Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 00-08-09

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

CONTENTS

[01] Gov't raises reward for information on November 17

[02] Bakoyianni calls for clarification on arms deal

[03] Authorities present code of conduct on listed companies

[04] Equities end higher in light trade

[05] Series of US - related events at this year's Thessaloniki Int'l Fair

[06] Public investment plan payments up 8.5 pct in Jan-Jul

[07] Antenna TV buys three Bulgarian media companies

[08] New increases in fuel prices

[09] Spetses fire attributed to arson

[10] Sponge diver discovers 35,000 ancient coins

[11] Kasoulides cautions against high expectations from talks

[12] Kyprianou backs stance during proximity talks

[13] Clinton urged to utilize pressure he created for Cyprus settlement

[01] Gov't raises reward for information on November 17

Athens, 09/08/2000 (ANA)

"A reward of 1.5 billion drachmas will be offered to anyone providing evidence and information leading to the dismantling of the November 17 terrorist organization, shedding light on its crimes and arresting the culprits," said a statement.

The government doubled its reward to one billion drachmas on June 13, after November 17 claimed responsibility for the killing in Athens of Britain's military attache Stephen Saunders on June 8.

The group has targeted several foreign officials based in Greece and Greek business leaders. Its first victim was Richard Wells, CIA station chief in Greece in 1975.

On Monday, the government announced the launching of two toll-free hotlines for individuals wishing to anonymously pass on information related to terrorist activities, the first such phone lines in Greece.

The lines 1964 and 170 are linked with the countrys anti-terrorist service and will be staffed on a 24-hour basis, according to reports.

Report on bill denied: Meanwhile, the government also denied press reports that it was preparing a bill with stricter penal procedures and penalties for suspected terrorists.

"Press reports that the justice and public order ministries are to push through a bill on terrorism within August do not correspond to reality," said acting government spokesman Telemachos Hytiris.

He made the statement in response to a claim in the Sunday Vima newspaper that the government was seeking to grant the police and judiciary wider powers in handling terrorism cases, including trial without jury and mandatory life sentences for the members of terrorist organizations.

Hytiris said existing legislation was on the whole adequate to deal with cases of terrorism and any amendments would definitely not be introduced in Parliament's summer session and respect citizens' individual rights.

On Monday, the Athens Bar Association voiced concern over the reports.

"We reiterate our opposition to the proposal for taking away the responsibility from mixed jury courts for trying cases relating to terrorism, and note that, to date, there have been no indications of a lack of credibility on the part of the courts in trying such cases," said the Association in a statement.

[02] Bakoyianni calls for clarification on arms deal

Athens, 09/08/2000 (ANA)

Deputy Dora Bakoyianni, ND's spokesperson on foreign affairs and defense, claimed that the United States was supporting Turkey on the Cyprus problem in exchange for the purchase by Ankara of the U.S. helicopters.

Bakoyianni called on the government to ask the U.S. why it had abandoned clauses for settlement of the Cyprus issue and the protection of human rights in exchange for liberalization of the helicopter market.

She said that "the purchase of the fighter planes by Turkey has caused a major upset in the balance of power in the region."

[03] Authorities present code of conduct on listed companies

Athens, 09/08/2000 (ANA)

"In 2001 we will have a new stock exchange, one classified as a mature market. In order to attain this objective, we need constructive, low-key dialogue, allowing the completion of institutional reforms at the new bourse," capital markets commission chairman Stavros Thomadakis said.

Thomadakis told a news conference that the draft plan was to be sent for comment to the Association of Greek Industry, the Athens Stock Exchange Members' Association, the Union of Institutional Investors and the Hellenic Banks Association.

A department to keep track of listed companies and their compliance with the rules would be set up at the capital markets commission, Thomadakis said.

The draft rules on quoted firms are divided into five sections: public disclosure of information, curbs on trading for senior executives, early announcement of share transactions by more than 5.0 percent shareholders, minimum requirements for internal organization, and the mandatory publication of an annual report for investors.

Finally, Thomadakis announced that the New Stock Market for small companies would launch operations in the autumn.

[04] Equities end higher in light trade

Athens, 09/08/2000 (ANA)

Turnover remained thin, failing to signal the start of a new upward trend. The market needed to consolidate at current levels, accompanied by a rise in trade, analysts said.

The general index ended 0.86 percent higher at 3,763.59 points with turnover at 65.0 billion drachmas.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks ended 1.11 percent up, and the FTSE/ASE 40 index for medium-sized shares finished 0.04 percent lower.

