Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-03-03

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 03/03/1998 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Greece ready to undertake initiatives to defuse Kosovo crisis
• Greece, Egypt sign accord on fighting crime
• Archbishop Serapheim remains in critical condition
• SAE president calls for unity on Greek issues
• Veteran Greek journalist involved in Polk case, dies
• IHT-Kathimerini launching on March 9th
• Greek Orthodox Church aid to Romania
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

The Greek government is carefully monitoring the situation in Kosovo, following clashes over the weekend in which 16 Albanians and four Serbian policemen were killed.

Residents in the area reported that helicopters and armoured vehicles attacked them in their homes.

Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano spoke on the phone twice with his Greek counterpart Costas Simitis on Sunday, and according to sources, he asked him to intervene to ease off tension in Kosovo.

According to the same sources, both the prime minister and the foreign ministry in Athens are carefully examining the latest developments, and Greece is ready to undertake initiatives to defuse the crisis.

Greece has explicitly voiced its willingness to host a meeting of the rival sides.

Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos is to travel to Belgrade next Friday, to convey Greece's positions on the issues to the Yugoslav government.

Athens is also in contact with foreign governments over latest developments in the region,while its stance will depend on moves to be taken by the international community, without this excluding unilateral moves by Greece.

Diplomatic circles underlined the good relations existing between Athens, Albania and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which made it a privilaged negotiator, and that Greece was determined to utilise the advantages in its hands with the aim to achieve a peaceful solution of the Kosovo problem.

Also important is a scheduled visit to Athens by Albanian President Rexhep Mejdani on March 9, for talks with President Kostis Stafanopoulos and Premier Simitis.

The Greek Foreign Ministry yesterday issued an announcement expressing its regret and concern over the events which took place in Kosovo.

The announcement noted that Greece will promote all initiatives, which are in progress and those, which will begin within the next few days "so as to achieve immediate commencement of talks between the representatives of the local population and the Yugoslav government, so as to find a solution with which the sovereignty and unity-integrity of Yugoslavia as well as the rights of the Albanian majority in Kosovo will be respected."

Greece, Egypt sign accord on fighting crime

Greece and Egypt have signed a cooperation accord on fighting terrorism, crime including the trade in drugs and explosives, illegal immigration and counterfeiting.

The accord was signed in Cairo on Saturday by Public Order Minister George Romeos and his Egyptian counterpart Habib El Adly.

The agreement also provides for an exchange of information on terrorism and organised crime, including reports by experts and other publications.

It was agreed to award Greek citizenship to 150 Greeks on the basis of a list supplied by Cairo's Greek Consulate.

Archbishop Serapheim remains in critical condition

The Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Serapheim remains in a critical condition at the Athens Laiko Hospital, according to a statement released by his doctors yesterday.

The 85-year old prelate of the Orthodox Church in Greece was hospitalised last Tuedsday due to a viral infection as well as chronic kidney failure. The statement said that the infection is being treated with chemotherapy, which places strain on vital organs such as the brain and the liver, adding that these consequences have not b een reversed.

The director of the Laiko kidney unit Haralambos Stathakis said that the Archbishop's system is in disarray and that he receives all support possible, both material and spiritual.

Meanwhile, Metropolitan Prokopios of Philippi Neapolis and Thassos yesterday announced that he will not seek to succeed Archbishop Serapheim, despite press reports to the contrary.

The Metropolitan is considered by many as one of the most hardest working in the church.

SAE president calls for unity on Greek issues

The president of the the World Council of Hellenes (SAE), Andrew Athens has addressed a call for unity and cooperation of all organisations and officials of the Greek community in the US, at the current crucial phase of the Cyprus probl em and Greek-Turkish relations, as a US initiative is expected to be surfaced.

Mr. Athens addressed his call during a speech at the 33rd "Reception of the Congress", organised here at the weekend by the AHEPA organisation.

The SAE president and the Greek descent Republican Florida congressman Michael Bilirakis were the event's honoured figures.

Mr. Bilirakis promised that both US parties' Greek American politicians will contine their efforts, together with support from their colleagues, to promote Greek positions on issues of such importance as the Cyprus issue and Greek-Turkish relations.

Veteran Greek journalist involved in Polk case, dies

Gregoris Staktopoulos, a veteran Greek journalist, died at the age of 88, it was announced yesterday.

Staktopoulos was born in Trebizon (Trapezounta) in Pontos. His family moved to Thessaloniki after the Asia Minor catastrophe. He graduated from the American College in Thessaloniki in 1930 and worked for a local Greek Communist daily published clandestinly during the German occupation. After Greece's liberation, Staktopoulos worked for the Thessaloniki daily "Macedonia" until October 1948 when he was accused of being an accomplice in the murder of American journalist George Polk, who went to the northe rn Greek capital during the civil war to interview Markos Vafiades, head of the then Communist-led "Democratic Army".

Polk's body was fished out of Thessaloniki bay a few days later.

In April 1949, a Thessaloniki criminal court sentenced Staktopoulos to life imprisonment, but his sentence was reduced twice and was set free, under certain conditions, in 1960.

After his release he worked for "Ethnikos Kyrix" newspaper and was the Athens correspondent for the "Macedonia" newspaper. At the same time, and until his retirement in 1982, he was worked as a stringer for the Associated Press and Reuters news agencies and the London Times.

IHT-Kathimerini launching on March 9th

The International Herald Tribune (IHT) and the Athens daily Kathimerini have announced that the first issue of their new joint venture newspaper will appear on Monday, March 9th.

Published in Athens for distribution throughout Greece, the paper will include the entire edition of the IHT plus a daily section in English from Kathimerini.

The IHT will be printed on the Kathimerini presses, combined with the daily supplement, and distributed in the early hours to subscribers, hotels, airlines and newstands. Greece will be the 15th of the IHT's remote print site locations spread over three continents.

Greek Orthodox Church aid to Romania

The Greek Orthodox Church has despatched 15,000 tons of oranges urgently needed by children, elderly and impoverished families in Romania.

A spokesperson for the Romanian Orthodox Church, which represents 90 percent of the 23 million-strong population of Romania, told the ANA it would oversee the distribution of the oranges to institutions housing children and elderly and to poor families.

The spokesperson said that, according to official statistics, more than 50 percent of Romanians live under the poverty level.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(C.E.)

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