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Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 99-09-14Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Simitis: Greece must improve its anti-quake protectionAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday completed a series of meetings with opposition party leaders over the repercussions of last Tuesday's devastating 5.9 Richter earthquake in the greater Athens area, which killed at least 124 people.Mr. Simitis, who wound up his round of consultations with party leaders with a morning meeting with main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis, said Greece was a particularly seismogenic area which, according to scientists, was in a period of increased seismic activity. He added that additional measures would be taken to better shield the country in the future. The premier said a bill had been tabled in Parliament introducing a system of insurance against the "destructive mania" of earthquakes, adding that other measures would also be taken. He said everyone must cooperate in the effort to better shield against natural disasters - from citizens, to engineers and contractors, teachers - whom he said must train children in handling earthquakes. Mr. Simitis announced a joint initiative would be launched by the government, political parties and local government on measures that are necessary to better organise the country in handling disasters. He said all the party leaders agreed that no one should exploit emergency situations, adding that such phenomena must be wiped out because "they do not befit our society, the idea of solidarity and our values". The premier called on all Greeks to contribute in any way they could, noting that a special account had been opened up at the Bank of Greece and the money collected "will be allocated exclusively to aid the earthquake- stricken". Rebuffing opposition allegations of delays, Mr. Simitis said the state apparatus had functioned "well and quickly". Compared with the state apparatus' reaction in previous earthquakes, he said, tents and emergency aid had been distributed and inspections had taken place much more quickly. Naturally, he added, "difficulties arise daily, which we overcome". He attributed delays in the payment of a 200,000 emergency bonus to quake victims to "bureaucratic difficulties in the local goverment", adding that he himself had telephoned the local authorities to speed up the process. Gov't spokesman : The death toll from the earthquake is now at 124 and 18 missing, most of them in the ruins of the Ricomex plant, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas announced. He added that tens of thousands of citizens were homeless and a segment of these would certainly need to be accommodated in "tent cities" being set. More than 20,000 tents have been set up for the moment, he said. Of inspections carried out by ministry engineers, about 10 per cent of the 55,000 buildings seen so far would have to be pulled down. Another 20,000 require repairs before they can be inhabited and 26,000 have suffered no structural damage. Mr. Reppas said the prime minister, who was following developments in the relief effort closely, was convinced that any problem could be overcome and that developments so far had been satisfactory apart from a small problem in the payment of monies. Laliotis : Anti-seismic building regulations will be toughened if necessary, Town Planning Minister Costas Laliotis said yesterday, citing two measures for more stringent checks on building plans. Mr. Laliotis said the ministry had decided to establish the institution of a certified engineer, who would inspect the building plans designed by private engineers. He also said a register of private building constructors would be introduced, a move which has long been sought by the Technical Chamber of Greece. Mr. Laliotis said that the "tent cities" would disappear in six to eight weeks and the thousands of people left homeless from last Tuesday's earthquake in the Greek capital would be relocated to trailer and prefabricated homes. He reiterated his call on municipalities and prefects to immediately designate areas where trailer parks and camps can be set up to shelter the earthquake-stricken, and asked citizens to be patient until the teams of engineers had completed their inspections of buildings. The minister further warned that the government was determined to seek out the responsibilities of building contractors, where they existed, for the collapse of homes and other buildings. Meanwhile, rescue work has been completed on all sites of collapsed buildings with the exception of the Ricomex cleaning products plants in the Menidi residential district, and the foreign rescue teams were preparing to leave the country. Karamanlis : Earlier, Mr. Karamanlis, after his meeting with the premier, had said there were serious deficiencies and delays a week after the quake. The ND party leader said there were problems in the distribution of tents, in many instances there were no chemical toilets provided for the earthquake victims' use, there was a delay in the distribution of