From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Tue, 7 Jun 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, Laliotis announces GRD 1.3 trillion Athens anti-pollution project ------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 7/6/1994 (ANA): Greece has announced a six-year plan to combat high air pollution in the Attica region and improve the quality of life for its 4 million inhabitants. Environment Minister Costas Laliotis told a press conference yesterday the action plan focused on an eventual ban on using private cars and annually lowering air pollution in downtown Athens by 15 per cent. The plan also calls for moving military camps away from the city and covering abandoned sites with trees. "Attica is sending out a distress signal. The situation is growing worse daily. There must be a change ," Mr. Laliotis said. Highlights of measures announced include a three-tier working schedule for civil servants. As of tomorrow until October, public services opening hours including banks and other state agencies will be "scaled" at one-hour intervals from 7 to 10 am. New morning hours are 7:00, 8.15 , and 9.15 . "In the morning rush hour vehicles move in the centre at a rate of about five kms per hour, the same speed as a man on foot," Mr. Laliotis said adding "trucks will not be allowed to unload supplies in the city centre. Private vehicles will also be banned in the centre on days when pollution levels are high." All vehicles will have to be inspected twice a year, to monitor the emission of exhaust fumes and drivers issued with a card indicating their car is in sound condition not exceeding statutory pollution levels. The Environment Ministry and police will inspect cars in 30 places around Athens, and drivers without such cards will pay heavy fines, Mr. Laliotis said. On heavy pollution days all private cars will be banned from downtown Athens without prior warning. In a bid to stop Athenians from using their private vehicles, Mr. Laliotis said urban transportation would be strengthened with the addition of 600 new buses. The programme also includes the creation of tram and metro networks and new roads. Special sea taxis, will be introduced to facilitate commuters living along the Attica coast and ease traffic on major highways leading to Athens. "The dream of a private car has become Athens' nightmare. It no longer has a place in Athens," Mr. Laliotis said. The minister said the action plan also includes projects that will change the face of Athens. They include more parks, archaeological sites and underground parking garages. The project budget, the latest in a series by successive governments, is estimated at 1.5 trillion drachmas. Athens, one of Western Europe's most polluted cities, rests on a U-shaped basin. Pollution hangs over the city as a brown cloud unless blown away over the sea by a northerly breeze. Nimetz confers with Papoulias, no new proposals ----------------------------------------------- Athens, 7/6/1994 (ANA): United States special envoy Matthew Nimetz said yesterday he was confident that progress could be achieved in efforts to settle Gre-ece's dispute with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. "The process of discussion by mediation is to find some common ground on which the various parties can reach agreement. (and) I am confident that with good will and serious discussions that progress can be made," Mr. Nimetz said. He was speaking after 90-minute talks with Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias on Greece's dispute with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The US envoy was appointed by President Bill Clinton earlier this year to assist in efforts led by UN special mediator Cyrus Vance to settle the problem between the two feuding Balkan neighbours. He said his talks with Mr. Papoulias were in preparation of scheduled negotiations between the Greek Minister and Mr. Vance in New York next week. "I thought it was useful to come to Athens and chat a little more about the issues. This is preparatory to discussions in New York in the near future," Mr. Nimetz said. The US envoy will fly to Skopje today for similar talks. He will make a stopover in Athens on his return to the United States. Greece accuses the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia of harbouring territorial claims against the northern Greek province of Macedonia. Athens imposed trade sanctions as retortion measures against the neighbouring state in February in a bid to pressure it to change its name, flag and Constitution. On arrival, yesterday morning, Mr. Nimetz said he was not carrying any new proposals to end the over two-year-old row between Athens and Skopje. Demirel writes Karamanlis on Kurdish problem -------------------------------------------- Athens, 7/6/1994 (ANA): Turkish President Suleyman Demirel has written President Constantine Karamanlis on Turkey's Kurdish problem, government sources confirmed yesterday. Turkey claims members of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) have received terrorist training in Greece. Athens