Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 01-08-27

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

CONTENTS

[01] Prespes festival brings together Balkan FMs

[02] Last part of Greek contingent leaves for FYROM

[03] Simitis emphasizes euro, CSF at Argos address

[04] Gov't spokesman comments on ID-card

[05] Karamanlis speech at EPP Youth conference in Halkidiki

[06] DHKKI to propose election alliance to KKE, Coalition

[07] Human skeleton found, possible link to missing terrorist

[08] Byzantium the focus of prolific Paris conference

[09] Ancient temple restored on Naxos

[10] Papandreou's visit not linked to UN envoys, Nicosia says

[01] Prespes festival brings together Balkan FMs

Athens, 27/08/2001 (ANA)

The four ministers agreed to broaden and strengthen cooperation amongst their countries in order to consolidate peace and stability in the often strife-torn region, while voicing concern over the continuing crisis in neighboring FYROM.

The meeting was followed by a series of bilateral contacts, including one-on-one talks between Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou and his new Bulgarian counterpart Solomon Passi, with talks reportedly focusing on the new Bulgarian government under former king Simeon, along with bilateral issues, infrastructure works etc.

Particular attention was also paid to a meeting between FYROM Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva and her Albanian counterpart Paskal Milo. According to sources, Mitreva requested from her Albanian counterpart that Tirana increase border patrols on the Albanian side of the FYROM-Albanian frontier in order to reduce the amount of weapons and supplies – as Skopje claims -- being funneled to Albanian rebels active in FYROM.

On his part, Milo reassured his FYROM counterpart that Tirana has undertaken all necessary measures aimed at safeguarding the borders in question.

Papandreou later had a phone conversation with Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic, and agreed with the latter's proposal for united efforts by Balkan countries to solve the area's problems.

The meetings were unofficial and without an agenda, although Papandreou said the contacts proved fruitful as they came during a period of increased difficulty for neighboring FYROM.

The Prespes festival, which is developing into an annual affair on the Greek side of a picturesque natural preserve surrounding a lake district that also borders with Albania and FYROM, consists of a series of cultural events on the last weekend of August.

Athletes make world appeal for peace, Olympic truce: Olympic and world champions from Greece and the world gathered together on the tiny island of Aghios Achillios in Prespes, the lake district in northern Greece, to send out a message of world peace and support for the Olympic Truce.

World-class stars in the world of sports, such as high-jumper Stefka Konstantinova, Greek weight-lifting champions Akakios Kakiasvilis and Pyrrhos Dimas, veteran javelin thrower Sofia Sakorafa and many others - including several champions of the Paralympics - took part in a spectacular evening for peace and the world truce held within the framework of the annual Prespes festival on Saturday.

"In a few months from today," the Olympic medal winners noted in joint resolution, "the great festival of the Winter Olympics begins in Salt Lake City.

"We hope and appeal to humanity that these Games will take place without a single person being killed on the earth as long as the athletes are competing."

The event had an audience of more than 5,000 from the surrounding area, among who were Albanian Foreign Minister Paskal Milo, several members of the government, local officials and sports officials.

There followed an address by Foreign Minister George Papandreou, vice-president of the International Olympic Truce Center, who noted that a truce had proved feasible even in strife-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina and should be possible for the Olympics.

A message to the troubled Balkan Peninsula was sent by Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos.

The annual Prespes Festival is organized by Florina MPs Georgios Liannis (PASOK) and Nikos Kortsaris (New Democracy). The festival will end on Sunday night with a concert by Stamatis Spanoudakis at Florina's stadium.

[02] Last part of Greek contingent leaves for FYROM

Athens, 27/08/2001 (ANA)

Another 263 troops left from the 525 Motorized Battalion in Kilkis for FYROM, and the Greek force will be fully deployed and ready to go to work on the NATO mission on Sunday.

The 3,500 NATO troops in "Operation Essential Harvest" are to collect weapons laid down by Albanian rebels under a peace deal signed between the FYROM government and ethnic Albanian political leaders earlier in August.

In total, the Greek contingent numbers 411 men, all volunteers. It forms a comparatively large part of the total NATO force, to which only a handful of member-states have contributed, led by Britain.

[03] Simitis emphasizes euro, CSF at Argos address

Athens, 27/08/2001 (ANA)

Simitis also noted that the ruling party’s stepped up congress in October would "be a spark for greater popular participation, for creating a new and dynamic convergence of views that would guarantee that our common goals are achieved."

He also attacked main opposition New Democracy, saying that the PASOK congress would be the launching pad of a new political drive "against pockets” of what he called “conservatism, reaction, and backtracking.”

According to the prime minister, who will seek to renew his mandate as party leader at the congress, now is the time to make a new developmental leap.