the 200, 000 drachma assistance, and the initial inspections of the damaged buildings were often insufficient. Mr. Karamanlis said a wider plan was needed, with clearly set out powers for the central administration and the two degrees of local government so that in instances of natural disasters there would be more autonomy of movement and the authorities could act speedily and efficiently. He said the repercussions of the earthquake with respect to human loss as well as material destruction were much greater than had been initially assessed. Gov't on quake victims' needs : The government expects all camps for quake victims to be fully equipped in eight weeks, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas. A ministers' meeting headed by Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday decided that every effort will be made to complete urgent tasks and move on to rent subsidies and reconstruction, Mr. Reppas said. He added that the government is resolved to combat profiteering. Athens News Agency Athens 14/09/1999 (ANA) A small earthquake measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale was recorded at 5:55 p.m. yesterday in the Gulf of Corinth. The tremor's epicentre was located in the eastern corner of the gulf, 110 km west of Athens. Athens News Agency[02] EU-Turkey dialogue resumesBRUSSELS, 14/09/1999 (ANA - M. Spinthourakis)European Union-Turkey relations are at a "critical point", Foreign Minister George Papandreou told reporters after talks here between EU foreign ministers and Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem.Talks between Turkey and the 15-nation bloc resumed yesterday after a two- year spell of poor relations and after Turkey's decision for a rapprochement with the EU. "The EU-Turkey relations are at a critical point," Mr. Papandreou said, adding that the improvement of climate in Greek-Turkish relations constituted an important factor. "The myth about hatred between Greeks and Turks collapsed after the quakes in both countries, the joint efforts of the two neighbouring countries during the Kosovo crisis and the positive development until today of bilateral talks even if they do not include issues of major importance such as the Cyprus issue or Turkish claims in the Aegean, issues which remain unresolved," Mr. Papandreou said. However, foreign ministry diplomatic officials in Athens noted that these moves are known and concern the Aegean and Cyprus and they do not concern Turkey alone but the EU as well, which should preoccupy itself actively. Greek diplomatic sources said, however, that for the time being there are no indications of "specta-cular moves" by the Turkish side. In parallel, the same sources said what is extremely positive is the fact that, in light of the Helsinki summit, many countries, and not Greece alone, as occurred frequently in the past, set specific terms and preconditions to the Turkish side and refer to the need to achieve progress both in Greek- Turkish relations and the Cyprus issue. According to these sources, the more relations between the EU and Turkey proceed the more these problems will surface and, consequently, pressures will increase on Turkey, primarily in the event that these preconditions are included in the so-called "ro ute map" which Turkey should observe to enable its accession negotiations with the EU to start at some time in the future. During his long speech to the Council, Mr. Cem, after thanking the EU for its support for Turkey's quake-strickent as a result of the Aug. 17 tremor, referred to the prospect of Turkey's incorporation in EU processes and made clear Ankara's demand to be recognised as a candidate for EU accession at the Helsinki summit in December. At the ensuing press conference, both Mr. Cem and EU general affairs council president and Finnish FM Tarja Halonen termed the talks positive. She termed the messages coming from Turkey's political leadership concerning the prospect of the country's democratisation as encouraging and pointed out in parallel that the good climate created between Greece and Turkey over the past period is also ho peful. On his part, Mr. Cem stressed the efforts Turkey should make in the sector of respect for human rights and said that "the combatting of terrorism in Turkey has produced results and, consequently, there are wider margins now for democratisation. On the question of relations between Turkey and Greece, Mr. Cem referred during his speech to the spirit of mutual solidarity developed during the earthquakes without, however, touching on other aspects of the relations. Replying to press questions, he clearly desired to dissociate the issue of Greek-Turkish relations from Turkey's possible upgrading to a candidate country for EU accession. Athens News Agency[03] Greek, foreign rescue teams lauded by political leadership, ArchbishopAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)A committee set up to promote the cause of Greek and Turkish friendship said yest erday it would award the Greek and Turkish rescue teams their "Abdi Ipekci Peace and Friendship Prize".The Athens branch of the committee said the Greek branch of