Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 97-11-01
From: The Greek Press & Information Office, Ottawa Canada <grnewsca@sympatico.ca>
ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 1329), November 1, 1997
Greek Press & Information Office
Ottawa, Canada
E-Mail Address: grnewsca@sympatico.ca
CONTENTS
[01] Premier says battered drachma out of storm
[02] Greek central bank intervenes again to buffer drachma
[03] Greece to merge, abolish state organizations
[04] Greek stocks plunge again over rate hike jitters
[05] Greek state telecom to launch domestic sales network
[06] Greece may get tourism chamber
[07] Labor ministry remains optimistic amid int'l turbulence
[08] Greece unhappy with new foreign investment act in Bulgaria
[09] Southeast European summit begins on Monday
[10] Greece reiterates that it desires friendly relations with all
[11] Greek-Turkish summits since 1930
[12] Greece-Turkey: A summary of events in 1996-97
[13] Ecevit wants EU out of Greek-Turkish differences, Cyprus problem
[14] Gov't condemns violent protests outside Greek-Turkish symposium
[15] Yilmaz comments
[16] Ipekci committee
[17] Participants
[18] 'Ochi Day' discussion in US House of Representatives
[19] Gov't says EU expansion talks should be all-encompassing
[20] Yennimatas: EU customs union the key to Greek-Turkish
rapprochement
[21] Belize PM meets with Pangalos
[22] European Jewish Council leader in Thessaloniki
[23] Bonn rejects Greek court ruling on WWII reparations
[24] Pharmacists suspend strike
[25] Parliament's budget to be unveiled
[26] ESHEA honor for Stephanopoulos
[01] Premier says battered drachma out of storm
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
Prime Minister Costas Simitis predicted that recent attacks from
abroad on the drachma had evaporated although he did not rule
out fresh pressure in the future, sources said yesterday.
Addressing a weekly Cabinet meeting, Mr. Simitis reportedly told
ministers that the economy had taken a jolt and the aftershocks
were being felt. But he warned that new pressure could not be
ruled out.
The economy had shown endurance, but it needed to toughen up
further in order to win the battle against speculators, he said.
Government spokesman Demetris Reppas said a previous monetary
crisis in 1994 on the eve of a deadline to scrap restrictions on
capital movement had ended shortly after it erupted.
Mr. Reppas repeated that the government would defend the drachma
and take any initiatives to strengthen the national currency and
the economy.
He stressed that the government would resist any moves by
speculators to dictate new economic policies.
The government spokesman acknowledged that a rise in domestic
interest rates was necessary but temporary. Side-effects on the
economy would be dealt with after the turmoil was over.
[02] Greek central bank intervenes again to buffer drachma
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
The Bank of Greece intervened in interbank trade yesterday to
aid the drachma by soaking up 120 billion drachmas, pushing
rates sharply higher. The central bank absorbed the cash from
commercial banks at 150 per cent.
As a result, tensions subsided in the domestic foreign exchange
market with the drachma strengthening against the ECU.
The US dollar was fractionally higher against the drachma,
reflecting a rebound in international markets, while the
deutschmark ended moderately lower.
[03] Greece to merge, abolish state organizations
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
The Greek government has approved a plan for the merger or
abolition of selected state organizations in an effort to
rationalize and modernize the public sector.
Government spokesman Demetris Reppas said yesterday a cabinet
meeting had endorsed the proposal, made by a committee of
ministry officials.
The new measures did not foresee the abolition of activities
undertaken by public sector organizations or threaten the status
of workers, Mr. Reppas said.
Workers would be transferred to other public sector enterprises
on completion of legislative procedures.
A full list of the organizations to be abolished or merged was
published late last night. It was decided to scrap the Hellenic
Productivity Center and merge the Loans and Deposits Fund with
Post Office Savings, Mr. Reppas said.
[04] Greek stocks plunge again over rate hike jitters
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
Greek equities ended the week sharply lower reflecting market
worries over a sharp rise in domestic interbank interest rates.