In citing themes expected to dominate the annual state-of-the nation speech traditionally given by the Greek prime minister at the early September inauguration of the Thessaloniki International Fair, Simitis pointed to the Jan. 1 circulation of the euro, preparations for the 2004 Olympics and massive EU outlays from the 3rd Community Support Framework (CSF).

In terms of the latter, he told his eastern Peloponnese audience in Argos that 80 per cent of CSF funding would be spent in the provinces.

Regarding the expansion of the social state, Simitis said welfare spending had at no time decreased under PASOK governments and “would never do so”.

"The people know that the policy of neglect that was accepted and used, in practice, by ND did not only do nothing to ensure economic stability but instead led to a depression," he added.

Finally, Simitis also stressed that an enhanced international standing would allow Greece to participate more actively in a common European future and in establishing a climate of security in the Balkans.

Pangalos supports 'strong' vote for Simitis at congress: "If anyone believes (Prime Minister Costas) Simitis won't do, then they should stand as a candidate themselves," PASOK MP Theodoros Pangalos was quoted as saying with regard to proposals for 'blank votes' at the upcoming PASOK Congress.

In a statement giving uncharacteristically strong support for Simitis, the twice-ousted former minister, and often-harsh Simitis critic, rejected proposals to clip Simitis' wings through a "qualified" victory at the Congress in statements made in Iraklion, Crete on Friday night.

"It's not possible to propose the we don't vote for (Simitis) 'entirely' or to put in a few blank votes so that he doesn't have a lot of power," he said.

Simitis, he added, had gained the majority vote in Parliament at the Congress and twice in nationwide elections, getting the mandate from the Parliamentary group and the people.

[04] Gov't spokesman comments on ID-card

Athens, 27/08/2001 (ANA)

Reppas was in Argos to attend a PASOK party event where Prime Minister Costas Simitis spoke on Saturday.

He also said it was about time the opposition parties cleared up their positions on the issue.

The Orthodox Church of Greece objects to a government decision, in force since mid-2000, to abolish the practice of recording one's religion on police-issued identity cards. The Church has collected upward of three million signatures calling for a referendum on the issue in predominantly Orthodox Greece, while the government objects on the grounds that recording religion flouts new laws on privacy and personal data.

The Church position is that record of religion on IDs should be allowed if the cardholder wishes, instead of the blanket ban in force at present.

Government sources confirmed, meanwhile, that a group of Orthodox bishops have asked to meet the prime minister and present a memo regarding the results of the Church petition.

According to the same sources, Simitis advised the group of clerics to seek a meeting with Education and Religious Affairs Minister Petros Efthymiou.

Avramopoulos urges Church and gov't to end ID-cards dispute: Movement of Free Citizens (KEP) leader Dimitris Avramopoulos, also mayor of Athens, completed a tour of the Dodecannese islands on Sunday with a visit to Rhodes.

In statements to reporters, he referred to the revival of a dispute between the Orthodox Church of Greece and the government over identity cards, saying that it had begun because of mistaken handling by the government, while he urged both sides to come to an agreement as soon as possible "because we can't afford to disturb society's cohesion."

The Orthodox Church of Greece objects to a government decision, in force since mid-2000, to abolish the practice of recording one's religion on police-issued identity cards. The Church has collected upward of three million signatures calling for a referendum on the issue in predominantly Orthodox Greece, while the government objects on the grounds that recording religion flouts new laws on privacy and personal data.

The Church position is that record of religion on IDs should be allowed if the cardholder wishes, instead of the blanket ban in force at present.

Turning to other issues, Avramopoulos denied reports that KEP party spokeswoman Eliza Vozenberg had resigned, while he refused to comment on an apparent decline in his party's popularity in recent opinion polls.

"We don't comment on polls," he said, "We are satisfied because the people embrace us. They will follow us if we convince them."

He reiterated that "the parties have completed their cycle" and expressed confidence regarding the fortunes of his own party, founded just this year.

[05] Karamanlis speech at EPP Youth conference in Halkidiki

Athens, 27/08/2001 (ANA)

Karamanlis made the statements in his address at the 2nd Balkan Youth Conference of center-right parties, which began here on Saturday, in his capacity as European Peoples Party vice-president.

He also warned that equating extremist elements with the legal government in Skopje hid grave dangers and fed serious misgivings.

If the international community left the avenues open for extremists, he added, then the crisis could reignite and the military operation in FYROM would prove futile.

He also stressed the Greek government's responsibility for ensuring the safety of the Greek contingent participating in NATO's "Operation Essential Harvest" mission in FYROM.

