Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-11-19

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 19/11/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Gov't confers on WEU, NATO issues
• NATO SACEUR Clark visit Athens
• No fear of stronger quake, experts agree
• President to unveil Holocaust memorial
• Two arrested for Athos attacks
• Mystery over Brittanic's sinking remains
• Weather
• Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

The Government Council for Foreign Policy and Defence (KYSEA) held a meeting today on issues related to the Western European Union (WEU), whose rotating presidency Greece assumes on January 1, 1998, and to NATO, according to government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.

He said Greece's priorities in the WEU would be to promote the union as the defence wing of the European Union, as well as the idea of NATO making its forces available to the WEU in operations the latter decides to undertake.

With regard to the NATO summit scheduled for December, Reppas said that in view of the fact that NATO's new structure will most likely be discussed there, Greece would be using the principle of unanimity at meetings of the political and military committee during the planning and execution of exercises when it considers its national interests are being harmed.

He also said that visiting NATO Supreme Commander of forces in Europe General Wesley Clark would not be discussing confidence building measures in the Aegean with Greek officials, as this issue came under the jurisdiction of NATO Secretary General Javier Solana.

Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos and Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos briefed KYSEA on the results of the recent WEU summit in Erfurt, Germany, as well as on developments in NATO in view of the impending summit.

Meanwhile, the defence minister said the first phase of the armed forces' procurements programme is to be completed during the first half of 1999. He said that 350 billion drachmas had already been spent on the programme this year alone, while funds totalling 1.1 trillion drachmas are to be made available as soon as the relevant studies, which are in their final phase, have been completed.

At today's meeting, the Council accepted a report by the defence minister setting out a five point plan on priorities of the procurements programme.

Recommendations included strengthening the existing air force fleet with third-generation aircraft, for which a final decision would be made in the first half of 1998. According to informed sources, the Greek government is considering choosing between Mirage 2000-5, Russian Suhoi, EF-2000 and F-16 Block 50 Plus, F-15E, F-18 and F-22.

The same sources say that there has also been discussion of purchasing another 10 20 Mirage 2000 and F-16 Block 50. In addition, the purchase of airborne refuelling aircraft and AWACS early warning aircraft was also going ahead.

It was also reported that anti-aircraft weapons SHORADS were being purchased as well as long range weapons systems.

The third point of the plan regarded a final decision, to be taken next year, regarding new armoured tanks for the army.

Meanwhile, 170 Leopard 1 A5 are to be bought from Germany, a purchase which Tsohatzopoulos says was decided upon earlier and is not part of the current programme. These tanks reportedly cost 50 million drachmas, while the updating of existing ones is to cost 200 million drachmas.

The Leopard 1 A5s are reportedly destined for the Evros to replace others which will be used for the defence of the islands.

With regard to procurements for the navy, it was announced that an S-type frigate is expected from the Netherlands on December 13. The renovation of a third submarine, the Glavkos, was completed at the Salamina naval base a few days ago, while work on the Nirevs is to begin in March.

According to informed sources, decisions are to be taken in February with regard to the purchase of four submarines, either from Germany or Britain.

Finally, the sector of troop transport is to be strengthened with the immediate purchase of hovercraft capable of carrying 400-450 men, as well as smaller craft capable of holding 70-80 soldiers. These craft are capable of speeds of 40-50 nautical miles per hour.

Tsohatzopoulos is to brief the permanent parliamentary commitee on the results of today's decisions.

NATO SACEUR Clark visit Athens

Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos received the Supreme Commander of NATO forces in Europe US General Wesley Clark this morning for talks on NATO issues and problems in the region.

Tsohatzopoulos briefed Clark on the consequences for the region of Turkey's aggressive behaviour.

The minister made it clear that Greece was not willing to assist in upgrading Turkey's relations with the European Union unless Turkey did not first show that it was willing to abide by the same principles of international law and international treaties as the other EU member states.

Clark, accompanied by Greek chief of Staff Athanasios Tzoganis, also later met President Kostis Stephanopoulos.

It is the US general's first visit to Greece since he assumed his post.

No fear of stronger quake, experts agree

Seismologists said today that Tuesday's 6.6 Richter quake off the Ionian island of Zakynthos was the main quake and not the harbinger of a stronger one.

The experts convened this morning for two hours to discuss the spate of tremors and aftershocks that has rattled Greece for the past month.

"We all agreed that yesterday's quake was most probably the main one," Professor Ioannis Drakopoulos said. "There will probably be strong aftershocks but things are developing normally. We advise residents of the areas (affected by the quake) not to reside in damaged houses until they have been checked by civil engineers".

