Antenna: News in English (PM), 98-08-18

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

Last Updated: Tuesday, 18-Aug-98 21:22:15

CONTENTS

[01] Cyprus-Flights moratorioum

[02] Cyprus-Missing people

[03] Stock Exchange

[04] 17th Paneuropean Track and field Championship

[01] Cyprus-Flights moratorioum

The Turkish State minister for Cyprus matters Sukru Sina Gurel told the Anatolia news agency that they would not accept this type of bargaining regarding the missiles.

Gurel's remarks came the day before US State Department envoy Thomas Miller was due to arrive in Ankara for talks with Turkish officials.

The US has been calling for Greece and Turkey to accept the flight ban to reduce tensions in Cyprus.

The US has urged Greek Cypriot authorities not to deploy the missiles as such a move would fuel ongoing tensions between Greece and Turkey.

Cyprus accused Turkey on Monday of bolstering it's forces in the occupied north. Cypriot Defence minister Yiannakis Omirou said that in the past week alone 50 more tanks and self-propelled artillery pieces have arrived on the island.

[02] Cyprus-Missing people

The Cypriot women's sad hope was to find bones that could be sent for DNA testing to establish whether their husbands remains were enterred there or not.

On July 20th, 1974 Turkish troops descended upon Cyprus occupying the northern part of the island. Cyprus has since been partitioned into Greek- Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot sections. Turkey maintains around 30,000 troops in the North.

Over one thousand 6 hundred Greek-Cypriots are missing since the twin Turkish invasions on Cyprus in 1974.

Last year Cypriot president Glafcos Cliridis and Turkish-Cypriot leader Raouf Denktash reached an agreement on missing Cypriots. The agreement could lead to the opening of mass graves of the persons listed as missing.

Two representatives, one from each side, would be appointed to collect information on the burial site of all missing persons who are presumed dead. The reclaimed bodies would be given to each respective family to be buried according to their wishes.

But, there was nothing forthcoming since then. And on Monday, two desperate wives of missing Greek-Cypriot officers went to the military cemetery of Lakatamyna, near Nicosia, to try to find traces of their husbands...They searched in the cemetery of the Unknown Soldier, where hundreds of Greek- Cypriot soldiers and officers were buried, for any clue. Bones would obviously prove conclusive as with the help of a DNA test, they would be able to say for certain that their husbands remains were there.

Maroula Siamisi and Andreoula Palma started digging and opening a grave with their own hands. Their desperate and tragic efforts were stopped by police officers. The two women were shouting that nobody ever cared what happened to their husbands, reported as missing.

Siamisi and Palma said that for 25 years they have been waiting to hear something about their missing husbands. "We don't even have their bones to kiss, or their gravesite to take flowers to ", they said.

The Cypriot government revealed that it will proceed disenterring the bones of the missing Greek-Cypriots from the graves in the cemetery.

[03] Stock Exchange

The Athens index was at 2643.04 and the market registered a raise of 4.08 percent.

Asian stock markets closed generally lower Tuesday, but share prices rebounded sharply in Tokyo on the back of a strong rally on Wall Street.

The positive developments in foreign Stock Markets made the Athens Stock Exchange happier. Hopes were also high for the completion of the tender for the sale of 51 percent of the Ionian Bank next week.

The Ionian is the largest bank to be privatised and is a key element in the government's efforts to meet targets for participation in the European Union's single currency by 2001. Prospective buyers will have until August 24th to submit bids.

Stock broker Kostas Dalamanis said that fluctuations will continue in the Athens and foreign Markets for the next month and a half. He recommended investors not to risk any big changes in their shares and to be patient.

[04] 17th Paneuropean Track and field Championship

The event is held in Budapest, Hungary.

Haralambos Papadias led the favourites into the second round of 100-meter qualifying with 10.27 seconds.

Angelos Pavlakakis and Alexis Genovelis also made it to the sprint quarter- finals held Tuesday evening.

In the women's javelin, Mirella Tzelili advanced to the finals with a throw of 65.14 meters, which was also a personal record.

In the women's 100 meter race Katerina Thanou qualified for the semi-finals by finishing first with 11.04 seconds. In the men's shot put Christos Polychroniou qualified for the finals with a 77.59 throw.

The Greek athletes came through against some adversity as the heat and humidity in the Hungrian capital made the athletes' efforts and performance quite difficult. Greece's surest bet for a medal, javelin thrower Costas Gatsioudis was unable to go to the Championship due to illness. Long jumper Niki Xanthou,fourth at the Atlanta Olympics and second at last years Worlds was also not able to take part due to injury.

(c) ANT1 Radio 1998

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