Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 00-02-14

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Greek premier says positive steps taken towards inter-Balkan cooperation

[02] Balkan leaders sign cooperation, stability charter

[03] Greece to request lifting of UN embargo on Yugoslavia over Kosovo

[04] Greek, Turkish PMs meet in Bucharest

[05] Tsohatzopoulos meets with former Romanian president Iliescu

[06] Greece, Cyprus should use Helsinki to change Turkish stance, Tsohatzopoulos says

[07] Defense minister addresses globalization in international event

[08] ND leader accuses government of deception and deceit

[09] Communist Party (KKE) and DHKKI talk of upcoming elections

[10] Economy minister on new four-year government program

[11] Conference on European Union institutional changes begins on Monday

[12] Development minister on small and medium size business problems

[01] Greek premier says positive steps taken towards inter-Balkan cooperation

BUCHAREST, 14/02/2000 (ANA - V. Mourtis)

Addressing a press conference, Simitis said that problems and rivalries would be gradually overcome with a will for cooperation. He said Greece's important role, which can function as a catalyst, was ascertained during the Balkan summit in Bucharest.

"Greece will play this role and has a great deal to offer in this sector, due to the many experiences it has from international cooperation," he said.

Questions were raised on the Balkans Stability Pact, the main issue on the agenda in the afternoon, as to whether the development of the region and the promotion of political and social stability can proceed. The discussion showed that certain results could be achieved in a few months regarding the promotion and implementation of the big plans initially announced in Sarajevo.

Simitis said an international meeting will be held in Brussels in March with the participation of international organizations and, among others, an evaluation will be made on the amounts, which will be accumulated to enable the Stability Pact to be applied. According to evaluations made, these amounts will be satisfactory.

The issue of Yugoslavia's participation in inter-Balkan cooperation remains unsettled, while all expressed the desire for its participation. However, the stumbling block in this issue is the effort by the countries involved in inter-Balkan cooperation to join the European Union and Euro-Atlantic structures.

The proclamation stresses that countries wishing to join cooperation should observe certain preconditions, particularly with regard to the operation of their democratic form of government.

Simitis said Yugoslavia has the preconditions to join this cooperation, but added that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has not shown to date that he wishes to cooperate.

The premier also said that the issue of the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) was raised during his meeting with FYROM's premier and that he said that this issue should close.

[02] Balkan leaders sign cooperation, stability charter

BUCHAREST, 14/02/2000 (ANA - V. Mourtis)

Addressing the conference, Prime Minister Costas Simitis said great effort must be expended in promoting development, cooperation policies and relations with the European Union.

Regarding Kosovo, Simitis noted that the United Nations Security Council's decisions should be applied, noting that otherwise there will be serious problems in that area, which should be autonomous but within Yugoslavia's borders.

Yugoslavia is the only Balkan country absent from the conference. Greece has expressed hope it will be allowed to participate in future.

Simitis stressed that the policies of isolation practiced against Yugoslavia did not yield results, thus the embargo measures should be re-examined. Last Monday the premier said, during a Greek government cabinet meeting, that he will propose the limiting or even lifting of the embargo measures on international flights against Belgrade, which mainly harm the people of that country.

Speaking on Balkan cooperation, he said that procedures should speed up as the region can play a role in a changing Europe, adding that the only road the countries of the region can take is that of mutual understanding.

The previous two inter-Balkan cooperation conferences were held in Crete, on November 3-4, 1997, and Antalya, Turkey, on October 12-13, 1998.

[03] Greece to request lifting of UN embargo on Yugoslavia over Kosovo

BUCHAREST, 14/02/2000 (ANA-Reuters)

"What we would like to see is to make sure that the sanctions do not affect the actual average citizen of Serbia," Papandreou told Reuters Television, speaking at the sidelines of the third inter-Balkan conference of heads of state or government.

"There are some proposals we will be bringing to the (EU's) General Affairs Council on Monday, hopefully, such as lifting the flight ban," he said, without elaborating.

Papandreou said Greece wanted to send a signal to ordinary people in Serbia that the international community was not seeking to hurt them, but to encourage democratic reform.

"We very much support the process in Yugoslavia for democratization," he said. "Greece will be taking a number of initiatives in trying to see how it can bring in Serbia into this process in a more constructive way," he said

[04] Greek, Turkish PMs meet in Bucharest

BUCHAREST, 14/02/2000 (ANA - V. Mourtis)

The two men discussed issues concerning the European Union.