Drakopoulos said it was fortunate that the epicentre of the quake had been located far from densely-populated areas. Its epicentre was situated in the sea bed south of Zakynthos, 290 km south-southwest of Athens. The quake was felt throughout the Peloponnese and western Greece.

Drakopoulos, however, refused comment on statements by his colleague at the Patras University Laboratory Akis Tselentis, that he could not rule out a stronger quake in mainland Greece.

Tselentis did not attend the meeting today, saying he was unable to attend due to work commitments caused by the upsurge in seismic activity.

President to unveil Holocaust memorial

Government figures from Greece, Israel, the U.S. and representatives of Jewish communities from around the world will be in attendance when Greek President Kostis Stephanopoulos unveils a memorial this weekend to the 50, 000 Jews of Thessaloniki killed by the Nazi occupation forces in concentration camps in eastern Europe.

Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou and ministers for culture Evangelos Venizelos and Macedonia and Thrace Philipos Petsalnikos will represent the government at the ceremony on Sunday.

They will be joined by a delegation led by Israeli health minister, Yehushua Matsa and Germany's Foreign Undersecretary Werner Hauer.

A U.S. delegation will be lead by the chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs committee Benjamin Gilman (Rep-NY).

The ceremony will also be attended by the some 30 survivors of the Auschwitz and Birkenau camps where more than 48,000 Thessaloniki Jews met their death in 1943-1944.

Members of the Jewish communities of Australia, Latin America, the former Soviet Union and the U.S. will also attend.

The memorial is situated on the corner of Papanastassiou and Nea Egnatia streets, two of Thessaloniki's main thoroughfares. It has been designed by Serbian artist Nidor Glint.

Thessaloniki was historically the home of one of the biggest Jewish communities before the Nazi occupation, which found haven in the port city after fleeing the Holy Inquisition in 15th century Spain.

According to a 1940 census, there were about 49,000 Jews living in Thessaloniki. The number dwindled to 1,950 in 1945, as 46,061 Thessaloniki Jews were sent off to the Nazi death camps at Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen and Birkenau over a six-month period in 1943.

Two arrested for Athos attacks

Two young Albanians were arrested today and confessed to attacking and attempting to rob two monks on the autonomous monastic community of Mount Athos.

Brother Ioakeim was stabbed three times after being attacked by two assailants in his cell at the Karyes Monastery late on Monday night while Brother Alexandros received wounds to the hand after he was attacked in his cell by a man wielding an axe on Tuesday morning.

Brother Ioakeim was being treated in hospital in Polygyros, while Brother Alexandros was given first aid at the Karyes infirmary.

Akim Piska, 22, and Petrit Neta, 23, were arrested near the monastery of Helandarioou following a chase by police. Piska was slightly wounded in the leg by a police bullet.

Police said the two had been working as farm labourers on the Mount and had confessed to attempting to rob the two monks.

Mystery over Brittanic's sinking remains

A mission to examine the wreck of the Titanic's sister-ship, the Britannica which sank after a still-unexplained explosion near the island of Kea on November 21, 1916, ended nearly a week ago after a group of divers filmed the wreck lying at a depth of 120 metres.

Suspicions that the ship had hit a mine or had been hit by a torpedo appear to be disproved by the findings of "Project Britannica", which included the participation of 30 people from eight different countries.

Two years was spent planning the project; it was the third attempt to approach the wreck and seek out the truth.

"It is impossible that a torpedo or mine created such a large amount of damage to a ship that had been characterised as unsinkable. According to the photographs, there is a large gash in the bow, which extends outwards and upwards," said Vangelis Sotiriou head of the mission.

The Britannic was one-tenth larger than the Titanic and had been requisitioned by the British Royal Navy and was on its way to the island of Lesvos to pick up injured British soldiers when it sank. Various rumours have since then circulated that the ship's true mission was to transport gold for France or weapons and ammunition heading for Balkan battlefields.

Twenty-nine people died when the turbulence caused by the ship's propellors sank one of the lifeboats.

Divers Kyriakos Kavalaris, Alexandros Sotiriou and Kevin Gurr managed to enter the wreck and, with the permission of the foreign ministry and archaeology service, brought up evidence which is currently being studied.

The wreck, lying 120 metres underwater, was discovered in the mid-1970s by Jacques Cousteau, while another mission two years ago used remote controlled underwater cameras to film the ship.

Greek members of the team were reported to be planning another attempt to approach the wreck to gather more evidence about what actually happened to the Brittanic.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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