[01] QUALIFYING ELECTIONS FOR PASOK AND ND BALLOT CANDIDATES HELD TODAY

[02] TURKEY'S FOREIGN MINISTER IS SAID TO HAVE FUNDED "GREY WOLVES"

[03] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER TO BE AWARDED GOLDEN KEY OF LEMESSOS

[04] PM SALUTES VICTORIA'S PREMIER FOR FOUNDING GREEK MUSEUM IN MELBOURNE

[05] MELBOURNE-VICTORIA'S PAN-MACEDONIAN UNION PEEVED AT AUSTRALIAN PM

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] QUALIFYING ELECTIONS FOR PASOK AND ND BALLOT CANDIDATES HELD TODAY

The election process opens today for the slate of the ruling PASOK as qualifying elections are being held for ballot candidates, with the main opposition party, New Democracy, following the lead.

In Thessaloniki, the qualifying elections are being carried out smoothly, while results are expected to be announced this evening. PASOK has 11 candidates for the city's First District, while New Democracy has 16.

The ruling party's selections will be ratified by PASOK's Central Committee on Saturday, while New Democracy will ratify its ticket during its Executive Committee meeting to be held tomorrow. The PASOK central committee of pre-election campaign will convene this afternoon under the presidency of Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, while this evening the party's Executive Bureau will discuss PASOK's new governmental program.

Main opposition leader Miltiades Evert will conduct a tour tomorrow throughout Athens' municipalities and in turn will travel to Evros in the region of Thrace, while intense mobilization is noted throughout the remaining minor opposition parties.

Political Spring leader Antonis Samaras will give a press conference on Friday when he will reveal his party's central theme and the basic axes of its pre- election campaign. Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Secretary-General Aleka Paparega emphasized today that a basic criterion for the voters' choice must be the parties' stance towards the European Union and NATO. Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) President Nikos Konstantopoulos will also give an all- inclusive press conference today, while the President of the Democratic Social Movement (DHKKI) Dimitris Tsovolas is conducting a campaign tour of Euboia.

[02] TURKEY'S FOREIGN MINISTER IS SAID TO HAVE FUNDED "GREY WOLVES"

Turkey's Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller is said to have provided financial back-up to her country's ultra- wing organization "Grey Wolves" so that they would deal with the Greek-Cypriots who held a protest rally at Cyprus' demacration line on August 11. Two unarmed Greek- Cypriots were beaten and shot to death during that conflict.

According to statements made by the deputy secretary- general of Turkey's Republican People's Party and Constantinople MP Mehmet Sevgen, Ciller gave 65 billion turkish liras (approximately 157 million GRD) to members of the "Grey Wolves" so that they would travel to Cyprus to confront the protesters. Turkish daily "Hurryiet" published Sevgen's report, and added that while Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbacan was out of the country, Ms. Ciller, as deputy Premier, took over the treasury earmarked for Turkey's promotion abroad from the Welfare Party minister and assigned it to a True Path Party minister. One day prior to Erbacan's return, the treasury was returned to the Welfare Party minister.

Yet, the "Grey Wolves" deny that they received funding from the turkish government and accused multi- national companies of circulating baseless rumors.

The leader of the extremist organization Azmi Karamahmut spoke to the turkish television and stated that certain circles may have been peeved by the Grey Wolves nationalist organizations "Ulku Ocaklari"'s success.

[03] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER TO BE AWARDED GOLDEN KEY OF LEMESSOS

The golden key of the cypriot city of Lemessos will be awarded to the Greek National Defense Minister Gerasimos Arsenis, an honor granted for the first time ever to an official.

Upon his arrival at the city's port, Minister Arsenis will be greeted by the President of the Cyprus Glafkos Clerides, various Cypriot ministers as well as church officials.

[04] PM SALUTES VICTORIA'S PREMIER FOR FOUNDING GREEK MUSEUM IN MELBOURNE

Prime Minister Kostas Simitis has forwarded his gratitude to Jeff Kennett, the Premier of Australia's Victoria, for undertaking the initiative to found a permanent greek archaeological museum in Melbourne.

In his letter, Premier Simitis points out that Greek Minister of Culture Stavros Benos will cooperate with Mr. Kennett in order to achieve the creation of this museum.

Moreover, Mr. Simitis thanks Mr. Kennett for his invitation to visit Victoria, but adds that he will have to postpone such travel to a later date.

[05] MELBOURNE-VICTORIA'S PAN-MACEDONIAN UNION PEEVED AT AUSTRALIAN PM

The Pan-Macedonian Union of Melbourne-Victoria has forwarded a bitter letter to Australian Prime Minister Jeff Kennett sparked by his addressing as "Macedonians" those Australian residents whose origin is from FYROM.

The Union has received scores of protest letters which characterize Mr. Kennett's position on the matter as being representative of the australian government's changing stance on the "skopjan matter."

Concurrently, the Union calls on Mr. Kennett to honor his pre-election promise, since "any form of change in this position would be hypocricy and would constitute betrayal of the Greek people", as well as to respond to the accusations and clarify what precisely is his government's position on the matter.

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