Doctors of the World organisation would also receive the prize, for rushing to provide relief to the victims of the devastating Aug. 17 earthquake in Turkey. President Kostis Stephanopoulos, Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos yesterday received members of Greek and foreign rescue teams as search efforts wound down. Among the rescue crews still working on Sunday were Germans (17-man), Turks (71), French (48 and 11 sniffer dogs), Israelis (30), Russians (five and two dogs), Swiss (seven) and Cypriots (17). Mr. Stephanopoulos thanked the rescue teams for their determined attempts to save people buried under tonnes of rubble. Greek and Turkish rescue workers exchanged the flags sewn on to their uniforms. The Greek president, thanking them on behalf of the Greek people, called on Ankara and Athens to "walk the road of peace and friendship". The rescue workers were met shortly afterwards by Mr. Simitis, who thanked them for their readiness, speedy and effective actions. Meeting members of the Greek, French and Turkish teams at a separate event, Archbishop Christodoulos welcomed the French team as longstanding friends of the Greek people and made special mention of the Turkish team rushing to help the Greeks, just as the Greeks had rushed to help the Turks. He offered each of the 250 members of the rescue crews a bottle of ouzo, a jar of olives and books on Meteora and Mount Athos. Athens News Agency[04] Technical chamber president calls for 'radical overhaul' of construction sectorAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)The president of the Technical Chamber of Greece yesterday said there must be a "radical overhaul" of the way the construction sector did business in the wake of last week's massive quake.Among the measures proposed by Costas Liaskas are the establishment of a registry of private building contractors and of chartered civil engineers who will provide checks on studies as well as stricter provisions for studies regarding private constructi on projects. These provisions would be in line with those defined for public buildings, he said. Mr. Liaskas said each building had to have its own "profile", which could be updated twice a year by an engineer. Buildings which collapsed or suffered damage during last Tuesday's quake, he said, should be subject to an overall inspection, even if they only had cracks in the walls. Athens News Agency[05] Constantopoulos: Damages greater than estimatedAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)Coalition of the Left (Synaspismos) leader Nikos Constantopoulos yesterday said damage caused by the earthquake last week were greater than government estimates. He added that homeless citizens numbered more than 100,000. The Synaspismos leader also said the government should increase emergency aid grants to quake-stricken victims and should re-examine construction codes as well as increase private sector inspections.Athens News Agency[06] EU FMs call for proposals over quake relief towards GreeceBRUSSELS, 14/09/1999 (ANA - M. Spinthourakis)The European Union Foreign Ministers' Council yesterday expressed its condolences over last Tuesday's earthquake in the greater Athens area, calling on the European Commission to prepare proposals for financial aid towa rds Greece.According to reports, the Union's contribution to quake relief for Greece will emanate from funds of an existing natural disaster relief fund, already in place. In addition, monies allocated to Greece through the community framework support funds will be re-routed to disaster relief, as was done following a disastrous quake in Italy. To date, no official statements have been made as Greece has not completed a total damage estimate, however, Greek diplomatic sources said aid will reach a total of 150 billion drachmas. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister George Papandreou and Alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis both represented Athens at the council meeting, briefing both Commissioner Hans van den Broek and new Commission President Romano Prodi. Arafat sends his condolences Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has sent Greek PM Costas Simitis condolences for the victims of last Tuesday's major earthquake. "It was with particular grief and regret that I was informed of the catastrophic earthquake which hit your friendly country, and of the loss of human lives and material damage it caused," Mr. Arafat's message read. Athens News Agency[07] Tsohatzopoulos receives Israeli unitAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos yesterday received the Israeli defence ministry's rescue squad, commending the unit's members for their efforts following last Tuesday's earthquake.Mr. Tsohatzopoulos noted that the common organisational aspects of both the Greek and Israeli rescue squads comprise the cornerstone for a permanent bilateral cooperation, especially in efforts to protect citizens following natural disasters. On his part, the head of the Israeli squad, Gen. Gabai Ofir, expressed his solidarity to the Greek citizens hit by the quake, adding that he was totally satisfied by