Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 01-03-28

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

CONTENTS

[01] Prime minister inaugurates new international airport at Spata

[02] Greek, Bulgarian PMs again discuss FYROM situation

[03] Kosovo Albanian leader supports dialogue of government with Albanians in FYROM

[04] Britain's Cook, Papandreou speak at UK event on Cyprus issue

[05] President Stephanopoulos receives Armenian defense minister

[06] Final decision issued on radio licenses; reactions

[07] Main opposition calls settlement of penalty rates on overdue loans inadequate

[08] Turkish deputy premier attends reception at Greek embassy

[09] PM and national economy minister discuss fiscal prospects for 2002-2004

[10] Bank of Greece governor says inflation will drop below 3 percent in second half of 2001

[11] National Bank says ECB to cut rates Thursday

[12] Greek-run ships still lead the world, ship owners say

[13] European Investment Bank may fund Olympic Airways aircraft replacement

[14] Balkan forum to be held in Thessaloniki April 2-3

[15] Greek stocks end lower in low turnover

[16] Ioannina cleric criticizes Church line on Pope's visit, ID-cards

[17] Italian newspapers provide high profile coverage of Pope's itinerary in Greece

[18] UN report stresses human rights protection

[19] Suspected terrorist acquitted of attempted murder charges

[20] Government welcomes UN revised report

[01] Prime minister inaugurates new international airport at Spata

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

Regular landings at the airport are due to begin at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, and full operations are to be transferred from Hellenikon by Thursday morning.

Addressing a gathering of 3,000 dignitaries, including President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos, Simitis stressed that the airport had been delivered on time, meeting high specifications, with transparency and controlled cost, in accordance with public interests.

Noting that it was the result of continuous efforts by successive governments, he said it symbolized the need for common and unflagging effort for development, and said it would help make Greece a key junction for southeast Europe and the east Mediterranean in modern international transport networks.

According to the prime minister, the airport had been designed to serve 16 million passengers a year and provision had been made for further extending it in the future, since the area showed signs of becoming the center of significant development in the coming century.

Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis described the airport as a "strategic investment of 660 billion drachmas" that would support 22,000 jobs.

Transport and Communications Minister Christos Verelis said it would help create 1,500 jobs directly, as well as an addition 2,000 jobs per million passengers indirectly.

He said that 13 million passengers would be going through the airport in the next year to 110 destinations.

Amongst dignitaries attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony were US Ambassador Nicholas Burns, main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis, ATHOC chairwoman Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki airport chairman Harris Stamatopoulos, its Chief Executive Officer Dr. Matthias Mitscherlich and contractor firm Hochtief AG's chairman, Dr. Hans Peter Keitel.

Meanwhile, in view of the relocation of the Athens airport from the Hellenikon site to Spata, Attica traffic police decided to temporarily convert the Vari-Koropi highway into a one-way road between the Vasileos Constantinou junction heading for the new airport and the Koropi detour junction with Markopoulo, as well as along Vasileos Constantinou until the junction with Kalymnos St.

They have also forbidden cars from parking along the length of the Vari-Koropi highway.

The measures, which are expected to cause considerable problems to traffic, will be extended if the relocation hasn't been completed and motorists have been advised to avoid these roads.

Access to the airport: In addition to private cars and taxis, the airport can be reached by three express bus lines: the E95 leaving from Syntagma Square in central Athens, the E94 leaving from the Ethniki Amyna metro station and the E96 departing from Karaiskaki Square in Piraeus. Ticket prices are 1000 drachmas, providing unlimited travel on all forms of transport for 24 hours. Monthly bus-metro travel cards are also valid on airport express buses.

The airport company has also made arrangements for 40 volunteers to support Terminal information services in the first weeks of the airport's operation.

[02] Greek, Bulgarian PMs again discuss FYROM situation

SOFIA, 28/03/2001 (ANA - B. Borisov)

According to the Sofia government's press service, both Simitis and Bulgarian PM Ivan Kostov reiterated their positions favoring the Skopje's determined stance in the face of extremists' violence, and combined with political dialogue in order to prevent a further deterioration of the situation.

Additionally, both men agreed that a withdrawal by the predominately Albanian parties from the current government coalition in FYROM could cause even more dramatic political problems.

Papandreou interview on CNN: Meanwhile, in comments to CNN from London, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou noted that both "Greece and Britain have sent a clear message that the terrorists must understand, namely, that they do not represent the Albanian populace and the Albanian community; they are a small, isolated group".

