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A.N.A. Bulletin, 14/10/96

Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 1014), October 14, 1996

Greek Press & Information Office
Ottawa, Canada
E-Mail Address: grnewsca@sympatico.ca


CONTENTS

  • [01] Athens, Nicosia condemn yet another Turkish forces murder of unarmed Greek Cypriot
  • [02] 'Cold-blooded murder'
  • [03] Calm urged on Cyprus
  • [04] EuroMPs denounce murder
  • [05] British reaction
  • [06] Government wins confidence vote, Simitis prepares to press ahead with new program
  • [07] Simitis response
  • [08] Ministers' speeches
  • [09] Papariga warns of US plans to 'carve up' the Aegean
  • [10] Arsenis pledges solution to university funding this week
  • [11] Turkish ambassador begins Komotini visit today
  • [12] Hungarian FM in Athens to seek Greek support for EU bid
  • [13] British, Greek experts discuss Xanthi tourist development
  • [14] Byzantine icons exhibition goes on show in NY

  • [01] Athens, Nicosia condemn yet another Turkish forces murder of unarmed Greek Cypriot

    Athens, 14/10/1996 (ANA)

    Athens and Nicosia yesterday condemned what they called "the cold-blooded murder" by Turkish occupation troops of an unarmed Greek Cypriot who mistakenly wandered into the occupied northern sector of Cyprus.

    Petros Kakoulis, 58, a retired fireman, was shot and killed early yesterday morning by Turkish troops. He had been snail-gathering with his son-in-law Panikos Hatziathanasis, 27, who lost sight of Kakoulis in fields close to the former police station of Achna and territory controlled by the British military base at Dhekelia. Hatziathanasis testified that he saw Kakoulis about 200m away with his hands raised. He then saw two soldiers from the occupied zone fire two shots, then move closer and fire a third shot at close range. Hatziathanasis then ran to the nearest police station to report the killing.

    The incident occurred near the British base at Dhekelia. Base police and officials of the United Nations peacekeeping force were not permitted to approach the site of the incident until Kakoulis' body had been removed by Turkish Cypriot "authorities" later yesterday morning.

    The body was taken to a hospital in Famagusta for a postmortem and will be handed over to the UN force today.

    It was the third murder in as many months of unarmed Greek Cypriots by Turkish occupation forces. Tassos Isaac, 24, and Solomos Solomou, 26, were killed in a week of violence at the UN buffer zone in August.

    [02] 'Cold-blooded murder'

    Nicosia, 14/10/1996 (ANA)

    Cypriot government spokesman Yannakis Cassoulides called the killing an act of cold-blooded murder, since there had been no provocation on the part of Kakoulis, who was unarmed. The Turkish Cypriot authorities, who confirmed the killing to the UN force, say that Kakoulis had "intruded" into the occupied territory.

    Mr. Cassoulides said the government would protest the -totally unjustified act by the Turkish occupation troops to the United Nations, other international organizations and foreign governments.

    Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides did not rule out the possibility of recourse to the UN Security Council over the incident, which he called a "cowardly, cold-blooded murder" by the Turkish troops. This was not the end of the issue, he said. He added t hat he would be rewriting a letter he had been intending to sent to Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

    Meanwhile, in Athens, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas condemned what he called a criminal act, which he said not only confirmed the criminal and terrorist nature of the regime in occupied northern Cyprus, but proved that Turkey's preferred policy w as to create tension in the region.

    The Turkish occupation forces in northern Cyprus, he said, acted like common criminals.

    "What else has to happen," he added, "for the international community to realize that as long as the Cyprus issue remains unresolved, it remains a source of danger for the region in general."

    The incident was also condemned by Greece's political parties. The main opposition New Democracy party spokesman called on the international public "to wake up", particularly those who showed apathy regarding the behavior of a country that disdained justice and violated human rights. Similar statements were issued by Political Spring, the Communist Party of Greece and the Coalition of the Left and Progress.

    [03] Calm urged on Cyprus

    Nicosia, 14/10/1996 (ANA)

    Speaker of the House of Representatives and former Cypriot president Spyros Kyprianou urged Greek Cypriots taking part in an anti-occupation protest march yesterday to stay calm, following the murder of Kakoulis.

    Thousands of refugees took part in a march from Astromeritis village, west of Nicosia, on the road leading to their hometown of Morphou, in the northeastern part of the island.

    The House speaker took the opportunity to brief foreign MPs and guests taking part in the Morphou march about the new Turkish provocation.

    Cyprus police and the UNFICYP took strict security measures near the UN-controlled buffer zone at Astromeritis to prevent marchers entering no-man's-land.

    Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash threatened that his illegal regime would arrest anybody who tried to cross into the occupied territory.

    [04] EuroMPs denounce murder

    Nicosia, 14/10/1996 (ANA)

    EuroMPs taking part in the Morphou march strongly condemned the murder. British Labor EuroMP Pauline Green, leader of the Socialist group in the European Parliament, said the new murder "reinforces the horror of an island of this size divided in this way".

