From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Tue, 23 Aug 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, August 23, 1994 -------------------------------------------- * President, Premier now caution Tirana, warn of retaliation * Samaras * Cypriot parliamentarians in Tirana * Restore dialogue with Athens urgently, top Albanian socialist urges * Over 650 Albanian illegals sent home * Greek jets fend off Turkish Phantoms * Greek health services able to cope with any cholera emergency President, Premier now caution Tirana, warn of retaliation ---------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 23/8/1994 (ANA): Greece took to the offensive yesterday warning Tirana that it would retaliate every move against its ethnic Greek minority in southern Albania. President of the Republic Constantine Karamanlis issued a stern warning to Albania, criticising it for "acting thoughtlessly." Mr. Karamanlis said "it will not be long before it (Albania) regrets this." Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou late Sunday night warned that "every step against the Greek minority in Albania will be answered". Mr. Papandreou, who made the statement in Crete before returning to Athens from a summer vacation, said the warning was intended exclusively "for the Tirana government and not the other (Albanian political) parties". "The trial is purely political and reminiscent of the Stalinist era but, fortunately, the world community has begun to realise what it is all about," Mr. Papandreou said. Replying to press questions, he said that "for every step against" the over 200,000-strong ethnic Greek minority in Albania "there will be a reply". Mr. Papandreou said that he was in constant touch with leaders of Greek opposition parties, and consultations would be repeated as often as necessary. "It is a policy which we are pursuing, and the Foreign Minister and I are always at the disposal of the Opposition," he said. The Prime Minister said he was not satisfied with the attitude of the international community on the issue. "Fortunately," he added, "international media have started grasping the issue, and that might help". Mr. Karamanlis and Mr. Papandreou will have a meeting tomorrow. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos, who disclosed the information to the press, described the meeting as "regular" and "usual", but informed sources maintained that talks would focus on the Greek-Albanian relations. Meanwhile tension between the two neighbours mounted further yesterday, after a Greek pilot Sunday flew over southern Albania in a crop-duster for an hour dropping propaganda leaflets against the Albanian government. Foreign Ministry spokesman Costas Bikas acknowledged incursion of the aircraft into Albania's airspace was "illegal" and "arbitrary", but it bore no relation to Greek foreign policy. Ignoring Greece's explanations, Albanian President Sali Berisha termed the incident "absurd and hostile" provocation, and accused Athens of launching a "Cold War" against Tirana. Albanian Foreign Under-Secretary Arian Sarova accused the Greek government of "violation of Albania's airspace and of the integrity of the Albanian state, of brutal interference in its domestic affairs and of an attempt to overthrow the Albanian government." Mr. Bikas said the Albanian political leadership's reaction to the incident yesterday was evidence of "desperate efforts it launches to involve, unsuccessfully, the Greek state in isolated incidents." He said the Albanian government's "loss of cool-headedness is now an established fact in view of the continuation of the mock trial of the five Omonia leaders." Meanwhile, the government spokesman said the Air Force colonel who flew a crop-spraying plane over southern Albania Sunday had been relieved of his duties in order to facilitate the inquiry. "Such irresponsible and foolish action can have no connection with official Greek state and foreign policy," Mr. Venizelos said. The spokesman clarified that Air Force Colonel Thomas Vrakas had returned to active duty from the reserve list and had mainly civilian duties. "As soon as the perpetration of some criminal offence is established, military justice takes up the case," Mr. Venizelos added. Meanwhile, Colonel Vrakas was remanded in custody in Avlona prison after being interrogated yesterday. Tension between Greece and Albania grew after Tirana arrested and charged with treason, spying and illegal carrying of arms five ethnic Greek leaders of the political organisation Omonia. On the first day of the trial the Albanian prosecutor dropped treason charges saying they were based on a Stalinist penal code. The defendants are now fighting charges of espionage and illegal possession of arms. The five ethnic Greeks were arrested after a fatal attack on an Albanian border conscript centre led to a mounting crisis between the two countries. Tirana accused Athens for the attack, but Greece flatly denied the charges. Samaras ------- Athens, 23/8/1994 (ANA): Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras yesterday urged the government to adopt "tough reprisals" against Albania if the case the trial of the five Omonia leaders was not ended, and if terrorism against the ethnic Greek minority