Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 97-11-10

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 10/11/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Intense activity begins around protracted Cyprus problem
• Motorcyclists set out on symbolic journey to Cyprus
• Drys says gov't firm in its intent to back the drachma
• Tourism employees hold meeting on 2004 Olympics
• President attends Mytilini's liberation anniversary celebrations
• Karamanlis speaks on unemployment at Toulouse congress
• Parliament President on five-day visit to Germany
• Rhodes court awards compensation to family of AIDS victim
• European study shows baby walkers unsafe
• Demonstrators run wild at gold mining plant in Halkidiki
• Greek First Division soccer results
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

A week of intense activity around the protracted Cyprus problem begins today with US presidential Emissary Richard Holbrooke's talks in Nicosia with Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

Mr. Holbrooke, who according to reports was due for talks in Moscow before arriving in Cyprus today, will fly to Brussels on Thursday for consultations with EU External Affairs Commissioner Hans Van den Broek on the issue. US State Department Coordina tor for Cyprus, Thomas Miller, already arrived in Cyprus yesterday ahead of Mr. Holbrooke, while Turkey's Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and Minister of State responsible for Cyprus affairs Sukru Gurel also arrived yesterday in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus for talks with Turkish Cypriot leaders.

In Brussels, EU foreign ministers are expected today to debate Turkey's relations with the Union and particularly a French proposal for the establishment of a European Conference including all EU aspirant countries and Turkey, aimed at preventing new di viding lines in Europe as the bloc opens membership talks with a number of eastern European states and Cyprus next year. Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos will participate in the meeting.

Motorcyclists set out on symbolic journey to Cyprus

A group of 18 motorcyclists from Greece and Cyprus set out yesterday from Kastanies, Evros, on a symbolic journey across Greece to Cyprus on their motorbikes, to pay tribute to the memory of the two young Cypriots, Tasos Isaak and Solomos Solomou, who were brutally killed by Turkish Cypriot troops during peaceful demonstrations at the buffer zone last year.

The event is organised by the Cyprus Motorcyclists' Federation and aims raising funds to build a monument in memory of the two brave young men.

The journey will end on Nov. 15 in Nicosia. Many Greek cities, from were the motorcyclists are to pass through, are organising events to welcome them, as well as to collect donations.

A member of the Cyprus Motorcyclists' Federation will be riding along on his bicycle.

Federation president Giorgos Hatzikostas has publicly thanked President Kostis Stephanopoulos, who was the first to donate money for the monument.

Drys says gov't firm in its intent to back the drachma

Finance Undersecretary George Drys said yesterday that he was satisfied over the course of the economy, but said it was necessary to take additional measures, especially introducing special incentives, for the sensitive area of the Aegean.

Speaking at a press conference on Samos where he represented the government at celebrations marking the 85th aniversary of the island's incorporation into Greece, Mr. Drys also said the government was firm in its intent to back the drachma.

He said that it was floating a new bond issue in order to contain the drachma.

The Finance Ministry has announced a new eurobond issue that will be floated today.

The one- and three- year ECU/EURO-indexed bonds carry a fixed interest of 4.6 percent and 5.2 percent respectively, rates lower than drachma- denominated issues.

Bankers see the eurobond issue as a strategic move by the government to improve the climate in the domestic markets and underline its determination to continue its hard-drachma policy.

The announcement on Friday of the new eurobond issue substantially improved sentiment in the domestic money market, leading to a firmer drachma and lower interbank rates.

Tourism employees hold meeting on 2004 Olympics

The first meeting on the organisation by Greece of the Olympic Games in the year 2004, was held yesterday in Thessaloniki, to examine the activities required for the successful exploitation of the event.

The one-day meeting was organised by the Association of Employees of the Greek Tourisn Organisation (EOT), on the sidelines of the international tourism fair "Filoxenia" which winds up today at the Helexpo installations.

The meeting was attended by deputies, EOT officials and many representatives of the sector.

A guest speaker, Ignacio de Delas, director of programming of the Organisation for the Promotion of Tourism of Catalonia, Spain, referred to the 'Spanish experience' from the Barcelona '92 Olympic Games. The Spanish official stressed the long-term posit ive impact of the Games in the region's tourism.

EOT Secretary General Nikos Skoulas expanded on the basic lines of the government's policy on tourism, which mainly related to the development of quality tourism and alternative forms of tourism for high income tourists.

Mr. Skoulas underlined that the country was far behind in luxury hotels and resorts, and called on investors to take initiatives in this sector.

President attends Mytilini's liberation anniversary celebrations

President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos yesterday wound up his official visit to the island of Mytilini, on the occasion of celebrations marking the 85th anniversary of the island's liberation from Turkish rule.

It was the first time a president of the republic attended the celebrations on Mytilini.

In a message on the necessity of peace, Mr. Stephanopoulos said that "during such celebrations we must think of the supremacy of peace compared to war. How happy Greece and Turkey would be if they could achieve peace!".

