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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-07-16
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] ALBANIAN HIJACKER SHOT AND KILLED, HOSTAGES UNHARMED
[02] AMERICAN DEFENCE SECRETARY VISITS TURKEY
[03] 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF TURKISH INVASION OF CYPRUS
[04] SALLAS GROUP ERGOBANK TAKEOVER BID APPROVED
[05] GREEK-SLOVENIAN MILITARY COOPERATION AGREEMENT
[06] BILL ON TRANSPLANTS TABLED IN PARLIAMENT
[07] GREECE AND HOLLAND URGE LIFTING OF SANCTIONS ON YUGOSLAVIA
[08] UN SECURITY COUNCIL APPEALS FOR SPEEDIER DEPLOYMENT OF KFOR
[09] SPECIAL REPORT ON RODOPI ENVIRONMENT
[01] ALBANIAN HIJACKER SHOT AND KILLED, HOSTAGES UNHARMED
The Albanian hijacker, who held 8 hostages for 30 hours in a bus in
Kilkis and demanded 250 million drachmas and two guns to release the
passengers and flee to Albania, was shot and killed by Greek police,
when they stormed the intercity bus yesterday afternoon. The police
operation to free the hostages took place in the region of Palaistra
near Florina and all the hostages escaped unharmed. Greek police had
kept the bus under close surveillance since Wednesday night and were
waiting for the right moment to intervene. According to press reports,
the special police squad made its move when they realized that the
armed Albanian was tired and ready to fall asleep. They grabbed the
hand grenade he had been holding and threw it in a near-by field where
it exploded. Finally, a police sniper shot and killed the Albanian
hijacker. Prime minister Kostas Simitis was briefed on the operation by
interior minister Vasso Papandreou and public order minister Mihalis
Chrysohoidis and said he was satisfied with the handling of the issue
by the ministers and the Greek police, also very pleased that the
incident ended with no harm to the hostages. Mr Simitis said that the
operation demonstrates that the authorities are able to deal with the
challenge of the wave of economic refugees and even consolidate the
sense of security which is something that citizens value most. The
government has a series of measures which will be decisively
implemented and the phenomenon will be wiped out, Mr Simitis said.
Interior minister Vasso Papandreou congratulated all those who
participated in the operation to free the hostages and stressed that
the message was that the government's first concern was citizens'
security. Public order minister Mihalis Chrysohoidis said the Greek
police did its duty and the incident will be investigated thoroughly.
Efforts to make the citizens feel secure will continue, he said.
[02] AMERICAN DEFENCE SECRETARY VISITS TURKEY
American defence secretary William Cohen, who is now on an official
visit to Ankara, has stated that Greek-Turkish differences on the
Cyprus issue should be resolved by the two countries, without a direct
American intervention. Mr Cohen also said that the US supported a
bizonal, bicommunal federation in Cyprus, adding that his country also
backed the UN Security Council's appeal for direct talks.
[03] 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF TURKISH INVASION OF CYPRUS
Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the coup against Cypriot
statesman, archbishop Makarios. The coup d'etat paved the way for the
Turkish invasion and the occupation of 38 percent of the territory of
the republic of Cyprus. The Cypriot house of representatives held an
extraordinary session yesterday and condemned the double crime of the
coup and the Turkish invasion, paying tribute to the people who died in
that period. Cypriot president Glafkos Kliridis has stated that
Turkey's aspiration has always been the recognition of the sovereignty
of the Turkish Cypriots as a separate state with equal treatment and a
rotating presidency. All these things, Mr Kliridis said, are the
elements of a confederation and for this reason they were correctly
rejected then, as they are rejected now. Speaking before the Turkish
national assembly on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the
Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Turkish Cypriot representative Rauf
Denktash said that Cyprus was a national matter and that the Turkish
Cypriots would not make concessions. He also reiterated that the
international community should recognize the self-styled Turkish
Cypriot state of northern Cyprus. The New York municipal council has
issued a declaration condemning the Turkish invasion and occupation of
Cyprus as well as the use of weapons from America by the Turkish
occupation forces.
[04] SALLAS GROUP ERGOBANK TAKEOVER BID APPROVED
The board of the Athens stock exchange has approved the bid of the
Sallas group for the takeover of Ergobank as being legal in every
aspect. On the Athens stock exchange, the general share price index
went up by 1.60% yesterday, closing at 4,308.91 units.
[05] GREEK-SLOVENIAN MILITARY COOPERATION AGREEMENT
Greek national defense minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos yesterday signed
with his Slovenian counterpart Franci Desman a treaty of military
cooperation between Greece and Slovenia. Earlier, Mr Desman was
received by Greek president Konstantinos Stefanopoulos.
[06] BILL ON TRANSPLANTS TABLED IN PARLIAMENT
A bill on the voluntary donation of human organs was tabled in
parliament recently. The bill also provides for the possibility of
removing organs from a dead donor, even though he never expressed such
a wish while he was alive, on condition however that his close
relatives are not opposed to this, as well as the creation of a special
organization for transplants that will coordinate policy in the
sector.
[07] GREECE AND HOLLAND URGE LIFTING OF SANCTIONS ON YUGOSLAVIA
After a meeting with the leader of the Serb opposition Wuk Drascovic
yesterday, Greek foreign minister Yorgos Papandreou stated that Greece
and Holland would jointly submit to the EU General Affairs Council on
Monday a proposal regarding the lifting of the sanctions against
Yugoslavia. Meanwhile, the scheduled visit to Athens today by the
leader of the Yugoslav opposition Zoran Gigic has been postponed.
[08] UN SECURITY COUNCIL APPEALS FOR SPEEDIER DEPLOYMENT OF KFOR
The UN Security Council yesterday called on the international community
to complete the deployment of the multinational peace force in Kosovo
as soon as possible. The Security Council chairman has urged all the
parties to cooperate with the peacekeeping force and the UN mission to
the Serb province. In addition, the Security Council discussed the UN
secretary general Kofi Annan's report that presents the situation in
Kosovo as dismal and called for the deployment of a police force and
judicial authority. In another development, hundreds of people held a
rally in Krakujevac last night, demanding the resignation of Yugoslav
president Slobodan Milosevic.
[09] SPECIAL REPORT ON RODOPI ENVIRONMENT
Scientists belonging to the organization Arcturus have stressed in a
special report on the environment that the flora and fauna of the
region of Rodopi needs to be protected, as all zones of vegetation to
be found in the entire Europe have existed in Rodopi, northern Greece,
since the ice age and its forests are a refuge for 211 rare species of
animals threatened with extinction.
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