From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Fri, 10 Jun 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, Papoulias, Cetin agree on low tones to defuse tension ---------------------------------------------------- Istanbul, 10/6/1994 (ANA-A.Kourkoulas): Greek-Turkish relations were the centre of discussion in successive meetings Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias had yesterday with US Secretary of State Warren Christopher and Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin, on the sidelines of the NATO Foreign Ministers' Council. During the Papoulias-Cetin meeting, both ministers agreed that "high tones do not help create a suitable climate for addressing existing problems." "It was a good meeting and I hope it will have good results in the future," Mr. Papoulias told reporters. He expressed satisfaction over Mr. Cetin's statement Wednesday attributing to misinterpretation by the press Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller's statement that Turkey would invade the Greek islands in the event Greece decided to extend its territorial waters to 12 miles in the Aegean. According to the Turkish newspaper "Milliyet," the Turkish Prime Minister said a decision to extend Greece's territorial waters to 12 miles in the Aegean would be casus belli and answered by Turkey with immediate invasion of Greek islands. Mr. Papoulias also described as "unacceptable" Turkey's unfounded accusations alleging Greece sheltered terrorist activities. Turkey claimed over past days Kurdish guerrillas received training in Greece. Greece flatly denied the accusations saying they were "bordering on the absurd." He told reporters he had also raised the issue of a recent wave of assaults against the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. But the Cyprus problem was not raised at the meeting because, as Mr. Papoulias explained, "both the Greek and the Cypriot governments consider confidence building measures defunct and hold the Turkish Cypriot side responsible for it." The two ministers agreed to join efforts in the battle against drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Both sides also agreed to promote Black Sea co-operation and establish the Co-operation Bank in Thessaloniki. Speaking to the press, Mr. Cetin described the meeting as "very useful", adding it would "benefit both sides to avoid taking action that might have a negative bearing on public opinion." "We mainly discussed the issue of terrorism," Mr. Cetin told reporters after the meeting, adding Mr. Papoulias had assured him that Greece "does not and never will encourage terrorist activities." Christopher ------------ Istanbul, 10/6/1994 (ANA): US Secretary of State Warren Christopher voiced "concern at dangers stemming from Greece's armed warplanes patrolling the Aegean," during his meeting with Mr. Papoulias. But Mr. Papoulias said that "the cause leading to US concern would not exist, if Turkish aircraft did not violate Greek airspace." Speaking to the press, Mr. Papoulias said the issue had not been raised at the meeting with Mr. Cetin "because both sides agreed that discussion of such issues presupposes creation of a better climate in Greek-Turkish relations." In his meeting with Mr. Christopher, the Greek minister raised the issue of the ethnic Greek minority living in South Albania, as well as recent attacks by Islamic fanatics against the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. After the meeting, Mr. Christopher told the press he had urged Greece to disarm its warplanes patrolling over the Aegean Sea, as Turkey had done, to help reduce tension between the two NATO member-countries. Mr. Christopher said he made the proposal to Mr. Papoulias during their meeting. "I believe it would be very constructive if the Greek government would respond to this request by removing their weaponry as well," he said. "The United States as a member of NATO would think that might be a constructive step between two allies, both of whom we value very highly," he added. Mr. Papoulias also had a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State Stephen Oxman on the Cyprus problem. He also met with his Italian counterpart Antonio Martino on bilateral issues, the issue of the ethnic Greek minority in Albania, and Islamic attacks against the Patriarchate. Ecevit ------ Istanbul, 10/6/1994 (ANA): According to an ANA dispatch from Istanbul, former Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit urged Ms. Ciller yesterday "not to withdraw her pledge" and "openly proclaim" all remarks attributed to her by the "Milliyet" newspaper" on her intention to "land on the (Greek) islands." In an interview with Milliyet, Mr. Ecevit congratulated Ms. Ciller urging her "not to go back on her word." In Cyprus, government spokesman Yiannakis Cassoulides said yesterday Ms. Ciller's statement revealed Ankara's expansionist policy in the region. Turkish MPs want probe on 'treason by Patriarchate' --------------------------------------------------- Istanbul, 10/6/1994 (ANA): Thirty five deputies from three of Turkey's political parties have asked the Turkish National Assembly to conduct an "investigation" into activities of the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate here, press reports said. Speaking to the press, the deputies - including members of Turkey's ruling True Path party - referred to "treason by the Patriarchate," requesting "drastic measures" be taken against it. Turkish paper reports Ankara intending to colonise Imvros, Tenedos ----------------------------------------------------------------- Istanbul, 10/6/1994 (ANA): The daily "Cumhurriyet" yesterday reported Turkish authorities are planning to populate the Aegean islands of Imvros and Tenedos with new colonists. The report added planned changes in the status of the islands from first to second degree protected areas will permit expansion of building activity and extension of existing airfields for tourist developments purposes. The paper claims the decision was made by the National Security Council on May 28. Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Hikmet Cetin, in a press conference yesterday said the issue of the extension of the airfield on Imvros was in no way connected with military considerations, but only with the island's transport infrastructure. Cetin statement "cautious, moderate" - Venizelos ------------------------------------------------ Athens 10/6/1994 (ANA): Greece yesterday described statements by Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin as a "cautious and moderate effort to defuse tension in Greek-Turkish relations." Mr. Cetin said the Istanbul daily "Milliyet" had "distorted" remarks by Turkish Premier Tansu Ciller by quoting her out of context. Milliyet had reported Ms. Ciller as saying Greece's extension of territorial waters from 6 to 12 miles in the Aegean would be considered as casus belli by Ankara. According to Milliyet, Ms. Ciller threatened to land troops on Greek islands within 24 hours if Greece made such a move. Describing Mr. Cetin's statements as "a cautious and moderate effort to defuse tension", government spo-kesman Evangelos Venizelos said however that "the private statements by Ms. Ciller do have meaning". He said it was the Greek government's intention to de-escalate tension caused by the Milliyet article, but noted Greece's unchanged position on extending its territorial waters. Turning to the Cyprus problem, Mr. Venizelos told the press this was an international issue, not a Greek-Turkish dispute, noting its role was catalytic on relations with Turkey. "Greek-Turkish relations are affected by the course of the Cyprus problem which hinges on Turkish intransigence," he said. Mr. Venizelos also told the press it was possible that a meeting would be held on the sidelines of the European Union Summit in Corfu between Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, in his capacity as EU President and representative of the European Commission, and Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides. Paparriga lists party plank at polling rally ------------------------------------------- Athens, 10/6/1994 (ANA): Confronting neo-Nazism and racism and the Communist Party's (KKE) central political position on Greece's disengagement from the European Union were the basic themes of the main pre-election speech delivered by the party's Secretary-General Aleka Paparriga at the Pedion Areos rally in Athens last night. Mrs Paparriga attributed the assassination attempt against Communist Party candidates in Thessaloniki last week to the resurgence of nationalism, chauvinism and anti-communism and vowed that her party will do everything to reveal who lies behind the incident. She was especially critical of Political Spring Party leader Antonis Samaras for cultivating a "nationalist psychosis" which engenders such phenomena. She went on to claim that "European Union policies are not to the interest of Greece, as they persistently push the country out on the margin. Never had Greece fewer friends or more enemies as today. If we don't send a message of protest, warning, defiance and challenge to the dictates of Brussels, it is certain Community governments and agencies will soon impose new and stricter austerity programmes than the ones we have already tasted." Ms Paparriga cited Greece's referral to the European Court by the Commission over the FYROM issue as an example of EU hostile attitude against Greece, noting KKE opposition to government policy on the issue. She also criticised the government for its intention to push through a privatisation programme and described the main opposition New Democracy party as the most authentic representative of multinational capital. No headway in Thessaloniki stabbing investigation ------------------------------------------------- Athens, 10/6/1994 (ANA): No new light has been shed into the case of the assassination attempt against three Communist Party Euroelections candidates in Thessaloniki last Friday. The main perpetrator, Manolis Theodorakis, still recovering in hospital after being beaten up by Communist Party supporters following the attack, yesterday refused to give evidence before an investigating magistrate, claiming he was not in a position to do so. His attorney stated Theodorakis will provide testimony in a memorandum as soon as he recovers. Press reports say Theodorakis, who spent 30 years in Germany, denied ever meeting Evangelos Rados, who has been charged with casual complicity in the affair. Greek parliamentary group at WEU assembly meeting ------------------------------------------------- Athens, 10/6/1994 (ANA): A nine-member inter-party parliamentary delegation headed by Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) Vasso Papandreou leaves for Paris Sunday to attend the first part of the 40th Regular Session of the Western European Union (WEU) Assembly to be held on June 13 through 16. Greece disillusioned with GATT talks results on shipping -------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 10/6/1994 (ANA): Greece yesterday expressed disappointment at the outcome of the new GATT agreement on services with regard to international shipping, saying that no significant progress had been made despite seven years of negotiations. "The outcome was not what we had anticipated," Merchant Marine Minister George Katsifaras said, adding "for a sector already liberalised to a very large extent, the new agreement should have been a starting point for complete liberalisation and abolition of all protectionist practices." "Instead," he said, "after seven years of negotiations, we ended up just where we had started off". Addressing a Posidonia international shipping exhibition forum, Mr. Katsifaras said uniform operating rules and free competitive environment with minimum government intervention were necessary, if international shipping was to flourish. "An agreement towards liberalising international shipping should therefore be based on freezing protectionist practices, progressive removal of such practices and unrestricted granting of the Most Favoured Nations (MFN) clause," Mr. Katsifaras said. Despite efforts by the European Union and most OECD states, Mr. Katsifaras underlined, developing countries had not accepted the idea of a progressive but steady removal of all protectionist legislation.