the cooperation between the Greek and Israeli rescue squads. In a related development, 3,198 soldiers were participating in the relief efforts, the defence ministry announced. Military personnel have also pitched 3,389 tents to date, as well as several mobile units. Finally, damages caused by the earthquake to military installations were listed at 22 billion drachmas. In addition, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos briefed the general staff chiefs yesterday on earthquake relief efforts, deciding to restrict the existing military exercise programme until the end of the year to save funds and allow for the construction of about 1,000 prefabricated homes. The defence ministry will also contact companies with which it has contracts to further support the programme for building prefabricated houses in the framework of offsets. Athens News Agency[08] Strong aftershock hits northwest TurkeyAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)Thessaloniki University's geophysics laboratory yesterday said it had recorded a strong new earthquake in Turkey, saying it measured 6.8 on the Richter scale.The tremor was recorded at 2:58 p.m. from the same epicentre which caused the devastating Aug. 17 earthquake, Thessaloniki seismologists said. Turkish scientists recorded the tremor as registering 5.8. In statements to the ANA, seismologists said the tremor was a very strong aftershock of the Aug. 17 quake in Turkey , which measured at 7.4 magnitude Richter and claimed the lives of thousands of people A Thessaloniki seismologist said yesterday's tremor was expected but that it would not affect other seismogenic areas. "We are entering an era with increased seismic activity in the southern Balkans and nothing more," he said. Another seismologist - Vassilis Papazahos of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki - has said that strong quakes do not cause other quakes but do speed up their appearance in seismically activity regions which has latent seismic energy and would have seen tremors in the future. An earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale was also recorded in the western part of Albania yesterday, between the towns of Fieri and Vlore. The quake hit at 1:57 p.m. No reports of damages were given, as the quake was also felt as far away as Kastoria, in northwest Greece. Athens News Agency[09] 64th TIF endsAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)The 64th Thessaloniki International Trade Fair (TIF) closed its doors yesterday, attracting more visitors than last year despite a short-lived decline following last Tuesday's earthquake in Athens, organisers said.Next year's 65th TIF will take place from Sept. 9 to 18, with the honoured country being the United States. Athens News Agency[10] Stephanopoulos-Clerides meeting yesterdayAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos yesterday met with visiting Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides. No statements were released following the two leaders' talks.However, Mr. Stephanopoulos thanked Mr. Clerides for Cyprus' aid to the victims of last Tuesday's earthquake. On his part, Mr. Clerides reiterated that the solidarity of the Cypriot people for the quake victims was universal. The Cypriot leader is scheduled to meet with Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis today before his departure for New York, where he will participate in the United Nations' General Assembly. Athens News Agency[11] Dukakis calls upcoming Clinton visit a chance for progress on Cyprus issueAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)US President Bill Clinton's visit to Turkey and Greece in November will provide an important chance for progress to be made on the Cyprus problem, former Democratic Party presidential candidate Michael Dukakis said in Thessaloniki yesterday.The former governor of Massachusetts, who lost to George Bush in 1988, noted that Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash was "a serious problem" in efforts to find a solution. "Clinton has committed himself more than any other president to this issue, " Mr. Dukakis told a press conference in the northern Greek port city. He admitted that no real progress in resolving the dispute had been achieved but said that the Clinton visit would an occasion to provide this. Mr. Dukakis said he based his opinion on the fact that some conditions for the improvement of the climate in Greek-Turkish relations have been created, while the "human aspect" following the mutual aid in quake relief efforts in both Greece and Turkey. A 10-point plan for Cyprus put forward by Washington is a good basis for a resolution, he said. He expressed hope that President Clinton would exert pressure on Turkey and, Ankara in turn on Rauf Denktash, so as to overcome his intransigence. Earlier, the municipality of Thessaloniki bestowed on Mr. Dukakis the city's golden medal. "This is a great honour for me, the son of two migrants," he said. Mr. Dukakis' father hailed from Asia Minor and his mother from Larissa. Mr. Dukakis was the keynote speaker yesterday night at a function organised by Anatolia College. Other