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Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-06-02

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr>

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 02/06/1997 (ANA)


MAIN HEADLINES

  • Premier congratulates Jospin on his election victory
  • Government expressed satisfaction over IGC draft decision
  • Low-cost solar energy system launched
  • George Livanos dies
  • New forest areas to be declared
  • Premier pleased with course of major projects in Epirus
  • Premier comments on political situation in Albania
  • Mediterranean news agencies air prospects in new communication era
  • Karamanlis criticises government's policies
  • Samaras re-elected president at first Pol.An congress
  • Premier to visit Sweden tomorrow
  • High-ranking Greek delegation at EU council
  • Japanese delegation at Thessaloniki Cultural Capital events
  • Weather
  • Foreign exchange in drachmas

NEWS IN DETAIL

Premier congratulates Jospin on his election victory

Prime Minister Costas Simitis today congratulated French Socialist leader Lionel Jospin on his election victory, saying it heralded "new possibilities and prospects for all the Socialists of Europe."

"The choice of the Socialists today will be the choice of Europe tomorrow," Simitis told Jospin in a congratulatory telegramme.

Speaking meanwhile in Thessaloniki, Development Minister Vasso Papandreou described Jospin's victory yesterday as "a very positive development, not only for France but also for Greece and the European Union."

"The political map of Europe is changing and we are more optimistic that the integration of the European Union will take place with a more social and human face, given that the forces of the centre-left constitute a majority in the Community," Papandreou said.

Replying to reporters' questions, Papandreou said Jospin's victory was particularly important for Greece "because there will be greater cooperation."

"There is a convergence of views and policies and therefore, within the framework of the EU, there will be greater possibilities for our views too, given that in general our views are centre-left," Papandreou said.

"The victory of the centre-left in France gives fresh impetus to the progressive side of the political spectrum in Europe," government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said.

"This could reinforce social gains to the benefit of workerrs," Reppas added.

Regarding the possibility of a shift in positions within the framework of the intergovernmental conference (IGC), Reppas said it would be advisable to wait until the new French government has stated its positions.

Coalition of the Left and Progress leader Nikos Konstantopoulos said "the great victory of the French left has sent a strong and many-sided message to all of Europe."

Konstantopoulos said Jospin's victory was an important step in efforts for the revision of the Maastricht Treaty "with the strengthening of the social and democratic characteristics of the EU."

Government expresses satisfaction over IGC draft decision

The government yesterday expressed satisfaction at the draft decision for the intergovernmental conference (IGC) which is to be discussed at the European Union summit in Amsterdam, saying it contained "positive references" to the issue of the common defence and security policy and to development.

According to the draft text, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said, peace and security must be pursued in accordance with the principles of the United Nations, the Helsinki Agreement, the Paris Charter and principles such as respect for the external borders of the EU.

"This is a very positive development and will be an important achievement if these positions are adopted," Reppas said.

The spokesman noted also that the chapter on development emphasized the the problem of lesser developed regions, with particular reference to the islands.

"These are principles which further safeguard our interests," Reppas said, while adding that it was not certain that they would eventually be adopted ''but there is a good possibility''.

Reppas did not rule out the possibility of the changes of government in Britain and France affecting the time schedule for the final shaping of the IGC text.

Low-cost solar energy system launched

Greek Environment Minister Costas Laliotis on Monday launched a low-cost solar energy system in a state school near Piraeus, the first of a nationwide network due for construction over the next two years.

"Our aim is to have around 50 schools around the country operating the same system over two years," said Laliotis, whose portfolio also includes public works and town planning.

Greenpeace, an international environmental group, proposed installation of the electricity generating system, and will provide technical support. The project will be funded by the environment and education ministries.

The photo-electric solar system will feed the Public Power Corporation's network during sunlight, and the school's section of the national grid will store the energy for nightime use.

George Livanos dies

George Livanos, a leading shipowner and one of Greece' wealthiest men, died yesterday of cancer at the age of 71.

Livanos, a member of the eminent shipping family from the Aegean island of Hios, was born in New Orleans in 1926 and studied public administration at Hofstra University.

He founded the Greek hydrofoil company 'Ceres' which now has a fleet of 110 vessels, all under the Greek flag.

