Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-03-30

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 30/03/1998 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Cyprus starts membership talks with EU today
• Greek and Albanian defence ministers meet in Ioannina
• Premier to chair KYSEA meeting today
• Papoulias heads parliamentary delegation to Tirana
• Balkan youth confer in Athens
• Russian envoy inaugurates natural gas pipeline in Kavala
• Labour minister says special priveleges to be abolished
• Greek-Americans celebrate Independence Day
• Venizelos attends UNESCO conference in Stockholm
• OA management and employees union continue tough talks
• Damanaki announces candidacy for Athens mayorship
• Greek First division soccer results
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

The European Union must not be deterred by Turkish intransigence or U.S. concern from proceeding with membership negotiations with the divided island of Cyprus, Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said on Sunday.

Speaking in Brussels on the eve of official membership talks with the EU, Kasoulides said the Union's open door to Cyprus presented a unique opportunity to motivate Greek Cypriots and their ethnic Turkish rivals to resolve their long feud.

"Don't destroy this leverage by saying only if you unite (the island) can you enter Europe," Kasoulides said. This would be tantamount to giving Turkey a veto over the island's future.

"The only leverage comes from the EU," he added.

After meeting United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Geneva on Saturday, Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash said talks on unifying Cyprus were dead unless negotiations to take the island into the European Union were delayed.

In terms of its economy and democratic institutions, Cyprus is favoured to enter the wealthy EU in the next wave of "enlargement", perhaps in 2002.

The Greek and Turkish communities have been separated by U.N. peacekeepers since 1974 when Turkey invaded the northern third of Cyprus in response to a Greek Cypriot coup to unite the island with Greece.

The Turkish Cypriots, 17 percent of the island's population, declared independence in 1983. Only Turkey recognizes them. The Greek Cypriot government is internationally recognised and has support from EU-member Greece for its membership bid.

Kasoulides said he regretted that Denktash had rejected his government's offer to join the Greek Cypriots in the membership negotiations. He said Denktash was seeking concessions "to pocket and run away with, as he has always done".

He rejected U.S. complaints that the EU's membership offer to Cyprus in December -- which was delivered at the same time as NATO ally Turkey was rebuffed in its bid to be recognised as a future EU candidate -- had damaged prospects for a peaceful settlement on the Mediterranean island.

President Bill Clinton's Cyprus envoy Richard Holbrooke has slammed what he called the EU's "gratuitously insulting" attitude to Turkey as a blow to Cyprus mediation efforts.

The U.S. is concerned that the EU is under-estimating the strategic risks of alienating the country which guards the Western alliance's southeastern flank at a period when Islamic resurgence in Moslem Turkey is putting pressure on its secular government.

Kasoulides said the U.S. position had always been "more generous" towards Turkey. "The Americans have always been a bit naive" about Turkey. "Give Turkey this, give Turkey that...".

"You don't know the Turks very well," he told reporters. "The more you give, the more you'll see they are complaining that they did not get enough."

"I believe that a combination of the U.S. and the EU will be very effective (in securing a settlement)," he said. Washington had the necessary influence on Turkey and the EU had the "leverage effect" of membership aspirations.

The EU will start intergovernmental conferences with Hungary, Poland, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Slovenia today.

The foreign ministers of five other applicant countries, namely Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria, will also be present at the launching of the accession process.

The accession process will be launched today with an address by the EU Presidency, followed by the Commission, in the presence of the ministers of all eleven applicant countries.

Before leaving for Brussels, Mr. Kasoulides described the opening of the accession negotiations as an "historic moment" for Cyprus, as it will most likely lead to the island's accession to the EU.

Mr. Kasoulides said that the Cyprus government was aware of Turkish intentions and threats to integrate the occupied northern part of the island to Turkey, and it has already prepared a set of reactions.

Cyprus chief EU negotiator George Vassiliou has said that "hard work is needed" to harmonise the Republic's economy, laws and social norms with the EU.

The former president, who submitted Cyprus' application for entry into the EU in July 1990, said "Europe is not just a motto but a difficult reality and hard work is needed to overcome them."

Greek and Albanian defence ministers meet in Ioannina

"Greece has never been, nor will ever become, a country of racist attitudes and racist phenomena," National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said in the northern Greek town of Ioannina yesterday, after talks with visiting Albanian counterpart Sabit Brokaj.