The Athens general share index lost 4.02 percent to end at
1,488.53 points, its lowest since June 23, showing a total loss
of 12. 24 percent in the week.
The Athens Stock Exchange has fallen 14.25 percent since last
Thursday when a crisis erupted in international stock markets.
The FTSE/ASE index ended 11.45 percent down after the four
trading sessions of the week, ending at 871.84 points. Tuesday
was a holiday.
Trading remained heavy and turnover was 36.9 billion drachmas.
The week's turnover totaled 177.277 billion drachmas, marking a
daily average of 44.3 billion.
All sector indices ended lower. Banks fell 3.55 percent,
Insurance eased 3.95 percent, Leasing dropped 4.65 percent,
Investment was 2.75 percent off, Construction fell 5.64 percent,
Industrials eased 3.73 percent, Miscellaneous dropped 5.57
percent and Holding was 3.73 percent down.
The Miscellaneous and Construction sectors suffered the heaviest
losses in the week at 15.74 and 15.71 percent respectively.
The parallel market index for smaller cap stocks dropped 2.96
percent.
Broadly, decliners led advancers by 198 to 22 with another 15
issues unchanged.
Lanacam, Desmos and Mailis scored the biggest percentage gains,
while Follie-Follie, Intracom and Attica Aluminium suffered the
heaviest losses, finishing at the lower daily eight percent
volatility limit. National Bank of Greece ended at 28,500
drachmas, Ergobank at 16,240, Alpha Credit Bank at 17,995, Delta
Dairy at 3,500, Titan Cement at 13,310, Intracom at 11,940 and
Hellenic Telecommunications Organization at 5,690.
[05] Greek state telecom to launch domestic sales network
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) has approved a
plan for the creation of a sales network throughout Greece.
The decentralized sales network will include equipment
consultants, key client managers and sales consultants.
OTE is also at the final stage of implementing an investment of
4.8 billion drachmas to modernize its 100 biggest commercial
branches nationwide.
[06] Greece may get tourism chamber
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
Greek tourism groups plan to set up a chamber of tourism in
order to act in unison and better promote the key sector of the
economy, officials of the Panhellenic Tourism Enterprises
Federation (POET) said yesterday. The officials were speaking at
a news conference called to announce that key travel agency
trade unions had merged with POET, bringing the sector one step
closer to unification.
POET's next target was to create a confederation to represent
all sectors of the industry, the officials said.
[07] Labor ministry remains optimistic amid int'l turbulence
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
The labor and social insurance ministry expressed optimism
yesterday over the end to recent monetary and credit turbulence
at the official opening of the Federation of Bank Employee
Unions' (OTOE) conference.
Labor Minister Miltiades Papaioannou said the course of the
Greek economy is good and on this basis a response will be given
to every speculator with the co-operation of the Bank of Greece.
Labor Under-secretary Christos Protopapas said a tough battle is
taking place at present since what he termed "capitalism casino"
offered assurances that the government will not allow
speculators to have a negative influence on the economy.
Inaugurating the conference, OTOE President Demetris Kouselas
said the main issue over the coming years is safeguarding
employment at banks from changes to be brought about by Economic
and Monetary Union (EMU), as well as new technologies in the
fiscal system.
Mr. Papaioannou said he considers implementation of the 35-hour
work week premature and unfeasible for the time being.
General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE) President
Christos Polyzogopoulos outlined the basic preconditions sought
by GSEE over the coming period.
Among others, they are prevention of a decrease in auxiliary
pensions as Jan. 1, 1998, 35 years of work without an age limit
as a condition for pensioning and obtaining funds to support the
unemployed and the gradual implementation of the 35-hour work
week by 2000.
[08] Greece unhappy with new foreign investment act in Bulgaria
Sofia, 1/11/1997 (BTA/ANA)
Greece is not satisfied with the new amendments to the Promotion
and Protection of Foreign Investment Act, Greek Commercial
Attachi to Bulgaria George Doudoumis told journalists Thursday.
