From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Tue, 6 Sep 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, September 6, 1994 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * EU Monetary C'ttee meets on Greek Convergence Plan * PM, Industry Minister discuss oil, gas policy, other issues * Cement case: PASOK favours indicting former PM, ministers * Papantoniou: Economy on way to recovery, TIF venue for Balkan economic expansion * Greece: world community should engage Albania's responsibility * Spiegel: Berisha Kosovo "hostage" * Greek humanitarian aid reaches Rwanda * Symposium of Greek-Egyptian relations in Delphi EU Monetary C'ttee meets on Greek Convergence Plan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Athens, 6/9/1994 (ANA): The revised version of the Convergence Plan of the Greek economy will be discussed at the EU Monetary Committee in Brussels today. The meeting will be attended by central bank governors of European Union member-states and European Commission officials. Discussion will focus on a report drawn up by the European Commission on the Convergence Plan, which carries reservations on the attainment of targets set for budget revenue, sources said. After the discussion, the Monetary Committee will convey its views on the Convergence Plan to the Council of National Economy and Finance Ministers (ECOFIN). It was emphasised the Monetary Committee report will contain views only, sources said. The Convergence Plan will be examined by ECOFIN on September 19, where there will be no question of adoption or rejection, but of agreement or disagreement by EU Finance Ministers on targets set out in the programme. In light of today's discussion, the National Economy Ministry last week conveyed Brussels Greek economy data covering the 8-month period from January to August, showing a state revenue rise of 14.8 per cent over the corresponding period in 1993, the August increase alone being 34.28 per cent. Expenditure over the same period was contained at 6.5 per cent, primary surplus reached 445 billion dr. and foreign exchange reserves totalled 12 billion dollars. The Greek economy successfully weathered a speculative monetary assault a few months ago. The National Economy Ministry believes positive developments will continue throughout the year, as also efforts to increase state revenue and curb expenditure, making unnecessary the adoption of new measures. Greek officials participating in the Monetary Committee are National Economy Ministry Council of Financial Experts President Ioannis Stournaras, Bank of Greece financial counsellor Nikos Garganas (members), National Economy Ministry expert Michalis Masourakis and Bank of Greece official Sophocles Brisimis (alternate members). PM, Industry Minister discuss oil, gas policy, other issues ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Athens, 6/9/1994 (ANA): Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and Commerce and Industry Minister Costas Simitis yesterday conferred on a range of current economic developments including state oil and gas policy. In another development, Mr. Simitis referred to the EU Monetary Committee meeting in Brussels today, to examine Greece's revised Convergence Plan. The Minister said Greece would stand firm in order to secure a positive response on a range of issues. Cement case: PASOK favours indicting former PM, ministers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Athens, 6/9/1994 (ANA): The majority (Socialist PASOK) of an investigating committee yesterday asked Parliament to bring criminal charges against former Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis over allegations that he accepted bribes in the 1992 sale of a state cement firm. It also asked Parliament to indict as accomplices in the cement scandal Mr. Mitsotakis' former finance minister, Ioannis Palaiokrassas and his former industry minister, Andreas Andrianopoulos. The report containing the conclusions of the investigating committee was handed over to the Parliament's President Apostolos Kaklamanis yesterday. Mr. Kaklamanis now must set a date for a debate and vote in the 300-seat parliament on whether or not to lift the immunity of Mr. Mitsotakis and send him for trial before a special 13-judge criminal court. The debate will probably take place on September 19, according to informed sources. Main opposition New Democracy party representatives in the committee proposed exemption of Mr. Mitsotakis, Palaiokrassas and Andrianopoulos. Political Spring (Pol.An) party proposed that only Mr. Mitsotakis be brought to trial, while the Communist Party (KKE) said that there was lack of evidence to refer the three ND politicians to trial. Prime Minister from 1990 to 1993, Mr. Mitsotakis is alleged to have violated his duties by accepting $22.5 million in bribes