Antenna: News in English (PM), 97-10-22

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

CONTENTS

[01] Patriarch

[02] State department

[03] Åconomy

[04] Bulgaria

[05] Varvitsiotis

[06] Niarchos

[07] Kuwait

[08] Zonda - Lola Daifa

[01] Patriarch

The patriarch visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, where there is an exhibition on the role orthodox Christians in Greece played in helping save Jews from the Nazi death camps in World War II.

In Washington, Ecumenical orthodox patriarch Vartholomeos heard emotional testimony from a woman who survived the Nazi Holocaust, thanks to Greek orthodox Christians.

Yolanda Willis told her story, addressing a message of thanks to the Greeks who stood by the Jews.

"A humble baker and his wife...pretended I was their goddaughter...as a hidden child...like me".

Vartholomeos said there's a lesson to be learned from Willis's story, and many other similar acts of solidarity carried out in World War II.

"The story of Yolanda Willis's survival...list jews of the island...occupied Greece...lessons of love".

Kneeling before the Holocaust monument, Vartholomeos talked of the significance of the dark days of World War II.

"All those who died in the Holocaust are martyrs... may their memory be eternal".

During his stay in Washington, Vartholomeos was honoured with an ecumenical mass at the city's cathedral.

Like his visit to the Holocaust Museum, it was an event in honour of the unifying strength of Christian love.

[02] State department

Richard Holbrooke intervened after the US state department performed a diplomatic flip-flop Monday.

First, a state department spokesman said the C-130 was flying over Cyprus, in violation of a moratorium on military flights over the divided island.

Later, he corrected that, saying that if Turkey harassed a C-130 transport plane, then it's worrying.

US Cyprus envoy Richard Holbrooke intervened Tuesday to clear up confusion caused by a statement made by the US state department Monday.

Holbrooke told Antenna that the state department spokesman James Rubin was wrong to suggest that Turkish harassment of a Greek C-130 last week is not a problem.

"It clearly was harassment", said Holbrooke, and it makes no difference whether or not the plane was indeed carrying the Greek defence minister, or whether or not the Turks knew who was on board the plane".

The confusion started Monday, when Rubin said Greek defence minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos's C-130 was violating a military flight ban over Cyprus last Thursday.

The C-130 episode was one of scores of Turkish violations of Greek and Cypriot controlled air space last week, when Greek and Cypriot forces were conducting joint exercises in and near Cyprus.

Rubin's comments came after Greece complained that the C-130 was harassed by Turkish F-16s on its way to

Crete - when it was already far away from Cyprus.

Attempting to keep an equal distance from both Greece and Turkey, the state department also said initially Monday that the flight shouldn't have taken place, and that neither Greece nor Turkey should conduct military exercises in a way that creates tension.

But shortly after his first statement, Rubin corrected himself.

But still left Greece puzzled, until Holbrooke's statement categorically came down against Turkey.

Rubin retracted his first statement, saying that if Turkey had harassed the C-130, then there's cause for concern. But he also said the US has no proof the incident occurred, even though Greece has sent Washington and Nato videotapes of the episode.

In his second statement, Rubin also said that if the incident had happened, then Turkey is in breach of a non-aggression agreement made with Greece, in which both nations undertake to avoid acts that contribute to bi-lateral tensions.

There was a wave of reaction to Rubin's comments in Athens.

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said the second statement was a return to the US's initial position when Greece protested the C-130 episode last week.

Tsochatzopoulos said the statements call into question how reliable the US is as a mediator in Greek-Turkish relations.

A number of other Pasok MP's reacted in anger.

Giorgos Katsibardis said Greece is 100 per cent right. International agreements on the Aegean should be respected, but Turkey violates Greek air space constantly. And Turkey has criminally destroyed Cyprus with its 1974 invasion and ongoing occupation of the north.

Christos Kipouros said Greece should tell the US that it has an interest in helping Turkey become a modern state that respects the law .

There was also reaction in New Democracy.

