Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-01-26
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 26/01/1998 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- Pangalos: differences with Turkey should be solved legally
- Government, trade unions clash continues
- Greek-Albanian relations on good footing
- US to abolish military loans to Greece and Turkey
- Tsohatzopoulos proposes plan against negative phenomena
- Greek-Italian conference supports volunteering
- Tensions will multiply this year, party leader says
- New TV broadcasting centre in Mytilene
- Greeks start learning Bulgarian language
- Red wine is the secret of longevity
- Greek First Division soccer results
- Weather
- Foreign exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
@ Pangalos: differences with Turkey should be solved legally
Turkey can take issues on which it cannot agree with Greece to the
International Court of Justice at The Hague, Foreign Minister Theodoros
Pangalos said yesterday.
Mr. Pangalos, speaking to the Turkish daily Milliyet, was cited as saying
that "differences should be solved in a legal manner" and that "this could
occur by seeking recourse to international legal organisations, such as the
International Court at The Hague".
"Various issues, from the (delineation of the Aegean) continental shelf to
national air space, can be solved," Mr. Pangalos said. He cited the
continental shelf issue, national air space, territorial waters and
armaments on Greek islands. On the continental shelf issue, Mr. Pangalos
said "there could be bilateral talks on the continental shelf and if there
is no agreement we can seek recourse to the International Court".
On the issue of Greece's air space limit in particular, Mr. Pangalos said
that Turkey could have recourse at The Hague, adding that the issue "gave
rise to risks," but he said he did not believe that "this would lead to a
clash".
The issue of the extent of territorial waters, likewise, Mr. Pangalos said,
can be resolved "with the assistance of a third party and not with
threats".
"Maybe some day we could have serious talks" on the issue of the arming of
the Greek islands, he added.
"On this issue, the lack of trust plays a major role...Why does Turkey have
400 landing vessels? What is the aim? On the other hand, nobody can claim
that we are planning a landing in Anatolia," he said.
"This is another issue that Turkey can take to The Hague."
Turning to Turkey's relations with the European Union, Mr. Pangalos said it
was "ridiculous" for Turkey to blame Greece for being behind every decision
that went against it, referring to the EU's refusal to consider Turkey as a
candidate for membership at the present time.
On Cyprus, he reiterated that Greece was not about to accept Turkey's
position of two independent states on the divided island.
Government, trade unions clash continues
The confrontation between the government and trade unions over the status
of labour relations in public enterprises and utilities, known collectively
as DEKOs, is expected to continue this week.
The General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE) has already called a
second nationwide 24-hour strike in DEKOs and banks in two weeks time for
tomorrow.
The problem will be even more acute in the public transport sector.
Employees of the OASA urban transport organisation will participate in the
24-hour strike and have announced their own programme of strikes for this
coming Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, starting from the beginning of the
morning shift to 9 a.m. and from 10 p.m. until the end of the night
shift.
The President of the bus employees Andreas Kolas has warned of an open-end
strike and that unless the amendment is withdrawn the responsibility will
lie with the government.
Greek-Albanian relations on good footing
Addressing a special press conference on Saturday, Albanian Prime Minister
Fatos Nano expressed satisfaction over the successful development of
relations with neighbouring countries.
Mr. Nano noted his country's pursuit of developing bilateral relations and
targets with Italy, enriching the positive experience emanating from the
trigon of peace Tirana-Athens-Skopje and traditionally friendly relations
with Turkey.
"The Albanian government would desire an atmosphere of understanding and
dialogue with Belgrade as well and exactly for this reason took the step in
Crete as well," he said.
Referring to Belgrade, he said relations between the two countries cannot
develop from the moment that the situation in Kosovo is being burdened even
more. He condemned the use of force against Albanian-speaking people in
Kosovo, saying that "for this purpose we have started efforts to organise a
Balkan Conference in Tirana."
Commenting on the Greek initiative, he pointed out that "every such move
encouraging dialogue is welcome. However, I have to recognise a classification
in these international initiatives".
