From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Sat, 9 Jul 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). ANA bulletin, 09/07/1994 ( ) New Cabinet sworn-in, to hold first meeting Thursday ----------------------------------------------------- Athens, 9 July 1994 (ANA).-- The new 52-member Cabinet was sworn in at noon yesterday in the presence of President Constantine Karamanlis and Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and will hold its first meeting on Thursday. The Premier later briefed the President on domestic and foreign issues. Mr. Papandreou brought in 14 new persons into the government in the first reshuffle since his Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) returned to power last October. Nine of the newcomers are taking office for the first time, while the other five had served in PASOK's previous term in power from 1981-89. Ministers retaining key posts include: Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias, Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis, Finance Minister Alexandros Papadopoulos, National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, and Industry and Commerce Minister Costas Simitis. Theodoros Pangalos leaves the Foreign Ministry where he had served as Alternate in charge of European Affairs. He took over as Minister of Transport and Communications and got to work immediately after the ceremony, hurling his first indirect warning at the unions. Mr. Pangalos, who is faced with the tough task of overseeing the floating 25 percent of the state telecommunications company (OTE) stock this year, pointed out that he was familiar with the way the Unions think and act, implying that he would not go along with their game. Mr. Papandreou named Foreign Ministry's Secretary-General Yiannos Kranidiotis as Foreign Undersecretary for European Affairs. Christos Rokofyllos began his first day at the Industry Ministry where he now serves as Alternate Minister with a pledge to "restructure the industry." New Labour Minister Yiannis Skoularikis made his own pledge to the Greek workers, who suffer from what he called the "globalisation of the economy." Mr. Skoularikis shoulders the heavy task of dealing with rising unemployment in an era when, as he said, "the myth of development curing unemployment is falling to pieces." Mr. Skoularikis replaces Evangelos Yiannopoulos, who resigned a few hours before Mr. Papandreou announced his new cabinet. Replacing Akis Tsohatzopoulos as Interior Minister, Contantine Skandalides said after the swearing-in ceremony that he would see through the work of his predecessor. George Papandreou was named Education and Religious Affairs Minister, a position he regards as "being of utmost priority." He leaves the Foreign Ministry where he served as Undersecretary. Professor Yiannitsis economic adviser to PM --------------------------------------------- Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said yesterday Professor Tasos Yiannitsis was appointed economic adviser to and head of Premier Andreas Papandreou's economic bureau. Professor Yiannitsis succeeds George Katiforis who was recently elected to the European Parliament. ND executive committee discusses domestic, foreign issues --------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 9 July '94 (ANA).-- The Executive Committee of the main opposition New Democracy party convened yesterday, discussing the upcoming municipal elections, current developments, and the 20 year anniversary of the party's founding. Regarding national issues, ND President Miltiades Evert said the Greek Presidency of the European Union developed into a presidency of "simple management". He called Thursday's reshuffling of Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou's cabinet a "doomed" move which ended in a "tragicomedy". Mr. Evert also expressed concern for Greece's course of relations with Turkey and said that the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia issue was not progressing "well at all". Regarding the Greek ethnic minority in Albania, Mr. Evert said that the "prosecution of the minority continues." Shooting incident at Greek-Albanian border, Greek soldier wounded ----------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 9 July '94 (ANA).--- An incident occurred at the Greek-Albanian border late Thursday night leaving a Greek soldier wounded, but Greece said it did not induce new tension in relations with the neighbouring state. "There is no climate of crisis in Greek-Albanian relations but the shooting gives cause for concern," Premier Andreas Papandreou said after the incident. He added that "any border incident troubles me but there is no climate of crisis." A Greek Army statement issued yesterday said a Greek soldier was lightly wounded in a fire fight late Thursday night in an encounter with an Albanian border patrol which had entered Greek territory near the Argyrochori frontier post in northwestern Greece. The Albanian group opened fire on Greek soldiers after the latter arrested 10 Albanian illegal immigrants. The Greek three-man patrol returned the fire after Haralambos Kaltsoudas, their rear guard, was shot in the right hand and thigh. After the skirmish, the Albanian patrol fell back across the border. The announcement said that following an Albanian request, a meeting took place at the Kakavia border post between Greek and Albanian officers, during which the Albanians alleged they returned fire after the Greek patrol began the shooting. It said the incident was being investigated by the 8th Army Division. Diplomatic sources later said the Foreign Ministry was awaiting the findings of the border committees of the two countries on the incident before lodging protests with Tirana. "Greece faces such problems with a cool head and caution, and does not create a climate of artificial tension as Albania sometimes does," government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos told the press yesterday. Relations between the two countries were strained last April when Albania charged that Greek gunmen crossed the border and attacked an Albanian military post in the village of Episkopi, killing three constripts and wounding three others. Greece strongly denied the allegations. Berisha: Mutual will for improving relations --------------------------------------------- GJIROKASTER (ANA/ O.Detsis) - Albanian President Sali Berisha yesterday told a press