In 1982, he set up the Greek Society for the Protection of the Marine Environment, HELMEPA.

His funeral will be held today.

New forest areas to be declared

The Agriculture Ministry has decided to create new expanses of protected forest land of various categories in order to increase the percentage of such areas in the country's total forest coverage.

The ultimate objective of the ministry is for the protected areas to account for 10 per cent of total forest land, compared to the present 3-4 per cent.

The initiative was taken within the framework of the government's policy for the protection of nature and will be implemented on the basis of the Natura 2000 list of sensitive areas.

Initially, the General Secretariat for Forests and the Natural Environment will push forward a presidential decree establishing the Dadia forest as a protected area.

Meanwhile, the ministry and the general secretariat have expressed interest in cooperating with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and agencies at a local level in order to protect and improve Mt. Pendeli.

Premier pleased with course of major projects in Epirus

Prime Minister Costas Simitis expressed satisfaction over his three-day tour of Epirus, which ended yesterday saying he was pleased with the course of infrastructure projects in the border region, which would put an end to Epirus' isolation.

"The region's development is not aided by incentives, which are wasted money if there is no possibility for any economic activity in the region to have an effect," he said. "What the area needs in order to achieve its goal is infrastructure, and these are created and are the access roads which will provide Epirus with the ability to communicate with the rest of the country and with the neighbouring northern countries. The same is true of its connection via the sea with Europe, which will be achieved by upgrading the port of Igoumenitsa."

Mr. Simitis met with the district official of Leivadia, a southern Albanian region comprised of 15 villages, 12 of which are predominately populated by ethnic Greeks.

In his speech in Preveza on Saturday, the premier warned those receiving subsidies that the money must be used to create development, and not "to be pocketed without anything being done, as has occurred on numerous occasions in Thrace."

He also spoke of the need for Greece to follow its course towards Europe, saying that not to do so would have dramatic consequences on the country's politics and economy, as Greece's position would be weakened, both internationally and in the face of the Turkish threat.

He said the Greek economy was more effective today than it has ever been in the post-junta era, adding that the government had achieved this while implementing a social policy.

"No one can dispute this," he said.

The prime minister also referred to Greece's place in international developments. The country, he said, cannot close its borders in an effort to stop other countries' problems from entering Greek society.

Greece's integration into European unification, he added, "constitutes an important goal for our national strategy, aimed at making Greece competitive in the international division of the labour market."

Mr. Simitis also referred to Greece's role in the Balkans.

He said this role was aimed at helping these countries overcome their problems and complete the process of their countries' institutional reforms.

Premier comments on political situation in Albania

Prime Minister Costas Simitis, commenting on the situation in Albania, said current efforts to find a political solution were the result of Athens' initiatives.

"We have ensured the presence of the United Nations and of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and of the European Union," the premier said.

He added that his government had helped in the direction of the solution, hoping that this would be implemented over the next few months.

"If things evolved in a different way, then we would be swarmed by a tremendous wave of refugees, while ethnic Greek minority rights could run the risk of being restricted," he noted.

Mediterranean news agencies air prospects in new communication era

An Athens News Agency-organised two-day seminar for Mediterranean news agencies on the theme of "National News Agencies in the New Communiucation Era" wound up its two-day sessions yesterday, with a discussion on marketing strategies for news agencies in the new information era, transmission of visual images among national news agencies as well as the challenge posed by Internet.

The seminar, which began on Saturday, also discussed the issues of news agencies' role in an information society, with diversification as a strategy for survival, subscribers' expectations from a national news agency, tailored services such as sports, finance and video news, as well as on-line databases and CD-ROM.

The seminar, sponsored by the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) and its subsidiary OTEnet, was opened by Press and Media Minister Dimitris Reppas.

Summing up the results of the seminar, ANA General Director Andreas Christodoulides said the level of participants and interest from Mediterranean news agencies had indicated the need to discuss the issues involved with operating in a new era.

"I think we have touched on all the problems being faced by the media these days, particularly by the national news agencies," he said.

