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11 June, 2002
President Kostis Stephanopoulos, in the first-ever visit to New Zealand by a Greek head of state, met on Monday in Wellington with New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark for talks focusing on bilateral and international issues.
Stephanopoulos told reporters after the meeting that Greece has agreed to a request by New Zealand for the signing of a ''working holidays'' protocol which would enable Greek and New Zealand youths visiting the other country on tourist visas to extend their visas for a year and work in that country.
In a joint press conference after their meeting, Stephanopoulos and Clark said such an accord would further strengthen the close ties between the two countries.
A similar agreement was expected to be signed also with Australia, during Australian premier John Howard's forthcoming visit to Athens in July.
Clark voiced support for a viable solution to the Cyprus issue founded on the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and expressed hope that Cyprus' accession to the European Union would ''serve as a catalyst for the resolution of the (island republic's political) problem''.
Addressing a formal luncheon hosted by Clark at the Wellington parliament, Stephanopoulos referred to the issue of terrorism and the threat it posed to democracy, stressing the need for the people to defend their way of life from that phenomenon, but also the need to seek the causes so that terrorism could be tackled and eliminated.
''There is poverty and unhappiness in the world,'' Stephanopoulos said, adding that ''the developed peoples, unfortunately, are not touched by this''. He noted that these were not the only causes of terrorism, and that religious fanaticism was also to blame, and stressed that ''we must assist the countries that are in need''.
Turning to the Middle East problem, ''which upsets us all'', Stephanopoulos said that there were ''reactions with acts that are not easily understandable, or which cannot be forgiven by all''.
Asked whether the voices of small countries, such as Greece and New Zealand, could influence the larger countries on such issues, Clark said that both Greece and New Zealand were trying to tackle the causes of terrorism and desired a solution to the Middle East problem.
Stephanopoulos called for the prevalence of ''what is just'' both in the issue of terrorism and on the problems of the environment, but warned that it would be a long and difficult road although, he added, the majority of countries were contributing to supporting the just and would impose it.
Environmental issues also dominated the Stephanopoulos-Clark talks, and the New Zealand prime minister called for Greece's signing of the protocol against whale-hunting.
Stephanopoulos said that Greece was sensitive to environmental problems and has signed the Kyoto agreement, adding that it was ridiculous and foolish ''to destroy the Earth for a passing profit''.
The countries should realize that they must make concessions on the issue of seeking profit vs. protection of the environment, he said.
On the issue of whale-hunting, Stephanopoulos said that Greece's agriculture ministry was studying the matter and expressed hope that he would himself sign the protocol soon on behalf of Greece.
Asked whether Greece, during its EU presidency in the first half of 2003, would push for the abolition of subsidies on farm products, Stephanopoulos replied in the negative, noting that Greece had an agricultural population, but added that it would seek other ways of cooperation with the non-EU countries, without abolishing the farm subsidies.
Earlier, Stephanopoulos met with New Zealand Governor General Dame Silvia Cartwright, who was scheduled to host a formal dinner in his honor on Monday night.
Stephanopoulos and the Greek delegation were due to depart New Zealand on Tuesday morning for Greece, via Singapore, and were due to arrive back in Athens on Wednesday night.
Source: Athens News Agency
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