European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 12, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday november 12, 19b8 the stars and stripes a Ginge 3 Baker gets thumbs up . Diplomats Call him Good Choice for state dept. Paris a president elect George Bush s Choice of longtime Friend James a. Baker Iii As Secre tary of stale in the next . Administration surprised few abroad where Raker generally is viewed As a hard working professional. Foreign officials especially diplomats rarely like o comment publicly on he internal affairs of anole or country. But in Ofine record remarks Many appeared to Welcome Baker i i has contacts and experience and i think he is a Good Choice said a West German diplomatic source in Bonn who spoke on condition he not be identified a spokesman far West German foreign minister Hans Dietrich Genscher said the minister had no com ment. However guns Char earlier expressed Confidence in Bush s abilities in foreign attain and expressed his Hope thai the untied suites would continue its rapprochement and disarmament efforts with the soviet Union. It s not a Surprise a French diplomatic source said of Baker s appointment. Ii was launched during the Campaign. I think he is part of a group of people in Washington who arc very  a similar attitude was expressed by Israel in a statement from the foreign ministry we arc not sur prised. This possibility was widely discussed before the elections. We believe that the new president together with the future scr claim of Szalc will play an Active role in the Middle East and we arc looking Forward to working with the new american leadership in full  israeli officials declined to comment on whether the Bush Baker team is Likely to be More demanding than Reagan Schuliz. It s too Early to predict said one foreign ministry official who insisted on anonymity we look Forward o working with the new administration said a British foreign office official who by custom is no identified. The source said foreign Secretary sir Geoffrey Howe knows or. Baker Well and will be Happy to do so work with him. He is a Well respected and Well known  Baker perhaps is better known in the world s finance ministries than in the foreign ministries and a com Mon View among Many foreign affairs professionals is wait and  we Don l know the slate of his knowledge said the French source. Baker 58, spent the first four years of the Reagan administration As while House chief of Salt. He then switched to the Treasury department. In August he resigned la take Over As chairman of Bush s presiden tial Campaign. The soviet Union had no immediate comment. The official soviet news Agency Tass announced the news in a dispatch from Washington noting that Bush said at a news conference thai one of Bakers first tasks will be to meet with his nato colleagues and then with soviet foreign minister Eduard a. Shevardnadze. In Asia. Thai government spokesman Ruvii Yoda in said of Baker we Welcome him to the new Republican admin isl ration and believe he will continue a foreign policy inherited from president  on the other hand Yodman said the Bush govern ment will be facing tremendous pressure from he Democrat dominated Congress to push protectionist legislation which the thais and other asian countries fear mexican writer Carlos fun pcs in a generally unflattering analysis of the american election talked about Baker As the strongman of american politics this Man extremely Able with a Clear intelligence manipulator and machiavellian surrounded by a Brilliant group of Young politicians is James Baker Fuentes wrote. South african foreign minister Pik Botha while not referring to Baker directly said the Bush Victory in creased chances for solutions to the conflict in Angola and South Ecsi Africa ii is in the interest of he whole Southern Africa Region that a realist like or. Bush was elected Botha said in a broadcast  " junes a. Baiter in Saiof by scandal greek government May reorganize Athens Greece a the gov crisis in the political world and even in banking and publishing Empire in 1984. Embezzlement Emmet of prime minister Andreas a our society Papandreou said after Mimia in a   i he anon arc before a District Allowee rement o a Androu shaken by a financial scandal May go through a reshuffling of Cabinet positions Over the coming weekend a spokesman said thursday. At a news briefing government. Spokesman Sotyris Koslop Ulps did not Rule out a government reorganization indicating that the socialists would make an attempt at House cleaning before the scandal widens. If it lakes place it will be the 15th Cabinet reshuffle since Papandreou first came to Power in 1981. The political crisis erupted after greek newspaper accusations that senior socialist officials including the prime min ister s son education minister George Papandreou were involved in illegal deals set up by the Bank of Crete. Papandreou meanwhile said thurs Day Greece is going through a deep political crisis because of the