Antenna: News in English (PM), 97-11-01

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

Last Updated: Saturday, 01-Nov-97 12:58:13

CONTENTS

[01] Vartholomeos

[02] Simitis-Gilmaz

[03] Stock Market

[04] Romania

[05] Weather

[06] Medical

[07] Rotary Club

[08] Orchomenos

[01] Vartholomeos

Citing Vartholomeos's work on the global environment, and his leadership role in spreading the message of love and peace around the world, Tufts president John Dipatsio presented him with an honorary law degree.

In making the presentation, John Dipatsio talked of ecumenical orthodox patriarch Vartholomeos concern for the world's environment, and his work as a spiritual leader of millions.

"You have brought harmony between religion and science in your quest to protect the environment. You have travelled the world as an apostle for love and peace. Therefore it is distinct pleasure for me on behalf of Turfts University to award you the degree of doctor of international law honorus ...".

During his visit to the United States, Vartholomeos has underscored the importance of Christian love.

And the patriarch, long active in environmental matters, will attend a conference on the environment when he visits California.

His next stop, after leaving Boston, is Atlanta.

Leaving Massachusetts, Vartholomeos said a moving farewell to the orthodox faithful, with a panorthodox divine liturgy at the orthodox cathedral of the Annunciation.

The Patriarch told those gathered:

"The Church, seeing your progress and achievements in all area of life here in America, social, economic, and political, is pleased and proud in the name of the Lord...may you go from glory to glory".

[02] Simitis-Gilmaz

Prime ministers Kostas Simitis and Mesout Yilmaz will talk on the sidelines of the Balkan Security Conference in Crete, which starts Sunday.

As we hear in this report, Athens emphasises that the conference is about the Balkans, and the focus shouldn't be on Greek-Turkish differences.

Athens has been downplaying the importance of the Kostas Simitis-Mesout Yilmaz tet-a-tet for some time Pasok MPs were in the same spirit Friday.

And, in the same vein, the Greek premier told his cabinet yesterday that the upcoming Balkan Nations Security Conference is not a Greek-Turkish meeting, but a meeting of all the Balkan leaders.

The United States has expressed the hope that the Simitis-Yilmaz talk will result in a noticeable improvement in Greek-Turkish relations.

But Athens doesn't expect anything great.

Alternate foreign minister Yiannos Kranidiotis says "The Conference is not a Greek- Turkish event. It's a meeting with a great significance for stability and peace in the region".

MP Yiannis CharalambOpoulos is one of many in Pasok who say "We don't expect too much". "The conference will have a different focus", he explains. "I'm afraid the Simitis-Yilmaz meeting will give only the impression of a slight improvement in relations, but after it's over, things will be the same because Turkey's policy is a given, it's unchanging. Especially because of the prospect of Cyprus's entry into the EU, Turkey will intensify its efforts to create a climate of tension and pressure".

On Thursday, the Greek defence minister predicted Turkey would spark a shooting episode in the area next February or March.

Justice minister Evangelos Yiannopoulos says that would be the most likely time for Turkey to try to cause trouble, because it's the time when Cyprus will be holding presidential elections.

Greece expects little from a traditionally belligerent Turkey.

Turkish vice president Bulent Ecevit told the European Union to stay out of Greek-Turkish affairs Thursday, after EU commissioner Hans van den Broek told Ankara to improve its relations with Greece and help solve the Cyprus problem if it wants closer ties to the EU.

Ecevit said that if Greece and Turkey had been left alone, they would have easily worked out some sort of agreement on the issues that divide them.

Ecevit also blamed the EU for favouring Greece and the Greek-Cypriots. EU pressure on Turkey over the Aegean and Cyprus have brought things to a dead end, he said.

[03] Stock Market

The shake up on the Athens money markets comes in the aftermath of last week's sharp drop in Asian stock exchanges.

The Athens stock market registered a loss of 4.02 per cent Friday as the Bank of Greece continued its war against currency speculators.

Hiking inter-bank interest rates to 150 per cent, the Bank built up a dracma horde, giving the Greek currency a breather, and stopping the flow of foreign investment capital out of the country.

Economic analysts praised the Bank's move to protect the drachma.

The higher interest rates overall generated interest in government bonds. Many investors renewed bonds that fell due.

Finance minister Iannos Papantoniou said the current crisis is a passing one, and is being dealt with the same way the last bout with currency speculators was handled in 1994.

