PERMANENT MISSION OF GREECE TO THE OSCE

STATEMENT MADE BY THE GREEK DELEGATION IN EXERCISE OF ITS RIGHT OF REPLY

Greece did not ask for the floor for a national intervention on minority issues as we fully subscribe to the statement made by the Finnish Presidency on behalf of and with the contribution of all EU member states.

We desisted from an additional national statement, respecting the time constraints and in spite of the importance attached to these issues and the interest that they raise within my country.

Besides, should we had intervened on a national basis, we might have added to the burden that our Albanian friends already carry on their shoulders, since we would have to remind of isolated issues regarding the Greek minority in Albania. Fully cognizant of the conjecture we note positively the progress achieved so far and we patiently cooperate for further steps ahead. We might also had to point out issues pertaining to the Greek minority in Turkey, both in Constantinople and in Imvros and Tenedos. Nevertheless, the positive climate prevailing recently in the Greek-Turkish relations allows for additional optimism for further constructive cooperation, on a wide range of issues, necessary for both countries and the region.

My country has been privileged to be mentioned by a couple of speakers on behalf of participating NGO’s.

We are gratified by the increased number and active participation of NGO’s in the Review Conference. Activism leads often to healthy action if deprived from contradictory exaggerations, misleading misinterpretations or even misinformation.

Issues of the Muslim minority or the Muftis in Thrace, the Jehovah’s Witnesses etc have been touched upon today. Unfortunately, the intervention of the representatives of the “Minority Rights Group-Greece” included puzzling contradictions. E.g., these representatives accused Greece of not respecting minority rights, while they hailed statements of the Greek Foreign Minister confirming Greece’s continuous commitment to the respect of these rights. They also expressed grievances about the representation of the Muslim minority in Thrace, while acknowledging that 3 of its members are elected to the Greek Parliament and so forth.

I thus wish to provide the following clarifications :

The basic guiding principles of the policy followed by Greek Governments, particularly in recent years, vis-a-vis the handling of minority issues have been those of moderation and consensus equality before the Law and equality of civil rights in the relation between Christians and Moslems.

In 1922 the Muslim minority in Thrace numbered 86,000 people. According to the latest general census (1991) it numbers approximately 98,000 to a total of 338,000 inhabitants of Thrace, i.e. 29% of the population. The minority is composed of three ethnic groups : 50% of the minority are of Turkish origin, 35% are Pomaks (an indigenous population that speaks a Slavic dialect and espoused Islam during Ottoman rule) and 15% are Roma. Each of these groups has its own spoken language and traditions. It was for this reason that the drafters of the Lausanne Treaty defined it as a religious minority.

The basic aim of the Government’s handling of issues concerning the Muslim Minority in Thrace on the one hand, and those concerning the Greek Minority in Constantinople and the isles of Imbros and Tenedos on the other (as they are defined in the Lausanne Treaty), is to ensure the observance of the relevant international contractual obligations stemming from the Peace Treaty and the Conventions and Protocols of Lausanne signed in 1923 as well as from other International Conventions on Human Rights and on Minorities.

Particular attention is paid by the State to the development and infrastructure sectors. A number of large scale works are currently undertaken in the Region of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace. Some are state-financed, such as the Special Local Government Development Program. Others are financed through the European Union, such as the Regional Programs known as PEP, the LEADER II and INTERREG programs. These include forestry and land improvement works, improvement of airport facilities, irrigation, ecotourism, agrotourism, the protection of the environment etc.

The State considers the education of the Moslem children as a matter of high priority. Concrete proof of this are the credits allotted every year for the running costs, maintenance and improvement of the minority schools. In 1998, in particular, 61.600.000 drs (approx. 200.000 USD) were spent for running costs, 289.364.000 Drs (940.000 USD) for new construction, 139.126.000 Drs (452.000 USD) for repairs and 100.000.000 (325.000 USD)for educational material of these schools. Today there are 235 primary minority schools in Thrace. Courses are taught in the Greek and Turkish language as stipulated in the 5th Part of the Lausanne Treaty of 1923 under the heading “Protection of Minorities”. The number of Moslem teachers employed in these schools is 440. More than half of them (260), are graduates of the Special Pedagogical Academy of Thessaloniki, 82 are graduates of the secondary education schools i.e. Gymnasiums and Coranic Schools, 90 are graduates of Turkish schools and 9 are Turkish nationals, appointed for a set period of time according to the provisions of exchange of teachers between Greece and Turkey contained in the 1968 Bilateral Cultural Protocol.

