According to the decision adopted by the "15", announced by Greek Prime Minister and President of the EU Kostas Simitis, after the end of the works, the UN Security Council is the body wholly in charge of making decisions regarding Iraq's disarmament. Th e decision points out that more time must be given to the UN inspectors and that Iraq must cooperate with them fully.

"The inspections cannot continue indefinitely", mentioned the Prime Minister, asking that Iraq fully comply with UN resolutions.

The joint announcement also underlined that war is the final solution and is not unavoidable.

The Prime Minister stressed the disposition expressed during the Summit for constant cooperation and a common position of EU member-states in dealing with such issues. He also stressed the EU's support of the UN Security Council and the UN inspectors.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou expressed the satisfaction of the Greek Presidency on the results of the Summit.

In statements to "Antenna" Television, the Foreign Minister stressed that a very good, honest conversation, both at the Foreign Minister level and at the level of state and government leaders, which allowed for understanding the difficulties and the comp licated nature of the issue, as well as the joint message and goal of the EU, the peaceful disarmament of Iraq.

He noted that the text of the "15" cannot mention Iraq's disarmament vaguely and indefinitely, but Iraq is asked to answer specific questions set by UN inspectors as far as biological and chemical weapons are concerned.

"If these questions are answered in a reliable way, the threat of war is driven further away", stressed Mr. Papandreou.

Mr. Papandreou stressed that during the discussions a position was expressed that more time must be given for new UN reports, but he pointed out that the EU has not set time limits because it is not responsible. The UN Security Council, and in specific t he UN inspectors are responsible, as they are the ones who will evaluate the time they need

Finally, he stressed that Kofi Annan's visit to Brussels is very important, pointing out that with his invitation, the EU wanted to stress that the UN has the final word, the UN will decide on the next steps to be taken.

The full text of the Summit's conclusions were as follows: CONCLUSIONS OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL 17 February 2003 The European Council held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the crisis over Iraq. Its members also met with the UN Secretary Kofi Annan and the President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox. We reaffirm the conclusions of the GAERC of 27 January and the terms of the public demarche of 4 February 2003 to Iraq which remain valid. The way the unfolding of the situation in Iraq will be handled will have an important impact on the world in the next decades. In particular, we are determined to deal effectively with the threat of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. We are committed to the United Nations remaining at the center of the international order. We recognize that the primary responsibility for dealing with Iraqi disarmament lies with the Security Council. We pledge our full support to the Council in dischar ging its responsibilities. The Union's objective for Iraq remains full and effective disarmament in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions, in particular resolution 1441. We want to achieve this peacefully. It is clear that this is what the people of Europe want. War is not inevitable. Force should be used only as a last resort. It is for the Iraqi regime to end this crisis by complying with the demands of the Security Council. We reiterate our full support for the ongoing work of the UN inspectors. They must be given the time and resources that the UN Security Council believes they need. However, inspections cannot continue indefinitely in the absence of full Iraqi cooperation.

This must include the provision of all the additional and specific information on the issues that have been raised in the inspectors' reports. Baghdad should have no illusions: it must disarm and cooperate immediately and fully. Iraq has s final opportunity to resolve the crisis peacefully. The Iraqi regime alone will be responsible for the consequences if it continues to flout the will of the i nternational community and does not take this last chance. We recognize that the unity and firmness of the international community, as expressed in the unanimous adoption of resolution 1441, and the military build- up have been essential in obtaining the return of the inspectors. These factors will remain essenti al if we are to achieve the full cooperation we seek. We will work with the Arab countries and The League of Arab Nations. We will encourage them, separately and jointly, to bring home to Saddam Hussein the extreme danger of miscalculation of the situation and the need for full compliance with resolution 144 1. We support Turkey's regional initiatives with the neighbours of Iraq and Egypt. In this regional context, the European Union reiterates its firm belief in the need to invigorate the peace process in the Middle East and to resolve the Israeli - Palestinian conflict. We continue to support early implementation of the roadmap endorsed b y the Quartet. Terror and violence must end. So must settlement activity. Palestinian reforms must be speeded up and, in this respect, President Arafat's statement that he will appoint a Prime Minister is a welcome step in the right direction. The unity of the international community is vital in dealing with these problems. We are committed to working with all our partners, especially the United States, for the disarmament of Iraq, for peace and stability in the region and for a decent future f or all its people.

In his statements he mentioned: "The Channel-holders and especially those in charge of reports and the news behaved as though they have no connection to the Greek people and its problems. Irrelevant, indifferent, frigid, the only thing that matters to th em is how much goes into their pockets, while other people go out into the streets to defend the supreme good, peace, which our country's future, and therefore their future, depends on".