The Albanian defence minister told reporters that "some isolated incidents do not threaten the friendly relations" between the two neighbouring countries.

The ministers' talks focussed on a Greek proposal for the establishment of a multinational peacekeeping force in the Balkans.

The proposal had been discussed in Sophia in October at a meeting of Balkan defence undersecretaries.

Mr. Tsohatzopoulos agreed to an Albanian proposal that the Balkan undersecretaries meet again in Tirana on May 21.

The two ministers also discussed recent developments in Yugoslavia's strife- torn Kosovo region.

Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said that the Greek government firmly opposed armed violence in the region, while at the same time it endorsed respect of human rights, which he said could be achieved only through dialogue among the sides involved.

Mr. Brokaj referred to the meeting of Southeast European leaders hosted on the Greek island of Crete last November, which he described as a "historic" event which, however, "Europe did not take appropriate advantage of in order to avert the bloody events in Kosovo".

He said the Crete meeting "should have been followed up by other meetings among Tirana, Kosovo and Belgrade, but it was not".

Premier to chair KYSEA meeting today

Prime Minister Costas Simitis will preside today at the meeting of the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence (KYSEA), in efforts to decide the future arms aquisition programme.

The council is expected to decide on anti-aircraft arms for the protection of the country and specifically for the islands as well as the new type of warplane to be purchased by the government.

Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos noted that the issues of civil defence and the creation of a national arms purchase fund will also be discussed.

Papoulias heads parliamentary delegation to Tirana

A delegation of the Greek Parliament Foreign and Defence Affairs Committee, led by former foreign minister Carolos Papoulias, arrived here yesterday at the invitation of the corresponding Albanian committee.

The delegation will be informed on the current political situation in the country as well as the course of Greek-Albanian relations.

The delegation met with Archbishop of Tirana and all of Albania Anastasios while today they are to meet with Albanian President Rexhep Mejdani, Prime Minister Fatos Nano and former Albanian president and Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha among others .

The delegates will visit the Greek military force in Albania, and also hold talks with their Albanian counterparts and representatives of the Greek minority.

The visit is within the framework of contacts between the parliaments of the two countries. The visit will coincide with the tabling of a bill in the Albanian parliament for a six-month extension of the Greek military forces' stay in the neighbouring co untry aimed at contributing in efforts to restructure the Albanian military.

Balkan youth confer in Athens

Balkan countries' non-governmental youth organisations met in Athens yesterday in efforts to coordinate policies for the youth in these countries, while the first related ministerial conference on the issue is set to begin today.

Delegates from Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Romania, and Greece met and discussed issues ranging form education and minority rights to equal opportunities and human rights in the region.

Turkish non-governmental organisations were invited as well, but did not attend.

Russian envoy inaugurates natural gas pipeline in Kavala

Russia's ambassador to Greece yesterday inaugurated a 166-km central pipeline in Kavala which will carry natural gas from Russia to Greece.

"The natural gas which has reached Kavala will soon reach as far as Thrace, " Valentina Matvienko said during the ceremony.

The pipeline runs from the Karperi region in Serres to the village of Halkero in Kavala.

"This project is another indication of the good cooperation between Greece and Russia," Ms. Matvienko said. "It is an example of good cooperation which Greek and Russian construction companies will have as well as the excellent level of friendship and cooperation between the peoples of Greece and Russia."

Representatives of construction companies present at the ceremony said that as of April 16 Russian natural gas would be available for industrial use with domestic use becoming available shortly afterwards.

Ambassador Matvienko said Russia was "very interested" in seeing the completion of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, in which Bulgaria, Russia and Greece were involved and which had "not only economic but political significance".

"This project will contribute to the further development of Greece as well as many other regions in Europe," Ms. Matvienko said, adding that Moscow's interest in the completion of the project was more significant in the light of the Turkish unilateral decision to restrict access through the Straits.

The natural gas to be imported to Greece from Russia is expected to cover approximately 15 per cent of the country's energy needs.

To be built at an estimated cost of 600 billion drachmas and financed 40 per cent by the European Union, the natural gas conveyance network will extend for over 1,000 kilometres.

Prime Minister Costas Simitis earlier this year called the project "the greatest energy project to be carried out in Greece since the country's electrification".

Labour minister says special privileges to be abolished

Labour and Social Security Minister Miltiades Papaioannou yesterday said that the labour relations will change but the workers' rights will be safeguarded, while special privileges will be abolished.