The celebrations on Mytilini started in the morning with a special service at the Metropolitan Catherdal, attended by President Stephanopoulos, Minister of the Aegean Elisabeth Papazoe, PASOK party deputies Franklinos Papadelis and Nikos Siphounakis, New Democracy party deputy for Hios Thanasis Varinos and Communist Party of Greece deputy Stratis Korakas.

Wreaths were later laid at the war memorial, followed by a students and military parade.

Karamanlis speaks on unemployment at Toulouse congress

The 12th Congress of the European Peoples' Party (EPP) opened here yesterday, with discussion mainly focused on unemployment and policies against it, as well as the European Union's enlargement.

At yesterday's council of EPP party leaders, attended also by New Democracy party leader Costas Karamanlis, many officials expressed concern in relation to decisions taken at the EU Amsterdam Summit on the policy to tackle unemployment.

They stressed that apart from the framework of principles, there must also be funding by the EU.

Mr. Karamanlis said "unemployment could prove an explosive affair in the foundations of the union".

He further said that there was a need to support especially small and medium-sized enterprises, which at EU level are regarded as a medium of boosting economy.

The ND leader also briefed the EPP party leaders on prospects for Greece's relations with Turkey, as well as the situation in the Balkans.

EPP officials see the 12th Congress as a historic one, since it will decide on the merger of European Christian Democrats participating in centre-left parties in central and eastern Europe.

Parliament President on five-day visit to Germany

Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis departed yesterday for Germany for an official five-day visit at the invitation of his counterpart Rita Suessmuth and the presidents of local parliaments.

Mr. Kaklamanis is scheduled to visit Munich, Bonn, Stuttgart and Berlin and will meet with federal and local government officials.

He is also due to meet representatives of Germany's Greek communities.

Rhodes court awards compensation to family of AIDS victim

A Rhodes court awarded compensation of 100 million drachmas to the family of an 11-year-old AIDS victim who died in 1992, for negligence in the screening of blood supplies in the '80s, which resulted in the young girl's contraction of the deadly virus.

Constantina, a sufferer of thalassaemia who needed frequent blood transfusions, was diagnosed in 1986 as having contracted AIDS. The Appeals Court of Rhodes heard that the local hospital which administered the tranfusions, failed to immediately apply Health Ministry directives for the compulsory AIDS screening of all blood supplies, introduced in September 1985. As a result patients in the Rhodes hospital received unchecked blood until the end of that year, a fact which the court accepted as having cau sed the girl's contracting the disease.

In the court's decision it is stated that Constantina's family were subsequently isolated in the island community "in a way reminiscent of the treatment towards lepers in the middle ages or the people with tuberculosis before the war" and the girl was barred from attending school until the Ministry of Education intervened.

The Ministry of Health has appealed the ruling and the case will now be heard by the Council of State, the highest administrative court in the country.

European study shows baby walkers unsafe

An announcement issued yesterday by the consumer organisation EKPOIZO, says various baby walkers have been found unsafe and their use could even result to injuries.

This was the outcome of a study in Europe carried out by 12 independent consumer organisations on 31 models of such walkers.

The models are sold across Europe, and in Greece, too, and relate to both cheap and expensive brands.

EKPOIZO, which participated in the study, said that the above baby walkers do not really help toddlers to walk properly, while in some cases they could be dangerous, since their speed can go relatively high for infants and especially in homes with unlevel floors.

Demonstrators run wild at gold mining plant in Halkidiki

Residents of the Halkidiki communities of Ano and Kato Stavros, Olympiada, Asprovalta and Varna staged a demonstration yesterday outside the Canadian company 'TVX Hellas', protesting at the gold mining activities in the region.

A clash followed when the police intervened and tried to disperse the growd, comprising some hundreds of people.

The residents had expressed their opposition to the company's activities since last year, saying that gold mining in the area will have a serious impact on the environment, mainly from wastage.

The protesters entered the plant and caused damage to two drills, which company officials estimated to about 60 million drachmas.

Some police and protesters were slightly injured. No arrests were made.

The Thessaloniki Branch of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) issued an announcement yesterday afternoon, in which it charged that there had been a plan, since last summer, to counteract objections by the residents. It described an agreement between the government and the Canadian company on gold mining, as disgusting, while expressing support to the area's residents.

Greek First Division soccer results

Ionikos-PAOK 3 - 2 Panathinaikos-Xanthi 4 - 1 Kavala-Olympiakos 0 - 1 Athinaikos-Apollon 0 - 0 Heraklis-Proodeftiki 1 - 0 OFI-Pyrgos 3 - 2 Ethnikos-Panahaiki 0 - 0 Kalamata-Veria 1 - 0 AEK-Panionios play today Standings-points: Ionikos, Panathinaikos 24 Olympiakos 21, AEK 19, Apollon, Heraklis 17 Xanthi 14, PAOK 13 OFI 11, Panionios, Panahaiki 10

WEATHER

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