Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-03-05

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 05/03/1998 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Athens' approval of EU financial protocol depends on Ankara
• Pangalos' Belgrade visit stresses Greek presence in region
• Tsohatzopoulos warns against 'adventurist pursuits' in the Balkans
• Greece to promote 'Olympic truce' idea before 2004 Games
• Greek doctors no advertisement for quitting smoking
• Greek marine archaeologists to join search in Alevandria's port
• Simitis defends Florina DEH plant's construction contract
• Work on land registry painstakingly slow
• Yen jumps against drachma in February
• Greek stocks stay perky for third straight session
• Tourist arrivals expected to rise in Crete
• UK trade missions to Athens this month
• Shipping firm gives cash to maritime schools
• First train to arrive in May for new Athens metro
• Greek shipping register falls by six vessels
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Greece's stand on the issue of approval of the EU financial protocol for Turkey will depend on Ankara's behaviour, Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis said in response to the Commission's first operational propo sals for a strategy on Turkey, contained in a communication adopted yesterday.

"The Greek position is that, provided Turkey accepts the principles and conditions set by the EU summit of Luxembourg, there is no objection to progress in Turkey's European prospects and the ratification of the financial protocol," he said.

"But let me remind that this protocol also envisaged the maintenance of relations of good neighbourliness between Turkey and the surrounding countries. It was Turkey's behaviour in the case of the (January 1996) Imia crisis that forced Greece to raise objections to its ratification. We are waiting for Turkey to accept that the Imia issue must be referred to the International Court at The Hague, so that its relations with the EU may progress," he said.

The communication, which will be submitted for approval to the Council of Ministers, was adopted yesterday along with another Commission report "on the development of EU relations with Turkey following the customs union of 1996," which will be submitted to the European Parliament.

The two texts were released during a press briefing by External Affairs Commissioner Hans van den Broek, who said that the implementation of the European Strategy for Turkey required the approval by the Council, as soon as possible, of a special action amounting to 375 million Ecu and the adoption of the financial protocol.

Regarding Cyprus, where he arrived last night, Mr. van den Broek said the Commission wished "to utilise the Cypriot government's desire to include the Turkish Cypriots in the delegation that will negotiate accession to the EU."

Asked if the issue of Turkish Cypriot participation would put at stake the commencement and subsequent course of negotiations which are scheduled for March 31, Mr. van den Broek said that EU decisions on Cyprus were clear, that everyone wished Cypriot membership to prove beneficial to both communities, and that for this to happen Turkey also had to assume its responsibilities.

Pangalos' Belgrade visit stresses Greek presence in region

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said later that Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos' visit to Belgrade tomorrow did not signal an initiative by the foreign minister, but was merely indicative of Greece's presence in the region.

Clarifying that the visit had been planned some time ago, Mr. Reppas said Mr. Pangalos would be discussing respect for the rights of the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo and Yugoslav sovereignty in the region.

Asked whether the crisis in Kosovo dictated a more flexible relationship with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Mr. Reppas said Greece's relations with Skopje were "very good, are constantly improving while new horizons are opening up".

He described Greece's relations with the neighbouring country as "flexible, based on the prudence of both sides".

Referring to the visit today of a FYROM government delegation, headed by Foreign Undersecretary Ognuen Malefski, he said talks would focus on bilateral issues, trade, economic relations, while adding that it would be "logical" also to discuss the Kosovo crisis.

Tsohatzopoulos warns against 'adventurist pursuits' in the Balkans

The international community must intervene decisively to ensure that certain people will not be able, in the context of any adventurist pursuits, to exploit the situation in which minorities in the Balkans find themselves, Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said yesterday in reference to ongoing events in Yugoslavia's Kosovo province.

"The situation there carries the seed of anomaly if account is taken of the armed clashes in northern Albania and the concern among other sections of the Albanian minority in other parts of the Balkans," said the minister, who participated in the sessions of European Socialist Party (ESP) in Brussels.

"The ESP conference in Thessaloniki in June, with the participation of all Balkan parties, acquires particular timeliness and will further the possibility of communication, cooperation and approach to our efforts for the future of Balkan peoples," he said.