In his speach at an Athens suburban municipality the minister also said that the convergence of the Greek economy to the European Union's is a must and it relates to the changes of the labour relations and the social insurance system.

"We must totally change today's state, so we can follow the developments, said the minister, adding that the government's goal is a stable economy and its development through public and private investment.

Mr. Papaioannou mentioned the "youth in active life" programme, which will give training and employment opportunities to 200,000 youths in three years and will cost 350 billion drachmas.

The minister also said that 15,000 unemployed will be subsidised while the aged unemployed will be given special attention.

Speaking on the new labour bill dealing with work-hours and scheduling due to be tabled in Parliament in May, Mr. Papaioannou said that the "eight- hour- work day is not abolished, but remains as the base of work-time calculation.

As for Olympic Airways (OA) the minister said that "we want an Olympic of 2002 same and better than the foreign airline companies, which will be able to face competition."

Greek-Americans celebrate Independence Day

Greek Americans yesterday held a parade on Wall Street in celebration of the 177th anniversary of the March 25 Greek Independance Day.

New York City Mayor Rudolf Guilianni, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America Spyridon members of the Greek Parliament, Greek Americans and Americans observed the parade, while a Greek presidential guard unit of Evzones participated.

Mr. Guilianni, in his address, noted the close bonds of the United States and Greece as well as the impact of Greek culture and Greek Americans in forming American culture.

Archbishop Spyridon noted the struggles of Greeks for their freedom are marked by this celebration.

In a related event at the Greek Consulate in Chicago, Council of Hellenes Abroad President Andrew Athens presented Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos with a medallion of honour.

In New York on Saturday night, the Federation of Greek Associations of Greater New York bestowed on Mr. Pangalos its "Greek Independence" award, which was introduced for the first time this year.

The award was presented to Mr. Pangalos for his "invaluable contribution to the Greek state and to democracy".

Venizelos attends UNESCO conference in Stockholm

The UNESCO "The Force of Culture" conference begins today to investigate the role of civilization in politics and its goal is to aid social development.

UNESCO's 186 member countries are represented by 2,500 delegates, while among them are 75 culture ministers - a record number for a conference of this kind.

Greek Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos will participate at the official part of the conference while four other Greek officials, among which Greece's ambassador to UNESCO Vassilis Vassilikos, will participate at parallel conferences.

Cyprus Education and Culture Ministry general secretary Andreas Fylaktou will represent Cyprus at the conference.

OA management and employees union continue tough talks

Talks between the Federation of Civil Aviation Associations (OSPA) and Olympic Airways' (OA) management resumed yesterday evening after an impasse earlier in the day.

OSPA president Michalis Perros said before the resumption of the talks that the dialogue with OA's management was heading towards failure, since nothing that was agreed upon was noted in yesterday's management circular.

Mr. Perros added that "the government is resolved to go ahead with legislation of the new framework for the labour relations in Olympic Airways."

Mr. Perros noted that "with these facts there can be no agreement. The dialogue is proven to be a fiasco."

A report last night said that the talks had been suspended during the day because of a misunderstanding and mistakes.

The talks between the management and the employees was due to end late last night. It should be noted that 350 employees had applied for retirement by last Saturday, while another 150 applications are expected.

Damanaki announces candidacy for Athens mayorship

Maria Damanaki yesterday officially announced her candidacy for the Athens mayorship in front of local government personalities, political party officials and government ministers.

Ms. Damanaki, a Coalition of the Left and Progress party (Synaspismos) deputy and former president of the same party, is supported in her bid by ruling PASOK party and Synaspismos.

Ms. Damanaki pledged to "be present" for the citizens' needs with knowledge of the city's problems.

She also promised that during her term in office if elected she will work for Athens to become "a city of optimistic and happy people".

Greek First Division soccer results

Proodeftiki-Panathinaikos 0-1 Ethnikos-Kalamata 2-2 Kavala-Iraklis 2-0 Olympiakos-Ionikos 2-0 Panahaiki-AEK 0-0 Apollon-OFI 3-0 PAOK-Paniliakos 3-2 Panionios-Xanthi 1-1 Veria-Athinaikos 0-0 Standings, points after 28th round: Olympiakos 73, Panathinaikos 70, AEK 63, PAOK 57, Ionikos 54.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(C.E.)

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