The Greek minister arrived in London for talks with his British counterpart Robin Cook, as much of the discussion expectedly focused on the latest developments in the southern Balkans.

Papandreou emphasized in his televised comments to CNN that problems in the region must solved through democratic means and procedures and not through violence or terrorism. He also cautioned against any alteration in the sensitive region's borders - a standing Greek position - or by creating new countries. Instead, he said the development of multinational societies is the answer.

Asked by CNN over the assistance given by Athens to FYROM, Papandreou simply referred to Greece's close cooperation with the Skopje government. He also noted that Greece desires a "stable and multi-ethnic" FYROM without any changes in borders.

In touching on the possibility of military support to FYROM, he clarified that although Greece participates in KFOR and has a bilateral agreement with its northern neighbor, any presence of Greek or other adjacent countries' troops to the land-locked republic would probably be a mistake.

Conversely, he said an international presence in the area to police borders, an obvious reference to the porous FYROM-Kosovo frontier, very significant.

Papandreou returns to Athens on Tuesday.

Papariga fears generalized war in Balkans, premier stresses improved relations with FYROM: Fear of a generalized war in the Balkans was expressed Tuesday by Communist Party of Greece (KKE) leader Aleka Papariga, after a meeting with Prime Minister Costas Simitis.

After the 45-minute discussion of developments in the region, Papariga said that despite the fluctuations in the tension in the area, the danger of a generalized war would remain unless the situation changed.

The KKE leader also criticized NATO, saying that so long as the alliance continued to exist, "the danger is present".

She further spoke of "the designs of certain Balkan governments" that were taking "reactionary measures internally" while at the same time toeing the NATO line, and expressed concern over their stance.

As for Greece, Papariga called on the premier for the country to abstain from participation with military forces in the Balkans, saying that it should not participate either in the KFOR or in the Balkan Brigade.

She further stressed the need for a "Balkan-wide struggle against NATO but also against the governments of the region involved in the developments", and called for NATO's withdrawal from the region.

Later in the day a press release by the premier's office noted that Simitis stressed to Papariga that "for some time now, we have very good relations with Skopje, especially on an economic level".

The press release also stated that the premier pointed out that the European Union made painfully clear that it would not accept faits accomplis, nationalism and their results in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and will use political and financial motives to aid the political, economic and social development of the country.

Toward that goal, the press release stressed, that at Greece's request, the European Union-FYROM stabilization-association agreement will be signed on April 9.

It also said that the issue of the name of that small Balkan republic is still unresolved, adding that it was stressed to the leadership of FYROM that the current good cooperation does not negate the outstanding problem of the name.

[03] Kosovo Albanian leader supports dialogue of government with Albanians in FYROM

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

In an exclusive interview given in Pristina to the Greek newspaper "Eleftheros Typos", Rugova said that the problems existing in FYROM can be resolved through political dialogue, adding that if the government of FYROM does not organize such a dialogue, the conflict might spread and extremist groups will be difficult to control.

He added that he was in favor of a peaceful solution to problems and said that he had no claims in a change of borders or union with Albania.

Rugova thanked the Greek people for supporting the Kosovo Albanians and said he was ready for the "independent Illyria", but adds that such a development should be achieved through the legal process of elections with which the people have elected him president of Kosovo twice.

He says he hopes normal elections will be held in Kosovo in autumn "for a government to be elected which will develop peaceful relations with the other countries" and calls on Greece to show greater understanding.

On the question of Albanian extremists, he says various extremist trends exist and that "those who took up arms in Skopje are locals who were born there, but Kosovars might also be with them."

[04] Britain's Cook, Papandreou speak at UK event on Cyprus issue

LONDON, 28/03/2001 (ANA - L. Tsirigotakis)

The meeting, which focused on the Cyprus issue in the context of the European Union, was also attended by a large number of Labor MPs from north London constituencies, where the majority of the city's Greek-Cypriot community lives.

During his speech, Cook expressed his own disappointment over the continued division of Cyprus, which has been split in two since a Turkish invasion in 1974 and a subsequent occupation and settlement.

He said it was "tragic" that Cyprus and its capital Nicosia remained divided, fully ten years after Berlin had been reunited, and said that the UK government wanted a "single Cyprus, a united state with a single citizenship, a single security system," and one that offered "the same guarantees of human rights to all citizens with freedom of movement, access to the whole island."

Cook also expressed regret that Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash had walked out of UN-sponsored proximity talks to solve the Cyprus problem. The Turkish-Cypriot leader had departed after five rounds of mediated talks, saying he would not return unless his regime in the Turkish-occupied north of the island was recognized.

