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Athens News Agency - July 2, 1999

Common demarche by Greek-Amer ican to US government this year

NEW YORK, 02/07/1999 (ANA - M. Georgiadou)

All of the Greek-American organisations in the United States will join forces this year to lodge a common demarche regarding the Cyprus issue with Washington, Archbishop of America Spyridon said on Wednesday.

He was speaking after a meeting here with Foreign Minister George Papandreou.

"We, here in America, are doing everything possible to advance the Cyprus issue and the other (Greek) national issues," Spyridon said.

He said the Archdiocese was gathering together the Greek-American forces, via the HALO organisation set up by the Archdiocese a year ago, "and for the first time this year, all the Greek-American organisations, with the coordinating assistance of the Archdiocese, will lodge a joint demarche with the US president on the Cyprus issue".

Spyridon said following the normalisation of the Kosovo issue, the Cyprus problem must "regain its rightful priority" and the importance placed by the international community on its resolution must become manifest.

The Archbishop stressed the US Archdiocese's full support for the Greek government in its "major effort for reconstruction of the Balkans", while he briefed Mr. Papandreou on the Archdiocese's financial support to the Serbian Church - totalling some US$ 135,000 to date.

Spyridon further congratulated Mr. Papandreou for his personal contribution to seeking a solution of the Kosovo problem, and stressed the Greek- American community's feelings of pride and satisfaction over the Greek government's stance throughout the dur ation of the Kosovo crisis.

Mr. Papandreou, in New York for a UN-sponsored meeting on Kosovo, briefed the Archbishop on the UN meeting and on his talks on the sidelines with Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem.

[ Athens News Agency - www.ana.gr - July 2, 1999 ]