Antenna: News in English (PM), 98-08-17

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

Last Updated: Monday, 17-Aug-98 20:43:27

CONTENTS

[01] Kalymnos-Turkish tourists

[02] T.Miller-Cyprus

[03] NATO-Kosovo

[04] Stock Markets

[01] Kalymnos-Turkish tourists

A Turk disembarked from a Turkish yacht that was docked in the harbour and, infront of dozens of amazed locals, raised the Turkish flag onto a lampost in the islands central sauare.

It all started Sunday night, when in front of dozens of residents of Kalymnos island who were celebrating the island's honey production, Turkish sailor Gunay Zeybeker disembarked from the Turkish yacht Eda and raised his country's flag on a lamp- post in the capital of Kalymnos.

Residents said the incident was even photographed and video-taped by four or five Turks aboard the Turkish yacht .

The flag remained raised for about three or four minutes, when some of the island's residents noticed it and called the island's Port Authority.

Port authorities arrested the yacht's captain. The rest of the group fled onto the yacht, but failed to obtain sailing permission. The Eda set off anyway but was intercepted by a Greek coast guard patrol boat. Zeybeker and the capatin of the boat, Cengiz Menteseoglu, were arrested and taken to Kalymnos.

Amongst the Turkish party was the chief of Mercedes general representatives in Constantinople and his wife, and a heart surgeon and his wife , who were taken to the island of Kos.

The Turkish sailor and the yacht's owner were finally released after a public prosecutor charged them with disturbing the peace, disturbing national sentiments and leaving port without obtaining sailing permission. A trial date was set for March 1999.

The location where the Turkish flag was raised seems to prove that the sailor instigated a pure act of provocation : just behind the lamp-post, there is the Greek flag waving.

The Turkish captain was questioned all Sunday night. Early Monday, the island's mayor called for an emergency meeting of local authorities and personally informed Greek defence minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos on the issue.

Reactions from local authorities were calm and self- restrained. Local official Giorgos Roussos said, "I believe this was an act of hooliganism caused by some hot- tempered people who wanted to be provocative ".

After questioning the Turks said that in fact it was a mistake on their part. They maintained that it was just a careless act and not intentional. They added that they wanted to be ambassadors of good-will between Turkey and Greece, but things had gone astray.

Kalymnos mayor Dimitris Diakomichalis gave another dimension to the incident. He said, "This was not an isolated action, in my opinion. If we notice that the Turkish tourists on board the yacht were ''logical people'', one of them is allegedly a doctor and university professor and another one is the general representative of Mercedes in Turkey, we can only wonder. This was an act which sends many messages".

[02] T.Miller-Cyprus

Miller is expected to come to Greece on September 9th bringing new proposals on the situation after assessing the Turkish response. He will then go on to Cyprus.

Sources say Cypriot president Glafcos Cliridis examined the possibility of postponing the deployment of the Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. It is likely that he would announce this

decision in his speech addressing the UN General Assembly which will be held next month.

Cliridis is expected to meet with Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis in Athens on August 27th.

[03] NATO-Kosovo

Greek troops and aircraft will also be participating in the exercises. The Greek force will consist of a company of parachutists, a CH-47 helicopter, an HU-1H helicopter, four staff officers, three fighter planes and a C-130 military transport plane. They will join military troups from Albania, Belgium, Turkey, Germany, the United States, Spain, Lithuania and Russia. All in all, the force will be 1,700 member strong and will conduct training in parachute supply drops, vehicle and foot patrols, mine-awareness and other non- offensive drills.

The exercises intend to send the message to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic that the international community is watching his crackdown on Albanian seperatists in Kosovo closely.

On August 15th, which is Greek Armed Forces day, defence minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos criticised some actions taken by Milosevic. He said that the militant Kosovo Liberation Army had made a terrible mistake in attempting to go to war with local authorities, but Milosevitch has used this mistake to essentially proceed to a slaughter of unarmed citizens. Europe and the international community cannot tolerate this and Milosevitch should be made aware of that.

The exercises will be held from August 17th to 22d.

[04] Stock Markets

Asian stock markets fell Monday with the key indexes in Malaysia and Thailand tumbling over 3 percent on news of the devaluation of the Russian ruble.

After weeks of financial turmoil, Russia announced that it would permit the value of the ruble to fall about 50 percent, from about 6.3 to the dollar to 9. 5 to the dollar. Dealers said the devaluation of the ruble raised fears that more currencies may follow suit and the currency crisis, which started from Asia last July, would be prolonged.

Reactions in the Athens Stock Exchange were nervous Monday. The index was at 2539.35 as the market registered a fall of 1.63 percent.

Stock broker Kostas Dalamanis commented that the current crisis is from abroad and investors should be patient and not panic. The Greek economy is in a very good condition right now, he added.

Greek stock brokers recommend investors to remain calm and make selective purchases of shares.

(c) ANT1 Radio 1998

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