Antenna News in English 011096

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

News in English, of 01/10/1996

TITLES

• Political stage changes for New Democracy .
• An islamic group responsible for a bomb attack against the Patriarchate in Constantinople .
• And, scientists watch waterbirds' movements all over Greece .

N.D.

One of them, Stephanos Manos, proposed that Giorgos Souflias, join political forces with him in the leadership contest. Souflias is already a candidate for the presidency. Miltiades Evert, who had resigned as party leader after suffering an election defeat, preferred to keep his cards close to his chest.

On Saturday night, Evert announced his candidacy for the party leadership.

He said:

"I've been trying for the the past few days to get commonly accepted solution for our party.

But,unfortunately,my efforts have been unsuccessful.

As a result, I feel that I must undertake my responsibilities once again for our party, so that together, we can move forward to victory".

Reactions were immediate after Evert announced his candidacy. Two other contenders, Dora Bakoyianni and Stephanos Manos, announced that they would support Giorgos Souflias. Bakoyianni explained her decision to support Souflias to Antenna:

"We have to unite our forces, and put the interests of our party, and of our country above everything else." Giorgos Souflias asked Evert to pull out of the race:

"I honor Mr. Evert for his contribution to our party.But I call him to withdraw his candidacy to facilitate a new beginning for our party".

Stephanos Manos reacted the same, but used stronger words:

"I call on Miltiades Evert to withdraw his candidacy in order to support the party's unity and perspectives.

If he doesn't, he wil be defeated again,and thus divide our party".

In an interview in the daily "Eleftherotypia" on Monday, Manos even talked about the formation of a new party.

He said: "If Souflias is not elected party president, then we'll examine other options, including forming a new political party. But, he added, such a development would be especially negative for ND". Another leading New Democracy member, Vyron Polydoras, proposed something else to de-escalate the tension within the party. In a press conference on Monday, Polydoras called both politicians to withdraw their candidacies. He also proposed that the party's new president be elected at a New Democracy congress.

He was asked by reporters,who he'd vote for, if his proposal is not accepted.

He said, " New Democracy members will have to choose between Evert and Souflias.

"My vote will then be blank". The heated competition for party head will continue until Friday morning.

Then,the 193 electors, from ND's county organisations, will vote for,and elect New Democracy's new president.

PASOK

Foreign minister Thodoros Pangalos and labour minister Stefanos Tzoumakas were in the United States and in Europe last week for professional reasons, so they were finally sworn in Monday morning, before the Greek president.

After the official ceremony, prime minister Kostas Simitis informed president Kostis Stefanopoulos on his travel plans to Cyprus and Dublin, Germany, where he'll participate in the European Summit, which will be focused on the EU Financial and Monetary union.

Prime minister Kostas Simitis and foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos met later in the day to discuss the tasks of the new alternate foreign minister, Giorgos Papandreou, former education minister.

Sources say Papandreou will undertake the European issues as well as matters regarding the Greeks living abroad, while Pangalos will be handling the greek-turkish and the greek-american relations issues.

ECONOMY

On the sidelines of the preparation for Pasok government's programme, prime minister Kostas Simitis is having successive meetings with his national economy minister and advisors to determine the government's financial policy.

The government's goals are to find supplementary state income, to reduce the state deficit as well as the inflation percentage.

The finance minister is considering achieving these goals with the merger of state organisations, the restriction of allocations, the transfer of public sector employees as well as with special measures on the public insurance funds.

As for the workers unions, the public sector employees association says it agrees with special economic measures, but under certain conditions.

Association's president, Yiannis Koutsoukos, said, "There must be economic measures undertaken to make all those, who were favoured by the austerity policy, pay what they have to pay. Such a measure could be to tax any source of income".

PATRIARCHATE

Ten minutes after midnight a hand grenade was thrown into the headquarters of the Patriarchate, very close to the cells of the church's members. Fortunately no one was harmed, there has only been severe damage caused to the building. Residents of the neighborhood Balat, where the patriarchate is located, reported that they also heard gun shots at the time of the attack.

An illegal islamic group, the Islamic Great East Raiders Front, claimed responsibility in a telephone call to the Turkish daily Hurriyet. The group has claimed responsibility for several bombings in the past, most of them targeting orthodox churches, restaurants, hotels and nightclubs in Constantinople. Two years ago the same group put a bomb in the northern part of the patriarchate and published a declaration threatening even the life of the ecumenical patriarche Vartholomeos.

The greek government will ask Turkey to condemn the islamic group's bomb attack against the Patriarchate.

BASKETBALL

After its second victory in the Greek Championship of first division, Olympiakos will play against its eternal opponent, Panathinaikos, next Sunday.

The European champion team Panathinaikos beat Papagou with 87-80 this weekend. These games bring Olympiakos and Panathinaikos in the top two places in the first division list, with the teams of AEK, Aris and Piraikos following.

WATERBIRDS

Every year, members of the Greek Fowl and Migratory birds Society organise special sessions, observing the movements of migrating birds.

This year's slogan was "See nature with a different look" .

Kostas Papakonstantinou, member of the Society, explains, "Our goal is to send a picture of the Greek waterlands, where water birds leave, to Europe and all over the world".

Four waterhens and a heron were symbolically released during the Observation Days. The waterbirds, who were received by the society's members wounded, underwent special medical treatment, before they were released to their natural environment.

In cooperation with the international Fowl and Migratory birds Society, the observation's scientific results will be sent to Switzerland, for further studies on an worldwide level.

© ANT1-Radio 1996

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