What they did last Saturday stepped over the line and was an open provocation to the vast majority of the people, he stressed, and wondered who ordered the television crews and journalists to leave the protest and cover it up, making it disappear.

"After this provocation they should have the courage to uncover their faces and take up their responsibilities", underlined M. Theodorakis. "Because, in the end, they made a deeply political choice, which challenged our democratic and peace loving feelin gs. And for that reason it is time for us to wake up, because otherwise the unseen rulers of the black image may prove to be stronger than all juntas, terrorists, and monarchs".

The 12 leaders appealed to Mr. Simitis to do everything possible to avert a war in Iraq and promote a fair and peaceful solution to the crisis, based on the UN Charter and International Law.

They were completely opposed to the war as a means of solving international disputes and noted: "We have steadily supported the Iraqi people and the Curds, and we have expressed our opposition to the tyrannical Saddam regime. But we firmly believe that d emocracy and human rights are not served by war, on the contrary, war is their greatest violation and denial. We address the leaders of the EU, so they oppose the war and support the application of UN resolutions on Iraq with diplomatic and political mean s".

Mr. Simitis spoke at the European Parliament this morning and explained his initiative: "When the Greek Presidency took the initiative of calling the Summit Meeting, certain countries reacted. They said that it was premature, that it would lead to discov ering disagreements within the EU, that we should put it off until later. However, after discussions, we moved on our decision, because we believe that Europe must be present on the global stage. That despite disagreements, different approaches, the EU mu st show that its procedures are alive and that they make an effort to bridge the differences".

He made special mention to the major antiwar rallies in Europe and all over the world, and pointed out that the Summit Meeting responded to the worries of European citizens, stressing: "Besides, the citizens of Europe were expecting a contribution from u s that would lead to a unified position. The protests that took place last Saturday all over the world, that mobilized millions of people, were proof of the great concern there is in the world. And it would be paradoxical, if we, the EU, the leadership of

the EU, did not respond and answer that concern. Perhaps yesterday was not satisfying for those who wanted a specific schedule with determined positions on what will happen in the next few days. But we believe, that under the present circumstances it is impossible to have such schedules. There should be a weighting of what can happen at fixed intervals, the initiative belongs to the Security Council. What was possible, and what the EU did, was show its interest, its joint discussion, its common principle s and confirm that it is on the course towards the formation of a common policy. There is an overall decision and we must materialize it every time".

In his rejoinder, he underlined: "Yesterday's decision showed that we can both understand each other and pursue issues together and have common principles. Of course this does not constitute a solution to problems and what will happen in the future is de finitely not clear yet. There may of course new differences, but if we do not press, if we do not say that we want a common Europe with force, we will not achieve it. And yesterday we said it and that was positive".

This afternoon, Mr. Simitis and the other EU Troika members will inform the new member states.

At 13:30, he will meet his Greek counterpart Giorgos Papandreou for a working lunch and at 15:00 he will make statements to the press. At 16:00 he will go to the "Eleftherios Venizelos" airport and depart for Copenhagen.

hunting rifle, and then proceeded to turn himself over to the police in the community of Ano Kardamos in the Rodopi Prefecture.

The 27-year-old man returned from Germany in order to take revenge from his cousins and went on a killing spree, ambushing and killing his relatives. He was taken to the Komotini DA this afternoon and was charged with multiple premeditated murder, illega l possession and use of arms.

On his part, the Greek Parliament's 3rd Vice-President and European Affairs Committee President Dinos Vrettos characterized yesterday's unanimous decision/stance reached by the European leaders as a victory of Europe.

In the Greek Parliament committee meeting, held in the presence of European ombudsman professor Nikiforos Diamantouros, the Euro-deputies outlined the work of the Petitions Committee namely, the examination of complaints made by European citizens against

national institutions that do not implement the Community Law in the right way.

in the second half of 2003.

Toward this direction, the responsible Black Sea Bank officials had meetings last month with representatives of the General Directorates of Economics and Finance, Regional Development and Enlargement.

The directorates mentioned above control programs concerning undisposed capital directed for Turkey, the states in the Caucasus, Bulgaria and Romania. The directorates' representatives saw the Black Sea Bank proposal positively and pledged to form a comm ittee to handle the issue.

Mr. Hitiris stated that the goal was met, the EU had a single voice yesterday and this was very important compared to what had happened earlier. He added that the unanimous decision reached is characterized by sense and reason and gives peace a chance. H e also pointed out that the European leaders congratulated the Prime Minister and spoke in a positive way for the outcome of the EU informal Summit meeting.

He said that peace is given a chance through the appeal made to Saddam Hussein for disarmament, while the use of force will be the last option.

