Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-03-31

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 31/03/1998 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Olympic Airways workers protest as gov't calms tempers
• Legislation expected if talks between workers, management fail
• Defence minister meets with Yeltsin in Russia
• Parliament committee in Tirana for talks
• U.S. envoy visiting Thessaloniki
• Gov't critical of Burns statements
• Weather
• Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Olympic Airways employees were today holding a demonstration at the national carrier's terminal to protest a bill on restructuring of the airline tabled in Parliament after the collapse of talks between the OA administration and employee unions.

Transport and Communications Minister Tassos Mandelis tabled the bill last night, which will be debated by the House on Thursday, after a deadlock in the talks as a two-month deadline given to employees and administration to agree on a bail-out plan expired.

The bill provides for a freeze on salaries at Dec. 1997 levels up until the year 2000, the abolition of a 70,000 lodging allowance for ground staff and other perks, flexible labour relations and "elastic work hours".

Mandelis said today that both the OA administration and the presidium of Federation of Civil Aviation Unions (OSPA) had been aware that the bill was to be tabled on Monday.

"But that was not a hindrance to talks with the workers, and any decisions that would have been reached which could have aided the streamlining of the company would have been incorporated" in the bill, he said.

"With the new regulations," he said, "our target is to salvage Olympic Airways and maintain all the work jobs".

"Any other proposal would just shut down OA, and this must be comprehended by everyone," Mandelis said.

Asked if the resignation of OA president and managing director Thodoris Tsakiridis had been accepted, Mandlies siad he had not recieved any such resignation, adding that the announcement of the president's resignation had probably been made under the pressure of the workers.

The General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE) has called a three- hour work stoppage for Olympic Airways this afternoon from 5-8 p.m., and a protest demonstration outside Parliament at 6 p.m.

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said later that the sale of Olympic Airways was "not an issue" and that the government supported the public nature of the national carrier and its unhindered operation "with its most capable personnel".

Asked about media reports claiming that Tsakiridis had resigned, Reppas said the OA president had not submitted his resignation "and this entire issue was the result of psychological pressure and 'quasi' violence exerted on him".

The spokesman added that Tsakiridis was continuing to work as normal.

Reppas said both Tsakiridis and the OA board had been aware of the content of the government's bill, stressing that the government took no one by surprise.

"It is also not true that the government hastened to table the bill as workers were engaged in dialogue with management. Dialogue had broken down and the government proceeded in accordance with what it had already anounced," he said.

The spokesman reminded that he himself had made it clear in statements on Friday that if the talks between management and workers brought no result, the government would go ahead and table the bill.

"Talk now of taking them by surprise is hypocritical," he added.

Reppas said the government wanted to see agreement with the workers and until the bill had actually been passed, would wait for their "constructive" proposals which could be incorporated in the bill.

Replying to reporters' questions, Reppas attributed the failure of the last OA revitalization programme to the fact that "crucial issues" were not addressed, such as employer-employee relations and salaries.

The will of the government is now strong, he added.

Asked whether the German airline Lufthansa was interested in buying OA, Reppas referred back to previous statements he had made, according to which Olympic must find "strategic partners" if it was to survive.

General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE) president Christos Polyzogopoulos charged that the drafting of the OA bill had been "makeshift".

He called for a ten-day extension of talks between workers and management.

Observing that the bill was dated 27-1-1998, Polyzogopoulos claimed that "the decision had been taken months earlier".

During the three-hour work stoppage between 5 and 8 pm this evening, there will be no OA flights. At the same time, workers will march in protest from the company's head office on Syngrou Avenue and hold a rally outside the Parliament Building in Syntagma Square.

Legislation expected if talks between workers, management fail

The Greek government will table bills on restructuring other public sector enterprises like Athens urban transport, Greek railways and the Post Office if talks with workers fail to reach agreement, National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou said.

Papantoniou said the government will remain firm in its policy to restructure the public sector and stressed that laws must be respected by all.

Responding to criticism on the government's actions on Olympic Airways, he said that a move to discuss the issue in parliament was a proof of democracy in the government's actions.