The provision giving preferential treatment to investments of
over US$ 5 million excludes 99 per cent of Greek investors, who
have invested up to US$ 1.5 million each.
The way things are, many Greek investors will opt to invest in
Romania, Mr. Doudoumis said.
Greece is the third largest investor in Bulgaria according to
Greek figures, said Mr. Doudoumis, although Bulgarian figures
show that it ranks eighth. The discrepancy is due to the fact
that the bulk of Greek capital flows in through Luxembourg and
Cyprus, Mr. Doudoumis explained.
Mr. Doudoumis opened on Thursday morning a one-month seminar on
"Organization for Export Promotion" at the Bulgarian Chamber of
Commerce and Trade. The seminar is co-organized by the Hellenic
Foreign Trade Organization.
[09] Southeast European summit begins on Monday
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
A much-anticipated summit of southeast European countries will
begin on Monday in Crete, the result of an initiative by Athens,
as most heads of state or government will arrive on the island
on Sunday.
Among the statesmen expected to arrive are leaders from Albania,
Bulgaria, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Romania and Turkey,
while Bosnia also announced that it was sending a
representative. Greece will, of course, host the event.
Bosnia yesterday informed Athens that it would be attending the
two-day southeast European countries summit, which opens on
Monday. An announcement said Bosnia would be represented by
Deputy Foreign Minister Mikovil Malbasik.
Bosnia-Herzegovina, unlike Croatia or Slovenia, who do not
consider themselves Balkan or southeastern European countries,
has agreed to participate in the summit where it is expected to
focus on issues related to the peace process in Bosnia and the
assistance it could expect from other nations in the region.
Of great importance for Sarajevo is the restoration of relations
with all former Yugoslav states, therefore, the presence in
Crete of representatives of the new Yugoslavia and of the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) will afford it the
opportunity to discuss unresolved issues with these states, such
as diplomatic relations.
[10] Greece reiterates that it desires friendly relations with all
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
Greece said yesterday that it desired conditions of calm and
stability in the greater region in view of the country's efforts
to consolidate peace and participate in economic and monetary
union (EMU).
Government spokesman Demetris Reppas made the statement when
asked to comment on recent remarks by Turkish Prime Minister
Mesut Yilmaz.
All that "do not have these targets, including possibly Turkey,
seek tension," the spokesman added. Mr. Reppas stressed that
Greece desired friendly relations with all countries on an equal
basis "and its policy is in complete harmony with international
law".
"Problems arise when a country's policy goes contrary to these
principles, as is the case with Turkey," he added.
[11] Greek-Turkish summits since 1930
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
In view of the southeast European countries summit beginning
Monday on Crete, particular interest is focused on a meeting
between Prime Minister Costas Simitis and his Turkish
counterpart Mesut Yilmaz. Here is a list of the major summit
meetings between Greek and Turkish leaders since 1930.
October 30, 1930: Greek Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos and
Turkish counterpart Ismet Inonu sign three historic agreements
in Ankara: a friendship, neutrality and arbitration accord, a
naval supplies accord and a trade agreement. The agreements we
re signed on the initiative of Venizelos and Turkish President
Kemal Ataturk.
October 3, 1931: On a visit to Athens, Inonu asks Venizelos to
remove Moslem fundamentalist leaders from Thrace, where they had
been organizing a revolt against Kemal Ataturk.
September 14, 1933: Greek Prime Minister Panagis Tsaldaris meets
Inonu in Ankara where the two men sign an agreement confirming
the inviolability of their countries' borders.
April 28, 1952: Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes meets
Greek counterpart Nikolaos Plastiras in Athens for talks on
defense policy in view of the two countries' accession to NATO
and the signing of a tripartite defense accord (with
Yugoslavia), which was signed on February 28, 1953.
June 1952: Greek King Paul visits Turkey.
November 1952: Turkish President Jelal Bayar visits Greece.