Two minority secondary education schools operate in Xanthi and Komotini, capital cities of the respective Prefectures, where the Muslim Minority is mainly situated. The schools are housed in buildings provided for by the Greek State. Both Greek and Turkish is used for the education of the students in these schools. Twelve Moslem Greek teachers, graduates of Turkish Universities and 7 Turkish nationals (as provided by the 1968 Bilateral Cultural Protocol) are employed.

In Thrace and in the remote mountainous area in Xanthi where the Pomaks live, the State has set up and is financing the operation of Greek speaking secondary education schools (Gymnasiums) in which the teaching of the lesson of religion in the Turkish language and the teaching of the Koran in Arabic have been introduced. Furthermore the State finances the commuting to the schools of those students for whom the distances are too prohibiting. During the academic year 1997-98, 60.000.000 Drs (195.000 USD) were spent for the moving of students to and from the Glafki Lyceum and the Sminthi, Echinos, Glafki and Thermae Gymnasiums of the Xanthi Prefecture.

Another positive development in the education of the Minority is the adoption, last year, of Law 2621/1998 whereby the two Koranic Schools of Komotini and of Echinos in the Xanthi Prefecture have been recognized as equivalent to the Religious Studies Lyceums of the country. The Pedagogical Institute of the Ministry of Education is currently working on the new curriculum which is expected to be applied starting next academic year.

Currently, there is a positive climate of cooperation between the Greek and Turkish sides concerning the exchange of school books for the use of Moslem students in Thrace and students of the Greek Minority in Turkey. The relevant provisions are part of the 1968 Bilateral Cultural Protocol in the form of recommendations. The Turkish side submitted 19 titles for approval by the competent authority, i.e. the Pedagogical Institute of the Ministry of Education. The latter checked their content, concluding that the textbooks conform to the necessary educational standards for Primary education. This assessment puts a new positive slant on the issue of the exchange of textbooks, as books submitted by the Turkish side in the past were on the whole considered inadequate to cover the educational needs of the Minority. The last time such books were submitted was in 1992-1993. In order to make up for the lack of progress, the Greek Ministry of Education undertook the writing and publication of Turkish-language textbooks for use in the first five years of Primary School which, according to the assessment of all the experts, fulfilled the educational and pedagogical norms. Unfortunately the distribution of these books met with the organized and guided reaction of certain circles of the Minority.

The Government also pays particular attention to the improvement of the skills of the schoolchildren in the Greek language. Two research programs are currently being applied and both have yielded positive results. The first is the “Program for the Education of Moslem Children” and has been designed by the Special Secretariat for the Education of Greeks Abroad and Multicultural Education of the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the National Kapodistrian University. Its aim is the publication of textbooks for the teaching of the Greek language to students with a different mother tongue. It is financed by the EU with 1,2 billion Drs approximately (3.896.000 USD). The second is the “Multicultural Educational Support for Student Groups in Thrace”. Designed by the National Youth Foundation, it is also financed by the EU with 585.000.000 Drs (1.900.000 USD). Its aim is to facilitate the adaptation of students to the Greek educational system and alleviate the cost of education for families in need by providing free supplementary education. Another program which was successfully put into practice in August and September 1998, was the program for the support of Moslem students in secondary education particularly for first year students in the Gymnasiums and students having failed the exams.

The Ministry of Education has initiated the procedure for the integration of the Special Pedagogical Academy of Thessaloniki – from which the teachers employed in the minority schools graduate – in the University Education system. To this end a Presidential Decree is under consideration which will establish a Department of Moslem, Pedagogical and Theological Studies at the Aristotelian University in Thessaloniki.

As far as employment is concerned, there exists a considerable number of Minority members working either in the private sector or as civil servants. Those duly qualified participate in the examinations held by the Supreme Council for the Selection of Personnel for the appointment of employees in the Public Sector. Today more than 350 Moslems are employed in Thrace as teachers, firemen, members of the veterinarian service, guards and bank clerks. Muslims are also employed in the seasonal posts of the Public Sector such as at the Forest Authorities of Xanthi and Stavroupoli. Finally, prominent members of the Minority are lawyers, businessmen, doctors and pharmacists.

