Antenna: News in English (PM), 98-09-10

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

Last Updated: Thursday, 10-Sep-98 22:15:19

CONTENTS

[01] Pangalos-Jovanovich meeting

[02] Tsohatzopoulos-military service

[03] "Partnership 1998"

[04] European conference on violence and sports

[01] Pangalos-Jovanovich meeting

After their meeting, Greek foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos said Greece is opposed to international sanctions being imposed on Yugoslavia.

Greece is one of four EU nations that has not yet imposed a ban on the flights of Yugoslav's national airline.

EU officials believe Greece will soon enforce the ban. But Pangalos said Thursday that Yugoslavia should no longer be ostracised from the European family of nations.

Pangalos added that Serb president Slobodan Milosevich's proposals on Kosovo are in the right direction.

Belgrade is resisting moves by ethnic-Ablanians to win independence for Kosovo, Serbia's oldest province. But Yugoslavia has agreed to remove its troops from Kosovo if militant separatists cease striking at Serbian targets.

Pangalos says violence is no solution in Kosovo. The solution is guaranteeing the human rights of all the people living there, whether they are ethnic Albanians or Serbs.

After his meeting with Pangalos, Jovanovic said the outlawed Kosovo Liberation Army has no leadership centre, and the KLA holds territory in Kosovo.

The Yugoslav diplomat also said that 60 thousand of the Kosovo residents who had fled the province in the fighting have since returned.

[02] Tsohatzopoulos-military service

Currently, that border term is six months.

The defence minister announced that and other forthcoming changes to the military service law Thursday.

To compensate soldiers for their rough duty in the northeastern county of Evros and on border islands, the government is giving them a few additional days' leave every two months.

The new regulations, to take effect in September, also stipulate that soldiers can be stationed in regions near their home town after serving their border stint. They will also be sent to border regions closest to where they come from.

With the use of a point system, the military will also take into account a soldier's family situation when considering where to station him. That means having a wife or children will give recruits special consideration when it comes to transfers.

The changes will not apply to the navy and the air force.

[03] "Partnership 1998"

400 businessmen and specialists are taking part in "Partnership 1998".

The Internet and the single currency are major issues for Europe's 18 million businesses, and

what they will mean for the future of business in the EU they were discussed at length on the first day of the conference.

The number of Greek businesses which use the Internet to promote their products is increasing constantly.

Deputy development minister Anna Diamandopoulou says just a few years ago you could count the number of Greek firms using the net on one hand. Today, there are hundreds of companies tapping into electronic business. And the projections are that that number will continue to grow rapidly.

So far, businesses using the internet in Greece have found an unexpected advantage: the nation's tax system is as yet ill-equipped to tax transactions completed via computer networks, making the net a tax-free paradise.

At the conference European environment commissioner Christos Papoutsis said the EU selected Athens as the location for the conference in recognition of the Greek government's efforts to protect the environment.

"Those most satisfactory efforts", added Papoutsis, "have been a product of outstanding cooperation between the Greek development ministry and the European Commission".

[04] European conference on violence and sports

"Hermes" is being financed by the Greek public order ministry and the European Union.

The focus of the event is to discuss ways of confronting terrorism and international crime during major world sporting events.

With the Greek capital hosting the 2004 Olympics, security is of special interest to the Greek authorities.

Representatives from all the EU countries are exchanging information and experience related to dealing with terrorist attacks at the Olympic Games.

Opening the conference, Yiannis Papadoyiannakis of the public order minister announced that there is a five-member group of young police officers compiling listos of security arrangements made for previous Olypiades. That includes noting the steps taken to secure athletic and accommodation facilities.

The conclusions drawn at the conference will be submitted to the Athens 2004 committee in the hope that they will help the capital better prepare for the games.

The conference report will also be of use to those planning the first cultural Olylmpics, slated for the year 2000.

Athens 2004 chairman Stratis Stratigis says his committee's aim is to prevent any criminal acts at the Athens games, and to make sure all those in attendance feel safe.

(c) ANT1 Radio 1998

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