A.N.A. Bulletin, 29/12/95

From: "Greek Press & Information Office, Ottawa Canada" <grnewsca@sympatico.ca>

Athens News Agency Directory

ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 775), December 29, 1995

Greek Press & Information Office

Ottawa, Canada

E-Mail Address: grnewsca@sympatico.ca

CONTENTS

[1] PASOK Central Committee to convene January 20

Ruling party PASOK's Executive Bureau decided to convene the party's Central Committee next month, after a three-hour meeting late last night.

The agenda for the Central Committee meeting, which will be held January 20-21, will be decided at the executive's next meeting on Wednesday. That meeting will also examine whether to request the Central Committee to call an emergency congress.

Reliable sources said the prevailing feeling at last night's meeting was that the issue of a successor to Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou could not be broached as long as the premier was unwell. If his health improves then it will be possible for certain issues created by his prolonged hospitalization to be put to him, they said.

According to sources, Executive Bureau member and European commissioner Christos Papoutsis proposed - in a letter addressed to party secretary Costas Skandalidis - that the Central Committee be convened immediately so that PASOK could deal with all the issues regarding a successor for the prime minister, and also to examine the issue of calling an emergency congress of the ruling party.

"We cannot allow the denigration of Andreas Papandreou and the cheapening of his great contribution," Mr. Papoutsis is reported to have said.

The executive accepted in principle Mr. Papoutsis' proposals but rejected a third proposal that health minister and the premier's personal physician Dimitris Kremastinos participate in yesterday's meeting to inform the executive members of the course of the prime minister's health.

Instead, the executive decided to form a committee comprised of Mr. Skandalidis, Giorgos Katsimbardis, Yiannis Souladakis and Labor and Social Security Minister Stephanos Tzoumakas to meet with Mr. Kremastinos so that he could clarify his statements to the daily "Eleftherotypia".

"January will be the month for developments," Mr. Skandalidis said.

He admitted that there was a political problem caused by the continued hospitalization of the prime minister but stressed that the government and the party are responding to the "needs and desires of the times", characterizing the media's portrayal of internal dissension and conflict as "false".

The government and PASOK, he underlined, were acting in the framework of the constitution and laws, which were respected absolutely, and added that the substitution of the prime minister will not last forever.

These issues, however, he stressed, are decided by the movement's collective structures and nobody else.

[2] Premier stable

Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou was reported in a stable condition last night, according to an evening medical bulletin issued by the Onassion Hospital. The bulletin said no change in the premier's health condition had occurred over the past 24 hours.

An earlier Onassion medical bulletin stated that doctors were continuing antibiotic treatment, while the premier's breathing and renal function were being periodically supported by a respirator and dialysis machine respectively. His cardiac function was described as unchanged.

The slow, but constant minor aggravation in the health of the prime minister yesterday is worrying doctors, who are avoiding predictions despite the fact that a recent infection threatening the premier's life has been overcome.

According to the medical team treating the prime minister, his blood pressure had fallen to 9.5, while stabilizing at 11 yesterday morning.

The premier's general clinical condition is described as good, although specialists overseeing his nutrition say that the rate with which he is regaining strength and weight is not satisfactory. Mr. Papandreou has undergone a form of bone biopsy to verify that his continued emaciation is not due to another ailment. Preliminary results were optimistic, with final results expected in two to three days.

[3] Kremastinos comments

Press and Media Minister Telemahos Hytiris issued a written statement on comments made by Mr. Kremastinos to daily Eleftherotypia yesterday in which the health minister said that he is being pressured and threatened.

"I will not commit a crime so some people can achieve their goals," Mr. Kremastinos told the paper, adding that some quarters want him to forget his oath.

"...It must be said at this time that constitutional experts remain constitutional experts, lawyers remain lawyers, politicians remain politicians and doctors, doctors," he said.

"Everyone must conscientiously perform his duty to the utmost, and not ask anyone else to act illegally, not to mention committing a crime."

Mr. Hytiris' statement, issued after contacting Mr. Kremastinos, said the health minister was referring to "derogatory and unacceptable" statements made by certain radio and television programmes and published in certain newspapers, which even went as far as calling the health minister "a danger to democracy".

"It is this daily violence containing threats and blackmail that he denounced, and certainly not the prime minister's relatives and family circle, as was interpreted by some," the statement said.

In another statement, the press minister accused certain sections of the media of "systematically attempting over the past few days to attribute me with intentions, expediencies and actions with which I have nothing to do."

"The 'orders' and 'commands' that I am supposed to be taking from the prime minister's wife or other such accusations are groundless and ridiculous," stressed Mr. Hytiris.

Mr. Hytiris clarified that there was no reason to call Mr. Kremastinos before a government body and that the health minister had not tendered his resignation.

Mr. Hytiris also contested statements made by Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization Alternate Minister Haris Kastanidis on Wednesday, saying the use of the phrase "the prime minister's environment" was unfortunate.