June 15, 1953: Greek Prime Minister Alexandros Papagos visits
Turkey. Joint communiqui expresses both countries' loyalty to
NATO and the Balkan Treaty.
February 11, 1959: Zurich agreement signed between Prime
Minister Constantine Karamanlis and his Turkish counterpart
Menderes regarding the founding of the Republic of Cyprus,
ratified in London between February 17-19.
May 7-10, 1959: Karamanlis visits Turkey. He and Menderes cement
the agreements of Zurich and London.
September 9-10, 1967: Greek junta premier Constantine Kollias
meets Turkish Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel near the Evros
river. The Turks reject the junta's proposals - including the
unification ("Enosis") of Cyprus with Greece - and demand
unacceptable concessions.
May 31, 1975: Prime Minister Karamanlis meets counterpart
Demirel during a NATO session in Brussels. An agreement was
reached to resolve bilateral differences peacefully.
March 10, 1978: Karamanlis meets Turkish counterpart Bulent
Ecevit in Montreux with the aim of finding a way to resolve
bilateral problems peacefully.
January 31, 1988: Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and Turkish
counterpart Turgut Ozal hold a three-hour meeting on all issues
in Davos, Switzerland, resulting in no substantial agreement
other than a declaration of "no to war - yes to dialogue".
June 13, 1988: Ozal pays official visit to Athens. He includes
the fortification of the islands, the continental shelf,
territorial waters, airspace and the Athens FIR in Greek-Turkish
differences and refers to a "bi-zonal, bi-communal federation"
in Cyprus.
September 11, 1991: Three meetings between Prime Minister
Constantine Mitsotakis with Turkish counterpart Mesut Yilmaz
during a European Democratic Union conference in Paris. There
was strong difference of opinion on the Cyprus issue.
Mitsotakis, meanwhile, proposes the joint exploitation of
non-disputed areas of the continental shelf belonging to each
state, while agreement was reached on the formation of a
committee to prepare an accord of friendship and good neighborly
relations.
February 2, 1992: Mitsotakis and Prime Minister Demirel meet in
Davos in an attempt to improve bilateral relations.
June 20, 1992: Mitsotakis, on an official visit to Turkey, meets
President Ozal and Prime Minister Demirel. Both sides express
their desire to solve bilateral problems and the Cyprus issue
peacefully.
April 21, 1993: Mitsotakis meets with counterpart Demirel while
in Turkey to attend the funeral of Ozal.
July 8, 1997: Madrid Agreement signed by Prime Minister Costas
Simitis and Turkish President Demirel providing for a joint
effort to resolve bilateral problems, to respect each others'
sovereignty, international law, legitimate vital interests in
the Aegean, as well as a commitment to resolve those problems
peacefully.
[12] Greece-Turkey: A summary of events in 1996-97
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
A chronology of the most important events that marked
Greek-Turkish relations since January 1996 is given below:
1996
January 31: The landing of 10 Turkish commandos on an islet in
the Imia complex in the eastern Aegean initiates Ankara's
official questioning of Greek sovereignty of hundreds of small
islets.
February 4 : Turkish PM Tansu Ciller threatens Greece with war
over the status of 1,000 islets.
March 1 : Greece vetos a 750 million ECU European Investment
Bank loan to Turkey.
April 9 : US President Bill Clinton, meeting Greek PM Costas
Simitis in Washington, stresses the need for referring the Imia
issue to international adjudication or arbitration. On the 27th,
then Turkish FM Emre Gonensay claims the existence of "gray area
s" regarding sovereignty of certain Aegean islet
June 4 : A Turkish official describes the island of Gavdos,
south of Crete, as a "disputed area".
July 6 : Greece and Turkey agree on a moratorium of all planned
military exercises in the Aegean during the summer months. On
the 15th, the EU Council of Ministers calls on Ankara to commit
itself that it will comply with a set of principles for the
normal development of its relations with the Union.