    She said it demonstrates that "we have to resolve this problem. It is now becoming more and more of a flash-point".

    The leader of the largest political group in the Europarliament said the international community "must respond with firmer pressure on Turkey to solve the dreadful problem".

    Dutch EuroMP Jan Willelm Bertens said it was a premeditated murder, done on purpose to show there is no chance for peace. But we will fight back peacefully for the reunification of the island".

    Both EuroMPs said the new murder by the Turks strengthens their determination to refuse all EU funds for Turkey.

    Greek EuroMP Alekos Alavanos strongly denounced the new Turkish provocative act and said the matter would be raised in the Europarliament.

    [05] British reaction

    Nicosia, 14/10/1996 (ANA)

    A British Foreign Office spokesman told the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (RIK) that Britain strongly condemned the murder of yet another unarmed Greek Cypriot in the buffer zone. He called on the two communities on the island to limit violence and conflict and to exercise restraint.

    Britain's special Cyprus envoy Sir David Hannay, who arrived in Cyprus yesterday afternoon, said the tragic incident showed that the status quo should not be allowed to continue.

    Despite the recent events, Sir David nevertheless expressed the view that there was more common ground than before and that there had been some positive developments. The views expressed by President Clerides at the UN General Assembly had been of great help to all those involved in the Cyprus issue, he added.

    [06] Government wins confidence vote, Simitis prepares to press ahead with new program

    Athens, 14/10/1996 (ANA)

    Parliament early Sunday morning returned a vote of confidence to the new socialist government, giving prime minister Costas Simitis the green light to press ahead with his policy program.

    The confidence motion was returned by 161 socialist deputies but voted against by 134 opposition deputies from the New Democracy party conservatives, Communist Party (KKE), the Coalition of the Left and Progress party and the Social Democratic Movement (DHKKI).

    Prime Minister Costas Simitis closed the debate by responding to opposition criticism of the government's foreign and economic policy, and reiterating the need for action on the economic front. He dismissed the fifteen-point "questionnaire" raised by main opposition New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert earlier in the evening as nothing more than denunciations. The government's foreign policy was aimed, he said , at promoting all alliances, while ND's policy was superficial and improvised.

    Mr. Evert said the prime minister had not answered many crucial issues, or had been vague in others, and addressed a set of 15 questions to the government, including, notably, whether Turkey's recourse to the International Court at The Hague would merely concern the Aegean continental shelf, as traditionally advocated by Greece, or would also include the issue of sovereignty over the Imia islets, and whether the government would block EU financing of Turkey through the MEDA program.

    He also asked whether there was likelihood of accepting a triple name, each with a different use, for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and whether the government accepted a convening of the political leaders' council and the setting up of a national foreign policy council.

    Regarding domestic policies, Mr. Evert focused on what measures the government planned to adopt for farmers, what new taxes the government planned to impose in 1997, whether funding for education would be increased, and what growth rate the government forecast for GNP.

    [07] Simitis response

    Athens, 14/10/1996 (ANA)

    With regard to Greece's relations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), the prime minister stressed that public debate on the pending issue of that country's name would have a negative effect on Greece's negotiating position. However , he offered to brief Mr. Evert or any other party leader in person.

    Mr. Simitis clarified that in using the term "differences" in relation to Turkey he had been referring only to Imia and the continental shelf, and criticized Mr. Evert for his election campaign statements on the issue.

    In the economic sector, bold decisions were required whatever the cost, since "political acrobatics" did not serve the country's interests, continued the prime minister. He accused the main opposition party of "wasting its energy", emphasizing that Greece had to keep pace with European unification if it did not want to be left behind. There could be no fiscal reform without interventions, he added, since there was no such thing as a miracle.

    Meanwhile, phrases such as "the people were starving" were examples of cheap populism, he went on, reiterating his government's position that the "haves" would be called upon to contribute.

    Responding to criticism from the Coalition of the Left and Progress regarding institutional reform, he drew attention to achievements such as the introduction of objective criteria for public service recruitment, as well as the upgraded role for Parliament and prefectural administration.

    Turning to the question over the school leaving certificate introduced by former education minister George Papandreou, which his successor Gerassimos Arsenis has decided to review, Mr. Simitis called the new system a radical innovation which required further dialogue in order to achieve a broader consensus.

    [08] Ministers' speeches

    Athens, 14/10/1996 (ANA)

    Taking the floor before the prime minister's and party leaders' final speeches, Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said the government was exercising a policy of safeguarding national interests in the framework of a more general perception of co-operation in Europe.

    Referring to Greek-Turkish relations, he asked the neighboring country to abandon its unacceptable and irrational demands, and that, being the one raising claims, it should take the initiative in referring issues to international adjudication.

    Mr. Pangalos said the setting up of a national foreign policy council, as proposed by opposition parties, would be an international novelty, describing it as "unfeasible and groundless".

    He stressed that despite claims to the contrary, there were general rules of a national strategy which were being followed with great respect, and that parliament's external affairs committee carried out substantial work on national matters.

