Antenna: News in English (AM), 97-12-14

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

Last Updated: Sunday, 14-Dec-97 09:19:09

CONTENTS

[01] European Union

[02] Stock market

[03] Former king

[04] Sports

[05] Tereza

[01] European Union

As the EU leaders met in Luxembourg, Mesout Yilmaz left the city, miffed because the EU had refused to recognise Turkey as a candidate for membership.

The EU has called on Turkey to clean up its human rights record and improve its relations with Greece and Cyprus before it can be considered a candidate.

It is a written EU principle that nations which do not respect human rights, or have bad relations with any EU member, cannot be considered for membership.

Luxembourg prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker said "A country that tortures its citizens cannot join the EU".

There was exasperation at Yilmaz's rejection of a proposal by France that a European Conference be set up, to include the EU members, the 11 candidate members, and Turkey. Yilmaz said it isn't a good enough offer.

Greece has also voiced oppostion to that proposal, but because Turkey hasn't met the EU's preconditions.

Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis said in Luxembourg Friday: "What's important is for Turkey to make moves that will ensure the peaceful development of the EU".

The other big issue on the table at the two-day summit in Luxembourg was economic and monetary union.

11 of the 15 members will be opting into the new Euro currency in 1999. Four nations, Greece, Britain, Sweden, and Denmark, will not.

Greece won't be joining because it won't have met the economic targets set by the EU. Greek finance minister Iannos Papantoniou says Greece hopes to join in 2001, before the Euro starts circulating as a cash currency.

Stemming from the Euro issue is another wrangle: the 11 nations entering the Euro want to make EU economic policy decisions without the other four.

Making Greece, Britain, Sweden, and Denmark allies of sorts. They oppose the majority proposal, seeing it as a move to the creation of a two- tier Europe.

Indicative of that was British prime minister Tony Blair's doting on Simitis after Friday's session.

"Kostas how are you? Doing well are you?"

There is some common ground even on this thorny issue: the four nations that won't be joining the Euro now, agree that the other 11 nations can control decision-making on their own where purely technical matters are concerned.

[02] Stock market

A number of South Korean securities firms declared bankruptcy this week, sparking a share sell-off on the Korean stock exchange, and a drop in other Asian currencies.

But in Greece, financial markets were stable and the Athens stock market actually registered gains Friday.

For the fourth day Friday, the Korean currency plunged until the central bank boosted it by selling dollars.

But Greek markets remained unshaken.

To foster confidence in the drachmae, the government issued state bonds pegged to the European currency unit.

Greece's national bank is also hiking interest rates to protect the drachmae. On Friday, it announced a six-day lending rate of 13.75 per cent.

The Athens exchange registered a two per cent gain Friday, rebounding from a 5 per cent plunge Thursday.

The Greek government says it's prepared to do whatever necessary to shore up the drachmae in the period ahead, as it did during the last crisis.

Deputy finance minister Nikos Christodoulakis says the government wants to keep the drachmae strong enough to enter the European currency at the start of the year 2001.

But this is the second major Asian crisis in several weeks.

And what's particularly worrying all Europeans is the speed with which the Asian market troubles are once again spreading to markets around the world. European markets plummeted this week.

Some observers in Greece worry that behind the global currency and market problems lie more profound weaknesses in the world's economies.

Commenting on the effectiveness of the government's monetary policies to defend the Greek currency, New Democracy MP Dimitris Kostopoulos says, "Only a strong drachmae that is the product of a strong economy can stave off so-called speculative raids on the drachmae".

Pasok MP Thodoros Katasnevas also thinks monetary measures aren't enough: there must also be steps taken to improve the productivity of the Greek economy.

[03] Former king

In an interview with a Greek daily, Constantine states for the first time that there were deaths in the clashes between troops loyal to the military Junta and those loyal to him.

On December 13th, 1967, then-king Constantine sent letters to loyal senior military leaders informing them he was retaking power.

Those leaders in turn ordered their men to do whatever necessary to make sure that the king's decree was accepted - even open fire on those loyal to the Junta.

Learning of the coup launch, dictator Giorgos Papadopoulos ordered his troops to surround two air- force bases outside Athens.

In fighting there and in other parts of the country throughout the afternoon, fighting that was heaviest in northern Greece, at least four soldiers were killed.

Constantinos had flown to Thessaloniki in the morning to monitor the unfolding of his counter- coup - the aim of which, he says, was to restore democracy, call elections, and prosecute the Junta.

The coup failed, and the monarch flew to Rome from Kavala the next day.

Constantine says the reason for the failure was that many commanders of smaller units were not informed of what was going on, so the plan couldn't be coordinated or executed smoothely.

The monarchy was abolished by national referendum after the fall of the military dictatorship in 1967.

[04] Sports

Or maybe we should say hapless Real: Madrid enjoys a 26-18 lead midway through the first half, thanks largely to the hosts' poor defence. But the Spaniards can't hang on and Olympiakos goes on to win it 82-75.

Olympiakos getting great help off the bench from Franco Nakich, who scores 14 points and helps shut down the Real offence.

With the victory, Olympiakos has a 7 and 2 record, with one game left to play in the first round. Once mighty Madrid is 3 and 6, and in fifth place in the six-team group.

In other European championship play, Aek drops a 67- 63 decision to Chibona in Zagreb. Guard Pane Prelevich tops all scorers, netting 15 points in a losing effort.

Despite its five and four record, Aek is now in a three-way tie for first in its group.

In the other European championship league contest involving a Greek team, Paok went down 65-57 to Benetton of Trevizo. Paok is one of three teams in second place in its group, with a five and four record.

Olympiakos has bound up its memories - the club has just released an album of its archives from 1925 to 1962.

Team president Sokratis Kokalis says the book is an great contribution to sports history in Greece.

Kokalis intends to make further contributions to spots. He has plans to build the team a new stadium -

[05] Tereza

His latest book entitled, "Theresa", tells the life story of one brave women who through her adventures, dared to live life to the fullest.

Germanos' tome was launched at the Word and Art Center "104" in downtown Athens Thursday night.

Speaking to a packed room, Germanos said the book is based on the true story of a woman, who from a little village in Thrace rose to be a top painter's model in Paris.

Teresa worked with the best, most notably with Brack and Picasso. She also was romantically linked with Ernest Hemmingway.

Speaking about the heroine, Germanos said adventure was her life, she really grabbed the bull by the horns. He added, "If God were to ask her what she was doing on earth, she would have answered ''I dared''".

The author said he met her on a cruise in her 72nd year, commenting, "she was a beauty even at that age".

So far, 80 thousand copies of Germanos' book have been sold.

(c) ANT1 Radio 1997

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