Following the meeting, Simitis said that Greece supports the European Union prospect of Turkey, adding that the positive climate in the relations between the two states should continue if progress is to be made in their bilateral relations.

On his part, Ecevit said that bilateral cooperation was the focus of discussions and expressed his satisfaction over the progress of affairs between the two states, while he thanked the Foreign Ministers of Greece George Papandreou and Turkey Ismail Cem for their contribution.

Later in the day Simitis met with his counterparts from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Romania.

[05] Tsohatzopoulos meets with former Romanian president Iliescu

Athens, 14/02/2000 (ANA)

The two men met late on Saturday night on the sidelines of the international conference organized by the Institute of Strategic and Development Studies Andreas Papandreou, taking place in Thessaloniki.

Following the meeting, Tsohatzopoulos expressed his hope for the European Union to change its passive stance toward the policies employed in Kosovo and Yugoslavia.

On his part, Iliescu stressed the importance of Greece's support for Romania's bid to join the Union and wished victory for PASOK in the upcoming elections.

Former Romanian President Iliescu attends conference in Thessaloniki

Former Romanian President Ion Iliescu said on Saturday Thessaloniki is a symbol city, signaling cooperation between Greece and the other Balkan countries with its many institutes and organizations.

Iliescu attended the conference of the Andreas Papandreou Institute of strategic and Development Studies (ISTAME) at its invitation. The conference focused on "Europe and the world at the start to the new millennium."

Later, he visited Macedonia and Thrace Minister Yiannis Magriotis and discussed what they said were the excellent relations between the two countries and the leading role played by Greece in supporting Romania's bid for European Union accession.

[06] Greece, Cyprus should use Helsinki to change Turkish stance, Tsohatzopoulos says

Athens, 14/02/2000 (ANA)

Tsohatzopoulos, addressing an event of the Defense Analysis Institute of the defense ministry in Thessaloniki, said for improvement of Greek-Turkish and Cyprus-Turkish relations are long term affairs.

"Unfortunately, based on past experience, we have proven to ourselves that we can make the easy problems difficult to solve. However, today, the opposite is needed," he said.

He also reiterated that the proposal by Turkish Cypriot community leader Rauf Denktash for the creation of two states in a confederation, can not move forward as it would overturn United Nations' decision, which demand the establishment of one state, a unified Cyprus Republic in two zones, two communities, with protection for everyone's rights.

A state that would secure the prospects of a joint course and progress, he added, concluding with a call to Denktash to move in that direction.

German FM briefs Greek counterpart on meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader: German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer on Friday called his Greek counterpart George Papandreou and personally briefed him of his meeting with Turkish Cypriot community leader Rauf Denktash, sources revealed on Sunday.

The same sources noted that Papandreou and Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides also held a telephone conference on the same evening regarding the same issue.

Reports by German media noted that Fischer stressed to Denktash that the German government does not recognize the Turkish Cypriot self-declared state, set up in northern Cyprus regions occupied by Turkey, and called him to cooperate in resolving the Cyprus problem.

Denktash visited Germany at the invitation of Fischer last Friday, following the second round of UN-sponsored proximity talks, between Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and Denktash, in Geneva.

Turkey invaded the independent, UN member, Republic of Cyprus in the summer of 1974 and since then it occupies about 37 pre cent of the island republic, despite calls by the international community to rectify the injustice.

[07] Defense minister addresses globalization in international event

Athens, 14/02/2000 (ANA)

Tsohatzopoulos noted that despite the push for a new-liberal economic structure, Europe for the first time is moving toward a new direction, which makes possible both the economic development and the social cohesion and solidarity.

[08] ND leader accuses government of deception and deceit

Athens, 14/02/2000 (ANA)

Karamanlis, in his closing remarks to his party's two-day preliminary conference in Patras, southern Greece, said ND does not deny that constructive action was taken over the past 20 years.

He, however, went on to say that "even if the country had not been ruled by anyone some things would have changed and something would have been done.

"But we cannot accept a Greece of arrogance and of paper models of projects as a reality, even more so when these models, which pose as great and completed projects, are those we (ND) constructed and we left behind," he added.

