Antenna: News in English, 96-11-29

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

News in English, of 04/06/1996

TITLES

• Conflict at the top of New Democracy***.
• A wave of protests over government economic policies***.
• And, shocking claims that Turks burnt Greek forests***.

ND

Miltiades Evert told a meeting of New Democracy's political council meeting, that one of the three former prime ministers present - Constantinos Mitsotakis - would not be welcome at future council meetings. Evert said his decision followed an interview in which Mitstokis sullied his reputation and the reputation of party founder Constantinos Karamanlis. In his interview, Mitsotakis blamed Evert for the party's current problems, and said the country is still paying for mistakes made by Karmanlis.

Responding to Evert's move to ban him from council meetings, Mitsotakis said the party leader is trying to provoke a split in the party, and to de- emphasize the key issue before the party: that issue, according to Mitsotakis, is ensuring that the party congress later this winter is representative of all sides in the party, and elects a party leader capable of leading the party to electoral victory. Replying to Mitsotakis, New Democracy's press office said that at a time of popular protest over the government's tight 1997 budget, Mitsotakis insists on concerning himself with internal party issues. The party will NOT do the same, it added.

Earlier Thursday, Mitsotakis appeared to back off from his criticism of Karamanlis. Mitsotakis released a written statement saying that he was the one who had proposed Karamanlis for the Greek presidency in 1990.

The Evert-Mitsotakis quarrel looks set to continue over the issue of how additional voting delegates to the congress should be selected.

Mitsotakis says the three former prime ministers, including himself, all believe the additional delegates should be elected by the party's rank and file.

Giorgos Souflias, who wants to be made party leader, will propose to Evert that they are indeed elected.

Party vice president Yiannis Varvitsiotis has proposed that the additional delegates be selected according to professional credentials.

The open rift between Evert and Mitsotakis has now been added to the problems stemming from the question of the delegeates.

It's not a problem the party needs, says Stephanos Manos. He believes New Democracy won't be able to get out of the woods until the Evert-Mitsotakis rift ends

STRIKES/FARMERS

Pasok is offering miserly pay raises, slashing state spending, and serving up new tax burdens in 1997.

At protest rallies around the nation, workers called on the government to re-think its economic strategy, designed to lower inflation and reduce the deficit.

Farmers in northern Greece also took to the streets to protest government policies.

Public and private sector workers took part in the general strike Thursday.

They held an impressive march through central Athens, followed by a rally.

There were similar rallies in cities up and down the country.

The civil servants' union and the largest private secotr union, the GSEE, said that turnout was extremely high.

But the government spokesman countered that participation in the strike was limited. Dimitris Reppas added, though, that the government understands the problems of working people, especially those on the lowest incomes.

After meeting with union leaders, New Democracy president Miltiades Evert said that the government's austere economic stabilisation programmes will not solve the country's problems.

The only solution, added Evert, is economic development.

The unions are going to step up their protests over the 1997 budget's meagre offerings and tough tax policies. The civil servants have already announced further strike action in December.

Farmers were also protesting government policies Thursday. As they have done repeatedly over the past few years, they blocked off the country's main highway at several points in central Greece.

Thursday's protest may have been limited to central Thessaly, but there were indications that it could spread into another nationwide rebellion.

4 thousand farm vehicles left Trikala and Karditsa Thrusday morning, heading to Larisa to join forces with other farmers.

One protestors' spokesman said the farmers will carry on their disruptive activities until the government sits down to talk about their demands.

They want better repayment terms on state bank loans, higher prices for their produce, and a tax break on fuel.

TURK ARSON

The shocking admission that Turkish underworld figures methodically burnt Greek forests was made by a Turkish parliamentarian.

In a TV interview, Sentat BoutsAk, an MP for Tansu Ciller's Correct Path party, makes the shocking claim that the Turkish secret services and special forces are behind the systematic burning of the forests on the Greek islands.

Boutsak was riding in the same car as a policeman and right-wing underworld figure Abdullah TsatlI, when the latter was killed in an accident.

Boutsak claims that TsatlI took part in Turkish sabotage operations to burn Greek forests.

The day after Boutsak's interview allegations, the right-wing Turkish paper YenI SafAk carried the title, "We Burnt Rhodes". All copies of that edition of the paper were themselves burnt up in a fire at the paper's offices, of unknown cause.

Boutsak is the leader of a group of Kurds loyal to the Turkish state. Thousands of his Kurds staff the Turkish national guard.

It has been claimed that setting fires is one of the methods used by the special forces to get Kurds to abandon their villages.

The claims about TsantlI are only the latest in a series of revelations tying right-wing nationalist underworld organisations like the Grey Wolves to the state. Some claim the alleged bond between the Turkish state and the extremist groups was created in response to the Kurdish problem.

As for Abdullah TsatlI, Tanus Ciller defends him, saying that all Turks will always remember those who bear arms or are wounded in the service of their country.

Ciller opponent Mesout Gilmaz says Ciller is trying to cover up the activities of right-wing groups.

Responding to the report about the Greek forests, alternate Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou says the revelations are "worrying, because Boutsak's statements constitute evidence of criminal acts of sabotage by Turks in Greece". Papandreou adds that the Greek government will ask Turkey for a full explanation.

Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas says Greece has some evidence that some forest fires are acts of carefully-planned-out sabotage. Turks have been suspected of carrying out acts against Greece for some time.

Two bombs went off in Rhodes in July of 1994. They were a blow to toursim on the popular island. Five days later, a forest fire broke out on the island of Samos. Then public order minister Stelios Papathemelis said he had information that Turkish extremists carried out such acts.

Following the latest developments, Athens wants to hear what the Turkish authorities have to say. Reppas doesn't rule out at this point that the whole story could just be a part of political games being played in Turkey.

HUNTER FOUND

The 36-year-old went missing while out hunting with a friend last Sunday.

Vlatakis showed up at the police station in Mikropoli in northern Greece, four days after he got lost on mount Menikio.

The hunter wasn't entirely alone during his wanderings. He had his dog with him.

After he went missing, helicopters undertook a painstaking search of the mountain slopes, but turned up nothing.

SPORTS

© ANT1-Radio 1996

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