Sector indices ended as follows: Banks: +1.68% Leasing: +1.80% Insurance: +0.40% Investment:

-0.29% Construction: +0.06% Industrials: +0.15% Miscellaneous: +0.82% Holding: +0.46%

The parallel market index for smaller capitalization stocks closed 1.01 percent up.

Of 343 shares traded, advances led declines at 204 to 114 with 25 issues unchanged.

Most heavily traded were Paleo Faliro Medical, Hellenic Telecommunications Organization, Alpha Bank, Viohalco and National Bank of Greece.

Drachma closing prices of leading shares were as follows: National Bank of Greece: 13,225 Titan Cement Co. (c): 13,030 Alpha Bank: 12,710 Hellenic Telecommunications: 7,690 Commercial Bank: 15,540 Panafon: 4,035 Hellenic Petroleum: 3,455 Eurobank: 9,000 Intracom: 11,950 Lambrakis Press: 9,380 Heracles Cement: 7,400

Equity futures rise, tracking Athens bourse: Equity futures traded on the Athens Derivatives Exchange finished higher on Tuesday, in line with the indices on which they are based.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index closed 1.22 percent up, and the FTSE/ASE 40 ended 0.04 percent down.

Turnover was 12.94 billion drachmas.

A total of 1,624 contracts were traded on the FTSE/ASE 20 with turnover at 6.82 billion drachmas.

On the FTSE/ASE 40 index, 2,948 contracts changed hands on turnover of 6.12 billion drachmas.

Bond prices drop in light trade: Bond prices in the domestic secondary market on Tuesday finished lower in light trade.

The Greek benchmark 10-year bond showed a yield of 6.03 percent from 6.02 percent in the previous session.

The Greek paper's yield spread over German bunds was 84-85 basis points from 85-86 basis points a day earlier.

Turnover through the central bank's electronic system totalled 38 billion drachmas from 118 billion drachmas the session before.

Sell orders accounted for 24 billion drachmas of turnover.

Drachma down vs. euro, dollar: The drachma on Tuesday ended lower against the euro and the US dollar in the domestic foreign exchange market.

At the central bank's daily fixing, the euro was set at 337.09 drachmas from 337.07 drachmas in the previous session.

Also at the fix, the dollar was set at 372.790 drachmas from 370.800 drachmas a day earlier.

[05] Series of US - related events at this year's Thessaloniki Int'l Fair

Athens, 09/08/2000 (ANA)

Among the events are two noteworthy art exhibitions, including a retrospective exhibition featuring 70 works by Andy Warhol at the Macedonian Museum of Modern Art from Aug. 22 to Sept. 19. The second exhibition is entitled "Modern Odysseys" and features works by Greek-American artists of the 20th century. The last exhibition was successfully organized last year at New York's Queens Museum.

Thessaloniki's film festival organization, meanwhile, is co-sponsoring a small tribute to America's incomparable cinema, entitled "American Movies of the 20th Century: Milestones of a Legendary Vision". Screenings include "On the Waterfront" and "Apocalypse Now", among others.

On the musical front, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band is set to perform at Thessaloniki's new Concert Hall, whereas other groups will be performing soul, disco and Latin rhythms on the TIF's premises. The Sixth Fleet's band will also perform at the fair.

[06] Public investment plan payments up 8.5 pct in Jan-Jul

Athens, 09/08/2000 (ANA)

At the end of July, funds disbursed totalled 1,260.5 billion drachmas.

Payments for co-financed works from national and European Union funds totalled 840 billion drachmas in January-July. The projects comprise 78 percent of the 2000 public investments program.

[07] Antenna TV buys three Bulgarian media companies

Athens, 09/08/2000 (ANA)

The investment of 3.7 million US dollars is in Nova Television (100 percent), Multimex (100 percent) and Radio Express (94 percent), Kyriakou said.

The acquisitions represent the first step in a strategy of expanding in the Balkans, he added.

[08] New increases in fuel prices

Athens, 09/08/2000 (ANA)

Gasoline and diesel-oil prices were reported go up by 5.5 drachmas and 1.5 drachmas per liter, respectively.

[09] Spetses fire attributed to arson

Athens, 09/08/2000 (ANA)

The fire was contained after 20 hours, having in the meantime destroyed a large expanse of pine forest. Taking part in the operation were 250 firefighters with 45 fire engines, and six water-dropping planes.

Fanned by strong winds, the flames threatened the communities of Ligoneri and Aghioi Anargyroi, which is ten kilometers away from the island's port.