The party's honorary president and former prime minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis smilingly called the state department statements "an accident".

But party spokesman Aris Spiliotopoulos called Rubin's comments "unacceptable". He said the US policy of keeping an equal distance from Greece and Turkey has led to a situation where Greece is able to claim nothing, while Turkey claims a lot from Greece, and a third party - the US - puts pressure on Athens to negotiate its rights away.

[03] Åconomy

Papantoniou said 1998 will be a difficult budget year. There will be small pay raises for working people, and there will be cuts in public spending.

The finance minister explained that 1998 is a critical year for the nation's economy, a year of assessing the progress made in getting Greece in shape for European economic and monetary union.

Sources say people can expect two new taxes next year, as the government tries to get the deficit down to EU-required levels.

There will be 90-dollar annual tax on mobile phones; and a .03 per cent tax on large stock market winnings.

There could also be hikes in existing income and business taxes, and in levies on mutual funds and bonds. State bonds may be taxed an additional 2.5 per cent, taking the total to 10 per cent.

Stamp taxes on licenses, passports, and cars may also be increased. And the corporate gains tax may be raised from 35 to 40 per cent.

Income tax may be eased on incomes below 16 thousand dollars a year.

Papantoniou says his goal is to increase state revenues next year, and roll back spending, by keeping salary increases low and restricting public sector hiring.

[04] Bulgaria

The meeting in Romania is part of efforts to foster Balkan economic development.

Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis has said repeatedly - most recently this weekend in northern Greece - that his government aims to push ahead with infrastrutcture development in Greece and the wider region, so that regional economic cooperation will become easier.

The Bulgarians intend to ask Greece to provide economic assistance in the construction of a bridge over the Danube, within the framework of the European Union's development programmes.

And, infrastructure projects will be on the agenda Thursday, as will economic cooperation.

There will also be discussion of ways of enhancing border outposts at the three nations' shared frontiers, so that organised crime can be combatted more effectively.

[05] Varvitsiotis

Among other things, he wants national referendums held to decide certain important issues before the nation.

Varvitsiotis revealed his proposals at a press conference Tuesday.

Varvitsiotis also believes that cabinet ministers should be made to give up their parliamentary seats. And that MPs shouldn't be allowed to hold second jobs or conduct professional activities while in office.

Finally, Varvitsiotis wants a Democracy Council to be set up. The body would be elected by the people and charged with specific tasks.

The government is expected to start the process of revising the constitution in the near future.

[06] Niarchos

Now, those named in his will, and a woman who feels she should also be among his lawful heirs, are doing battle in the courts over the 10 billion dollar Niarchos estate.

Stavros Niarchos's will would appear to be straightforward. He leaves his fortune to his children by his marriage with Evgenia Livanou, Philippos, Spyros, Maria, and Constantinos; to his nephew Constantinos Dragopoulos; to Dragopoulos's son Andreas; to his associates Jurk and Harrison; and to the Infok charity foundation.

But a battle began as soon as the will was read upon Niarchos's death in 1996. Elena Ford, a scion of the American family that started Ford Motors, has gone to court in Switzerland.

Elena claims that she is the lawful child of Niarchos, even though a Greek court ruled in 1966 that the brief marriage of her mother Charlotte Ford to Stavros Niarchos was never consummated. Meaning Elena Ford has no legal claim on the Niarchos estate.

Elena also argues that since Niarchos was a legal resident of Switzerland and died there, the Swiss courts should be the ones to rule on the rights and wrongs of the Niarchos inheritance.

Two Swiss court decisions have effectively bound the hands of the Niarchos heirs.

But Niarchos's nephew, Constantinos Dragopoulos has countered with a court case of his own, which opened in Athens Monday.

The Dragopoulos side argues that Elena has no claim to any of the Niarchos billions.

Whatever happens, the heirs and would-be heiress have plenty of time to work things out.

Perhaps foreseeing that there was sure to be fighting over his fortune, Stavros Niarchos stipulated in his will that no one has the right to touch his billions until the year 2009.

