Antenna: News in English, 96-11-14

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

News in English, of 14/11/1996

TITLES

• An ambitious multi-year armaments programme is announced
• Thessaloniki opens its gates to cinema lovers from all over the world
• And, a well-known Greek archeologist presents her new findings on Alexander the Great's burial site.

ARMAMENTS

The council, which is made up of government and military leaders, discussed the multi-year programme, which is worth 13 billion dollars.

The government is committed to ensuring that Greece has a military strong enough to deter aggressors. But Pasok is also committed to saving money wherever it can.

After the council's meeting, the premier didn't exclude foreign loans to financially cover the programme, as, quote, "there have always been foreign loans for armaments programmes purposes in the past". The new programme, which will be carried out in two phases, first, until the year 2000 and then, after that, has been worked out within the framework of the EU convergence, the premier confirmed. "The programme's economy resources perfectly fit in the general economy policy scheduled by the government", Kostas Simitis said.

The armaments programme includes the purchase or renewal of military equipment as, AWAX type aircrafts, 60 new air-fighters, training military aircrafts, new tanks, transport helicopters, submarines, several types of naval warships, and air-defence systems.

Defence minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos said that the government is expecting a lot from the Greek war industry, as its participation to the new armaments programme could be up to 15 per cent, in comparison to 4 per cent that was, regarding past year's programmes.

MEMORIAL

Family members as well as political and military leaders attended the service in the memory of the four crew members of the naval warship Kostakos. Last Monday a ferry boat leaving the island of Samos rammed into the warship, sending it to rest 160 metres beneathe the sea. The navy rescue team hasn't found yet the four lost crewmembers' bodies.

One of the six Penguin missiles carried by "Kostakos" was located Wednesday, but its refloating is considered quite difficult as it was reported being stuck to an underwater precipice 200 metres deep. The warship's telecommunications tower was refloated earlier this week.

ND

Several party MPs are in favour of taking disciplinary measures against the dissidents, if problems continue within the party. MP Adam Regouzas said, "To expel a party member is the last means we can use, and I think that to reach this point, those who create the problems within our party, should first be expelled by society itself".

Some party members ask to lower the tones until the party congress, which is expected to come in mid-1997, at the end of February or early March. Party MP Vassilis Papas said, "People is tired of listening to all this about our conflicts, so we'd better remain calm until the congress".

Meanwhile, party vice-president is working out his recommendations on the formation of the congress. Last week's political council agreed to increase the number of congress delegates - making way for some fresh blood. What remained undecided was HOW those delegates are to be chosen. Ioannis Varvitsiotis will work on that issue and present his recommendations to the party's political council members next week.

Meanwhile, former party MP Andreas Andrianopoulos announced the formation of a group of political reform, which will examine any possibility to form a new political party. Andreas Andrianopoulos, industry minister in the last New Democracy government, left the party last year, unhappy with the direction the party was moving in.

In the press conference he gave Wednesday, Andrianopoulos said that the eventual new political party his group could form, would be a new political body aiming, quote, "to lead the functioning of both society and economy within a free environment and an enhanced political status quo guaranteeing citizens rights".

Andrianopoulos didn't reject the possibility to come back to New Democracy, as long as the main opposition party "integrates, he said, the modern free market economy tendancies in its political platform".

MEDICAL

The doctor explains that the DNA vaccine carries a special genetic information, which is injected into the patient, to his muscle, providing him with anti-bodies, which will protect him against future infection.

In the next few months, the first experiments of the DNA vaccines will be carried out on humans, preferably on older people.

Scientists don't deny though being worried about the eventual threats the DNA vaccines could hide.

"It's both potentially very promising but also potentially threatening, because it threatens our identity as human beings, our individuality, it suggests that somehow we, as individuals, may be able to be manipulated in some way biologically by some mysterious outside forces".

The heart of Thessaloniki beats...frame by frame these days.

The 37th International Film festival opened its gates to people from the world of cinema, from around the globe.

The festival opened with tributes to well-known directors, avant-guarde debuts and some other interesting films. On the festival's opening day, Culture minister Evangelos Venizelos announced that the annual cultural event will be enhanced by a separate projection and awarding event for Greek films, also to be held in Thessaloniki.

Fourteen Greek directors are participating in this year's film festival, among whom there are two who also participate in the festival's international section. This section includes fifteen films produced by directors from all over the world.

Thessaloniki's film festival includes special tributes to Balkan cinema, American independent directors, new french cinema and famous Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci.

In our tomorrow's newscast, we will present you the film's tribute to Bertolucci and to British director Peter Cleenaway.

SOUVALTZI

In a special event held at Goulandri-Chorn's foundation, Souvaltzi presented her latest findings. Antenna's radio manager Zoi Kyriakou introduced the presentation referring to the work of the Greek archeologist. "By his death, Alexander the Great has passed to eternal memory. Maybe it is this memory that the Greek archeologist wants to prove that Greece can overcome any difficulties moving forward to its promising future", Zoi Kyriakou said.

The event, which was attended by intellectuals and artists as well as by the Egyptian consul in Greece, included the presentation in slides of the new findings. Liana Souvaltzi said that the diggings are now in the critical phase of the discovery of the burial room of Alexander the Great.

©ANT1-Radio 1996

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