December: US State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns states
that the US has never recognized that Greece's national airspace
extends beyond the six miles limit of the nation's territorial
waters.
1997
January: Turkish PM Necmettin Erbakan threatens Greece with a
repetition of the War of 1922 and the 1974 Turkish invasion of
Cyprus.
March: FM Theodoros Pangalos says Turkey's historical past makes
it a definite part of Europe, in common with Greece.
April 4: US ambassador to Athens Thomas Niles says the US will
intervene to stop a possible armed incident in the Aegean.
May: Turkish President Suleyman Demirel states a readiness to
sign a non-aggression pact with Greece, but insists that
Greece's extension of territorial waters to 12 nautical miles
will be a casus belli.
July 8: Demirel and Simitis in Madrid sign a declaration of
principles for smoothing out relations. A day later, 10 Turkish
aircraft again violate Greek national airspace.
August: Simitis tells 'Newsweek' if Turkey refers Imia issue to
international adjudication, Greece will lift veto on EU
financial protocol. Turkish PM Mesut Yilmaz says the Aegean is a
special case where international law cannot be applied.
October: The Russian ambassador to Cyprus states his country
will consider as casus belli any Turkish attack on vessels
carrying anti-aircraft S-300 missiles ordered by Cyprus. On the
16th, Turkish fighters harass a Greek transport plane carrying
Greek National Defense Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos to and from
Cyprus.
[13] Ecevit wants EU out of Greek-Turkish differences, Cyprus problem
Ankara, 1/11/1997 (ANA - A. Abatzis)
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit claimed yesterday
that European Union involvement in Greek-Turkish differences and
the Cyprus problem is counter-productive.
"The fact that the EU is involved in Greek-Turkish affairs and
the Cyprus issue makes things difficult," he told reporters
after a meeting with European Union External Affairs
Commissioner Hans van den Broek.
"I do not believe that there is a serious conflict of interests
between Turkey and Greece. If outside countries leave us alone,
it is possible to see and show examples of agreement in history,
as in the Ataturk-Venizelos period," he said.
Regarding the much-speculated meeting between the two countries'
prime ministers, Messrs. Simitis and Yilmaz, on the sidelines of
the southeast European leaders' summit in Crete on Monday, Mr.
Ecevit said he believed in the "usefulness of dialogue under any
conditions, since the two sides would at least be able to
exchange views".
He also said he told the EU Commissioner he did not understand
why the EU felt obliged to select between Turkey and Cyprus.
[14] Gov't condemns violent protests outside Greek-Turkish symposium
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
The government yesterday strongly condemned scuffles between
police and demonstrators outside the Thessaloniki Chamber of
Commerce on Thursday night, where Greek and Turkish
businesspeople were scheduled to participate at a symposium on
Eleftherios Venizelos and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
"Greece does not approve of unlawful and adventurist activities
by intolerant elements," government spokesman Demetris Reppas
said.
He said the Turkish participants had been briefed on the
government's stance on the incidents, adding that the government
did not feel obliged to apologize for the behavior of the
demonstrators - who shouted slogans against Turkey and threw
objects at those attempting to enter the building - saying
Athens was taking a political position.
If blame is to be attributed, then it will be done by the
police, he said.
The Commercial and Industrial Chamber of Thessaloniki issued an
announcement stressing that "no one had the right to be
self-declared to a patron" of Thessaloniki's people.
It further said "the people of Thessaloniki had their own
history and contribution to the significant matters of
democracy, peace and understanding between people".
In a related development, two young men arrested by police
during Thursday's incident were charged with "disturbing the
peace."
A 24-year-old medical student and a 25-year-old laborer were
arrested while allegedly harassing an employee of a Turkish
business.
They appeared before a misdemeanors court yesterday, although
their trial was adjourned for next week. Both denied the charges.
