countries through local government channels, and organise joint efforts to draw Community funds through trans-border and other programmes of the European Community. Topics to be discussed include organisation and data processing of local government organisations (OTA), raising funds, environment, urban development and tourism. Paris (13/11 ANA - O. Tsipira) - Athens is the 11th most preferred European city to live in, according to a poll conducted by French magazine L' Express. Thessaloniki, however, is the fourth most "charming city", coming after the three Austrian cities of Graz, Klagenfurt and Salzburg. The survey, conducted by the research company A2C in 18 European countries, concerned the quality of life provided by 30 major cities. Matters evaluated in the quality of life provided by the 30 cities were: security, health, economy-unemployment, communications, expense-cost of living, education-recreation-culture and the environment. Athens received a good grade for security, the cost of living and health but failed in education-culture and the environment. Paris came first in the survey with London coming second the Brussels third. Athens came before Madrid (12) and Rome (19). Ankara (29) and Oslo (30) received the last two positions in the survey. Athens (13/11) ANA- Alternate Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said in parliament yesterday the issue of Germany repaying a loan and war compensation from the Second World War remained open. Replying to a question by Communist Party of Greece (KKE) deputy Dimitris Kostopoulos, he said this was so despite the fact the previous government had undertaken contrary commitments towards Germany. Mr. Pangalos said former prime minister Constantine Mitsotakis had undertaken the initiative to waive the country's demands in the presence of German Chancellor Helmut Kohl during his visit to Crete in 1990. "We consider the issue open and we do not believe it can end in this way. We also do not believe that we are bound by the previous government's intentions and relative decisions", Mr. Pangalos said. Mr. Pangalos said the time the relative request will be made to Germany "will be decided in the framework of Greece's general inter-state and European relations". Athens (13/11) ANA- Greece's new socialist government made its first move on legislation yesterday, tabling a bill to repeal and anti-terrorism law banning the publication of statements by urban guerrilla groups. The law, passed in 1990 by the recently defeated conservative government, upset international media groups when seven newspaper editors were either imposed heavy fines or jail sentences for defying the ban. Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou said in his policy speech last month, his government would give priority to scrapping the law together with other "undemocratic" legislation passed by his conservative predecessors. Justice Ministry sources said the bill, which included a list of other legal amendments, will be debated and voted on by the end of the month. Its ratification looks certain as 170 socialist deputies control Greece's 300-seat parliament. Athens (13/11) ANA- The British publishing house Longman has been accused of anti-Greek propaganda by the Greek Federation of Language Tutorial School Owners. The federation is protesting a map in Longman's "Photo Dictionary" showing Crete, the Dodecannese and Cyprus in the same country colour as Turkey. Another Longman publication, "Reading for Adults", contains texts disputing the Greek character of Macedonia. Federation official K. Floras said the federation would protest to the British publishing house, adding that all the language tutorial schools in Greece have been instructed not to use the two books as teaching material. Education Minister Dimitris Fatouros said in reply to press questions that he had ordered an investigation of the matter, adding that the ministry was prepared to confront such incidents.