Greece to promote 'Olympic truce' idea before 2004 Games

The Olympic flame will travel around the world before the opening of the 2004 Athens Olympics, a move which according to Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou is aimed at promoting the idea of an 'Olympic Truce'.

The Olympic truce will take on a more official form in May, during a visit to Greece by the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Juan Antonio Samaranch.

The idea was presented by Mr. Papandreou during the recent Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, while Mr. Samaranch has already endorsed the Olympic truce concept.

Greek doctors no advertisement for quitting smoking

Greeks have often been cited as the heaviest smokers in Europe, and according to findings announced at the second Mediterranean conference on chest disease in Athens yesterday, more than half of the country's doctors are addicted to smoking.

Apart from the effects of smoking such as emphysema, which also affects passive smokers, the conference focused on genetic research into why some people find it easier to stop smoking than others, and on new non-invasive methods of examining the chest cavity.

Athens Pharmacology Professor N. Houlis quoted recent research giving credence to a biological basis for nicotine addiction.

Greek marine archaeologists to join search in Alexandria's port

Four Greek marine archaeologists from the culture ministry will join four Egyptian counterparts in searching the unexplored eastern sector off the port of Alexandria, it was announced at a press conference yesterday.

The team will be looking for architectural remains dating to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods described in the writings of Strabo.

"We need Greece's 30 years of experience in marine archaeology, as our own service was founded only two years ago," said the director of Egypt's Marine Archaeology Service, Ibrahim Darwish.

He said a French team is continuing its exploration of the western sector of the harbour for the ancient Pharos - Alexandria's lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, built in 270 BC. The remains of the Pharos finally sunk in the city 's harbour after an earthquake on Aug. 8, 1303.

Simitis defends Florina DEH plant's construction contract

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Prime Minister Costas Simitis underlined that construction of a Public Power Corp. (DEH) plant in Florina will go ahead as planned.

Mr. Simitis was replying to questions by the leaders of the Coalition of the Left (Synaspismos) Nikos Constantopoulos and Democratic Social Movement (DHKKI) Dimitris Tsovolas.

The Synaspismos leader asked for explanations as to why the construction cost had risen to 215 billion drachmas from the initial 125 billion drachmas.

Mr. Simitis maintained that the cost was competitive, and stressed that Parliament was not the appropriate state body to ratify private contracts as requested by the two opposition leaders.

He said neither the government, nor DEH could unilaterally alter any part of the contract with the Russian contractor.

Work on land registry painstakingly slow

Work to create a national land registry have started only over 2.58 per cent of Greece and is developing at a particularly slow rate, since the undertaking is estimated to be concluded in 15 years' time, according to European Union Commissioner Monika Wulf-Mathies.

She was replying to a question by New Democracy party Eurodeputy Costas Hatzidakis.

Ms Mathies said that work carried out so far concerns, firstly, 52 per cent of the registration of 66 local administration bodies (OTAs) in the framework of the first awarding of contracts (budgeted at 27.3 million Ecu for an expanse of 230,000 hectares . The time of completion is slated at the end of 1998.

Secondly, it concerns 20 per cent of the registration of 54 OTAs in the framework of the second awarding of contracts (budgeted at 14 million Ecu for an expanse of 110,000 hectares, with a completion time at the end of 1999.

Mr. Hatzidakis deduced from the above that work underway concerns expanses totalling 340,000 hectares, namely, 40 per cent of the 850,000 hectares anticipated by the second Community Support Framework.

Greece's total area is 13.2 million hectares, as well as that completion of the undertaking will require about 15 years, while the government had anticipated that work would have been completed in 2009.

Yen jumps against drachma in February

A sharp appreciation of the Japanese yen against the drachma and stable average fixing rates for most foreign currencies were the main features of Greece's foreign exchange market in February.

Most European currencies showed minor changes against the drachma compared with January. The Ecu was 0.03 percent higher against the Greek currency.

The DMark rose slightly by 0.05 percent against the drachma while the British pound was 0.17 percent higher.

The US dollar fell 0.08 percent against the drachma in February, while the Japanese yen soared 2.71 percent against the Greek currency.

The Japanese currency was 5.6 percent higher against the drachma in December 1997-February 1998.

Greek stocks stay perky for third straight session

Greek equities held their upward momentum for the third consecutive session on the Athens Stock Exchange yesterday, reflecting positive developments in the domestic money markets.

