From: "Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa" Subject: A.N.A. Bulletin 14/1/95 Athens News Agency Bulletin --------------------------- (Apo to Ellnviko Grafeio Tupou kai Plnroforiwv, Ottaba, Kavadas E-Mail Address: grnewsca@sympatico.ca) * Row over premier's loans continues * Mitsotakis art collection legally obtained, prosecutors say * US State Dep't official meets with FYROM supporters in northern Greece * French to tell Turks of Greek conditions for customs union * Germany's DASA puts on show in effort to win modernisation contract * Evert meets with Rabin, 'Greek-Israeli relations can improve' * Foreign Ministry organises rescue operation for Greeks trapped in Chechnya * EU sends 310,000 Ecu for Chechnya victims * Greek embassy reports bomb threats to Turkish authorities * Victims of Turkish racism tell their story * Economy, finance ministers confer with central bank governor on economy * Commission approves new projects programme * Greek delegation in Moscow for talks on alumina agreement, final formula expected soon Row over premier's loans continues ---------------------------------- Athens, 14/1/95 (ANA): The row over Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou accepting interest-free loans from his ministers continued within the ranks of the ruling PASOK party yesterday. Speaking on behalf of Mr. Papandreou, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos accused PASOK deputy and former minister Theodoros Pangalos of "drawing hasty conclusions" and of being unable "to comprehend the political framework" of the issue. Mr. Pangalos, the PASOK-backed candidate for Athens mayor in recent municipal elections and previously alternate foreign minister in Mr. Papandreou's cabinet, had earlier said in a radio interview that the premier's acceptance of the loans might possibly be construed as "bribery". "The prime minister is suffering the consequences of a very bad and a very silly intervention of various people in his circle, and he would be well advised to dismiss them," he said. At a time when the government was asking the Greek people to tolerate a climate of austerity, the prime minister's decision to build a luxury home with money he did not possess had to be deprecated from the aesthetic, if not moral point of view, he added. In an income statement submitted to Parliament, the premier said he had borrowed 155 million drachmas from personal friends, including 45 million from three of his ministers, to build a villa. Replying on Wednesday to main opposition New Democracy party accusations of unethical behaviour, Mr. Venizelos spoke of expediencies on the part of ND aimed at creating a political stir. He said that Mr. Papandreou had merely opted for the simplest way of borrowing from old friends. ND leader Miltiades Evert yesterday lashed out at the prime minister's move to accept interest-free loans from ministers. "The prime minister's actions do not only insult his personal integrity but the parliamentary institutions and the norms of ethics and justice," Mr. Evert said. He charged that Mr. Papandreou "is holding the country up to ridicule internationally and undermining its parliamentary institutions". He referred to "unprecedented" revelations, asking that the premier's income statement to Parliament be investigated judicially, or New Democracy would take action against the deputy House speaker and press for the setting up of a parliamentary committee of inquiry on the issue. Replying to Mr. Evert, Mr. Venizelos said he was copying old and discredited methods which had not borne any result in the past and would not do so now either. Mitsotakis art collection legally obtained, prosecutors say ----------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 14/1/95 (ANA): Judiciary officials said yesterday priceless antiquities owned by former conservative prime minister Constantine Mitsotakis and his wife were legally collected. Crete public prosecutors George Fotakis and Nikolas Tzoulakis said they had shelved the case after an investigation proved the former prime minister and his wife were not connected with illegal excavations on the island. A Culture Ministry report last March hinted that several pieces in the collection were similar to those unearthed during excavations at graves near the Odygitria monastery. It said Mr. Mitsotakis' registration of the archaeological pieces coincided with the time the graves were looted. The collection includes 1,081 gold coins, jewels, ceramic pots, statuettes and scarab seals. Mr. Mitsotakis, prime minister from 1990 to 1993, obtained 289 pieces while prime minister. A further 450 were acquired from 1978 and 1980 when Mr. Mitsotakis served as foreign minister, compared to just 150 pieces obtained in the eight-year period