in Albanian was not halted. Commenting on the incident of Albanian airspace violation by a Greek pilot Sunday, Mr. Samaras said the incident should not be given undue weight to avoid diverting public attention from the trial of the ethnic Greek Omonia leaders. Cypriot parliamentarians in Tirana ---------------------------------- Nicosia, 23/8/1994 (ANA/CNA): Four Cypriot MPs have arrived in Tirana to attend the trial of the five Greek Albanians. The parliamentary delegation has already asked for permission from the Albanian authorities to attend the trial of the five leading members of the ethnic Greek minority group, "Omonia". The MPs will also attempt to have meetings with representatives of Albanian parties, "Omonia" members, Albania's Greek Orthodox Archbishop Anastasios and the Albanian Justice Minister. The decision to send an observer parliamentary delegation to Albania was taken at an extraordinary meeting of the House of Representatives on Friday. The all party delegation is made up of Antonis Karas of the right-wing Democratic Rally, Aristofanis Georghiou of communist AKEL, the second largest party, Odysseus Demetriou of the centre-right Democratic Party, and Renos Prenzas of the socialist EDEK. All MPs arrived on Sunday in Gyrokastr with a long delay because of problems encountered in entering Albania. They said their presence in Tirana was proof of their keen interest in the trial and a show of solidarity with the five accused. The visit by the Cypriot MPs was also a message of strong protest to Europe about the means used against the Greek minority in Albania, the MPs added. Restore dialogue with Athens urgently, top Albanian socialist urges ----------------------------------------------------------------- Tirana, 23/8/1994 (ANA/MPA): Dialogue between Athens and Tirana should be restored urgently, Albanian Socialist party Vice-President Luan Heidaraga has told the newspaper Dita Informacion in an interview. "Once again, we repeat the urgent need for restoring dialogue between Greece and Albania", he said, adding that "if the five minority members are convicted, we will set them free as soon as we come to power, along with all political detainees. I state categorically that refugees (Albanians working in Greece) must not be held hostage to strained Greek-Albanian relations". The paper quoted the President of the Socialist party youth organisation as saying that if Greece expelled the 300,000 Albanians, relations between PASOK and the Albanian Socialist party would drop to a very low point. In a front page article, under the title "Greece financed the (ruling) Democratic party of Albania", "Koha Gione" wrote Sunday: "If the funding of Omonia constitutes evidence of links with Greek security services, could we infer that the Albanian Democratic party has been entangled too?" The daily "Zeri I Populit", referring to the trial wrote: "The prosecution or evidence submitted by witnesses cannot corroborate or support a charge of espionage". The paper also carries an interview with one of the witnesses, Panagiotis Barkas, who claims that besides equipment for the election campaign, the Greek New Democracy party gave President Berisha's party 80 million dr. Over 650 Albanian illegals sent home ------------------------------------ Athens, 23/8/1994 (ANA): More than 650 Albanian illegal immigrants were arrested in Epirus over the weekend and, along with others apprehended in other parts of the country, sent back to Albania through the Kakavia border post. Police effecting searches on those under expulsion have discovered many objects reported as stolen. Greek jets fend off Turkish Phantoms ------------------------------------ Athens, 23/4/1994 (ANA): Two Turkish Phantom fighter planes were intercepted by two Greek F-16s within the Nicosia FIR, during a joint Greek-Cypriot air-naval exercise, press reports said yesterday. The Turkish aircraft violated airspace between the islands of Rhodes, Crete, and Cyprus, earmarked as a region for the holding the exercise. It was followed by Chief of the National Defence General Staff Admiral Lymberis, aboard the frigate KIMON. Greek health services able to cope with any cholera emergency ------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 23/8/1994 (ANA): Minister of Health, Welfare and Social Security Dimitris Kremastinos stated yesterday the country's health services are fully up to standard to deal with any cases of cholera that may be imported. At a meeting with prefecture health chiefs, the minister advised inspection of water and sewage networks, and proper chlorination of water. He added the Health Ministry kept in touch with both the World Health Organisation (WHO) and European Health ministers, and "we are updated on countries which have cases of cholera imported from Turkey". Those countries, he said, did not issue travel instructions, but Greece did adopt certain measures which, however, did not include closing the border with Turkey, as some suggested. Meanwhile, the Danish Serology Institute said yesterday a 23-year old Dane had caught the disease in Turkey in July, but it was only diagnosed as cholera on his return home. The Institute said a German tourist had also contracted the disease in Turkey this summer.