US to abolish military loans to Greece and Turkey
The United States has decided to abolish military loans to Turkey and
Greece as of 1999 in the framework of measures aimed at reducing budget
expenditures, well-informed diplomatic sources disclosed in Ankara
yesterday.
"Ankara and Athens were recently informed on the decision of the US to end
the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, a diplomatic source told the
French News Agency (AFP).
The decision puts an end to decades of US military aid to the two NATO
member-states which started in the Cold War era. The two countries use the
loans to obtain weapons from the US.
In 1998 Turkey and Greece will respectively receive military loans
amounting to 150 and 105 million dollars.
The US, Turkey and Greece made no official announcement on the issue, but
military experts believe that the decision taken by the US will have a very
small impact on Ankara's weapons purchasing programme.
Turkey, which has the arithmetically most important military in NATO after
that of the US, plans to spend about 31 billion dollars in military
expenditures over the next 10 years.
Tsohatzopoulos proposes plan against negative phenomena
National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos proposed the processing of a
National Overall and Collective Course Plan aimed at combatting negative
phenomena already appearing in other European countries in their effort to
approach criteria set by the Maastricht Treaty.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos, who was speaking in Thessaloniki on Saturday night,
made his proposal while addressing the ruling PASOK party's Regional
Conference of Central Macedonia on the issue of the 35-hour working week,
salaries,employment and development in the presence of party Secretary
Costas Skandalidis.
He said the purpose of the plan must be the simultaneous and parallel
tackling of the negative consequences emanating from the convergence policy
on the triptych state-employees-enterprises.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said social dialogue must be utilised and clarified that
he is not questioning positive results achieved so far by the government's
economic policy and predicted that this policy will meet with the same
success over the next two years .
However, he said the European experience must be assessed since "the
European Union has been trapped in a recycling process of stabilisation and
recession from the policy being followed and aimed at the Maastricht
criteria."
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said that in Greece the policy of nominal convergence is
approaching its limits, society is before crucial restructuring and the
issue of the survival of large sections of popular classes has to be
faced.
He said the enlargement of the production base is stagnant and new
investments are not being made in the private sector except for the inflow
of capital from the 3rd Community Support Framework.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said a new type of development model must be applied
with emphasis being placed on regional development and the tackling of
unemployment and at this point he proposed consideration for the proposal
on the 35-hour working week.
Lastly, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos reiterated his position that Greece's participation
in Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) will primarily be determined by
political and not economic criteria.
Greek-Italian conference supports volunteering
The issue of "Enterprises supporting volunteering" was the focal point of
yesterday's 3rd Greek-Italian conference being held in Athens at the
initiative of the Italian Chamber of Commerce.
The need was stressed for a multifaceted and coordinated development and
support for volunteering in the direction of a substantive social
solidarity and protection of the "weak" marginalised citizen.
PASOK Executive Bureau member and coordinator of the discussion Stephanos
Manikas said that "volunteering today is not an act of charity but the
philosophy of a social function and development aimed at man and the
improvement of his quality of life."
Mr. Manikas said volunteering is the primary care of the government's
social policy and called on citizens to rally.
The President of the foundation for the child and the family Marianna
Vardinoyianni sent a message stressing that "volunteering contribution has
constituted the base for the biggest humanitarian achievements of
man."
The Secretary-General of the Health and Welfare Ministry Mr. P. Aposkitis
announced the initiation of a National Council for the Promotion of
Volunteering.
Tensions will multiply this year, party leader says
Addressing his party's Central Committee on Saturday, Coalition of the Left
and Progress leader Nikos Constantopoulos predicted that tensions in all
sectors of the country's political, economic and social life will multiply
in 1998.
His address focused on the government's policy which he criticised,
claiming that the government is below expectations it had created and is
distancing itself more and more from society and the citizen.
Referring to foreign policy problems, Mr. Constantopoulos said confusion
prevails in the government and nobody is aware what exactly we are doing in
the country and for what reason we are doing it at a time when packages of
proposals and developments ha ve been set out.