between 1981 and 1989 when the conservatives were in opposition. Mr. Mitsotakis defended himself saying it was not possible for a collector to verify the origin of any item nor was he obliged to by law. US State Dep't official meets with FYROM supporters in northern Greece --------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 14/1/95 (ANA): US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Nancy Ely-Raphel yesterday wound up a visit to Thessaloniki following talks with members of a small organisation which supports the positions of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in its dispute with Greece. The US official, responsible for human rights issues, declined to divulge the content of her talks with representatives of the "Macedonian Movement for Balkan Prosperity", based in Western Macedonia. Organisation spokesman Pavlos Voskopoulos told reporters, however, that he had condemned what he claimed was "the lack of democracy in Greece with regard to differences and respect for the human rights of ethnic groups". Late last night, Ms. Raphel had talks with the administrative committee of the Macedonian Committee, whose members underlined the intransigence of the FYROM leadership and set out in detail the attempt by Skopje to falsify the history of Macedonia. French to tell Turks of Greek conditions for customs union ---------------------------------------------------------- Paris, 14/1/95 (ANA - G. Zitouniati): The French European Union presidency will convey to Turkey conditions set by Greece to lift a veto on customs union between the EU and Turkey at a meeting on January 19. Turkish "caretaker" Foreign Under-Secretary and former ambassador to the EU Ozdem Sanberg will meet the French Foreign Ministry's Assistant Secretary-General Mr. Martin, who attended recent French-Greek and French-Cypriot talks Wednesday and Thursday. Mr. Sanberg will not meet French Foreign Minister Alain Juppi and European Affairs Minister Alain Lamassoure who will be away from Paris on the day of the meeting performing French presidency duties. Greece has linked a customs union agreement between the EU and Turkey to progress in the Cyprus problem and a date for accession negotiations with Cyprus. Last month, it vetoed the EU customs union with Turkey and insisted on a date for EU-Cyprus talks, while drawing attention to Turkey's appalling human rights record. Cyprus, which applied for EU membership in July 1990, has long requested that the EU set a date for the start of accession talks, a move the Cyprus government considers should have a beneficial effect on efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem. Mr. Lamassoure Thursday said that France wished that an agreement on the customs union and attainment of "significant progress" for the accession of Cyprus and Malta be concluded simultaneously during its six-month presidency. Diplomatic sources said on Thursday that negotiations for Cyprus' entry are expected to start in the first half of 1997, in the first presidency following the intergovernmental conference of 1996. The sources confirmed that neither Britain nor other EU member-states objected to the formula agreed on Wednesday in meetings Foreign Under-Secretary Yiannos Kranidiotis and Cyprus Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides had with Mr. Juppi and Mr. Lamassoure on a timetable for Cyprus' accession to the EU. Germany's DASA puts on show in effort to win modernisation contract ---------------------------------------------------------- Munich, 14/1/95 (ANA - P. Stangos): The German DASA company has shown strong interest in undertaking part of the modernisation of Greek Phantom F-4F fighter aircraft, providing National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis and Greek delegation officials with marathon displays at the German fighter squadron's base at Neuburg, DASA's testing centre at Manhing and the company's business headquarters at Ottobrun in Munich. The company, a subsidiary of Daemler Benz, is anxious to undertake the modernisation of the Greek aircraft and is offering half the order to Greece (Hellenic Aerospace Industry). Reports said German Defence Minister Volker Ruehe "intervened" with DASA and an in principle agreement was reached on modernising a number of Greek Phantom aircraft and with the prospect of EAB developing similar activities in the Balkan region and the Middle East in co-operation with the German company. Co-operation with DASA concerns the modernisation of the aircrafts' fuselage, meaning a new lease of life for them, while renewal of radar systems and electronic counter-measures and their fitting with AMRAAM missiles will be carried out by the US. During the display at the company's headquarters, Mr. Arsenis showed particular interest