has repeatedly denied the accusations, charging Ankara with systematically trying to export its domestic problems, and reiterating Greece would not contribute to creating tension. No details of the letter have been made public, but the issue is expected to be discussed when the Greek and Turkish foreign ministers meet on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Istanbul later this week. Meanwhile, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos rejected again Turkish claims, calling them groundless and slanderous. Mr. Venizelos said testimony by Giyacetin Altun, a Kurdish prisoner in Turkey who "confessed" having received training in Greece, was given under duress. Giyacetin Altun was presented by Turkish police last month as a member of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) having "confessed" he had been trained in Greece to plant bombs at tourist and economic targets in Turkey. He has denied the allegations saying he had been tortured into signing the confession. This was revealed by a small pro-Kurdish newspaper "Ozgur Ulke" on Saturday, which claimed the denial is contained in a written statement by Altun sent to the newspaper from the Sagmatzilar prison in Istanbul where he is held. In the same statement, Altun said police forced him to read out his "confession" in front of TV cameras and repeat it three or four times, to make it sound more convincing. Foreign Ministry spokesman Costas Bikas endorsed the spokesman's charges, adding the "so-called confession is another method used by certain circles to create non-existent problems," between Greece and Turkey. EU aid to Albania to remain blocked unless human rights respected ----------------------------------------------------------------- Luxembourg, 7/6/1994 (ANA - M. Savva): The issue of the European Union's aid to Albania remained unsettled at the European Union Economy and Finance Ministers' Council (ECOFIN) yesterday. Greece is blocking the EU economic aid to Albania, amounting to 35 million ECU, in protest of violations of the human rights in Albania. It was made clear at the meeting that no progress would be made as long as Greece retained reservations regarding respect for human rights by the Albanian authorities. According to a decision reached at an informal ECOFIN session in October, the granting of economic aid to Albania is linked with such issues as respect for human rights and the functioning of democracy in that country. National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, who presided over yesterday's session, noted the need for consensus when voting on such decisions. Following Greece's objections, the issue was not debated but referred to the General Affairs Council (Foreign Ministers Council) meeting June 13-14 in Luxembourg. Gov't reaffirms known stand --------------------------- Meanwhile, in Athens, the government reiterated yesterday that good relations with Albania hinged on Tirana's respect of the human rights of the ethnic Greek community in the neighbouring state. Papoulias flies to Tehran for crucial EU talks ---------------------------------------------- Athens, 7/6/1994 (ANA): Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias flies to Tehran today for talks on Iran's relations with the European Union and Greece. "The visit lies within the framework of crucial dialogue between Iran and the European Union," Foreign Ministry spokesman Costas Bikas said. Greece currently holds the six-month rotating EU presidency. Mr. Bikas said Mr. Papoulias would spend two days in Tehran before flying to Istanbul to attend a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers. Romania, Greece sign accord on illegal immigrants ------------------------------------------------- Athens, 7/6/1994 (ANA): Greece and Romania yesterday signed an agreement on restraining illegal immigration between the two neighbouring Balkan states. The accord was signed in Athens by Public Order Minister Stelios Papathemelis and visiting Romanian counterpart Ion Tarasoula. Under the agreement, illegal Greek and Romanian refugees will be sent back to their countries. Public Order Ministry sources said the decision also applied to those with expired residence or working permits. Over 6,000 illegal Romanians have been arrested and sent back to their country in the last three years, the sources said. Papantoniou: Economic policy to continue as is ---------------------------------------------- Luxembourg, 7/6/1994 (ANA/ C. Verros): The government is resolved to "apply strictly, faithfully and steadfastly the already announced economic policy" and "will in no case" resort to additional measures, Minister of National Economy Yiannos Papantoniou said yesterday. Mr Papantoniou presided at the European Union Finance and Economy Ministers' Council (ECOFIN), which adopted the Report to the European Council concerning general orientations of macroeconomic policy in the 12 member states. Regarding Greece, the Report reiterates the Commission's Recommendations, made on May 25, but does not refer to the need for adopting additional