[15] Yilmaz comments
Ankara, 1/11/1997 (ANA - A. Abatzis)
Turkish Prime Minster Mesut Yilmaz, commenting on Thursday's
incidents, made the following comment:
"In every country there can be fanatics who do not want peace,"
he said, calling the incident "regrettable", adding that he was
happy with the response of the Greek government and that it
would not affect his meeting with his Greek counterpart on Nov.
3 in Crete.
[16] Ipekci committee
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
Meanwhile, the Athens bureau of the Abdi Ipekci Peace and
Friendship Awards has issued a statement apologizing to the
"great majority of Turkish people" for what it calls the
"miserable incident in Thessaloniki".
"The thuggery and violence in Thessaloniki prompt us to multiply
our efforts to achieve friendly rapprochement between the two
neighboring peoples before we are drawn into the abyss by blind
fanaticism," a statement read.
[17] Participants
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
Turkish participants at the "Thessaloniki: Eleftherios Venizelos
- Kemal Ataturk" seminar on Thursday night recommended the
holding of a congress in Istanbul on March 25 next year
regarding "Hellenism in Constantinople and the contribution of
the Ecumenical Patriarchate to Orthodoxy".
The proposal was forwarded to the members of "Union for
Democracy in the Balkans," whose Greek branch organized
Thursday's seminar.
Union president and until recently president of the Union of
Northern Greek Industrialists, Nikos Efthymiades, told the ANA
that the congress coincided with the Union's plan for a congress
on a similar theme in spring in Istanbul, with the participation
of political figures from Greece and Turkey.
He was concerned, however, at the date chosen by the Turkish
participants because, as he said, he feared the danger of
incidents, similar to those in Thessaloniki on Thursday.
[18] 'Ochi Day' discussion in US House of Representatives
Washington, 1/11/1997 (ANA - T. Ellis)
A discussion on the Greece's National Day of October 28 (Ochi
Day) was held in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday at
the initiative of Greek-American Mike Papas, a Congressman from
New Jersey.
In a speech delivered before the House of Representatives, Mr.
Papas praised the braveness and the resistance put up by the
Greek people during 1940-41, a period marked by the word "NO"
(Ochi), Greece's laconic reply to fascist Italy's demands and
subsequent invasion attempt.
Many other philhellene US Congressmen spoke of the role played
by Greece during World War II.
In the meantime, it was announced that the Greek-American
Institute in co-operation with the Institute of Greek Studies is
organizing a conference in Washington on Nov. 22, regarding the
topic of "The Decisive Role Played by Greece During the Second
World War and the First Years of the Cold War."
[19] Gov't says EU expansion talks should be all-encompassing
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
The Cabinet yesterday reaffirmed its position that EU
enlargement talks should in addition to Cyprus also include the
other 10 countries which have applied for EU membership.
According to a decision of the European Commission, negotiations
on Cyprus' accession will begin on April 2 next year, while
negotiations will also commence with a further five countries -
Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Estonia - with
out any specific date having been set.
"Greece believes that in addition to these countries,
negotiations should also begin with the other five countries,
namely, Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovakia,"
government spokesman Demetris Reppas said after the Cabinet
meeting.
The spokesman said Greece was not opposed to Turkey's efforts to
come closer to Europe, provided the criteria set by the EU
itself were satisfied.
Mr. Reppas said Greece did not support a French proposal for the
establishment of a forum with the participation of the present
EU member-states, the 11 countries now seeking membership and
Turkey, given that Athens wanted the eleven to become full
members of the Union.
Despite this, he added, Greece would consider the possibility of
a special relationship being developed between the EU and
Turkey, while noting that the EU-Turkey customs association
would proceed if an end was put to the Imia issue, which Ankara
itself had created.
At this point, Mr. Reppas reiterated that Cyprus' course towards
accession could not be obstructed by anyone and expressed the
view that Cyprus' accession would serve as a "pressure lever"
for the settlement of the Cyprus problem.
On the prospect of Greece joining EMU, Mr. Reppas said that if
there were to be criteria of a political nature, Greece would
seek to have equal treatment.