"There is no political issue and whoever has views contrary to the upholding of the constitution and the laws can suggest them," he said. He made no comment on the observation of certain PASOK deputies that the time given in the constitution for the re placement of a prime minister has lapsed. He repeated that the government is adhering to the constitution and laws.

Referring to main opposition party New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert, he stated the pre-announced censure motion is welcome and the government awaits it in order to give its reply.

[4] Opposition

Meanwhile, according to reports, main opposition New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert will request to be informed if the prime minister can assume his duties and when he is expected to be released from the Onassion. However, no indications were given on w hen such a letter will be forwarded to physicians. The issue was discussed at a meeting between Mr. Evert and some of his closest associates yesterday. Some reports call for decisions to be taken today on the content of the letter and when it will be sent.

In a related development, an ND spokesman said his party did not wish to become involved in the ruling PASOK party's "internal problems" and "battle" concerning Mr. Papandreou's succession.

"What is of interest to ND is the governing and prestige of the country," party spokesman Vassilis Manginas said.

Accusing PASOK cadres of "timidity," Mr. Manginas said that "Greece cannot remain ungoverned simply because leading PASOK members are afraid to take their responsibilities and take those initiatives which are politically necessary."

In another development, Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras said the censure motion ND intended to lodge against the government "will rally the dissolved PASOK."

"None of them want elections. Yiannis is afraid of the wild beast and the wild beast is afraid of Yiannis. Only that both of them stopped being wild beasts long ago," Mr. Samaras said.

[5] Inner cabinet awards 'Gefyra' consortium Rio-Antirrio contract

The inner cabinet, chaired by Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos, yesterday approved the contract for the construction of the Rio-Antirrio bridge which will link the Peloponnese with northwestern and central Greece.

The construction project has been awarded to the "Gefyra" consortium, after international tendering which began as far back as 1980. The contract will be signed in early January and presented to Parliament for ratification at the earliest.

The consortium is made up of the French companies GTM International and GTM Batiments et Travaux Publics, the Greek firms TEB, Elliniki Technodomiki, Proodeftiki, Athina, K.I. Sarandopoulos and the Cypriot company Ioannou and Paraskevaides.

Describing the project as one of major importance, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said it would be completed in seven years and radically change the road transport system throughout western Greece.

The total cost of the project amounts to approximately 135 billion drachmas or 450 million ECU at 1993 prices, of which about 60 billion drachmas or 200 million ECU will be put up by the Greek state. The cable bridge, supported on four blocks, w ill have a total span of 2.5 kilometers and have two lanes of traffic in each direction with one emergency lane. It will have a width of approximately 25 meters.

The bridge will be constructed on a co-financing basis, with the contractor operating it for a period of 35 years.

Traffic presently crosses from the Peloponnese across to northwestern Greece by ferries, which are interrupted when weather conditions deteriorate. The current crossing time is 45 minutes, while a bridge will reduce the time to five minutes. Some two million vehicles cross the strait every year.

[6] Turkish plane crashes into Greek waters, Greek teams continue search for missing Turkish pilot

Greek rescue teams were continuing sea and air searches at press time for the second crew-member of a Turkish F-4 Phantom fighter that crashed off Lesvos island in the eastern Aegean yesterday.

According to National Defense Minister Gerassimos Arsenis, a pair of Turkish Phantoms violated Gre-ek airspace at approximately 2:30 p.m. yesterday without first filing a scheduled flight plan before flying over the Greek island of Hios. The planes were headed in a westerly direction.

Mr. Arsenis said two Hellenic Air Force F-16 Falcons intercepted the encroaching aircraft over Greek airspace in order to identify the violators.

He added that the two-man crew of one of the Turkish fighters abandoned their plane during mid-air maneuvering. Mr. Arsenis said the Turkish fighters were armed.

In turn, Greek rescue units were alerted to the crash of the Turkish plane and picked up one of the two downed Turkish airmen, 35-year-old captain Ogour Kilar (phonetic spelling), before transporting him to Lesvos for first aid treatment.

Doctors at the Vostaneion Hospital in the island's capital said the Turkish airman was suffering from shock and minor facial injuries.

In addition, Greek army officers that debriefed the downed Turk said that, due to his condition, he was unable to shed light on how his plane fell or if his co-pilot ejected.

Mr. Arsenis said the airman was plucked from the Aegean five or six miles west of Lesvos. He said rescue efforts would continue into the evening. The defense minister expressed a hope that the pilot will be found.

Mr. Arsenis said he did not know the reason for the US-made fighter's crash, but stated it was not caused "by an action of ours."

A Hellenic Air Force C-130 Hercules transport plane and a CL-215 reconnaissance plane along with the cruisers "Niki" and "Agon" and the torpedo boat "Andromeda" combed the sea area aided by Hellenic Navy helicopters. A Turkish helicopter was also patrolling in international waters.

In response to press questions, Mr. Arsenis said Greek interceptors launched to recognize unidentified aircraft without a filed flight plan are always armed.