Meeting with his cabinet Friday, prime minister Kostas Simitis said "we had an earthquake and we're now feeling the aftershocks. But we can't rule out another earthquake". He is confident that the battle for the drachma will be one.

[04] Romania

In 1993, a Greek shipowner deposited 25 million US dollars in a Romanian bank, as a downpayment for the purchase of Romanian ships.

Shipowner Stelios Katoudis was welcomed to Romania by political officials in 1993, as a prospective investor in the nation's merchant navy.

Four years later, Katounis is still trying to find out what happened to a 25-million dollar downpayment he made on Romanian boatas.

Katounis, president of "Forum Maritime" explains: "In 1993, Romanian premier Vakaroi visited Greece. At a reception he held for Greek shipowners, he invited them to invest in his country.

Katounis made an agreement with Romanian officials to buy 51 per cent of that nation's merchant fleet. The deposit was made in the Ion Tiriac Bank, recommended by the Romanian prime minister himself.

The bank has close links to former dictator Nikolai Ceaucesou.

Though the bank sent a confirmation letter on the deposit, the sale never took place.

Bank officials told Katounis his money had been transferred into accounts, belonging to no one knows who. Katounis thinks his money was probably used for criminal activities.

Mr Drakomir, a Romanian lawyer, told Antenna that the bank is not entirely known as an honest broker, and has shady ties to political and other circles. Ceaucescu's son, he says, is married to the bank president's daughter.

Katounis, who has sent a letter to the Romanian president asking for help, warns foreign investors to be careful in Romania.

The Ion Tiriac Bank isn't the only one in Romania accused of fraud. Dacia Felice and the Credit Bank have also been accused by European businessmen of making large sums of foreign money vanish.

[05] Weather

Ships were docked in Pireaus and Rafina due to strong winds hitting 9 on the Beaufort scale.

Anxious passengers were delayed passage for yet another day, waiting for the winds to drop.

In Ioannina, temperatures fell to minus two degrees celsius with low visibility due to fog. Snow chains were required by all vehicles heading toward the region.

In the northern part of the country, the weather took a turn for the better, allowing students

to return to school.

[06] Medical

Sechas spoke about the disease on Friday, at the 3rd Conference of the Surgery Society of Northern Greece in Thessaloniki.

Sechas said that hardening of the arteries is more apparent in men than women, due to the fact that women are protected by their hormones until they reach menopausal age.

Although the disease is hereditary, the professor says that by not having the proper lifestyle we contribute to its development. Adding that, "We smoke, we don't walk and tend to overeat, becoming overweight putting ourselves in danger".

Sechas says patients should undergo medical tests often. Precautionary surgery is also available now, like in the case of strokes, where the caratids are operated on preventing the possibility of the patient suffering a stroke.

Arteriosclerosis causes 90 percent of vascular strokes. It is the third largest cause of death worldwide, following cancer and heart disease.

[07] Rotary Club

Antenna's Terens Quik and Fofo Vassilakaki, who works for the daily newspaper Elevtherotypia, were

cited for their commitment to getting information out to the public.

Accepting his award Terens Quik said, "I love journalism and have one goal: to leave the field with my head high, to know that when I pass by the journalists' offices again, people will say 'Terens is here!', and not, 'Oh no, not HIM again'".

Quik was awarded for his consistency and dedication as an Antenna anchorman, which takes him not only into millions of Greek living rooms, but also, via Antenna Satellite and Antenna Pacific, to homes around the world.

Fofo Vassilakaki, honoured for her excellence in journalism and her success with young readers, said it's a great pleasure for her to know that her stories are read. "I feel I communicate with you", she explained, "and communication is something we're all looking for".

West Attica Rotary Club president Spyros Tamvakopoulos said, "We want to honour people who, being of good character, honour the mass media by getting the Rotary message of helping other people, out to the world.

Antenna general manager Spilios Charamis was among those who attended the event.

[08] Orchomenos

The "Three Joys", Aglaiia, Efrosini, and Thalia probably wouldn't have thought much of modern man thoughtlessly using their springs as a rubbish dump.

Neither do the local council and the ecology group Vios.

So they cleaned up the springs that belong to the three joys, worshipped by the ancients as the goddesses of nature.

They started with the banks of the springs, using modern equipment to restore the ancient beauty of the site.

Then, Vios divers went to work, clearing away plastic bags and other hallmarks of modern civilisation.

The divers even managed to move a large rock away from the underwater spring source.

The springs provide water to four communities in the area, and are used to irrigate 75,000 acres of farmland.

(c) ANT1 Radio 1997

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