Cook said Britain was committed to getting the talks restarted and urged Denktash to "face reality".

Cook then referred to the December 2000 abduction of Greek-Cypriot Panicos Tziakourmas by Turkish agents from the sovereign area of a British base on Cyprus, saying that this was "an affront for both Cyprus and Britain."

Papandreou, on his part, underlined the close cooperation between Greece and Britain over EU enlargement and said that Cyprus would be among the next group of countries to join the union.

He said that opinion regarding EU membership was shifting among the Turkish-Cypriot community, whom he described as "hostages of past history."

According to Papandreou, Denktash has two choices: to make history by working toward a just solution on the divided island or have history pass him by.

[05] President Stephanopoulos receives Armenian defense minister

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

Sarkisyan arrived at the Presidential Mansion accompanied by Greek Defense Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos.

The Armenian minister is visiting Greece at the invitation of Tsohatzopoulos, and is scheduled to hold talks with the Greek political and military leadership while in Athens.

The purpose of the visit is to review progress in the Greek-Armenian military cooperation and examine prospects for its further development.

Sarkisyan and Tsohatzopoulos are to discuss prospects for expanding cooperation to the training of members of the Armed Forces.

[06] Final decision issued on radio licenses; reactions

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

During his regular press briefing, Press and Mass Media Minister Dimitris Reppas -- whose portfolio oversees the partially state-appointed National Radio-TV Council (ERS) that issued the limited number of radio licenses - maintained that a maximum of 28 radio frequencies were mandated for the unimpeded operation of the new "Eleftherios Venizelos" airport, east of Athens.

The issue practically monopolized Reppas' briefing, as he noted that ERS issued a unanimous decision granting licenses to 28 out of the estimated 71 stations with transmitters high above an Athens mountaintop. Twenty-one television station transmitters are also located in the same area.

Reppas said the number of frequencies allowed stems from scientific studies, while the selection of license-holders fall within the ERS' domain and doesn't involve the government.

On their part, the managements of the "left out" stations charged over the airwaves on Tuesday that criteria used by the ERS board to grant licenses was faulty and capricious, as well as politically motivated.

Riot police had earlier blocked all access roads leading to the so-called "antenna park" atop Mt. Hymettus, overlooking Athens from the east, as a precautionary measure following the ESR decision. Roadblocks were set up on Monday afternoon, with police allowing only technicians of radio stations operating with a new ERS license to access the area.

The 28 radio stations atop of Mt. Hymettus will continue broadcasting from the site for probably another month, before being transferred several kilometers further west to Mt. Parnitha. As far as technical aspects, transmitters are further disallowed from exceeding 2.5 kW in broadcasting power.

The 20 stations initially granted licenses include: 902, Antenna, Flash, Xenios, Klik FM, Church of Greece Radio, Galaxy, Jeronymo Groovy, Athina 9,84, Epikinonia, Nitro, Rock FM, Capital, Kanali 1, Stathmos, Kiss FM, Melodia, Status, Skai and Alpha News. Additionally, another eight stations were later tacked on Friday by the ERS, including: Peiraiki Ekklesia, Sfera, Sport FM, Ciao, Rhythmos, Love Radio, Profit and Planet.

Meanwhile, another eight stations ERS tentatively approved in case more frequencies were made available by the transport ministry - something that didn't materialize, however - included: Chroma, Polis, Eva FM, DJ, Lampsi, Difono, Gold and En-lefko.

KKE, Synaspismos: In later announcements, both the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Coalition of the Left (Synaspismos) criticized the ERS decision.

"In order to complete the government arbitrary act not even the elementary pretenses were followed," KKE charged, saying the two members of ERS nominated by the party -- Pavlos Alepis and Yiannis Zagganas -- refused to participate in the agency's deliberations.

Synaspismos accused the government of falling prey to a 'hostage mentality', while referring to selective assignment of licenses from a 'nebulous and unsatisfactory legal framework'.

[07] Main opposition calls settlement of penalty rates on overdue loans inadequate

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

"The new settlement has great weaknesses and cannot constitute a final solution to the issue created with the big economic and social problem of penalty rates on overdue loans," the press release said.

The Coalition of the Left and Progress, in a similar announcement on the issue, said "the new settlement on penalty rates is incomplete and vague in the way it is being applied and does not solve the problem altogether, while it handles big debtors and people receiving small loans in a leveling manner."