measures. In particular, regarding stability of prices and exchange parities, the Report states: "The efforts to curb inflation should be strengthened. A fundamental precondition for attaining this goal and price stability in Greece is rectifying fiscal imbalance. A programme of fiscal adjustment should be applied in this context to discourage inflationary pressures and support the external stability of the drachma." Mr Papantoniou told a press conference after the meeting that, in the end, the draft report which had been submitted by the Monetary Committee was modified by the ministers and, regarding Greece, "there was no reference made to additional measures, only to the need for a strict application of the economic policy already in force." Greece signs over 500 ECU contracts with EIB -------------------------------------------- Luxembourg, 7/6/1994 (ANA - P. Pantelis): Greece signed contracts for 511.1 million ECU (about 150 billion dr.) with the European Investment Bank (EIB) in 1993 and contracts for 377.5 million ECUs (about 100 billion dr.) in 1992. The amounts are included in the EIB annual report ratified by the Council of EIB governors in Luxembourg yesterday. EIB total assets amount to 96.5 billion ECU. The bank succeeded in channelling the major part of seven billion ECU, earmarked as part of a temporary loan machinery, to finance major infrastructure projects in inter-European networks and environment protection. Separate loans given to Greece totalling 466.2 million ECUs relate to infrastructure projects in transport, telecommunications and energy programmes. Small and medium-scale investments were financed primarily in the industrial sector. Most investment plans funded (three-quarters of which were supported by EU subsidies) are part of measures included in the Community Support Framework. The biggest part of the loans (307 million ECUs) covered the transport sector, namely, the Metro and the Athens-Katerini, Athens-Corinth, Corinth-Tripolis, and Igoumenitsa-Ioannina-Thessaloniki motorways. Two loans (51 million ECU) were granted for mobile telephone networks and 108 million ECU for the energy sector. The Council of Governors appointed three new members to the EIB managing committee: Panayiotis-Louka Yennimatas (Greece) and Massimo Ponzelini (Italy) as of June 7, 1994, and Luis Marti (Spain) as of July 1, 1994. Narrow drachma slide against European, other currencies ------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 7/6/1994 (ANA): The drachma recorded a narrow slide against foreign and European currencies in May according to Currency Weighting Indices, released by the Centre of Exporting Research and Studies (KEEM) yesterday. The Currency Weight Index of all foreign currencies increased by 0.41% against the drachma, while the respective index for European currencies rose by 0.83 per cent. In the five month period between January-May 1994, the total of foreign currencies increased by 3.4% as against the corresponding period in 1993. During the same period, the European currencies recorded a 3.71% rise. Winning the battle ------------------ The General Directorate for Economic Policy of the National Economy Ministry reported yesterday that during the critical 15 days following the early lifting of capital controls, and the strong pressures exerted on the drachma, the monetary authorities took the following measures to fend off speculative attacks: -- Intervention in the foreign exchange market by the Bank of Greece. -- Issue of state bonds in foreign currency with attractively high interest rates. -- Increase of official interest rates by the Bank of Greece which positively affected rates in the inter-bank market. Total income from bond issues by the Greek state reached 562 billion drachmas. Papoulias briefs President on foreign policy -------------------------------------------- Athens, 7/6/1994 (ANA): Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias met with President Constantine Karamanlis yesterday for a "regular briefing" on foreign policy. Foreign Ministry sources said the 30-minute meeting focused on latest developments in Greek-Albanian relations and ongoing efforts to resolve a dispute with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The meeting took place as United States special envoy Matthew Nimetz arrived in Greece to begin another round of shuttle diplomacy between Athens and Skopje. "He is here to sound Greek views and convey them to the government in Skopje," Mr. Papoulias told reporters after the meeting. Greece has been at odds with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for the past three years, accusing it of harbouring territorial designs on the northern Greek province of Macedonia. Athens imposed trade sanctions against the neighbouring Balkan state in February, as retortion measures, in a bid to pressure the government in Skopje to change the nation's name, flag and Constitution. Foreign Ministry sources said Mr. Papoulias also briefed the President on results of his recent visit to Russia and talks with Russian President Boris Yeltsin.