to sell the state-run AGET-Heracles cement company to Italian cement group Calcestruzzi and Greece's National Bank for $225 million. Mr. Mitsotakis, 75, who was previously ordered by Parliament to stand trial on separate charges of illegal eavesdropping, denies any wrongdoing in the AGET-Heracles case and says he is the victim of political vendetta by PASOK. Parliament, where the ruling PASOK party have a comfortable absolute majority, voted in a separate case in June to order Mr. Mitsotakis to stand trial on charges of illegal wiretapping between 1988 and 1990. Mr. Palaiokrassas now holds the post of commissioner for the environment in the European Union's executive commission in Brussels. The special committee also asked yesterday for businessman Iraklis Mathiopoulos, a personal friend of Mitsotakis, and AGET-Heracles' former Vice-President, Nikos Georgiades, to be tried in the case. Papantoniou: Economy on way to recovery, TIF venue for Balkan economic expansion ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Athens, 6/9/1994 (ANA): National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou in a message yesterday marking the forthcoming opening of the 59th session of Thessaloniki International Fair on September 10, noted TIF is held at a time when the Greek economy, overcoming an unstable economic period, is beginning to show clear signs of recovery. Mr. Papantoniou reviewed government policy priorities and targets, focusing on a drastic reduction of public deficits and further checking inflation. "Our aim is for inflation to approach the European Union average as near as possible in 1997 while, by 1998, state budget deficit should reach limits set out in the Maastricht Treaty," Mr. Papantoniou said. Mr. Papantoniou appears optimistic over national economy indicators, since the increase in the rate of inflation has considerably fallen, while the Balance of Payments and other basic economic indicators have shown improvement. Mr. Papantoniou referred to the modernisation of the taxation system which secures a gradual increase in taxation revenue, and privatisation which is expected to contribute to restructuring state finances, while also promoting modernisation of enterprises. "The basic criterion in elaborating policy is boosting exports. The government has already processed and is now implementing an integrated support framework for Greek activities in Balkan and Black Sea countries whose results are now showing. The new export and investment support framework under promotion carries special incentives for investing in Balkan countries. It also includes activation of Greek banks in financing such investments and expanding the role of the drachma to enable it to gradually cover the broader region of the Balkans," Mr. Papantoniou said. Referring to the role of Thessaloniki, especially the international exhibition, Mr. Papantoniou said "this year's session offers TIF an opportunity to expands its role, which is already successful, in developing the economies of countries in the region and strengthening their economic relations." "However, it is also an opportunity for Greek enterprises to meet the challenge of penetrating the Balkans and utilising the comparative advantage at their disposal even further," he said. In a similar message, Industry, Energy and Technology Minister Costas Simitis underlined the importance of competitiveness in ensuring progress for the Greek economy, adding it was the keynote both for industry and trade. "To begin with, achieving competitiveness is the responsibility of each enterprise which sets up its advantages in conjunction with its options. The state, in turn, should secure conditions in which competition among branches, activities or enterprises suggesting selection of those who might better live up to the competition process," Mr. Simitis said. Greece: world community should engage Albania's responsibility ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Athens, 6/9/1994 (ANA): Greece yesterday called on the international community to acknowledge Albania was undermining and obstructing dialogue, and exert pressure on Tirana to drop charges against the five ethnic Greeks accused of spying for Greece. Meanwhile, tension mounted further between the two neighbours in anticipation of the Albanian court's verdicts tomorrow. "The international community should realise that Albania is systematically undermining and obstructing dialogue with Greece," government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said yesterday. Commenting on a statement by Albanian Prime Minister Aleksandr Meksi, the spokesman said Athens had replied negatively to Mr. Meksi's proposal for the presence of a neutral observer at any future Greek-Albanian dialogue, just as it had also rejected a similar proposal by Albanian President