[20] Yennimatas: EU customs union the key to Greek-Turkish
rapprochement
Ankara, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
Turkey's customs union with the European Union unites Greece and
Turkey with common interests European Investments Bank (EIB)
Vice-President Panayiotis Yennimatas said in an interview with
the Turkish newspaper "Hurriyet."
"In any event, the customs union is the framework for a lasting
and deep co-operation, and both countries have to invest in it.
The customs union is the common interest that binds each country
to the Union but, significantly, to one another as well," he
said.
The newspaper published statements made by Mr. Yennimatas to the
newspaper's correspondent Athena Nour Batour in its inside
pages, saying that Mr. Yennimatas is one of the most powerful
epresentatives of the new spirit evident in Greece for Turkey
over the past two years.
The representatives of this new climate aim at a rational
rapprochement in relations with Turkey, the placing of
importance on economic and commercial relations and a resolution
of political problems on a common basis, the paper noted.
Ms Batour writes that in the political backstage, Mr. Yennimatas
is considered the leader of the future of the "right."
Mr. Yennimatas said Turkey cannot remain outside the EU because
it constitutes a major sector of interests for the Union, adding
that the Greek veto preventing the flow of economic aid to
Turkey in the framework of customs union reflects embarrassingly
on both countries.
"The veto on the special action program reflects embarrassingly
on both countries. It would be of immense benefit if the Turkish
government were to take steps towards facilitating a positive
reaction on this issue by the Greek government," he said.
[21] Belize PM meets with Pangalos
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
Belize Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel had talks here yesterday
with Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos on the establishment of
a Greek consulate in the central American country and the
development of economic co-operation with Greece.
Mr. Esquivel, who is accompanied by the Belize foreign minister,
was received earlier yesterday by President Kostis
Stephanopoulos and Prime Minister Costas Simitis.
Speaking to reporters after his talks with Mr. Esquivel, Mr.
Pangalos said that in addition to the issue of the Greek
consulate, they had also agreed to take measures to encourage
the import of Belize's main product - the banana - to Greece.
Mr. Esquivel expressed satisfaction at the talks and expressed
the hope that the strengthening of co-operation with Greece
would also contribute to the development of relations between
Belize and the European Union.
[22] European Jewish Council leader in Thessaloniki
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
Executive Director of the Council of European Jewish Communities
Michael Mei gave a press conference in Thessaloniki yesterday in
view of the release of a second list of 17,000 names of Jewish
depositors in Swiss bank accounts that had remained dormant
since the Holocaust.
A list of 1,700 names was published three months ago, while
another 30,000 applications from depositors' relatives are still
pending.
The accounts had been "buried" in the bank vaults since the
Second World War. Jewish organizations have alleged that the
banks deliberately concealed the existence of these accounts.
The issue is to be discussed at this weekend's meeting of the
Council in Thessaloniki, with the participation of leading
figures from Jewish communities around the world.
Noting that only about 300,000 survivors of the Holocaust were
still living, Mr. Mei said:
"These people at least should be given a symbolic amount,
perhaps US$1,000 each, of the money deposited in the Swiss
accounts of Jewish victims of Nazism, since most of them live in
eastern Europe where hunger is prevalent."
Thessaloniki Jewish Community President Andreas Sefiha
announ-ced that on November 23, President of the Republic Kostis
Stephanopoulos would unveil a monument to the 50,000 Greek Jews
who died in the Nazi camps.
He said that a US Congress delegation led by Foreign Affairs
Committee president Ben Gilman would attend the ceremony.
[23] Bonn rejects Greek court ruling on WWII reparations
Bonn, 1/11/1997 (Reuters/ANA - P. Stangos)
The German government said yesterday it would not comply with a
Greek provincial court ruling ordering Bonn to pay a Viotia
prefecture village some US$32 million in World War II
reparations.
Bonn's rejection came as the latest blow to several Greek
citizens' attempts to secure individual compensation claims for
their suffering during the Nazis' 1941-1944 occupation.