He said that the national assembly should act as mediator in cases of deadlocks between the government and the people.

Papantoniou warned that loss-making enterprises in the public sector would be closed or shrunk after the year 2001.

PCommenting on recent price rises in the Greek consumer market, Panantoniou said that they were limited and inevitable in certain imported goods. He said that the market responded calmly to the impact of the drachma's devaluation.

Defence minister meets with Yeltsin in Russia

It is the inalienable right of each country to ensure its security with whatever means is in its interests, Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said today, speaking at the Kremlin where he met with Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

Tsohatzopoulos was responding to a reporters' question on the U.S. reaction to the possibility of Russian-made S-300 missiles being deployed by Nicosia or Athens.

The minister, who began a three-day visit to Russia yesterday, met with his Russian counterpart General Igor Sergeyev and Yeltsin, a meeting that has been characterised as "unusual" for the Kremlin.

Diplomats said that Tsohatzopoulos's meeting with Yeltsin was a clear sign of Moscow's interest in further developing relations with Greece in all sectors, including defence.

The Greek minister said after the meeting that it provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on security issues in the region to which both Greece and Russia belonged.

He said Athens and Moscow's belief that the achievement of stability through cooperation and security was confirmed, as were the two countries' good relations. Both were preared for further cooperation on a bilateral level - which would include defence cooperation - as well as a joint effort in security organisations of which both were members.

Turning to Greece's new arms procurements programme, Tsohatzopoulos said it was a statutory principle of the United Nations that no party could question the right of another to procure any defence system and that any subsequent "exhortations, advice or even threats" had no place.

"Both Cyprus and Greece have the right to choose the type of defence systems which will allow them to meet their defence needs. And since we are in security institutions like the Western European Union, NATO and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe we are in a position to press for the best policy initiatives which can bring peace, security and stability," he said.

Parliament committee in Tirana for talks

A delegation of the Greek Parliament's standing committee on foreign affairs and defence, currently on a visit to Tirana, met today with leading Albanian government and ministry officials.

The delegation, led by former foreign minister Karolos Papoulias, met with Albanian president Rehep Meidani, Prime Minister Fatos Nano, Foreign Minister Paskal Milo and a number of other ministers, as well as representatives of Albanian opposition parties and Albanian members of Parliament.

The gamut of Greek-Albanian relations were examined during the series of meetings with the common conclusion being that relations between Athens and Tirana are at a very satisfactory level and that the political will was there to solve outstanding issues.

The Kosovo crisis was also discussed during talks, with the Greek delegation stressing the need for a solution to be found through talks and the Albanian side adding that Greece could play an important role in finding a peaceful solution to the problem.

Both sides agreed on the exchange of visits by the foreign and defence parliamentary committees on a regular basis to facilitate the exchange of views.

U.S. envoy visiting Thessaloniki

The United States supports Greece in its effort to play a leading role in the Balkans, US Ambassador Nicholas Burns said today in Thessaloniki.

"We believe that Greece is the country which should play this role," said Burns, in the northern Greek port city for a two-day SE Europe business conference which ends today.

Burns today visited the offices of the Israeli Community in Thessaloniki where he met with members of the administrative board.

After the meeting, Burns said the American people "remembers with sadness" the tragedy of the Holocaust. The envoy expressed his respect to the Israeli community in Thessaloniki which, he stressed, had offered much to the city.

Gov't critical of Burns statements

The government today strongly criticised US Ambassador in Athens Nicholas Burns for statements he made about labour laws and bureaucracy in Greece.

Addressing a SE Europe business forum in Thessaloniki yesterday, Burns said red tape, inflexible labour laws and bomb attacks against foreign firms were a restraining factor for US investments in Greece.

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas today advised the US envoy to keep his views on labour relations in Greece to himself.

"The legislative framework which governs these relations is in the interests of Greek society and the state," Reppas said.

Responding to the ambassador's comments on terrorism, Reppas underlined that terrorism was a worldwide phenomenon, "the combatting of which requires the cooperation of all".

He stressed that terrorism was not "flourishing" in Greece, adding that Mr. Burns was "the last person" who could refer to the issue.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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