"The two-way relationship emerging from the development of the various communication networks, the large number of options offered to users and the possibilities they have to determine the shape and form of the information accessed (according to volume, to depth and to type, such as text, photograph, graphics, video or a blend of all these) are some of the characteristics of the new era," he said.

"Sources have multiplied along with fears as to the credibility of information reaching users. Thus, the role of the news agencies is a decisive one, since to a great extent they are a 'tried and true' factor in the news business".

News agencies will have to adapt to the new technological methods of collecting, editing and distributing news and information in order to meet changing needs as well as new aesthetic standards, Mr. Christodoulides said.

"Here, we will be facing new competitors - perhaps even with those who were until recently our own subscribers - and we will have to realise that gradually the comfort offered to many agencies by the state will disappear, " he said.

"We have to come out of the wings, onto the stage of the media and to offer services aimed at individuals and their specialised needs. Developments are expected to be so rapid that indeed, as Socrates said 2,500 years ago 'We know that we know nothing', " he said.

The next meeting of Mediterranean news agencies will be the general assembly in Cairo, Egypt on June 22-24.

Karamanlis criticises government's policies

Main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis has strongly criticised the government's policies concerning national issues and the economy.

Speaking to the party's central committee, Mr. Karamanlis said the attempt to achieve nominal convergence was not enough, and criticised the government for not proceeding with structural changes.

"Any developments in the economy are futile. The final conclusions are that nothing advances, while on the contrary, everything is happening for the party nomenclature to be fed and to maintain the government in its (political) party area," he said.

The ND leader stressed that the development and progress progamme "is connected to permanent ruptures in the establishment which is holding the government hostage to its past."

Referring to Greek-Turkish relations, Mr. Karamanlis said the procedure of dialogue could prove to be dangerous due to its unspecific and vague nature. He added that dialogue may fail, which could lead to a crisis or to concessions in order to keep the dialogue alive.

Samaras re-elected president at first Pol.An congress

Political Spring (Pol.An) party and founder leader Antonis Samaras was elected for another term as party president during Pol.An's first congress.

Mr. Samaras described the congress as being one of "substance, political speech, proposal and position."

He also called on the government to rally the forces which are seeking "a Maastricht with a more social face" which would safeguard European solidarity and protect the EU member-countries' external borders.

Premier to visit Sweden tomorrow

Prime Minister Costas Simitis will visit Sweden tomorrow afternoon for a working visit, following an invitation extended by his Swedish counterpart Goran Persson.

He is due to leave for Malmo on Thursday in order to participate in a conference of European socialist and social democratic parties.

High-ranking Greek delegation at EU council

Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou and EU Affairs Secretary General Stelios Perrakis are to attend the last council before the EU Summit Council. The council begins in Luxembourg tomorrow.

The EU Summit Council is scheduled to be held in Amsterdam on June 15- 16.

Japanese delegation at Thessaloniki Cultural Capital events

Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos met yesterday with former Japanese prime minister Toshiro Kaifu, who is currently in Thessaloniki at the head of a Japanese delegation visiting Cultural Capital of Europe events.

The two discussed Greek-Japanese cultural cooperation, while Mr. Kaifu expressed particular interest on the institution of the European Cultural Capital and on the issue of the Parthenon Marbles. The former Japanese premier called for their return to Greece.

WEATHER

Local cloudiness and intermittent rain and sporadic rainstorms are forecast for most parts of Greece today, especially in the mainland, the Ionion islands and the northern Aegean Sea, gradually improving in the evening. Winds southernly, moderate to gale force. Athens will be partly cloudy with temperatures between 15-28C. Thessaloniki will be overcast and rainy with temperatures between 12-23C.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE IN DRACHMAS

Friday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 269.080 Pound sterling 442.015 Cyprus pd 531.712 French franc 46.920 Swiss franc 191.208 German mark 158.656 Italian lira (100) 15.965 Yen (100) 231.890 Canadian dlr. 195.067 Australian dlr. 205.126 Irish Punt 407.692 Belgian franc 7.682 Finnish mark 52.534 Dutch guilder 140.973 Danish kr. 41.662 Swedish kr. 34.916 Norwegian kr. 37.970 Austrian sch. 22.542 Spanish peseta 1.874 Port. Escudo 1.566

(M.P.)

(M.S.)


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