Accusing the government of wasting funds for election advertising, Karamanlis said "we do not mind them for showing their supremacy in money and resources because we have neither dependencies nor commitments to anyone and nor do we want to have any.

"In any case, whenever money and resources came into confrontation with spirit, faith and ideas, the latter always emerged victorious," he said

Karamanlis called on the government to agree to an open discussion, saying that "if they have the model of deception as a weapon, our weapon is truth. Instead of half-words and monologues, let the government dare a substantive dialogue on everything concerning our country and Greek society and, instead of the figures of accounting offices, let it dare to speak of the figures of life, society and the real economy."

He outlined the state of unemployment in the country and presented his party's proposals on addressing the problem. Karamanlis said an increase in employment would be achieved if development were achieved, adding that subsidizing the unemployed is not a solution to the problem.

He proposed an increase in unemployment benefits amounting to 60 percent of a base salary as an initial step.

He proposed taxation reform with a decrease of burdens on citizens and enterprises, deregulation of the energy and communications markets which, he said, can provide 55,000 new jobs, strengthening employment through the working people's participation in the profits of enterprises, the initiation of incentives for early retirement and support for self-employment.

Earlier, Karamanlis visited work sites concerning the port of Patras and the Rio-Antirio bridge and was briefed on the progress of work by the President of the Patras Port Organization Yiannis Dimaras.

[09] Communist Party (KKE) and DHKKI talk of upcoming elections

Athens, 14/02/2000 (ANA)

Papariga, speaking at a press conference, said the distribution of time among parties was based on what she said "the steadfast undemocratic conception that the so-called big parties should have the lion's share at the expense of the so-called small ones".

She said the main characteristic of the election period was the heightening of the campaign to "buy off votes and consciences and promises of post-election favors which are usually ignored, while talk of a ceiling being imposed or not on the expenditures of parties and candidates is only for the sake of appearances."

Democratic Social Movement (DHKKI) party leader Dimitris Tsovolas on his part said on Sunday the party will play a decisive role in developments in the country as of the election night on April 9.

Speaking to party supporters at an Athens cinema, Tsovolas called on the leaders of the two major parties to accept a public televised dialogue, with four or five open discussions for all the party leaders to enable the people to know what they are voting for.

Tsovolas said that at the EU Helsinki summit last December the government "gave everything to enable the country to join Economic and Monetary Union with political conditions, since the convergence program did not achieve its target."

Coalition party leader calls for joint mobilization of cadres of the left and progress: Coalition of the Left and Progress party leader Nikos Constantopoulos on Sunday called for the joint mobilization of the cadres of the left and progress in light of the April 9 elections and accused the ruling PASOK party's cadres of appearing as the "upstarts of power."

Constantopoulos, who was on an election tour in Serres, northern Greece, said "great inequality exists in Greek society since a big part of the population is suffering" and accused both PASOK and the main opposition New Democracy party of hypocrisy.

[10] Economy minister on new four-year government program

Athens, 14/02/2000 (ANA)

In an interview published in Sunday's "To Vima" newspaper, Papantoniou said that benefits will not increase rather "PASOK and the government during this pre -election period will commit to a four-year program, which will obviously plan for essential improvements in the living standards of the people, since this will be possible by the developments in the economy".

"Today we have a strong economy, which is the cornerstone for everything else. This is what we will tell the Greek citizens during this election and we will explain that based on this economy we are at the position - and we proved it by the package of measures in September - to improve the standard of living for all Greeks and especially for the weak social groups," Papantoniou added.

[11] Conference on European Union institutional changes begins on Monday

Athens, 14/02/2000 (ANA)

The conference is expected to conclude its work by the end of the year, while the final decisions and approvals remain in the hands of the 15 member state leaders, who are expected to conclude on the issue in December, at the end of the French Union presidency.

Issues to be discussed also include the numerical composition of the European Commission; increased roles for the councils of ministers and special majority votes and not consensus for several issues.

[12] Development minister on small and medium size business problems

Athens, 14/02/2000 (ANA)

Speaking at a conference entitled "New political initiatives for Small and medium size businesses" organized by Hellenic Organization of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises and Craftsmen, Venizelos said that the government has introduced measures for the support of those businesses.

Specifically, the government introduced changes in the taxation, pension and health care funds, access to the banking system and access to information.

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