Concerning "confidence-building measures" in the Aegean reportedly being promoted by the US, Mr. Arsenis said these measures could only have a positive effect if Turkey stopped violating Greek airspace.

Meanwhile, an ANA dispatch out of Istanbul cited a Turkish foreign ministry communiqui, which said the Phantom's crash was due to a "mechanical malfunction."

According to the foreign ministry statement, "the F-4 fighter of the Turkish armed forces, during the course of training flights in the Aegean's international airspace, crashed off Mytilini (Lesvos) due to a mechanical malfunction".

"One of the two pilots who abandoned the plane was rescued at sea by Greek helicopters and transported to Mytilene," the Turkish bulletin read, adding: "Search efforts by Greek units are continuing, while Turkish aircraft have been sent to the area for detection of the second pilot."

[7] Opposition

Main opposition New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert made the following statement after being briefed on the Turkish fighter's crash:

"The Greek armed forces are making every available effort to rescue the two Turkish pilots, whose airplane fell in the Aegean today," he said.

Mr. Evert later chaired a ND meeting on the issue with the participation of former defense under-secretary Tassos Spiliotopoulos, former chief of general staff George Skarvelis, former ambassador George Papoulias and the main opposition leader's diplomatic advisor, Christos Iakovou.

The ND president said Greece must condemn Turkey's attitude to the international community, and its constant violations of Greek airspace, adding that "Greece is united, determined to face such provocations. Turkey, which is under-going a political crisis, should show self-restraint and caution."

Mr. Evert also said NATO member-states should make efforts to avoid such incidents.

Both the Political Spring and the Coalition of the Left and Progress parties asked for Turkey's international condemnation because of repeated violations of Greek airspace.

Political Spring president Antonis Samaras said "it is obvious that all the West's affections toward Ankara not only do not obstruct radical Islam's ascension in Turkey but also allow Ankara to march around the Aegean."

Mr. Samaras said the government should immediately wake up and report "Turkey's provocative aggression to international organizations."

The Coalition's press office issued the following statement: "Greece is called upon to face the Turkish provocation and scenarios of tension... with stability and calmness using international law and an active mobilization within the framework of international organizations."

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) also commented on the incident by releasing a statement.

"The constant violations are occurring with the tolerance of NATO, if not with its cover, which encourages Ankara to continue its strategy of tension in the Aegean," the KKE statement read.

[8] Greek stance on French nuclear tests unchanged

In response to press questions, a government spokesman said yesterday that Greece's position on the resumption of French nuclear testing in the South Pacific is unchanged.

Athens last September joined a widespread international outcry and condemned resumption of nuclear tests on the French-controlled Muroroa Atoll.

[9] President visits northern border regions

President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos visited border communities in the prefectures of Xanthi and Rodopi yesterday and exchanged seasonal greetings with local residents.

Mr. Stephanopoulos also visited the Glafkis military guard-post and distributed presents to the soldiers.

Speaking to residents of the villages he visited, the president said the area was in need of a stronger state presence. He also said the country is willing to further develop co-operation with other Balkan countries with the creation of new border crossings.

Mr. Stephanopoulos was declared an "honorary citizen" of Stavroupolis by the town's municipal council, and was awarded a shield. Speaking to the community's residents, he stated: "The purpose of my visit here is to assure you of my love for this area."

"I personally, and the area's authorities, make no distinctions between Christians and Moslems, as we are all Greek citizens with equal rights and obligations. There may have been complaints in the past, I am not ignoring them, but I am sure we will eliminate them permanently," he said. "There will be no complaints in the future and we will be able to discuss matters amongst ourselves with the honesty of those who know their rights and obligations."

[10] Labor ministry to examine instituting 35-hour week

Labor and Social Security Minister Stephanos Tzoumakas has instructed his ministry to examine the suggestion made recently by Industry, Energy and Technology Minister Anastasios Peponis for an experimental reduction of working hours.

Mr. Tzoumakas will co-operate with Mr. Peponis on the matter for an exchange of views. Discussions will precede any action to be taken.

President of the General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE) Christos Protopapas announced GSEE's approval of the examination of a 35-hour working week. Mr. Protopapas said the GSEE expects all government and employment circles to accept Mr. Peponis' proposal, thus demonstrating they truly believe unemployment constitutes a priority.

[11] Ioniki Asfalistiki, Metrolife to merge

The Commercial Bank has decided to merge the Ioniki Asfalistiki and Metrolife insurance companies with the purpose of creating a company with considerable economic indicators, an independent network on a nationwide scale and control of about five per cent of the life insurance market.

Creation of a stable presence in the domestic insurance market will be assisted by the prestigious name, the great economic strength and the Commercial Bank's network of 350 branch offices, an announcement by the bank said.

[12] Correction

The Bulletin would like to correct a story that ran in the December 27 edition, headlined "AHEPA to present its highest award to Clinton".

AHEPA will honor the US president on February 12, not February 21 as reported.

End of English language section.