Referring to the policies of the international community in the Balkans, Karamanlis noted that ordinary people living in the region were left with the impression that the international community, "while condemning violence subsequently legitimizes it and while claiming to care about peace then delays taking action."

Karamanlis mainly focused his speech on the common European future of the young people in the Balkan region and of EU member-states.

The conference had brought together more than 100 young people from the EPP Youth organization and Balkan parties. Karamanlis urged them to "work together to make southeast Europe an oasis of peace and prosperity".

The 2nd Balkan Youth Conference is being held jointly with the EPP Youth conference and was organized by New Democracy's youth group ONNED, in collaboration with the EPP and the Initiative for Democracy in the Balkans, of which Karamanlis is president.

The conference will continue at Porto Carras on Sunday morning, after which delegates will transfer to the Capitol hotel in Thessaloniki and end on Sunday night with a dinner given by Thessaloniki Mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos.

[06] DHKKI to propose election alliance to KKE, Coalition

Athens, 27/08/2001 (ANA)

During a press conference in Iraklion, Crete, Tsovolas said he would send letters to KKE General Secretary Aleka Papariga and Coalition leader Nikos Constantopoulos on Monday, in which he proposes joint action by the three parties.

Previous efforts by Tsovolas in this direction have all come to nothing, something he attributes to bad relations between KKE and the Coalition.

Both KKE and the Coalition gained a larger share of the vote in the last elections than DHKKI, which just failed to gain the 3-per-cent platform required by electoral law for representation in Parliament.

Tsovolas also reiterated statements made on Saturday regarding the crisis in relations between the Orthodox Church of Greece and the government over identity cards - including a call to both sides to rise to the occasion and end the dispute.

In addition to these, however, he was particularly scathing about the latest statements made by Archbishop Christodoulos - who asserted that clerics were 'above institutions' - and accused him of being 'out of control'.

The Orthodox Church of Greece objects to a government decision, in force since mid-2000, to abolish the practice of recording one's religion on police-issued identity cards. The Church has collected upward of three million signatures calling for a referendum on the issue in predominantly Orthodox Greece, while the government objects on the grounds that recording religion flouts new laws on privacy and personal data.

The Church position is that record of religion on IDs should be allowed if the cardholder wishes, instead of the blanket ban in force at present.

Finally, Tsovolas slammed the mass media and accused them of "shutting out DHKKI from the news and hounding it with false dilemmas."

[07] Human skeleton found, possible link to missing terrorist

Athens, 27/08/2001 (ANA)

The skeleton, which was discovered on Friday afternoon, was embedded in concrete up to its pelvis, while the rest of it had scattered.

It was transferred to Ioannina general hospital for a detailed examination by a team of coroners.

Breguet was reported missing on November 12, 1995, and was last seen on board the passenger ferry "Lato" bound for Igoumenitsa after he was extradited from Italy.

Some years before his disappearance, Breguet had lived in Thesprotia in northwest Greece with his family, while his disappearance is the only one in the area since 1996 that remains unsolved.

Investigating officers cautioned, however, that the region where the skeleton was found is also a stamping ground for the Albanian mafia, which is known to solve its disputes Italian sty-le.

The Coast Guard, which is conducting a preliminary investigation, is therefore seriously considering the possibility that the skeleton may belong to an Albanian drug dealer.

[08] Byzantium the focus of prolific Paris conference

PARIS, 27/08/2001 (ANA)

Held every five years, the 2001 conference – which was the 20th such event -- attracted more than 1,000 scholars, including 300 Greeks.

[09] Ancient temple restored on Naxos

Athens, 27/08/2001 (ANA)

Situated in the valley of Gyroula near the village of Sagri, the 6th century BC structure was apparently used by ancient farmers to worship the gods of fertility, particularly the goddess Demeter.

The temple’s uniqueness emanates from the fact that it was constructed entirely from marble prior to ancient Athens’ “Golden Age”, with more sections scattered throughout the valley.

Its architectural significance is noteworthy since it reflects the early stages in the development of Classical Greek architecture's Ionian style – something easily discerned in the columns used to decorate and erect the era’s marble temples. Doric style columns preceded the Ionian style, with the more ornate Corinthian style to follow in the Hellenistic era.

Restoration of the temple and the surrounding site were undertaken by a team from the University of Athens, headed by Prof. Vassilis Lambrinoudakis.

The ceremony was also attended by Aegean Minister Nikos Sifounakis.

[10] Papandreou's visit not linked to UN envoys, Nicosia says

NICOSIA, 27/08/2001 (ANA)

Cypriot government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said he did not know if the two men would seek to meet while in Nicosia.

According to an announcement on Friday, Papandreou is to visit the island republic for talks on Sept. 4-5.

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