WHILE the Greek delegation was anxious to promote Cypriot membership and was angered by the dinner invitation to the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ms Tansu Ciller, the main preoccupation for the Greek government was at home, where a farmers' strike has crippled the economy for nearly three weeks.
The strike is a response to a tough austerity budget, Greece's effort to meet the Maastricht criteria in time to participate in the single European currency in the second wave by 2000 or 2001.
So far, the government has refused to meet the farmers' demands for a restructuring of debts, tax breaks and production incentives at an estimated cost of one trillion drachmas ($4 billion) and the farmers blame the EU for their situation.
The government insists it needs to adhere to its budget which will "permit Greece to be faithful to its programme of convergence with the European Union".
The Prime Minister, Mr Costas Simitis, is expected to hold his third special cabinet meeting in two weeks today and his adviser, Mr Theodoros Tzoukatos, said Mr Simitis is "always ready for dialogue". The Defence Minister, Mr Akis Tzohatzopoulos, said the government was willing to begin talks with the farmers after roadblocks had been removed.
The main road linking Athens and Thessaloniki was still blocked by protesting farmers yesterday, but blockades have gradually disappeared throughout the rest of Greece since Thursday. Newspapers, politicians and trade union sources predict the strike could end before parliament debated the budget tomorrow.
The newspaper Eleftherotypia said yesterday that within a month the government would present the EU with a request for financial aid to farming to meet part of the farmers' demands.