Antenna News in English 300896

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From: Antenna Radio <http://www.antenna.gr> - email: antenna@compulink.gr

News in English, of 30/08/1996

TITLES

• Miltiades Evert says he can find the money to help farms and small businesses.
• American leaders watch an Antenna report on Turkish murders in Cyprus.
• And, Turkey's aggressive behaviour toward free Cyprus continues.

EVERT

New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert defended himself against Simitis's claim that his 7-point tax-break programme aimed at helping farmers and small businessmen and encouraging investment, is an empty pork-barrel.

How, asked Mr Simitis, does he plan to get the money to replace the lost tax revenues?

Evert replies, "By cutting wasteful state spending".

In a press conference Thursday, Evert returned to the themes he had developed in his first major campaign speech on Tuesday.

The opposition leader said his goals are to boost farmers' incomes, strengthen the economy of Greece's rural areas, particularly the border regions and the islands, and to promote economic development.

Evros recalled that a young girl from Evros on the Turkish border told the nation's youth parliament, "We're being lost". Doesn't that tell the country's leaders anything? asks Evert. "How can we be so blind that we only see what's going on a couple of blocks from parliament? Can't we see the farmers' problems?"

Pasok has enraged the nation's farmers and small businesspeople. Farmers want tax breaks on fuel and other production costs, to boost their incomes. Small businesspeople say Pasok's so-called "objective tax criteria", which tax them according to things like the size of their shop rather than declared income is unfair.

Pasok says it's the only way of stopping tax evasion. Shopkeepers say it's an economic bloodbath.

Evert promises to cut the farmers' fuel tax, and taxes on agricultural equipment. And he promises to abolish the objective criteria. Instead, people will be kept tax honest by listing their personal expenditures - that'll give the tax people a far better idea of what kind of money they have, and what taxes they should pay.

Evert says the farmers, the countryside, and small enterprises are the backbone of the country.

Without them, the economy would crumble, Greece would be lost. The New Democracy leader also plans to reduce taxes in border areas and on the islands, and inheritance and property transfer taxes. That'll make it easier for farmers to pass their holdings on to their children, he argues. Like the tax breaks, he sees it as a measure to keep Greek agriculture alive, and the rural parts of the country from wilting.

As a boost to people in the countryside, Evert intends to increase agricultural pensions, from 140 to 180 dollars a month.

There are other tax breaks in the Evert plan, for companies, and investment incentives. Evert says that if the stock market can be strengthened to the tune of 33 per cent, then the private funds will be generated to alllow for the sell-off of 25 per cent of the phone company.

The money from that would be used to build schools and hospitals and promote regional development. Evert says the money for his programme will be easy to find. He'll cut out waste in the budget. As an example, he cites the one billion dollar growth in the urban transport organisation's debt between 1993 and 1995. That sum alone would nearly pay for his programme. Another area of waste, says Evert, is state-subsidised pharmaceuticals for patients.

He also says that failure to put European Union investment funds to good use, is costing the economy billions in revenue.

_MANOS<./B>

In the pre-election period, Pasok has labelled New Democracy a party of contradictory wings. Miltiades Evert, says the prime minister, is making promises of easy financial handouts if elected. But people like former economy minister Stephanos Manos, a top New Democracy MP and fiscal conservative, is austerity-minded, the premier points out. Well, Manos said Thursday that he has no problems with Evert's 7-point plan to help farmers and small businesspeople.

Manos told reporters that New Democracy will be able to implement not 7, but 17 economic measures if it begins privatising state industries as soon as it takes office. The sell-offs would get the economy going, he believes.

Manos adds that Evert has said as much publicly, and that it's stated clearly in the party's programme that privatisation is one of New Democracy's basic commitments.

CHICAGO

A story prepared by Antenna Satellite for CNN was aired at the event. It recounted the horrifying murder of a young Greek-Cypriot by Turkish troops on August 14th.

All those who watched the video were shocked, reminded once again of the brazen brutality of the occupation forces.

Stephanpoulos, one of president Bill Clinton's closest aides, said the Democrats in the White House wants to prevent such scenes from recurring.

"All I can say is that Clinton is committed to fighting for a just solution to the division of Cyprus. We're very troubled by the violence over the last several weeks. The president and the state department have spoken out against that.

We're going to redouble our efforts to find a peaceful solution to the division of Cyprus".

The main reason why everyone was in Chicago was to talk about the American election campaign. But the Greek elections were also on the minds of democrats. Including US senator and Greek-American Paul Sarbanis:

"I always watch Greek elections with interest. They're always verty intense. We just await the judgement of the Greek people and deal with the government they select. The prime minister and the president both had good visits to the US. Simitis had a very successful visit in Washington".

On both sides of the Atlantic, Greeks are celebrating democracy with elections. The common commitment to defending democratic principles, whether the election of a government or human rights is the issue, is the glue that seals the friendship uniting the Greek and American people.

TURKEY/CYPRUS

Turkish warships shadowed Turkish divers as they laid wire fence in the waters off the coast of the buffer zone near Dyrinia, the site of the recent Turkish murders.

The fence will make it impossible for local Greek-Cypriot fishermen to fish the waters. Observers say the obvious Turkish intention is eventually to extend the buffer zone into the sea. They add that the Turks also plan to mine the area in the future.

The Turkish terror tactics extend beyond the buffer zone, and into free Cyprus. At one border point, Turkish soldiers fired shots into free Cyprus.

The bullets buzzed past a Greek-Cypriot couple before hitting nearby trees.

Foreign video recordings of the murders of two Greek-Cypriots in early August, show that Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash watched the merciless attacks from a special observation post. That indicates that Denktash himself supervised the attacks.

NYT

Under the heading "Stalemate in Cyprus", the American newspaper contends that one of the reasons Kostas Simitis has called an election now, is because he wants a popular mandate to negotiate with Turkey over Cyprus and other territorial issues".

The article says that negotiations would require considerable flexibility on both sides, adding that the political situation in Turkey would make flexibility on Ankara's part difficult.

RENTS

The new rent law about to take effect, frees commercial rents in cases where the tennants have been doing business on the premises for 20 years.

Thousands of shops will be affected. Shopkeepers say the law amounts to mass evictions. Landlords say it's about time the rents were brought up to date.

If the landlord moves to evict, he will have to compensate his tennant to the tune of 12 months' rent. The tennants wanted 36 months, but didn't get it in the legislation.

In the case of eviction, landlords are also prohibited from renting the premises to a similar type of business for two years. Doing so will entitle the old tennant to sue for two years' rent.

HOUSING

Organisation chairman Thanassis Hanoukis says his people will start accepting loan applications on November 1st.

People with four or more kids will be able to acquire homes immediately, either in organisation- owned apartment buildings, or with the help of the mortgage loans.

ACROPOLIS

Over 25 thousand people ascended the Acropolis Wednesday night, as the culture ministry opened the gates to the archeological sites on the last full moon night of the summer.

It was the third time this summer the Acropolis was open for the full moon.

Those who responded to the invitation weren't disappointed, as they took in the ancient sites under the bright light of the eternal moon.

"We're a little romantic", admitted one visitor. Another visitor had more pedestrian things on her mind: "If we Greeks don't visit the Acropolis, who will?", she asked. The Acropolis was open until half past midnight.

© ANT1-Radio 1996

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