    Defense Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said in his speech that Greece wished and was indeed in a position to play a stabilizing role in the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean, contributing to the lessening of tension, reductions in armaments, and the creation of structures of security and co-operation through a series of bilateral agreements for defense co-operation. In the framework of this aim, he added, Greece was exercising a dynamic defense policy, with continuous contacts at all levels with countries in the Balkans, central Europe, Russia, Armenia, Egypt, Israel and Syria.

    He provided a reminder that Greece was currently participating in peace missions of the European Union and the United Nations, and was considering the formation of two further stand-by units of 100 and 250 men respectively for participation in such missions.

    Mr. Tsohatzopoulos added that Greece was actively participating in all internal procedures in NATO and the Western European Union.

    "We are seeking a command and control structure of operations which does not undermine the status quo in the Aegean to our detriment, and does not upset the military balance in the region," he specified.

    [09] Papariga warns of US plans to 'carve up' the Aegean

    Athens, 14/10/1996 (ANA)

    Speaking at a large youth rally at the Peace and Friendship stadium in Piraeus, Communist Party (KKE) Secretary-General Aleka Papariga warned yesterday that the Aegean was in the process of dismemberment, with the Greek government prepared to concede everything, and the US set to assume full dominance while Greek borders being disputed not only by Turkey, but also by the other allies.

    Referring to the murder of a Greek Cypriot citizen by Turkish occupation forces in the morning, she expressed indignation, warning it was not an isolated incident.

    "It constitutes the escalation of an effort to officially impose the division of Cyprus, to have UN forces withdrawn and replaced by a NATO multinational force, so that this dangerous organization, which terrorizes and murders peoples, may assume open and undisguised control on the island," she charged, adding that the rapid reaction force, as referred to by Defense Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos during discussion of the government's policy statement in Parliament, would be used for the implementation of the American-German plan of subjugating the peoples of the Mediterranean, which included the division of Cyprus.

    Ms Papariga again raised the issue of the formation of a "struggle front against the monopolies and imperialism," to challenge the dominance and authority of multinational capital, and the political consensus prevailing in the country.

    [10] Arsenis pledges solution to university funding this week

    Athens, 14/10/1996 (ANA)

    Commitments regarding the future of tertiary education in Greece were made by Education Minister Gerassimos Arsenis in Patras at the weekend during a meeting of Greece's university rectors.

    With regard to universities' financial difficulties, Mr. Arsenis announced that a solution to this year's problems would be found during the coming week in co-operation with the finance minister and the rectors' council. The 1997 budget would be discussed with the rectors as part of a long-term program, pending the announcement of a five-year plan.

    Patras University Rector Stamatis Alachiotis referring to the minister's commitments, said Mr. Arsenis had showed understanding and decisiveness regarding the university salary scales.

    He had also assured them of his support in finding more funds for tertiary establishments, adding that there was a possibility of securing more funding for 1996.

    [11] Turkish ambassador begins Komotini visit today

    Athens, 14/10/1996 (ANA)

    Turkish ambassador to Greece Pamit Umir begins a four-day visit to the Thracian city of Komotini today.

    He will have contacts with members of the Moslem minority, and pay courtesy calls on public authorities.

    Mr. Umir served as deputy consul in the city in the 1975-77 period.

    [12] Hungarian FM in Athens to seek Greek support for EU bid

    Athens, 14/10/1996 (ANA)

    Hungarian Foreign Minister Lazlo Kovacs arrived in Athens yesterday afternoon heading a delegation seeking Greece's support for Hungary's bid to join the European Union.

    Mr. Kovacs' agenda includes meetings this morning with President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos and Prime Minister Costas Simitis.

    This afternoon, after a meeting with his Greek counterpart Theodoros Pangalos, the two ministers will give a joint press conference.

    Tomorrow morning Mr. Kovacs will meet with Defense Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos and in the afternoon with Parliament Speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis, before flying on to Cyprus.

    [13] British, Greek experts discuss Xanthi tourist development

    Athens, 14/10/1996 (ANA)

    British and Greek tourism officials and company representatives on Saturday attended a one-day conference on sustainable tourist development in Xanthi, Thrace, organized by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) and regional authorities at the Democritian University.

    Speakers at the event, which, it is thought, will provide impetus to the implementation of a pilot program in the region of eastern Macedonia and Thrace, made special reference to the possibilities for European Union financing of such programs.

    [14] Byzantine icons exhibition goes on show in NY

    N. York, 14/10/1996 (ANA - M. Georgiadou)

    The Onassion Greek Studies Center of New York University is holding an exhibition of 15th to 19th century Byzantine icons between October 17 to 30.

    The icons come from many Orthodox and non-Orthodox regions of the world, including Greece, Russia, Italy, the Middle East and North Africa, and have already been shown in London and Chicago.

    In the framework of the exhibition, entitled "Beyond Byzantium, Beyond the Dreams", NYU professor of Byzantine History Jean Baun and gallery curators will give a series of lectures.

    End of English language section.


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