in Greece's participation in the consortium of companies participating in the building of a new European transport aircraft -- to replace Hercules C-130 and C-160 transport aircraft -- and in the programme for the creation and exploitation of a multiple-use satellite (Turkey participates in both programmes). According to reports, an agreement was likewise reached in principle in these sectors. Evert meets with Rabin, 'Greek-Israeli relations can improve' ------------------------------------------------------------ Tel Aviv, 14/1/95 (ANA): Main opposition New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert yesterday met with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and expressed his belief that Greek-Israel relations can improve on all levels. The meeting between Mr. Evert and Mr. Rabin had been scheduled to take place on Thursday but was cancelled due to Mr. Rabin's sudden departure for Jordan to confer with King Hussein. Mr. Evert said that Greece can play an important role in the development of better relations between the eastern Mediterranean countries and added that he intended to confer with the government "to see how it is possible for Greece to help generally in the Middle Eastern crisis". The leader of the opposition also said that the meeting between Mr. Rabin and King Hussein had positive results as Israel's relations with the Arab countries are changing. He added that Greece should examine how, through the Volos port, it could link Europe with the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. Mr. Evert also told reporters that it was necessary that Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou visit Israel because "there ought to be a balance in foreign diplomatic relations." Mr. Rabin spoke with high regard of Mr. Evert and his father, Angelos Evert who helped Greek Jews in Athens while he was Police Chief during the Nazi occupation. Mr. Rabin told reporters, when asked what role Greece played for overcoming the crisis in the region, that "the parties involved are responsible for the peace process (which can be achieved) in co-operation with the United States and Russia". Foreign Ministry organises rescue operation for Greeks trapped in Chechnya -------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 14/1/95 (ANA): The Foreign Ministry announced yesterday it had set up a task force to co-ordinate the evacuation of ethnic Greeks caught in fighting in war-torn Chechnya. The task force, headed by Greek Ambassador to the Russian Federation Kyriakos Rodoussakis, was set up by Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias in co-operation with the Under-Secretary for Oversees Greeks Grigoris Niotis. George Iacovou, chairman of the National Institute for the Reception and Resettlement of Expatriate and Repatriate Greeks, has left for nearby Mineralnye Vody to prepare the dispatch of humanitarian aid there and to organise an air lift to Greece for those Greeks who wish to leave. At the insistence of Mr. Roudoussakis, the Russian Minister for Emergencies has made an exception and allowed the Greek task force to approach the conflict area, using a town in North Ossetia for its base. There were conflicting reports, however, about the number of Greeks still in the area. Mr. Iacovou told the ANA in a telephone interview that there were about 20 Greek families in Grozny before the airborne bombardments, while a spokesman for the Greek community in North Ossetia said that there were about 100-110 Greeks in the Chechnyan capital. But the Russian Federation's Ministry for Nationalities told the ANA that according to the latest population census, there were 509 Greeks in Grozny, although that number could be double since many Greeks have not stated their nationality in the past. According to an ANA dispatch, it was likely that there were Greeks among the approximately 400,000 refugees of various nationalities who had sought refuge in nearby regions. EU sends 310,000 Ecu for Chechnya victims ----------------------------------------- Athens, 14/1/95 (ANA): The European Union has agreed to grant humanitarian aid totalling 310,000 Ecu to the victims of war-torn Chechnya, Foreign Ministry sources said yesterday. They said aid would be distributed by the International Red Cross organisation. Greek embassy reports bomb threats to Turkish authorities --------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 14/1/95 (ANA): Greece's embassy in Ankara has notified Turkish authorities of a spate of bomb threats against Greek targets in the neighbouring country, a report by the Athens News Agency (ANA) from Istanbul said yesterday. It said the Greek embassy was the first victim of bomb scares when anonymous callers phoned to warn of an attack on Wednesday. Similar threats