"'We hail the courage that was so necessary for the Greek Presidency to call the summit but chiefly the results that this initiative brought," Chief Commission spokesman Jonathan Faull said when asked to comment on the summit's conclusions.

The spokesman also stressed that the agreement achieved by the EU leaders at the Monday summit showed that the EU was truly united in a difficult international crisis.

Of the stocks trading today, 192 recorded gains and 102 had losses, while the value of 85 stocks remained unchanged.

In the meetings they discussed current developments and the emerging prospects on the issue of Iraq, the Cyprus issue, issues concerning the future of Europe, as well as Franco-German initiatives.

Mr. Karamanlis stressed that New Democracy gives a special significance to a common and strong EU voice, while the EU can play an important role in international developments as a factor of peace, security and cooperation.

Consulate in Istanbul.

The events will take place on February 20-22 and will be of preparatory nature in view of the Partenariat to be held in Istanbul in May with the participation of over 100 companies.

Both stressed the significance of culture in the political rapprochement of the two countries using as an example the need to transcend certain stereotypes a people has for another, mostly cultivated through a country's education system.

Mr. Venizelos stressed the importance of Turkey's European course for its domestic stability as well as for peace and stability in the wider region, especially under the present circumstances concerning Iraq. He said that the next main goal is the politi cal solution of the Cyprus problem.

The Turkish Culture Minister agreed that the solution of the Cyprus problem is important, stressing characteristically that the present situation on the island cannot continue.

asking for the countersigning of candidate countries.

On his part, Europarliament President Pat Cox congratulated Simitis on what he called the summit's success, which he said had enabled the Union to present a coherent position. Cox said the summit entailed a clear political risk, but its successful outcom e had confounded the critics.

"We decided to go ahead because the European Union must be present on the international stage and must overcome its differences'', Simitis said, adding that Saturday's global demonstrations in favour of peace were a reflection of deep anxiety and that i t would have been paradoxical for EU leaders not to respond to them.

The Greek premier also outlined the main points of Monday's joint statement by the 15 EU leaders, who agreed that all means of achieving peace must be fully exhausted, while the UN must continue to play a central role in managing the crisis.

Referring to the high-profile statement in support of US policy by 8 European nations earlier in the month, Simitis said differences of opinion over UN weapons inspectors' results did exist, although there were also common points within the EU that emer ged to the surface during Monday's summit.

Moreover, he stressed that a common view revolves around the notion that war is a last resort, and in the event that no alternative exists. At the same time, he emphasised that Iraq must fully cooperate with the UN, with pressure applied to Saddam Hussei n by the international community.

On behalf of the Socialists' group, Enrique Baron Crespo noted that the European Council's statement included the essentials of the European Parliament's Jan. 30 resolution. He also argued that European and world public opinion had acquired the dimension s of a ''new superpower''.

Regarding the issue of the candidate-countries' stance, three of which had signed the recent letter in support of Washington, he stressed that European solidarity was not expressed purely through the agricultural policy or structural funds, but was also based on common values.

On behalf of the EPP grouping, Hans-Gert Poettering called for European states to avoid adopting unilateral, bilateral or multilateral positions that ignore the decision-making processes of the Union.

He also stressed that the EU should not be seen as the anti-thesis of the United States but that the two entities should be partners. Poettering reminded the meeting's participants that the problem was not the United States but the regime of Saddam Husse in, who needed to understand that this was his last chance.

ELDR (Liberals) grouping president Graham Watson said the European Council's position represented considerable progress and placed the UN back at the heart of the process. Moreover, Watson said he believed that if rapid progress was not made on cooperati on by the Iraqi authorities, a new resolution with a deadline should be envisaged. Watson also criticised comments by French President Jacques Chirac aimed at candidate-states.

Representing the EUL/NGL grouping, Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann stressed that the way in which the international community resolved the Iraqi crisis would have consequences for decades. The "15", she said, were in flagrant contradiction with European and publi c opinion when they kept open the option of using force, even as a last resort.

Finally, European Left and Greens representative Monica Frassoni argued that when the question of a deadline for the inspections came up, the EU must reach a clear position on this too. Meanwhile it could seek to play a constructive role once more.

Winding up the deliberations, when asked why the candidate-countries had not been present at the European Council on Monday, Simitis said they had been invited to a briefing the next day (Tuesday) and would take part as observers in forthcoming European Councils after April 16, when they will sign the Accession Treaty, and as fully-fledged members after May 2004.

The input of the "13" has been and will continue to be an invaluable contribution to our common will to resolve the Iraqi crisis and support the Middle East Peace Process. The Presidency will cooperate closely with all to coordinate our steps concerning further developments.