conference, that there is mutual will for improving relations between Greece and Albania, as it became apparent at a recent meeting of teams of experts at the border post of Kakavia. Border meeting -------------- A new three-hour border meeting between two experts, on the incident involving Albanian troops that crossed the border into Greece Thursday, was reported to have taken in a positive climate. Appeal for Greek ethnics ------------------------- VIENNA (ANA-D. Dimitrakoudis) - A Greek Parliamentary delegation staged a dramatic appeal to safeguard the human rights of the ethnic Greek minority in Albania, to 500 Parliamentary delegates from 51 countries participating at the four-day parliamentary session of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). The Greek delegation also referred to the arrest of six high-ranking members of the ethnic Greek "Omonia" party in southern Albania. Vangelis Papachristos, one of the arrested, was to undergo open heart surgery only two days before his arrest. The Greek deputies requested that he be moved immediately to hospital. The Omonia members were charged, in May, with "espionage, fomenting separatism and possessing weapons without a licence." Greece has repeatedly accused Albania of ill-treating and intimidating its large ethnic Greek minority. ECOFIN Brussels meeting on free aid to Albania ------------------------------------------------- BRUSSELS (ANA - V. Demiris) - The Council of Economy and Finance Ministers (ECOFIN) will convene in Brussels on Monday for the first time under the rotating European Union German presidency to examine the issue of granting 35 million ECUs to Albania as free economic aid which Greece has repeatedly blocked. The Council, to be attended by National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, is expected to aim at a compromise solution under which Greece should lift its reservations for only part of economic aid to Albania. A decision on the balance is expected to be taken after the European Commission examines a report on progress achieved in democratisation and human rights violations in Albania. The issue had been raised at past ECOFIN meetings on May 16 and June 6, but no agreement had been reached owing to Greece's reservations on human rights violations and respect for ethnic minorities in Albania. Other issues to be discussed at the Council include the German presidency's work programme, EU member-state economic policy guidelines, an account on progress achieved in combating fraud and an exploratory discussion on taxing bank deposits. Turkey replies to Greek protest on new Straits rules ------------------------------------------------------ ISTANBUL (ANA) - The Turkish government yesterday replied to Greece's protest of June 30, concerning new navigation regulations introduced by Ankara in the Bosphorus straits. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Ferhat Ataman stated yesterday, "our government recommends all ships passing through the Straits to comply with regulations". The new regulations came into force July 1. Turkey was prompted to introduce new rules following a major collision between two ships in the Straits in March, in which 30 sailors died. Greece, Russia and Bulgaria have protested the new rules violate international shipping regulations established under the 1936 Treaty of Montreux. A senior Russian Foreign Ministry official stated Thursday "some of the rules cannot be accepted as legal". Mr Ataman stated yesterday "the application of the New Regulation will be to the benefit of interested countries". Greece wants Turkish officialdom to keep a cool head ----------------------------------------------------- Greece expects Turkish officials and Turkish media to act with a cool head, reserve and responsibility, as befits a state wishing to appear as a genuine recipient of the madates of a state of justice," Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said yesterday. Mr. Venizelos was commenting on press reports according to which a German TV network shot a film in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus and Turkey titled "The aid and support the Republic of Cyprus provides for the PKK (The Kurdish Workers' Party, waging an armed struggle against Turkey for an independent Kurdish state)." According to the reports, the film was directed with guidance of the Turkish National Defence Staff and contains anti-Greek propaganda. In the film Greece is presented as fostering terrorism and charged with being involved in the international drug trafficking network through separatist Kurds. Mr. Venizelos termed "groundless, unacceptable, provocative and naive" allegations by Turkish media, "and, sometimes, by Turkish officials attributing responsibilities to Greece for supposed relations with the PKK and acts of violence and terrorism." He said such phenomena were "unacceptable", recalling Greece itself was a victim of terrorism, referring to this week's murder,by the November 17 terrorist organisation, of a senior Turkish diplomat in Athens. Mr. Venizelos said if the report was accurate then "it served as further proof of cultivating an artificial climate of tension between Greece and Turkey through defamatory, false and inaccurate allegations." Ankara Parliament speaker writes Kaklamanis ------------------------------------------- ISTANBUL (ANA) - Turkish President of Parliament Hucamettin Cidoruk wrote his Greek counterpart Apostolos Kaklamanis, expressing hope the Greek authorities will discover those responsible for a Turkish diplomat's murder in Athens Monday and bring them to justice. Mr. Cidoruk said his views reflect the Turkish Parliament's views, adding that "being the head of Greek Parliament, I hope and wish that you use your influence so that Greek authorities should discover those responsible for the Turkish diplomat's murder and bring them to justice." "I hope there will be close cooperation in relations between our parliaments," Mr. Cidoruk said. "Being a jurist, I think the publication of names and addresses of our diplomatic staff in the press should be taken into consideration," he said, adding that "please make an effort to prevent a repetition of similar publications which create intense hostility betweenthe two countries and encourage terrorism." "Being two allied countries, Greece and Turkey can overcome differences between them only through dialogue, cooperation and talks," Mr. Cidoruk said.