From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Wed, 30 Nov 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, November 30, 1994 ---------------------------------------------- * Premier vows to remain active in politics, rules out standing for president * Opposition parties * Papoulias, Zieleniec say room for growth in Greek-Czech economic relations * PASOK examines recent performance * Arsenis in Israel for talks on military co-operation pact * Papoulias reiterates Greek support for EU peace efforts in Bosnia * Public Order Ministry denies claims of mistreatment of detainees * Vatican delegation in Istanbul to attend St Andrew events * Balkan news agencies crucial in fostering peace, conference told * Kranidiotis outlines Greek reservations on Turkey to van den Broek * Lamassoure says troika foreign ministers to meet in Budapest * No Greek support for NATO strikes on Bosnia, Kouris says * WEU annual meeting begins in Paris Premier vows to remain active in politics, rules out standing for president --------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 30/11/1994 (ANA): Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou yesterday put an end to press speculation that he would be a candidate for the largely ceremonial post of president of the republic next year, saying his place was in active politics. "It is not my intention and I shall not run for President of the Republic," Mr. Papandreou told his ruling Panhellenic Socialist Movement's Central Committee. The Greek press has speculated for months that Mr. Papandreou would run for the post of president when parliament meets in April to decide on a successor to incumbent Constantine Karamanlis. Mr. Papandreou also reiterated his invitation to dissenters in the government to resign, after recent criticism of government policy by a number of ministers and senior party members. "It is obvious that I am not referring to a rule of silence, but a rule of seriousness and responsibility," the prime minister said. Mr. Papandreou told the Cabinet last week that any public disagreement by a minister with government policy "will not be tolerated and will be considered a resignation". The prime minister said that at the end of the government's mandate, in October 1997, the government will have done "good work." Adding that the government's work so far has been "positive," the prime minister referred to the successful Greek EU presidency, the completion of the budget, the drachma's resilience when short-term capital movement was freed in May, and the successful outcomes of Euro-elections and municipal and regional elections for the PASOK party. Noting that many of the targets and policies included in PASOK's ticket are gradually materialising, Mr. Papandreou said he agreed with those who were not satisfied since "we should always strive for the best." On national issues, Mr. Papandreou told the Central Committee meeting that Greece desired good relations with its neighbours. "(But) these are problems which we did not ask for and did not create," Mr. Papandreou said. He said the government was prepared to work towards solutions, adding however, that "we shall not leave our national interests unprotected and we shall not subscribe to unacceptable compromises". "Apart from the Turkish threat, which has permanent features and of which the roots go deep, we are ready at any moment to promote solutions for the disengagement of such issues," Mr. Papandreou said. "But, we are not prepared and we will never be prepared to abandon our national interests unprotected, to accept solutions which call for concessions only from our side (and) to sign unacceptable compromises," the prime minister said. "This position," he added, "should be made understood to all." Mr. Papandreou's intention to stay in active politics and not run for the post of president was received with satisfaction by PASOK officials. President of the Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis said Mr. Papandreou's speech covered all issues and answered all questions with responsibility. "The responsibility for early elections now lies with the opposition," he said. Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis referred to the prime minister's refusal to stand for president as "a responsible and politically brave act." Former EU commissioner and PASOK deputy Vasso Papandreou said the prime minister's stated intentions helped Greece's political stability. Ms Papandreou recently hosted a dinner for three PASOK members -- Industry and Trade Minister Constantine Simitis, former alternate Foreign Minister for European affairs and transport minister Theodoros Pangalos and PASOK Eurodeputy Paraskevas Avgerinos -- giving rise to press speculations for growing dissent within the party and prompting the prime minister to invite dissenters to resign. Ms Papandreou said the prime minister "shared our stated anxieties." He showed the disapproval for the mechanisms which led PASOK's leadership to grow away from the party's social forces, she said. Eurodeputy Paraskevas Avgerinos said the prime minister's message had been "expected" and had been accepted by everyone. Opposition parties ------------------ Athens, 30/11/1994 (ANA): Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras reiterated that his party would vote for the most competent candidate for the post of the president. The Communist Party of Greece said the prime minister's address "added nothing new to everything we've known so far and confirmed PASOK's conservative policy." The Coalition of the Left and Progress said Mr. Papandreou's "necessary pledge not to run for president pushed back procedures for his successor and reduced but did not eliminate the possibility of early elections". A party spokesman said the prime minister's address was "a beautification attempt for a failed and incoherent government policy." Papoulias, Zieleniec say room for growth in Greek-Czech economic relations --------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 30/11/1994 (ANA): Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias said yesterday that there was room for further development of economic relations between Greece and the Czech Republic after talks yesterday with his Czech counterpart Josef Zieleniec. Mr. Papoulias said that the balance of trade between the two countries favoured the Czech Republic, a fact which left "great room" for action