[08] Turkish deputy premier attends reception at Greek embassy

ISTANBUL, 28/03/2001 (ANA - A. Kourkoulas)

The presence of all sectors of the Turkish state and society shows that Greek-Turkish relations have already entered a "new era", according to members of the diplomatic community, who added that such attendance only occur at US embassy receptions during periods of good relations between Turkey and the US.

Another reception organized by Greece's general consulate in also attracted a large number of politicians and journalists.

[09] PM and national economy minister discuss fiscal prospects for 2002-2004 period

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

Papantoniou later said he briefed the prime minister on the course of the economy and that issues were discussed concerning programming for the economy.

According to reports, reference was made during the discussion to the "poverty and social exclusion index", while fiscal prospects for coming years will be discussed by the inner cabinet on Thursday.

The reports said that on Thursday decisions might be taken on the issue of measures against poverty, since Simitis will be meeting Labor Minister Tassos Giannitsis on Wednesday.

[10] Bank of Greece governor says inflation will drop below 3 percent in second half of 2001

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

Briefing deputies who are members of the committee on the provisional report on monetary policy, Papademos said credits provided by Greek banks for private citizens, legal entities of public law, businesses and investment companies to enable them to purchase shares or increase share capital amounted to 500 billion drachmas.

He said that once again incomes policy for the current year should be tight and called on social partners to take into consideration the need for strengthening the Greek economy's competitiveness and containing inflation and the cost of labor.

Referring to tax policy the government should apply, Papademos said that an increase in the tax burden is not advisable for handling unexpected inflationary pressures, with the exception of measures against tax evasion.

"On the contrary, the promotion of tax reform in our country is imperative," he said.

Papademos also attributed periodical inflation increases in 2000 to the influence of international fuel prices and the increase in the dollar's value against the euro.

[11] National Bank says ECB to cut rates Thursday

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

The Greek bank also expects that ECB would decide two more interest rate cuts totalling 50 basis points this year, before the third quarter of 2001, the first in June and the second in September.

National Bank says eurozone inflation is unlikely to fall below 2.0 percent by September from 2.6 percent in February, with the core inflation rising to 1.7 percent the same month, exceeding earlier positive predictions.

The Greek bank forecasts that eurozone growth would slow to 2.5 percent this year from 3.7 percent in the second quarter of 2000, hit by a slowing US economy.

[12] Greek-run ships still lead the world, ship owners say

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

But the number of Greek-flagged vessels remained low due to a lack of measures to improve the Greek registry's competitiveness, the Union of Greek Ship owners and London-based Greek Shipping Committee said after a meeting in the UK capital.

Both groups also underlined the importance of officer training, which would determine the sector's future along with competitiveness.

A severe shortage of young recruits had also been noted, the two groups said in a joint statement.

[13] European Investment Bank may fund Olympic Airways aircraft replacement

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

He said that the bank was willing to fund the replacement of old aircraft with a loan bearing an interest rate of 4-5 per cent on condition that the airline is privatized.

The ailing national carrier is also facing much higher operational costs at the new airport, since until now it had been paying 2.4 billion drachmas per year for the right of use, while now the estimated cost is expected to be about 24.8 billion drachmas.

[14] Balkan forum to be held in Thessaloniki April 2-3

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

The organizers said they hope the event will become a platform for peace in the Balkans and an exchange of ideas on social and economic development in the region.

Yugoslavia is to attend for the first time in years.

Prime Minister Costas Simitis will be the keynote speaker at an opening dinner for delegates to the conference.

Main conservative opposition leader Costas Karamanlis is to be the speaker at a dinner on the first day of the conference, and Yugoslav Prime Minister Zoran Zizic at a dinner on the second day.

The foreign ministers of many Balkan countries will also speak at the meeting, as well as a senior state department official from the US.

Other speakers include Bodo Hombach, the Balkan stability pact coordinator, and National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou.

[15] Greek stocks end lower in low turnover

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

Traders said the Greek bourse ignored a continued recovery in European markets.

Shares in the textile sector attracted heavy demand to end sharply up in heavy trade.

The general index ended 0.80 percent lower at 3,057.89 points, off the day's lows of 3,052.13 points. Turnover was a low 147.03 million euros, or 50.1 billion drachmas.

Analysts said the fact that the index held above the 3,050 technical support level was a good sign for the market.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended 0.69 percent off at 1,763.09 points, and the FTSE/ASE 40 index eased 0.59 percent to 368.98 points.