A rebound in the domestic bond market, a new drop in interbank rates and an expected fall in the inflation rate to 4.2 percent in February all spurred trading in shares.

The general index closed 1.45 percent higher at 1,466.57 points. Sector indices were mixed.

Banks rose 1.70 percent, Insurance fell 0.02 percent, Leasing dropped 0.18 percent, Investment was 1.77 percent off, Construction soared 3.35 percent, Industrials increased 1.35 percent, Miscellaneous shot up 4.06 percent and Holding was 0.47 percent up .

The parallel market index for small cap companies ended 0.05 percent higher. The FTSE/ASE blue chip index rose 1.68 percent to end at 819.53 points.

Trading was heavy with turnover at 18.4 billion drachmas. Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation jumped to 5,940 drachmas in heavy volume of 333,140 issues.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 129 to 89 with another 16 issues unchanged.

Keranis, Karelias, Ridenco, Viochalco, Rilken and Sarandopoulos scored the biggest percentage gains at the daily 8.0 percent upper volatility limit, while Atemke, Parnassos, Lanakam, Mouriades and Alpha Invest suffered the heaviest losses.

National Bank of Greece ended at 21,150 drachmas, Ergobank at 15,200, Alpha Credit Bank at 15,995, Delta Dairy at 2,950, Titan Cement at 14,290 and Intracom at 14,805.

Bankers reported capital inflows of 40 million Ecus and 55 million US dollars at the drachma's daily fixing.

The Greek currency was slightly higher against most foreign currencies.

In the interbank market, interest rates fell after the Bank of Greece lowered the overnight rate to 16.75 percent from 17 percent in its weekly intervention.

Tourist arrivals expected to rise in Crete

Cretan hoteliers expect higher tourist arrivals for 1998, a prediction coinciding with that of the Greek tourism authorities.

Mary Daskalantonaki, president of the Hoteliers Association of Crete, yesterday forecast a 10 percent increase in tourist arrivals to lower category hotels and a 5.0 percent rise in higher category hotels in the island.

Ms. Daskalantonaki acknowledged that Greece's image abroad had improved resulting in higher tourist demand for the country. She predicted higher tourism growth in 1999.

In addition, a freeze in hotel prices over the last four years had given a competitive edge to Greek tourism. A German was paying 145-150 DMarks for a five-star hotel in Spain while in Greece the price was only 100 marks.

National Tourism Organisation of Greece secretary general Nikos Skoulas urged Greek hoteliers to show restraint and avoid overbooking during the summer months.

UK trade missions to Athens this month

Two trade missions from the United Kingdom will visit Athens on March 17- 18.

One delegation of over 26 companies plans to demonstrate specialist equipment for airport services and equipment produced in the UK.

The second will arrive from Iraklion, Crete, bringing a mini-exhibition of products and services in contract furnishings for hotels and tourist resorts.

Shipping firm gives cash to maritime schools

Ceres of Greece,a hydrofoil operator, has donated 200,000 dollars to help finance schools belonging to the Training Centre for Merchant Marine Personnel.

The announcement was made by Merchant Marine Minister Stavros Soumakis.

First train to arrive in May for new Athens metro

The Athens metro project is moving rapidly towards completion, Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis told reporters yesterday.

Mr. Laliotis took journalists on a five-km journey on the underground line from the Pentagon to Evangelismos.

He said that the first metro train would arrive in Athens in May followed by a second in June.

By the end of the year 15 out of a total of 17 trains were expected with 112 coaches. Each train will carry six coaches.

Mr. Laliotis said that the first test run of the trains would be along the Sepolia-Attica Square line.

He said that the Athens metro project would include installation of a fibre optics system to facilitate the use of mobile telephones in the underground.

Greek shipping register falls by six vessels

The Greek-flagged merchant fleet decreased by six vessels and 191,311 DWTs last month.

During February, six vessels with a total capacity of 87,840 DWTs joined the national register, while 12 ships with a total capacity of 209,151 DWT's were removed.

Out of the registered ships, four had an average age of 17.5 years and the other two an average of one year, while out of those written off one was 32 years old and the remaining 11 had an average age of 22 years.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(C.E.)

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