On the issues of purchase of land, hunting permits and driving licenses on which similar discussions had been focused in the past, the following data may be of interest:

- Purchase of land: The statistical data of sales and purchases of land in Thrace for 1998 indicate a higher rate of land purchase by Moslems: 44.11% of total land purchases were made between Moslems, 49.68% were purchases of Christian property by Moslems while only 6.21% involved the purchase of Moslem property by Christians.

- Hunting permits: During the hunting season 1998-1999, 2,314 hunting permits were issued or renewed in the Xanthi Prefecture, of which 1,415 to Christians (61.15% of the total), 899 to Moslems (38.85%). In the Prefecture of Rodhopi 4,473 permits were issued or renewed, 1,863 to Christians (41.65%), 2,610 to Moslems (58.35%). During the same period 221 permits were issued to Moslems in Evros. In order to put the data in context, it is reminded that the percentage of Moslem inhabitants to the total population in the three Prefectures is 41.19% for Xanthi, 51.77% for Rodhopi and 4.65% for Evros.

- Driving licenses: There is no indication of hindrances or delays in the issuing of driving licenses. It is calculated that more than half the new licenses issued by the Transport Office yearly, go to members of the Minority. In 1998, the Prefecture of Xanthi issued 2,720 licences, of which 1,496 to Moslems, while in the Prefecture of Rodhopi the licenses issued to Moslems exceeded the 60% of the total.

Finally, there is full transparency in the procedure of appointment of the Muftis of the Minority. As a general rule, the Muslim religious leaders are indeed appointed and not elected. In Turkey itself, the Mufti is appointed by the Prefect according to the latter’s judgement. In non-Islamic countries Muftis may be appointed, if the state does not involve itself in the religious matters of the Faithful. In Greece, the Mufti is appointed by the Administration in a procedure in which prominent members of the Minority have their say. Law no. 1920 “concerning Moslem Religious Functionaries” defines the procedure of appointment of the Mufti, his status as appointee, his duties and the rules of functioning of his office.

A further reason for the appointment of the Mufti by the Administration is that he performs certain judicial functions in matters of family and inheritance Law concerning the interpersonal relations of the Moslems. The Prefect initiates the procedure for the choosing of candidates who are proposed by eminent members of the Minority. The Mufti is appointed by Presidential Decree following the recommendation of the Minister of Education and Religion. For the first time in 1990, the possession of an Islamic Theology Degree at university level became a prerequisite for the candidature. It should be noted that from 1923 until 1990 the Muftis were appointed by the Prefect without anyone ever having protested or contested the procedure of appointment. The actions of Mr. M.Agga and Mr. I.Serif, following a rigged election involving a minimal number of members of the Minority, constitute, according to the Greek Penal Code, the crime of pretence of authority of the lawful Muftis of Xanthi Mr. M.Sinikoglu and of Komotini Mr. M.Cemali.

On the issue of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, it is to be mentioned that even the European Court on Human Rights in its decisions makes a distinction between freedom of conscience and religion -which should be and is respected and protected- and proselytism.

The Greek Constitution prohibits proselytism, which constitutes a criminal offence according to the Greek legislation. Nevertheless, the Constitutional prohibition is general and covers activities directed against any religion, while, on the other hand, the above mentioned document guarantees full respect for freedom of conscience and the freedom to practice any known religion. Individuals are free to perform their right of worship without hindrance and protected by the Law.

With regard to certain comments of participants claiming representation of a “Macedonian” minority in Greece, I would just like to remind that their “Party” polled, in the recent general elections for Members of the European Parliament, last June 1999, a mere and self-explanatory 0,08% of the total of votes cast. Bilingual individuals exist on both sides of the frontier as a natural consequence of the interaction between peoples in S. Eastern Europe. Their individual rights should be and are respected. But we should not extrapolate numbers, confuse the nature of those rights or invent minorities where they obviously do not exist.

It would be beneficial if we concentrate on the essential and the positive aspects, enhancing the respect for human rights and the civic conscience of all citizens, including members of minorities, in a parallel way, as Rights are not but the reverse of Obligations of one and the same coin. We should thus promote the indivisibility of people in their diversity, instead of taking out of context or proportion, sometimes, real or imaginary isolated flaws that may enhance divisibility if not division.