Sector indices ended as follows: Banks: 6,556.68 -0.36% Telecoms: 986.72 -1.20% Insurance: 1,425.12 -1.22% Investment: 1,165.02 -1.40% Construction: 1,438.23 -0.50% Industrials: 1,895.29 -0.79% Holding: 3,397.84 -0.21% Base metals: 983.49 -0.20% Minerals: 1,023.57 -0.36% Publishing: 991.95 +0.59% Textiles: 1,155.28 +4.63% Retailing: 1,094.75 -0.95% IT: 1,092.82 -1.70% IT solutions: 1,060.82 -1.06% Wholesale: 963.34 -0.59% Food and Beverage: 894.73 -2.19%

The parallel market index for smaller capitalization stocks ended at 330.00 points, off 0.81 percent.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 232 to 101 with another 26 issues unchanged.

Maxim, Naoussa Spinning, Douros, Klonatex, Giannousis, Fanco, Fieratex, ETMA and Elmec Sport were the biggest percentage gainers, while ATEMKE, Intersata, Keranis, Parnassos, Mouriadis, ANEK Lines, Halyps Cement, Desmos, Korfil and Tzirakian suffered the heaviest losses.

National Bank, Naoussa Spinning, Klonatex, Hellenic Telecoms and Alpha Bank were the most heavily traded stocks.

Leading shares' closing prices (in euros): National Bank: 38.92 Alpha Bank: 30.16 Commercial Bank: 50.12 Eurobank: 18.62 Piraeus Bank: 12.84 Lambrakis Press: 13.10 Altec: 7.50 Intrasoft: 11.72 Titan Cement (c): 38.42 Hellenic Telecoms: 14.82 Panafon: 6.34 Hellenic Petroleum: 9.22 Attica Enterprises: 7.68 Intracom: 20.36 Mytilineos: 8.28 Minoan Lines: 4.98 Viohalco: 9.74 Coca Cola HBC: 15.96

Equity futures end mixed, tracking Athens bourse: Equity futures traded on the Athens Derivatives Exchange finished mixed on Tuesday, in line with the bourse indices on which they are based, traders said.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index closed 0.69 percent down, and the FTSE/ASE 40 ended 0.22 percent lower.

Turnover was 35.7 million euros on 5,393 contracts traded, the dealers said.

Bond prices drop in heavy trade: Bond prices in the domestic secondary market on Tuesday finished lower in heavy, volatile trade, tracking the German market.

The Greek benchmark 10-year bond showed a yield of 5.23 percent, the same as a day earlier.

The yield spread over German bunds was 60 basis points from 59 basis points in the session before.

Turnover through the central bank's electronic system totalled 1.41 billion euros (480.75 billion drachmas) from 539.5 million euros (183.8 billion drachmas) in the trading day before.

Sell orders accounted for 707 million euros of turnover.

Domestic equity mutual funds show returns in the red: Returns on domestic equity mutual funds have lost up to 15 percent of invested capital since the start of the year due to a decline in the Athens Stock Exchange, analysts said on Tuesday.

Average returns from the market's 74 funds in the category stand at -8.8 percent, with only one posting positive returns of 0.20 percent, the analysts said.

Of total funds, 28 showed losses of more than 10 percent in the same period. In February, average returns were -8.10 percent, they added.

[16] Ioannina cleric criticizes Church line on Pope's visit, ID-cards

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

Theoklitos said he was opposed to extending the period for collecting signatures over the ID-card issue into the Easter holiday, saying that this was a time when the faithful should be coming to Church as worshippers, not activists and statement-makers.

The Orthodox Church opposes a government decision, in force since last summer, to stop recording a person's religion on police-issued identity cards on the grounds that this is sensitive personal data. The Holy Synod has been collecting signatures in support of holding a nationwide referendum to decide the issue, with the collection period originally due to end on March 20, but is now apparently considering extending signature collection until May.

According to Theoklitos, 25,975 people had so far signed the petition.

Asked to comment on the Pope's impending visit, Theoklitos said the issue had been mishandled by the Greek Church.

"In the 21st century," he said, "you cannot deny someone the right to come and worship at a place that they, as you, consider holy. I'd say there were mistakes in the handling of this issue on the side of the Church," he said.

The Greek Orthodox Church has traditionally resisted visits by Roman Catholic prelates, in part because of the ancient rivalry between the two Churches. The invitation to the Pope was extending by President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos, while the Holy Synod agreed to it as long as it took the form of a "pilgrimage".

Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece, the head of the Greek Church, has said he will not be among the welcoming committee that meets the Pope on his arrival.