The legal gridlock looks set to continue for some time. The Niarchos heirs have commissioned a Swiss notary public to list all the Niarchos assets.

[07] Kuwait

The Kuwaitis met with a number of Greek leaders, and received a special welcome from Antenna president Minos Kyriakou.

Kicking off the first full day of their official visit to Greece, the vice president of the Kuwaiti pariament, Tarek Moubarek al I-tar, and three other Kuwaiti MPs met with a number of Greek politicians Tuesday.

The parliamentary delegation from Kuwait has special meaning for all democrats, since Kuwait is the only Gulf state with a democratically- elected parliament.

Accompanied by Kuwait's ambassador to Athens Abdel Hamid Albaidjan, the Kuwaiti delegation met with Athens mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos. The mayor proposed that the two countries' capital cities sign a cooperation agreement.

Avramopoulos said the pact would allow Kuwait to promote its civilisation and modern image through a one-week cultural event at the Athens cultural centre.

Al I-tar says the idea is to open up another channel for improving the already strong relations between the two nations.

Later in the day, the Kuwaiti delegation met with development minister Vaso Papandreou.

Papandreou called Kuwait a country that fights for the principles of international law, adding that Greece supports it in that struggle.

The Greek minister also said that the two nations can further develop their economic relations.

In their meetings with Greek president Kostis Stephanopoulos and New Democracy leader Kostas Karamanlis, the Kuwaitis high-lighted once again that relations between the two nations are excellent.

On numerous occasions in Athens, Al I-tar warmly thanked Greece for its support during the Gulf War.

After his meeting with the Kuwaiti delegation, foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos said the two states are committed to the principle of the sanctity of national borders, and respect for national sovereignty. That's why Greece backs all the United Nations decisions taken concerning Kuwait and Iraq.

Antenna president Minos Kyriakou is chairman of the Greek-Kuwaiti Friendship Union. At a special reception for the Kuwaiti visitors, Kyriakou noted that all the wounds suffered by Kuwait in the Gulf War have not yet been healed.

During the war, he said, "my associates and I at Antenna television and radio broadcast the truth about the conflict in Greece and around the world. Since then," he continued, "we have been closely watching developments in the region. I can assure you that we will be fully supportive of you until all the injuries of the War have been healed, until all the Kuwaiti prisoners of war are released".

The reception was attended by alternate foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou, deputy development minister Anna Diamandopoulou, and New Democracy MPs Stavros Dimas and Fani-Pali Petralia.

Al I-tar said, "We greatly appreciate all that's been accomplished on our behalf by Minos Kyriakou. He contributed greatly to the liberation of Kuwait".

In a show of appreciation, the Kuwaitis gave Kyriakou a model of a ship like the ones that took the descendants of Alexander the Great to the island of Failaka, off the coast of Kuwait.

The ship is Kuwait's national emblem.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Kuwaiti delegation visited

Minos Kyriakou's offices, eager to thank him once again for his contribution to Kuwait's liberation.

Al I-Tar said, "We will never forget what Mr Kyriakou has done for us".

Kyriakou said his efforts are just a small sample of the love and respect that Greece has for Kuwait. Good relations between the two countries, he added, can only have good results in all fields - economics, culture, and politics.

[08] Zonda - Lola Daifa

Zonda, which has 36 thousand members worldwide, focuses on the professional and social roles of women.

Zonda president Maria Kozïni said, "We all know how much patience and big- heartedness is needed to communicate with people. In honouring Lola Daifa, we're showing that we understand not only what she's contributed to public relations, but to the world of human relations through her work at Antenna".

Kozoni added that in the beginning, few people were willing to trust a woman in a key position. Daifa rushed at the opportunity to show she could succeed in a position attained against the dictates of prejudice. In so doing, more opportunities have been opened up for more women, younger women who are more qualified and perhaps stronger today.

Last Updated: Wednesday, 22-Oct-97 14:05:23

(c) ANT1 Radio 1997

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