scandal i believe and it is known to air of us thai we Are going through a do a political Crisi of meeting parliamentarians from his pan hellenic socialist movement Pasok. The political opposition demanded that Papandreou s government resign after the disappearance last weekend of banker publisher George Koskola who is under indictment for alleged involve ment in the $30 million financial scandal involving the Bank of Crete. The 34-year-old Koskotas police be Lieve fled Greece sunday on a yacht six Days after an investigating magistrate barred him from leaving the country pending the outcome of an official Enqu iry into his financial dealings As chair Man of the Bank. His disappearance led to monday s resignation of Public order minister tassos Chiolis the scandal deepened when the socialists were lambasted for not ordering the country s Central Bank to Check Kosko Las financial background when he started Selling up his multimillion Dollar Bankin a Public opinion Survey published in the pro government afternoon daily Tanea reported that 80 percent of those polled believed the socialists delayed investigating the Koskola Case and that it should have been conducted much soon or the investigation into the Bank of Crete headed by a government appointed banking commissioner is to be completed  said the crisis was linked to thai strange and unsolved phenomenon that we want through recently affecting not Only representatives of the political world but even our  ii was the 69-year-old Papandreou s first meeting with his parliamentary group following his return from London last month where he underwent open heart surgery. Koskola was suspended As chairman of the Dank of Crete on oct. 20 and indicted on charges ranging from forgery to embezzlement h appear t attorney i nov,3 and was charged with forging documents purporting to show thai the Bank of Crete had 113 million invested with the american brokerage firm Mer Rill Lynch Pierce Fenner Smith inc. He also i accused of foiling documents purporting to show that his Bank had $17 million in an account with an american Bank Irving Trust corp. Both . Firms the government said reported they had no record of deposits by the Bank of Crete. Police issued a warrant for to Skolas arrest after a search failed to uncover his whereabouts last weekend. Koskola a former resident of the United states returned to Greece in 1979 and bought controlling interest in the Bank in 1984 after working in in accounting Section. He later set up the grammy publishing group Buill a printing Plant which reportedly Cost 13 billion drachmas $87 million and bought controlling interest in Olympia Kos Piraeus. Greece s most prestigious soccer club. Britain mends diplomatic relations with Ira London a Britain and Iran said thursday they have resumed full diplomatic relations ending a 17-month break in tics caused in pan by the arrest of an iranian envoy on shoplifting charges. Thursday s announcement followed talks in Vienna Between sir David Myers Britain s assistant undersea cat any of stale for Middle Eastern affairs and or. Mahmoud Vaczi director general of Iran s ministry of foreign affaire. Iran and Britain have decided to resume full Diplo malic representation with immediate effect based on reciprocity Mutual respect and non inter Ferince in each others affairs said a foreign office statement Tehran radio said a Siai ement and memorandum of understanding were signed at Iran s Mission in Vienna after a nine hour session that ended Early thursday morning. Myers travelled to the austrian capital wednesday for he third round of negotiations since August. Mohammad Basil Iran s Lone Diplomat in Britain throughout he diplomatic freeze hinted that the re sumption of ties could Speed the release of britons held hostage by pro iranian islamic militants in Leb-anon.1./. Questioned on British broadcasting corp radio Basti said he hostage Issue had not Arisen in the negotiations but added i you arc trying to imply that he new relationship Between Iran and Britain May con tribute to that end i m not going to deny  archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie whose envoy Terry Wake disappeared in Lebanon in january 1987 while trying to help free the hostages was also asked whether renewed tics would help the hostages. Certainly this cannot do any harm he said. We must wait and Sec. This is Welcome news. After All the purpose of this diplomacy is to make it easy for governments to talk to each  foreign Secretary sir Geoffrey Howe said the hos tages plight was not included in the discussions. There s no bargain or secret Agenda he old the bbl but he added that the thaw enabled Britain More effectively to press the Case at every Opportunity for the iranians to use All the influence they have got to secure the release of  diplomatic relations were curtailed in june 1987 after an iranian Diplomat was arrested on shoplifting charges in Britain and militant kidnapped and beat up a British Diplomat in Tehran