by Greek businessmen. The two officials discussed bilateral and international issues, including the Bosnian crisis and the forthcoming Conference and Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) summit in Budapest. "Greece and the Czech Republic are situated in a key position in Europe and are concerned about developments in the greater Balkans area," Mr. Papoulias said. Mr. Papoulias and Mr. Zieleniec, who arrived in Athens Monday for a two-day official visit, agreed to further develop bilateral relations in other sectors, including defence. Mr. Papoulias said that he had accepted an invitation to visit Prague in the near future. Mr. Zieleniec underlined the need for further co-operation between the two countries at political, economic, cultural and scientific levels and thanked Greece for its support for Czech efforts to join NATO and the European Union. On the issue of Greece's dispute with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Zieleniec said that the two countries must solve their differences, adding that the Czech Republic backed the efforts of UN mediator Cyrus Vance to find a settlement. Mr. Zieleniec also held a meeting yesterday with Parliament's President Apostolos Kaklamanis focusing on the need for further development of relations between the two parliaments. PASOK examines recent performance --------------------------------- Athens, 30/11/1994 (ANA): The PASOK Executive Bureau said yesterday that the party retained its lead over the main opposition New Democracy party in municipal and prefectural elections last month, winning 52 per cent of the vote. PASOK won 37 prefectures (15 without any support from other parties), and 219 municipal authorities (136 in collaboration with the Coalition of the Left and Progress) in the poll. The report on the elections, released at the Central Committee meeting, also mentions that New Democracy maintained its strength at 1990 levels, Political Spring did not manage to record any appreciable strength at municipal level, the Communist Party was "the great loser" of the contest, while it is considered doubtful whether the Coalition increased its strength. Reference is also made to the country's three major municipal authorities, and in particular Athens, where the Pangalos campaign was described as the "best possible". The unsuccessful result is attributed to a strong adverse media campaign, certain inappropriate aspects in Mr. Pangalos' tactics, and the absence of electoral officials at many polling stations. The Central Committee meeting will continue today. Arsenis in Israel for talks on military co-operation pact -------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 30/11/1994 (ANA): Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis will leave for Israel today to discuss future military co-operation between the two countries. The visit will be the first by a Greek defence minister to Israel which Greece only recognised in 1990. Ministry sources said Mr. Arsenis was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin together with a string of Israeli government and military officials during his four-day stay. His visit, they added, was in the framework of a Greek initiative to bolster stability in the Balkan and Middle East region. Mr. Arsenis is also expected to meet Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Diodoros when he visits the Holy City during his stay. Mr. Arsenis announced in October that Greece was ready to participate in a multinational observer force if Israel withdrew from the Golan Heights and would be willing to contribute its good offices between Israel and Syria. Papoulias reiterates Greek support for EU peace efforts in Bosnia ----------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 30/11/1994 (ANA): Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias reiterated yesterday that Greece was opposed to military intervention as a means of resolving the Bosnian problem. "Only a political solution will bring the desired result and this is the aim of the European Union peace plan," Mr. Papoulias said in reply to press questions. He said that Greece supported the efforts of the Contact Group and underlined the need for "more determined" steps in order to get the warring parties back to the negotiating table. Public Order Ministry denies claims of mistreatment of detainees ---------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 30/11/1994 (ANA): The Public Order Ministry yesterday rejected as "vague" allegations that detainees in Greece were being mistreated, contained in a report by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) of the Council of Europe. According to a ministry statement, the little medical evidence presented in the report is far from enough to prove the truth of the allegations. CPT members visited 20 prisons, police stations and psychiatric wards in Greece from March 16 to 26. Their report, published yesterday, alleges that individuals arrested by police in Greece run "a serious risk of being subjected to maltreatment and, sometimes, to torture", according to an AFP dispatch from Paris. The report also states that "the general picture formed by discussions with detainees and others, was that the frequency and seriousness of maltreatment by the police had clearly decreased in comparison to what was the case a few years ago". The ministry statement said that the delegation visited many prisons and detention centres in Greece in March 1993 and adopted the report in December of that year. Regarding conditions of detention and accommodation in cells, the ministry statement says that it was pointed out to the CPT that the detention period was restricted to the absolute necessary minimum, while it rejected the claim that the time elapsing between arrest and prosecution in some cases exceeded 24 hours. Vatican delegation in Istanbul to attend St Andrew events --------------------------------------------------------- Istanbul, 30/11/1994 (ANA): A Roman Catholic Church delegation led by Cardinal Idris Cassidy is in Istanbul to attend today's memorial events for Saint Andrew, founder and protector of the Church of Constantinople. The delegation had talks with a group of Holy Synod churchmen, and will deliver a personal message from Pope John Paul II to Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos today. Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Ecumenical Patriarchate yesterday said that "for reasons beyond the powers of the Mother Church," the St. Nicholas Theological Symposium, Worship, and Service at the St. Nicholas Basilica, held annually on St Nicholas Day on December 6, at Myra will not take place this year. The statement listed no reasons, but reliable sources were quoted as saying the events would not be held because Turkish authorities had laid down conditions which made worship impossible. Balkan news agencies crucial in fostering peace, conference told ---------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 30/11/1994 (ANA): Macedonia-Thrace Ministry Secretary-General Nikos Afentoulidis yesterday stressed the importance of co-operation between Balkan news agencies to creating a climate for peace at his opening address to a conference at the Helexpo conference centre in Thessaloniki. Chairman of the Board of the Macedonian Press Agency Pavlos Petridis pointed out that whenever communication between neighbours was based on good faith, it bore the best possible result. "Our aim," he said, "is for co-operation between news agencies of Balkan countries to be systematised and organised on new bases. An immediate aim also is to set up an information bank, to contribute to the updating and research in the framework of this co-operation". BIP Bulgarian news agency director Stefan Belev, speaking on behalf of the provisional executive secretariat of the Union of Balkan News Agencies, expressed the hope that in future Balkan agencies will be in a position to update each other on developments in their countries. For this, he added, we need to set up a joint information bank, and to facilitate the movement of journalists by issuing inter-Balkan visas for them, to minimise time lost at border check points. Kranidiotis outlines Greek reservations on Turkey to van den Broek ----------------------------------------------------------------- Brussels, 30/11/1994 (ANA/M. Savva): Foreign Under-Secretary for European Affairs Yiannos Kranidiotis yesterday held talks in Brussels with Dutch European Union Foreign Relations Commissioner Hans van den Broek on relations between the European Union and Turkey in light of the Association Council on December 19. Mr. Kranidiotis briefed the commissioner on Greece's reservations on the EU developing relations with Turkey, which continues to occupy a third of Cypriot territory despite numerous UN calls for withdrawal. He explained why Greece cannot justify the upgrading of relations between Europe and Turkey, adding that Greece has requested specific steps such as a withdrawal of Turkish troops from occupied Turkish territory, the liberation of Famagusta and the setting of a date for an immediate start to negotiations for Cyprus' accession to the EU before the 1996 intergovernmental conference. A spokesman for Mr. van den Broek avoided going into the details of the meeting between the two and said the discussion with Mr. Kranidiotis was a continuation of the discussion held on Monday on the sidelines of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers. Lamassoure says troika foreign ministers to meet in Budapest ------------------------------------------------------------ Paris, 30/11/1994 (ANA/G. Zitouniati): French European Affairs Minister Alain Lamassoure yesterday said that French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and his German counterpart Klaus Kinkel would meet with Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias on the sidelines of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe meeting in Budapest, December 5-6. Mr. Lamassoure disclosed the new date for the meeting, which was originally set for November 15 in Athens, in his meeting yesterday with Greek main opposition New Democracy party Vice-President Ioannis Varvitsiotis and ND Eurodeputy George Anastasopoulos. The meeting of the European Union troika foreign ministers is expected to discuss European Union relations with Turkey, Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the setting of a date for accession negotiations for Cyprus. Mr. Varvitsiotis and Mr. Anastasopoulos arrived in Paris yesterday as part of a tour of European capitals. They held separate meetings with Giscard d'Estaing, president of the French Democratic Union and the Republican Rally's Secretary-General Jean Luis Damarais. Mr. Varvitsiotis and Mr. Anastasopoulos said their contacts -- focusing on issues concerning Europe, Greece and the Balkans -- had been "sub-stantial" and had been held in "a friendly atmosphere" and said they hoped they would contribute to a change in the prevailing "negative climate for Greece." No Greek support for NATO strikes on Bosnia, Kouris says -------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 30/11/1994 (ANA): The Greek government has advised NATO political and military authorities not to use the Aktion air base for attack operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, National Defence Under-Secretary George Kouris told Parliament yesterday. He added that NATO had been told no Greek crews would be used in reconnaissance AWACS flight missions. In a written reply to questions by opposition parties Political Spring and the Communist Party of Greece, Mr. Kouris denied rumours of a possible stationing of Italian and Turkish forces in Greece when the NATO Larissa command becomes operational. Referring to the Greek air space issue, he noted that all countries -- including Turkey -- acknowledged Greek sovereignty extended to 10 miles in the air. Greece retains that right, and will exercise it as and when it decides to do so. WEU annual meeting begins in Paris ---------------------------------- Athens, 30/11/1994 (ANA): The four-day Western European Union 40th Annual Session started its second session in Paris Monday with the participation of a seven-member Greek inter-party parliamentary delegation. The Greek delegation is composed of Costas Vrettos (PASOK), Aristotelis Pavlidis, Mihalis Liapis, Vassilis Manginas and Vassilis Korahais (New Democracy), Maria Mahaira (Political Spring) and Efstratios Korakas (KKE). The session's agenda includes such issues as European defence and security policies. Addresses will be made by Romanian President Ion Iliescu, French Prime Minister Eduard Balladur, Slovenian President Milan Kucan and the foreign ministers of the Netherlands and Russia Hans van Mierlo and Andrei Kozyrev respectively.