"The cases before Greek courts, in which the claims of Greek
individuals are being heard against Germany because of events
during World War II do not conform with international law,"
Alexander Alard, a high-ranking of the chancellery's press
secretariat official told ANA.
"For this reason corresponding lawsuits against Germany before
Greek courts are unlawful. We have repeatedly made this legal
position clear to the Greek government," he added.
A court in the central Greek city of Livadeia ordered Germany on
Thursday to pay $32 million in reparations to the village of
Distomo, where 214 residents were executed by occupying Nazi
soldiers on June 10, 1944.
He said that under a 1960 compensation treaty, Germany had paid
Athens 115 million deutschmarks ($67 million) in reparations for
Greek survivors who suffered under Nazi persecution.
The Greek government had been responsible for distributing the
funds, he said.
He also stressed the "great value" Bonn placed on its relations
with Greece as a partner in the European Union and NATO.
Yannis Stamoulis, the prefect of Viotia and a former European
parliament deputy for the ruling PASOK party who has been
leading the campaign for reparations, has vowed to take the case
to the International Court at The Hague or the Council of Europe
if Germany refused to pay.
Reacting to verdict on Thursday, Mr. Stamoulis said the ruling
meant the families of more than 130,000 Greeks executed during
the war, another 300,000 who died from hunger and the owners of
125,000 houses destroyed could be eligible to sue for damages.
Greek cities suffered from hunger during the occupation and many
villages were razed and their residents executed for fighting
the Nazis or cooperating with the resistance movement.
The Distomo case was heard in November 1996. Germany was absent
from the trial because it did not recognize the jurisdiction of
the court, which decided it had the right to try the case.
Mr. Stamoulis argues that individual claims for damages became
possible after German unification in 1990 and said 2,500 people
had applied for reparations that could total up to $35 billion.
Bonn initially rejected an official Greek verbal note calling
for negotiations in November 1995, arguing that "50 years after
the end of World War II, the issue of reparations has lost its
base of justification."
[24] Pharmacists suspend strike
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
Representatives of Greek pharmacists' unions decided to suspend
their strike last night at the end of a prolonged meeting.
After the government satisfied one of their main economic
claims, namely, an increase in their profit percentage in
medicines retail prices from 21 to 24 per cent, the pharmacists
decided to embark on a dialogue with relevant bodies on their
institution al claims and will reconsider their position by Dec.
20, as they said, when they will take new decisions.
Different views were also heard at the meeting which according
to reports concerned some provincial unions which expressed
opposition to the suspension of the strike but were ultimately
convinced by the majority.
Following this development, the unions said they will go ahead
as soon as possible with the regular operation of all pharmacies
on duty during the day and at night over the weekend and, if
possible, all pharmacies will open on Monday.
[25] Parliament's budget to be unveiled
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
Parliament's budget is to be discussed next Monday while
according to Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis, it
contains allocations for the completion of the Parliament's
building and technological infrastructure.
Certain sums are also allocated for staff training, exhibitions
and publications. The state budget is to be tabled in Parliament
in the week starting Nov. 9.
Referring to the recent Trieste conference which he attended,
Mr. Kaklamanis said the focus of the meeting was on economic
crime and its repercussions on drug dealing and prostitution. At
a press conference, Mr. Kaklamanis stressed that Greece was at a
crucial crossroads since it was used by neighboring countries,
mainly Turkey, as the gateway for trafficking drugs to the rest
of Europe.
Finally, speaking on the archaeological finds excavated during
metro works underneath the Parliament building, Mr. Kaklamanis
said that most of them were in a poor condition.
However, some of them will be included in a permanent exhibition
at the building.
[26] ESHEA honor for Stephanopoulos
Athens, 1/11/1997 (ANA)
President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos is to receive a
gold plaque by the Athens Journalists' Union (ESHEA) for his
contribution to both democracy and journalism.
The award ceremony will be held Monday at the ESHEA conference
hall - 20, Acadimias st.
End of English language section.
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