speakers included Development Minister Evangelos Venizelos and US ambassador Nicholas Burns. Athens News Agency[12] US State Dept. on Greek-Turkish relationsWASHINGTON, 14/09/1999 (ANA - T. Ellis)The United States always supports every move towards improving Greek- Turkish relations, a US State Department spokesman said yesterday, replying to a question on the perceived improvement in relations between the two neighbours.Spokesman James Rubin said US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will encourage this positive course in relations between the two NATO allies in meetings she will have with Greek FM George Papandreou and Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem at the United Nations next week. Athens News Agency[13] Gov't opens quake aid account at central bankAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)The government has opened an account for quake relief to victims at the central bank, Prime Minister Costas Simitis said in a statement yesterday.The account number at the Bank of Greece is: 234365/5 Members of the public or businesses may deposit donations in the account through any bank in Greece, the statement said. Donations may also be made through the branches of Greek banks abroad. When the repercussions of the earthquake have been dealt with, a detailed breakdown of how the funds were spent will be released, the statement said. Athens News Agency[14] Greece details measures to aid quake victimsAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou yesterday detailed measures approved by the government to assist victims of a fatal earthquake that hit Athens and the northern suburbs last week.Key measures are as follows: OAED estimates aid, finance ministry provides cheques : The OAED expects the number of people to be eligible for its earthquake compensation to total 30,000, a figure covering workers, the jobless and other individuals, the labour ministry said yesterday. The ministry, which runs OAED, said that steps would be taken for workers who lost their jobs in the quake to find new employment. In addition, the finance ministry announced yesterday that it had sent more than 20,000 cheques to local authorities so that emergency aid payments could be made promptly. No delays were reported, the ministry added. Athens News Agency[15] Stocks break through 6,000 pts, hit new recordAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)The Athens Stock Exchange overtook the 6,000-point barrier for the first time in its history yesterday as high liquidity continued to support a rally that started at the beginning of the year.The general index ended 5.09 percent higher at 6,032.85 points, its 49th record in 1999. It now stands 120.38 percent up from the start of the year. Turnover yesterday was heavy at 527.94 billion drachmas on 61,417,116 shares traded. Buying interest was heavy in all sectors, but strongest in the construction and leasing sectors, and in the parallel market for smaller capitalisation stocks. Blue chip shares such as Hellenic Telecoms, Duty Free Shops, Hellenic Petroleum and Olympic Catering showed the biggest gains, and interest was also seen towards the end of the session in banking blue chips. Yiannis Dimopoulos, a trader at Nuntius Securities, told the Athens News Agency: "High liquidity is continuing to flow towards the market and its dynamism seems to be unbridled. Bulls have the upper hand, exceeding expectations, although quite a few sto cks are overpriced. The risk is great for the market in the event of a turnaround due to an unknown factor. "A sharp correction in the market is unlikely in the near term and the prolonged rally of prices may only be halted in a violent manner". Sector indices ended as follows: Banks (+5.47 pct), Insurance (+1.17 pct), Construction (+8.0 pct), Miscellaneous (+2.86 pct), Leasing (+8.0 pct), Investment (+6.90 pct), Industrials (+4.20 pct) and Holding (+2.97 pct). The parallel market index for smaller capitalisation stocks ended 6.32 percent higher while the FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks jumped 5.02 percent to 3,180.21 points. Broadly, advancers led decliners by 300 to nine with only one issue unchanged. A total of 148 shares ended at the day's 8.0 percent limit up. Hellenic Telecoms and Ergo Invest were the most heavily traded stocks. National Bank of Greece ended at 26,700 drachmas, Alpha Credit Bank at 26, 500, Commercial Bank at 31,700, Titan Cement at 38,800, Hellenic Petroleum at 4,622, Intracom at 30,320, Minoan Lines at 8,925, Panafon at 9,850 and Hellenic Telecoms at 7,850. Futures trade up from last week : Trade on the newly created Athens Derivatives Exchange yesterday rose to 3.9 billion drachmas on 634 futures contracts from 3.148 billion drachmas on 533 contracts in the previous session. Contracts on the Athens bourse's FTSE/ASE-20 index for blue chips and heavily traded stocks were in September, October, November and December futures, the same as in the previous session. Athens News Agency[16] Bonds hit four-week lows in higher turnoverAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)Secondary bond market prices shed 