followed against an Olympic Airways aircraft at Istanbul airport, the Greek consulates in Ismir and Edirne (Adrianoupolis), the report said. Investigations were begun, while Olympic Airways flight have been delayed as a result of intensified searches. "The string of incidents is characteristic of the climate cultivated in Turkey by the repeated anti-Greek statements and efforts by the (Turkish) press to link Greece to the domestic problems plaguing Turkey," said the report. A leading Turkish political party official recently reiterated Ankara's allegations that Kurdish seperatist rebels were being trained in Armenia, Syria, Greece and Cyprus. Victims of Turkish racism tell their story ------------------------------------------ Athens, 14/1/95 (ANA): Representatives of peoples who have at various times been adversely affected by racism in Turkey and in the Turkish-occupied regions of Cyprus gathered yesterday for the first time, on the occasion of an event on 'Turkey and human rights', organised by the Greek Committee of Solidarity on National issues and Human Rights at the Greek Stage Directors Society. Armenians, Kurds, Cypriots, Greeks from Istanbul, the Black Sea region of Pontus, and the island of Imvros, Arabs from Alexandretta (Iskenderun), spoke on human rights violations and atrocities they have suffered in the hands of Turkey. Examples mentioned included the reduction in the number of Istanbul Greeks from 350,000 in 1922 to 2,500 today, and of 350,000 Pontian Greeks who were slaughtered during and shortly after World War I. Economy, finance ministers confer with central bank governor on economy ---------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 14/1/95 (ANA): The state of the economy was examined yesterday at a meeting attended by National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, Finance Minister Alecos Papadopoulos and Bank of Greece Governor Lucas Papademos. However, a decision enabling Greeks to transfer drachma to exchange accounts and vice-versa is expected to be delayed. The meeting focused on prospects for inflation, expected to drop below 10 per cent in April or May, and state interest rates which will remain stable for the next issue of treasury bills. It also examined sources of financing state loan needs in 1995, developments in the banking sector and the issue of restructuring the Bank of Crete for which a relevant bill is expected to be tabled. Commission approves new projects programme ------------------------------------------ Athens, 14/1/95 (ANA): Alternate National Economy Minister George Romaios yesterday said the European Commission had approved a programme for projects and studies as part of the Community Support Framework for 1994-1999. The programme includes motorways, ports and airports valued at 3,182 million Ecu (approximately 923 billion drachmas) and the European Union has approved the INTERREG II programme valued at 195 billion drachmas, the Pesca programme valued at 15.8 billion drachmas and axes in the Now-Horizon-Youthstart employment sector in the framework of Community Initiatives. The EU also approved new projects having a total Community contribution of 136.8 billion drachmas in the framework of the Cohesion Fund. Greek delegation in Moscow for talks on alumina agreement, final formula expected soon ---------------------------------------------------------------- Moscow, 14/1/95 (ANA - D. Konstantakopoulos): A Greek delegation headed by Christos Tsitouras, managing director of the Greek Alumina Industry and the Greek Industry Ministry's representative on the alumina issue, held negotiations with Russian Metallurgy Minister Mr. Afonin and other officials in Moscow this week. Mr. Tsitouras said negotiations focused on finding a finalised formula for the inter-state agreement concerning alumina, adding that the Greek side considered the formula essential for the project's reactivation. He said negotiations were successful and most points in the agreement being negotiated were concluded. However, points remaining open concerned details and the form of guarantees for financing the project which the Greek government is requesting from the Russian government and which were for the Russians to secure the purchase of the entire production, timely payment of share capital by the Russian consortium and counter-guarantees for a loan to be sought in international money markets. The main stumbling block for Greek claims is that 70 per cent of Russian alumina plants have been privatised while Russian legislation restricts state guarantees to private industries. Mr. Tsitouras expressed optimism that obstacles would be overcome, given existing political will, and it would be possible for the agreement to be signed before the end of the first quarter in 1995.