The Heads of State or Government of the 13 acceding countries and candidates countries aligned themselves with the content of the conclusions adopted by the European Council on Iraq in its extraordinary meeting on February 17. They also reaffirmed their alignment with the conclusions of the GAERC on January 27 and the terms of the public demarche of February 4, 2003 to Iraq which remain valid.

The message for the Greek EU Presidency, following the historic decisions taken at Copenhagen last December, is "Our Europe". Europe's strength lies in its set of common values. Our common wish is to make Europe the family of democracy, dialogue, toleran ce, freedom, peace and progress. It is "Our Europe" that can have a strong and united voice on the world scene and that can best contribute to the international community's efforts to tackle effectively the major challenges of our times. It is "Our Europe " that cherishes its strong partnership with the US. It is for this Europe that the input of the acceding countries and candidate states will be of fundamental importance.

The European Union and the "13" reiterate their determination to ensure a common stance, avoid new dividing lines and promote stability and prosperity within and beyond the borders of the new Union. They will continue to work together in their joint ende avour to accomplish these goals.

Mr. Kaklamanis, who continues his formal visit to New Delhi, had separate meetings today with the President of the Republic of India and the country's Foreign Minister.

The Greek Parliament President stated that all peaceful and diplomatic means should be exhausted to avoid violence and in any case the UN Security Council should have a decisive role in the decisions.

The Foreign Minister of India stated that if suspicions are taken seriously then the war will be unavoidable. The availability of hard evidence and total honesty are necessary on behalf of Iraq, stated the Foreign Minister of India, stressing that if a w ar is launched not based on hard evidence the UN will be undermined.

The present international situation only underscores the importance of the EU decision to strengthen the coordination of budgetary policies. Building on work by the Commission and the EFC, specific elements of interpretation of the SGP have been discusse d and was agreed that their importance will be highlighted by their endorsement in the Conclusions of the Spring 2003 European Council.

The meeting reviewed and approved the 2002 updates for the stability programmes of Belgium, Ireland and Spain and the convergence programmes of Denmark and the UK. Concerning the last one, it was understood that the rise of the cyclically-adjusted budget

deficit is related to a rebound of net public investment relative to GDP.

As to the projection of a 1.5% deficit for the later years of the programme the Council recommends that the UK should aim to a medium-term strategy to achieve a budgetary position in line with the close to balance requirement of the SGP.

However, some members felt that specific note should be taken as to the compatibility of the projected deficit with the provisions of the SGP. Consequently, the Opinion of the Council was adopted by qualified majority.

On the issue of energy taxation, it was decided to postpone the discussion until the next meeting in March and work in the meantime in the direction of finalizing the agreement, feeling that it is particularly important to reach, especially in view of th e enlargement.

During the breakfast meeting, an informal exchange of views was held with respect to the work already underway on the Draft Constitutional Treaty relating to economic policies. It was regarded as useful to define the landscape, though there is no questio n of seeking a formal common view to present to the European Convention.

There is a fundamental understanding that the existing system of economic governance, including the Stability and Growth Pact and the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines, is broadly appropriate and no radical changes are called for. The current procedures c oncerning the BEPGs are also adequate.

Overall, an enhanced recognition and representation of the euro area would be both appropriate and welcome. Although the need for the Eurogroup to retain its informal role is appreciated by all, a number of ideas have surfaced during the discussion to th is end, including the possibility of a longer-term Eurogroup Presidency and the suggestion, that many share, to create a euroarea ECOFIN.

Finally, there was extensive discussion on the voting modalities in the Governing Council of the ECB.

The Prime Minister stated that the countries were briefed on the Summit meeting conclusions and it was confirmed that the "13" agree with the course that was drawn up.

The Prime Minister pointed out that in the joint statement issued the EU member states and the 13 acceding and candidate states confirmed their decision for a common position to avoid dividing lines and promote development and stability.

Responding to a question on the statements made by French President Jacques Chirac concerning the candidate states, he underlined that everyone can express their views but the important thing is to have a common line on problems, like in the case of Iraq .

Mr. Simitis stated that both himself and Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou have contacts with the United States within the framework of the Greek EU Presidency on the issue of Iraq and there is consultation on joint action. The Prime Minister stated th at in the case of a war it will be considered what it will be done to help Turkey or any other country to deal with the consequences of a war.

He also stressed that the EU has not reached a decision yet on the need to adopt a second UN resolution and it will reach a decision when the time comes.

Mr. Simitis stated that in yesterday's joint statement the "15" stress that the use of military force is possible when the international community does not have any other option in accordance with the UN Charter.

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