Antenna: News in English (AM), 97-11-26

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

Last Updated: Wednesday, 26-Nov-97 11:21:01

CONTENTS

[01] Âurns interview

[02] Simitis

[03] Karamanlis

[04] Scandalides

[05] Rainfall

[06] Soccer

[07] Film Festival

[01] Simitis

In a friendly chat before the press before the began their private deliberations, Simtis and Kostis Stephanopoulos had a friendly exchange.

This was Simitis's first meeting with the president in two months.

And some observers say the point of that on-camera chat was to dispel rumours that the president is miffed because he feels the government hasn't been briefing him enough on important issues recently.

After Tuesday's meeting, Simitis told the president about the recent European Union summit in Luxembourg. There, Simitis vetoed a motion to set up a Council of candidate EU members, in which Turkey would be included.

The prime minister said Turkey cannot be brought into the EU admission process until it heeds the EU's call to respect international law and start acting friendlier toward Greece.

With the government's 1998 budget coming up for a vote in parliament, Simitis and Stephanopoulos also talked about economic matters during Tuesday's meeting.

[02] Papantoniou

Speaking at a business conference, Iannos Papantoniou talked about various facets of the 1998 budget.

Yiannos Papantoniou dismisses New Democracy's contention that next year's budget will have a huge hidden shortfall.

New Democracy says the government is taxing instead of cutting spending. But Papantoniou says the government will raise funds by pushing ahead with 10 partial privatisations.

Next year's budget, with its tax hikes, has brought the government a lot of criticism.

But Papantoniou says working people will benefit collectively to the tune of nearly 400 million dollars, from a plan to raise tax brackets in accordane with the consumer price index.

Papantoniou says he would never be party to anything that would increase the tax burden on those on small incomes. He says the well-off will carry the tax burden.

But the numbers show that even people on middle incomes will be paying more tax next year.

The government is determined to forge ahead toward European monetary union.

It's also committed to defend the drachma against speculators.

Commenting on the recent currency crisis, Papantoniou said that the government will raise interest rates again to protect the Greek currency if necessary, just as it did several weeks ago.

[03] Trade unions

The civil servants union, Adedy, held a one-day strike Tuesday to protest a drop in real wages.

As some 700 union members marched to parliament, adedy president Yiannis Koutsoukos said the math is simple: the government is giving civil servants a 2.5 per cent pay hike next year, while inflation is projected at 3.7 per cent. That adds up to a fall in real incomes.

Koutsoukos says that fact shows the government's lack of credibility in claiming it will protect living standards.

The union also wants the income tax threshold raised from five-and-a-half to 7 thousand dollars a year.

And the union is upset over the government's intention of increasing the amount of income tax withheld at source next year. That essentially amounts to an interest-free loan for the state.

Some voices in Pasok appear to be sensitive to that charge. Tuesday the government spokesman left open the possibility of making some changes to that part of the budget.

[04] E.U-Turkey

Mesout Yilmaz says the EU is pushing Turkey aside, leaving it at the mercy of muslim fundamentalists.

The EU has told Turkey that if it wants to move closer to Europe, it must improve its relations with Greece and clean up its human rights record.

Ankara has done neither. Instead, it has warned the EU not to go ahead with talks to make Cyprus an EU member. And it continues to make claims to Greek islands and sea and air space.

According to the Turkish daily Zumhurriet, Ankara is getting ready to alter the rules it applies to ships passing throught the straits between the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

That change, which moves the regime in the straits in a direction favoured by Greece and Russia, is coming, says the paper, because of pressure from the US.

[05] Scandalides

Skandalides says Pasok has paved the way to a better future for Greece.

Launching his book before scores of Pasok MPs, members of the opposition parties and the mayor of Athens, Skandalides said his book looks at Pasok, which he believes has done many positive things for Greece.

Commenting on the contribution of the party to the country since its foundation in 1974, Skandalides said it's the first time a historic cycle - the political period which witnessed the rise of Andreas Papandreou's Pasok - hasn't ended in national defeat.

In his dedication, Skandalides calls Andreas Papandreou "a teacher, comrade, and visionary.

And, he has praise for current prime minister Kostas Simitis. "From Andreas Papandreou to Kostas Simitis", he says, "Pasok has taken great strides forward".

The political cycle in which Pasok played a major part, and which is closing, says Skandalides, provides a vision of the future which isn't just Greek, but global.

[06] Asthma

Doctor Nikos Nikolaides and his team have discovered a gene in lab mice that may be responsible for asthma attacks.

Nikolaides and fellow researchers at the Institute of Genetic Medicine in Plymouth, Pennsylvania say the gene causes bronchial hyper-sensitivity in mice. Such sensitivity is believed to be one of the causes of asthma.

Dysfunction in the gene changes he amount of the substance Interlevkini 9 in the system. Interlevkini regulates bronchial sensitivity to allergens.

The same gene found in the mice is also found in people. What the researchers want to find out is if the combination of Interlevkini with the gene causes asthma attacks. And if they can find a way of helping asthmatics breather easier for good.

[07] Basketball

All the team players suited up for practice Tuesday. Even some stars who aren't playing in Greece this year.

Dimitris Papanikolaou has sat out the season so far - he's in a contract dispute with Olympiakos. But he says he'll do his best against Slovenia.

Giorgos Sigalas plays in Italy this year. In Athens for Wednesday's game, he says Slovenia shouldn't be a problem for the experienced Greek team. But he adds, you have to take each opponent seriously.

Slovenia is one of three teams Greece will be up against over the next week. The other two are Slovakia and Bulgaria.

(c) ANT1 Radio 1997

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