The trafficking ship docked at Ierapetra and the city's bodies and residents have all rushed to the illegal immigrants' assistance, providing them with blankets, food and medicine.

This news, published in the "Ethnos" caused reactions in Athens. Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Papandreou stated that his Ministries relevant authorities would look into the matter, while the Minister of Defense referred journalists to the Civil Av iation Service.

On its behalf, the Civil Aviation Service supported that Ankara has a right to ask to be informed on the two air corridors, because the G-18 clearly runs over Turkish territory and the R-19 intersects Ankara's FIR. The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and D efense agreed with this appreciation.

However, Ankara has never raised the issue of flight control in the specific air corridors, since 1974. According to information, the Turkish side submitted the protest proclamation to the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the flight of a military

aircraft without Ankara's permission last December, and are threatening that any aircraft to pass through the specific areas will be intercepted.

It should be noted that 4 years ago, the Military Airforce Transport, with which former Minister of Defense Akis Tsohatzopoulos was returning from Cyprus, was harassed by Turkish aircraft while in air corridor R-19.

Deputy Minister of Defense Lucas Apostolidis stated that there have been repeated challenges from the Turkish side, while Greece is a stabilizing factor in the region, while commenting on the "Ethnos" article and the Turkish notam.

The Press Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Panos Beglitis, underlined that all necessary actions have been taken by the organizations relevant to the Turkish notam.

Concerning the issue of US electronic maps that presented the Aegean without sea borders, he pointed out that it was a technical issue and does not express US support to either of the countries.

On Sunday he will meet with Ecumanical Patriarch Bartholomew in Fanari and will have lunch with him. In the afternoon of the same day he will visit the "Valoukli" retirement home, and will have meetings with PTA groups of Greeks living abroad, while in t he evening he will hold a dinner in honor of the Patriarch and the members of the Holy Synod at the "Peran" hotel.

According to the "Glas", a Serb newspaper, the Director of the BSE, Zoran Yeremich, announced that the relevant agreement will be signed by the end of January. The amount will be used to create a substructure for the BSE, a factor that will hasten the de velopment of interior trade, capital and will bring foreign investors to the country, stressed Mr. Yeremich.

Aviation Service and stressed that it must be handle delicately.

Specifically, Mr. Protopapas pointed out that the air corridors in question go through the Turkish FIR and over Turkish territory. Nevertheless, since these points are very brief, the ICAO has appointed Greece responsible for serving those air corridors,

because it was impossible to change frequencies for a few seconds.

"Of course, as we all understand, Turkey did not choose this time to raise the issue randomly, since it is under the pressure of the Cypriot accession and the upcoming discussions to solve the Cyprus issue", stated the government spokesperson.

"Of course Turkey must understand that it is at this juncture exactly that it is called upon to positively contribute to developments, and that similar moves are not compatible to the positive climate which must be formed", he added.