[10] Sponge diver discovers 35,000 ancient coins

Athens, 09/08/2000 (ANA)

The department said on Tuesday that the coins of different shapes and sizes depicted 3rd-4th century AD emperors Diocletian and Maximian. It is possible that the coins, believed to have been carried in wooden chests, were destined for military expenditure.

The gross weight of the coins, stones and mud came to 182 kilos.

The area of the shipwreck was located at a depth of 47 meters off Astypalea.

[11] Kasoulides cautions against high expectations from talks

NICOSIA, 09/08/2000 (CNA/ANA)

The foreign minister, who held a press conference on Tuesday in the light of the third round of Cyprus proximity talks that ended in Geneva last week, called for substantive negotiations and announced he will have a meeting in Athens with his Greek counterpart George Papandreou towards the end of this month.

He said that on every occasion both Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and Ankara support positions that "have not and will not allow high expectations for a positive outcome in the dialogue."

The Turkish side has been insisting the UN-led Cyprus peace effort aims at establishing a confederation of two states on the island, contrary to UN resolutions providing for a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

The foreign minister clarified that neither the UN nor foreign government envoys following the proximity talks, that opened last December, have asked the Greek Cypriot side to abandon principles included in Security Council resolutions.

Expressing the hope that foreign governments involved in the Cyprus peace effort will realize that they must exert pressure on Turkey so that it changes its stance, Kasoulides said the Greek Cypriot side will participate in the talks called for by the UN Secretary-General.

"We have accepted a calendar for the talks giving the UN and third parties the opportunity to establish beyond any doubt whether or not this dialogue can move along and become substantive," he said.

During the talks held in Geneva early July, the UN agreed with the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides that talks would resume towards the end of July and adjourn on August 4 and begin again in New York from September 12 to early October.

"There is no commitment beyond October 5," Kasoulides said, adding that the Greek Cypriot side's stance thereon will depend on developments in New York.

"The positions of the two sides are now known and have been explained and the time has come for substantive negotiations," he said, adding that "the Security Council must be informed about the party which refuses to participate."

In the last round of talks the two sides elaborated on their positions and replied to questions put to them by Alvaro de Soto, the UN chief's special advisor for Cyprus who is conducting the meetings.

[12] Kyprianou backs stance during proximity talks

NICOSIA, 09/08/2000 (CNA/ANA)

Talking to reporters after his first meeting with the president since his return from Geneva, Kyprianou expressed the view that "the Cyprus question is at the worst stage it has been since the 1974" Turkish invasion and occupation of 37 percent of the island's territory.

He said the Cyprus peace effort is moving away from UN resolutions, a tendency which began with a decision by the Group of Eight most industrialized countries of the world (G8) and is now adopted by the UN, allowing all issues to be put on the negotiating table.

Kyprianou criticized the UN chief's special advisor for Cyprus Alvaro de Soto, who is leading the talks, for saying that Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash can raise any issue he wants during the meetings.

Denktash, backed by Ankara, has been demanding that the Cyprus peace talks aim at establishing a confederation of two states on the island, contrary to UN resolutions providing for a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

He has been insisting on this demand throughout the proximity talks that opened last December.

Talks were also held in February and July, while a third round is scheduled to begin in New York in September, aiming at preparing the ground for substantial negotiations leading to a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus.

Kyprianou said President Clerides briefed him on the Geneva talks and expressed the view he "maintained a proper stance, in line with the principles agreed upon by the National Council" (the president's top advisory body on the Cyprus question, comprising parliamentary party leaders).

The House President said he continues to disagree with the way the Cyprus question is being handled, he called for a meeting of the Greek Cypriot political leadership to examine the latest developments and said that along with the Greek government "we must see what we should do, given today's difficult circumstances".

[13] Clinton urged to utilize pressure he created for Cyprus settlement

NICOSIA, 09/08/2000 (CNA/ANA)

In letters to Clinton and Holbrooke, they stress that a solution built on European Union (EU) proposals and in accordance with UN resolutions will dramatically improve the future for Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Greeks and Turks, and promote the security interests of all Americans.

The letter, dated August 8, was signed by Chairman of the United Hellenic American Congress and President of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad Andrew Athens, President of the National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes Andrew Manatos, and President of the Pancyprian Association of America and President of International Coordinating Committee - Justice for Cyprus Philip Christopher.

"Please don't leave office without fully utilizing the major new pressures you created for a Cyprus settlement", the Greek- American leaders say in the letter, noting "your getting Cyprus on the short list of countries next to accede to the EU and getting Turkey in position for possible EU accession brought a profound new dynamic to the Cyprus problem".

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