The Central Committee was due to come to a close yesterday with the
ratification of a resolution concerning the party's activities and
initiatives until the municipal elections in October.
New TV broadcasting centre in Mytilene
Press and Mass Media Minister Dimitris Reppas inaugurated the new TV
broadcasting centre in Mytilene on Saturday to operate as a studio for the
ET-3 TV network. The event was attended by the director of the Prime
Minister's quality of life political burea u Antonis Angelidis, the
President of ERT S.A. Panayiotis Panayiotou, the Secretary-General of the
Ministry to the Aegean Yiannis Machairidis and the general director of the
Greek Tourist Organisation (EOT) Costas Katsiyiannis. Also present was
Mihalos Al exandridis, general director of the ET-3 TV network.
Mr. Reppas termed the new TV broadcasting centre a small "miracle achieved
due to insistence and persistence on an idea."
Greeks start learning Bulgarian language
Eighty-six young people from the Kato Nevrokopi region in the Drama
prefecture are learning the Bulgarian language and will be able to be used
in opportune positions when the Greek-Bulgarian border (Exohis customs
office) opens in 1998.
Nevrokopi Regional Governor Yiannis Xanthopoulos said "training is of a six-
month duration and the programme is being funded by OLEL" following an
understanding reached with its commander Costas Efstratoglou.
Mr. Xanthopoulos added that "the Bulgarian language is necessary because
transactions with the neighbouring country are being scheduled."
Red wine is the secret to longevity
Doctors around the world may be searching for a cure to eternal youth but
Giorgis Mandalis, who died in Kavala on Saturday at the age of 105, found
the secret to his long and full life in red wine.
Mandalis, his relatives told the ANA, always maintained that his good
health was due to red wine in moderation, no cigarettes, small and frequent
meals, little to no meat and a healthy skepticism of doctors.
"Medicines do not always cure the problem", Mandalis used to say. "Red wine
in moderation is a natural cure."
Mandalis was born on the island of Imvros, leaving in 1923 when it was
ceded to Turkey. He lived on the northern Aegean island of Thassos with his
wife, Angeliki, who died at the age of 85. The couple had two children,
five grandchildren and four great- grandchildren.
Greek First Division soccer results
Apollon-Panathinaikos 2-5 Kalamata-Xanthi 1-2
Panionios-Paniliakos 3-1 PAOK-OFI 1-0
Proodeftiki-AEK 3-2 Panahaiki-Ionikos 0-1
Olympiakos-Athinaikos 4-0 Veria-Iraklis 0-1
Kavala-Ethnikos 2-1 STANDINGS-POINTS: Olympiakos 49, AEK 47, Panathinaikos
46, PAOK 40, Ionikos 37, Iraklis 34, OFI 27, Xanthi 27, Apollon 25,
Panionios 23, Paniliakos 21, Panaxaiki 19, Proodeftiki 19, Veria 17,
Ethnikos 16,
WEATHER
Overcast with local rain in the east parts of Greece with possible storms
in the south. Light snow in the north and low-lying areas. Winds easterly
strong to very strong with local gales in the east and south. Temperatures
will range in the north from -3-5C, in the west from 1-13C and in the
remaining regions from 3-12C. Light rain is expected in Athens with light
snow on Mt. Parnes and temperatures from 4-9C. Thessaloniki will be cloudy
with light snow in the surrounding mountain ranges. Temperatures will range
from 2-4C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Friday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 282.026
Pound sterling 466.974 Cyprus pd 535.997
French franc 46.977 Swiss franc 192.641
German mark 157.301 Italian lira (100) 15.966
Yen (100) 223.547 Canadian dlr. 194.432
Australian dlr. 186.198 Irish Punt 394.518
Belgian franc 7.626 Finnish mark 51.961
Dutch guilder 139.634 Danish kr. 41.293
Swedish kr. 35.583 Norwegian kr. 37.894
Austrian sch. 22.350 Spanish peseta 1.857
Port. Escudo 1.540
(C.E.)
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