[17] Italian newspapers provide high profile coverage of Pope's itinerary in Greece

ROME, 28/03/2001 (ANA - L. Hatzikyriakos)

The trip-pilgrimage was not possible before as there were objections to the Pope visiting Greece, by the Greek Orthodox Church based on historical and religious reasons, which however were lifted. He will remain in Athens for 24 hours and will trace the steps of Disciple Paul.

The Italian daily "Messangero" noted "now the date of the Pope's visit to Athens, Damascus and Malta is official. It is not just one of the most important global tours of the Pontif...". The newspaper "Avenire" found its way to newsstands with the title "The last stop of the Millennium".

[18] UN report stresses human rights protection

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

The national economy ministry, in cooperation with the UN's Program on Human Development and the UN's Information Center in Athens, organized a public presentation of the "Report on Human Development 2000:Human Rights and Human Development."

Presentation of the report was made by Sir Richard Jolly, the main coordinator in the report's preparation.

The report on Human Development has been prepared every year since 1990 and uses statistical data and indicators showing human development in each country.

Sir Jolly stressed the significance of the rights of man in human development, adding that the eradication of poverty promotes economic rights and maintains the level of protection for individual rights.

[19] Suspected terrorist acquitted of attempted murder charges

Athens, 28/03/2001 (ANA)

The court reached a four-to-three verdict that Lesperoglou had no part in the incident occurring in the Athens region of Exarchia on October 24, 1982, involving three burglars and police, and had not been the person who had shot and seriously wounded policeman George Psaroudakis.

Lesperoglou was not released as he is still serving a 6 year prison term for evading conscription in the military and for using forged state documents, while he is still suspected of involvement in terrorist actions in Greece.

According to the initial indictment, Lesperoglou, together with another suspect who escaped arrest, attempted to break into a dentist's office in the Athens district of Kypseli in October 1982. However, he was detected by a police patrol car and in his effort to escape he fired and seriously wounded Psaroudakis.

Lesperoglou denied involvement in offences attributed to him and said on the night of the shooting he was not in Kypseli but in another Athens district, Pangrati. He also denied any participation in the pending issue of terrorist acts perpetrated by the "Anti-State Struggle" organization.

Police have long suspected Lesperoglou of being a member of the leftwing Anti-State Struggle terrorist group. They are investigating possible links between that group and the more deadly November 17 terrorist organization.

Lesperoglou was arrested at Athens airport in December 1999 after being on the run in Europe for more than 17 years.

Anti-State Struggle has also been blamed by authorities for the killings of a public prosecutor, three police officers and two security guards.

[20] Government welcomes UN revised report

NICOSIA, 28/03/2001 (CNA/ANA)

"The new corrected edition of the UN report on human rights in Cyprus restores the right situation with respect to the description and the status of those involved," government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said in a written statement on Tuesday.

He pointed out that the reissued report brings back a "clear reference to the Republic of Cyprus, something which conforms fully with UN Security Council resolutions."

"The government expresses its satisfaction with this development because phraseology included in the original text which caused confusion has also been omitted," the spokesman said.

Referring to the contents of the report, Papapetrou said the government has some observations which it has already communicated to Kofi Annan in a letter Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides has sent him.

The spokesman's statement comes after the UN have reissued the report, rectifying terminology for which the government of the Republic had made strong representations.

The general content of the report, first published on 20 February, has remained intact except the changes on three different occasions, where there is a clear reference to the government of Cyprus and not to Greek Cypriot authorities as the original text said.

A reference to "the south" with regard to supplies the government sends via the UN to some 500 enclaved Greek Cypriots and Maronites still living in the Turkish-occupied northern part of the island has been replaced with the words "the Government".

The second change was the omission of the words "Greek Cypriot authorities" and its replacement with "the Government of Cyprus", in a reference to the government's response to military activity by the Turkish occupation forces in the village of Strovilia, on the south east, where they violated the status quo by moving their military posts forward.

The revised report uses inverted commas to indicate clearly that a reference to bicommunal contacts and a so-called economic embargo reflects the position of the Turkish Cypriot side and not that of the UN.

"The Turkish Cypriot side cites the irrelevance of such contacts whilst the embargoes imposed by the Greek Cypriot authorities persist," the revised report said.

UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser for Cyprus Alvaro de Soto had said "some inappropriate terminology inadvertently crept into" the report and added it would be reissued.

He also said nobody should read anything more into the report than what it says.

The UN official, who chaired five rounds of proximity talks, assured that the status of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides should be addressed through negotiations, not prior, nor by any other means.

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