Sali Berisha. The reason, Mr. Venizelos said, was that "such a presence would offer nothing of substance". The spokesman clarified that Greece did not rule out dialogue, noting that a form of "dialogue" was already under way "with demarches and replies, which is particularly enlightening for the international community". "The attitude of the Albanian authorities is of crucial significance to the stability of the entire southern Balkan region," Mr. Venizelos added. In a recent development, Albania called for international mediation to resolve the dispute with Greece, but Athens said dialogue would be meaningless, as long as Albania continued to persecute ethnic Greeks in Albania. Responding to Mr. Meksi's claim that "Greece should add "a little water to its wine", Mr. Venizelos retorted that "if that were so, then it is Albanian intransigence and provocativeness that is the wine". He said that full international pressure should be brought to bear on Tirana. Tension between the two neighbours was stoked by the trial of five ethnic Greek members belonging to the political organisation Omonia, accused of spying for Greece and illegal possession of arms. The trial opened in Tirana last month. Last week, an Albanian prosecutor demanded jail sentences of between seven and nine years for the defendants. Athens sharply criticised the demand saying it was indicative of the trial's political character. In another development yesterday President Constantine Karamanlis met with Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias to discuss foreign policy issues. The Political Spring party in an announcement yesterday urged Albanian President Sali Berisha to drop the charges and let the five ethnic Greeks go home. "The only way out of the impasse which Mr. Berisha himself has created, is to drop the fabricated charges and release the ethnic Greeks," the announcement said. Communist party of Greece (KKE) leader Aleka Papariga yesterday said the Tirana trial was linked to Greek-Albanian relations. Suggesting that the United States was inciting tension in the region, Ms. Papariga said "give and take in the Balkans should be stopped and solutions sought should aim towards peaceful coexistence of peoples (in the region.)" Spiegel: Berisha Kosovo "hostage" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Berlin, 6/9/1994 (ANA-P.Stangos): Meanwhile in Berlin, an article on the Tirana trial appearing last week in the weekly political magazine "Der Spiegel", portrayed Albanian President Sali Berisha as "hostage" of nationalistic circles in Kosovo. The article said that was the reason Mr. Berisha continued to escalate tension with Greece. The article -- sub-headed "President Berisha undermines in Tirana the dispute with Greeks"-- claims that "the source of nationalistic hysteria and the new front in the Balkans is situated in Kosovo," and that is under the influence of author Adem Demacci, a herald of Albanian ultranationalism and irredentism. According to the article, Mr. Berisha "listens to the new lobby of the Kossovians in his kingdom" because he relies on their help to eliminate his Socialist opponents in the domestic front. Greek humanitarian aid reaches Rwanda ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Athens, 6/9/1994 (ANA): The first part of a Greek aid package to refugees from Rwanda has already been delivered, a Foreign Ministry statement said yesterday. Aid, about 12 tonnes of medicines, foodstuffs, blankets and tents, was delivered to refugees on August 27, the statement added. Greece will continue to contribute through the European Union to the effort of solving the humanitarian problem of refugees and finding a way out for Rwanda's political crisis, the statement added. Symposium of Greek-Egyptian relations in Delphi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Athens, 6/9/1994 (ANA): The development of bilateral economic relations and encouraging investments both in Egypt and Greece, is the main topic of a symposium on Greek-Egyptian relations to be held in Delphi September 9 through 11, an announcement by the Association of Greek-Egyptian Friendship said yesterday. The symposium will discuss the contribution made by the Greek community in Egypt to the economic and cultural development of that country from the era of Alexander the Great through present times, as also issues relating to tourist and shipping co-operation, promoting joint scientific research, and the establishment of a University in Egypt to be named after Alexander the Great. Conclusions will be submitted to the competent Greek and Egyptian authorities. The Symposium is sponsored by the Friendship Associations in both countries, and jointly funded by the Culture Ministry, the Hellenic Industrial Development Bank, the Export Promotion Organisation and the Ionian Bank.