35-40 basis points to touch four-week lows in brisker trade following gloom in Europe on the euro's decline and election losses for Germany's Social Democracts, which drove down bund prices.Electronic trade was 27 billion drachmas from 6.0 billion drachmas in the previous session and 2.0 billion drachmas on Thursday. The benchmark 10-year bond was still trading below par at 97.10, showing a yield of 6.72 percent against 6.71 percent and 6.68 percent in the two last sessions. The 10-year paper's yield spread over German bunds was above 165 basis points in the previous session from around 160 basis points to 163 basis points on Thursday. At the central bank's daily fix, the euro dropped against the drachma following its decline on world markets against the US dollar. The euro was set at 326.510 drachmas from 326.700 drachmas a session earlier and 326.990 drachmas on Thursday. The dollar jumped against the drachma in line with its global ascent. At the fix, it was set at 315.900 drachmas from 310.400 drachmas a day earlier and 308.600 drachmas on Thursday. Athens News Agency[17] Banks offer to aid quake victimsAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)Greek banks yesterday announced a package of measures to assist people and businesses hit by last week's strong earthquake and offered to help with the reconstruction of areas that were damaged.Theodore Karatzas, the president of the Union of Greek Banks, announced the measures following a meeting of the union's board. The measures include: Mr. Karatzas also announced that Greek banks would cover the cost of separate reconstruction projects totalling more than three billion drachmas. The projects would be determined following consultations with the government and local authorities. To fund the scheme, National Bank of Greece will earmark 600 million drachmas, Alpha Credit Bank 400 million, Agricultural Bank 300 million, Commercial Bank 300 million, Ergobank 200 million, ETBA 200 million, Eurobank 200 million, Piraeus Bank 200 million, General Bank 100 million, Egnatia Bank 100 million, Attica Bank 80 million, Dorian Bank Telesis 65 million and Aspis Bank 50 million drachmas. Mr. Karatzas said that all Greek Cypriot banks operating in Greece (European Popular Bank, Bank of Cyprus and Hellenic Bank) would contribute to the reconstruction effort along with major foreign banks in the country (Citigroup, Bayerische Hypo und Vere insbank, ING Bank, ABN Amro Bank, BNP, Barclays Bank, Midland Bank, Societe Generale and American Express). Athens News Agency[18] National Bank of Greece prepares for Wall Street entryAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)National Bank of Greece, a blue chip on the Athens bourse, expects to complete preparations for listing on the New York Stock Exchange by the end of October or early November. The president of National Bank's shareholders association, George Karachristos, said yesterday that entry would be effected through the sale of around 3.0 percent of existing stock, and not through a share capital increase.Mr. Karachristos added that profits of the National Bank of Greece Group this year were seen topping 300 billion drachmas with capital gains exceeding 900 billion drachmas. Athens News Agency[19] Capital markets commission okays IPO, imposes penaltiesAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)The capital markets commission yesterday announced the approval of an initial public offer prospectus from Varvaressos SA Naoussa Spinning Mills to gain listing on the Athens Stock Exchange.The committee also approved operating licenses for Marfin Momentum Investment and Astra Investment, and imposed penalties on Agricultural Bank of Greece Mutual Funds and Xios Mutual Funds for the illegal publication of yield figures. It also announced sanctions against Hanwa Mutual Funds for its failure to warn investors in a pamphlet of risks linked to returns. Athens News Agency[20] Share capital increase approvedAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)The bourse-listed Petzetakis plastic piping manufacturer yesterday announced that a shareholders' general assembly approved a 26.9-billion- drachma share capital increase.The price was set at 2,500 drachmas per share, while the firm will distribute three shares per 10 old ones, a press release noted. Petzetakis' management said proceeds from the capital increase will be used to acquire related companies in Europe and the United States. Private donations to earthquake victim relief continued to pour in yesterday. - Well-known entrepreneur Dimitris Kopelouzos donated 300 million drachmas to the earthquake victim relief fund. - Maria Daskalantonaki of the Grecotel hotel group handed over a check for 100 million drachmas to the health ministry. - The Lambrakis publishing group donated 75 million drachmas for child daycare centres. - ELKEPRO SA donated the use of its building space for medical and educational purposes. Athens News Agency[21] Athens Foreign ExchangeAthens, 14/09/1999 (ANA)Bank of Greece closing rates of: September 13, 1999Parities in Drachmas Banknotes Buying Selling US Dollar 313.373 320.638 Can.Dollar 212.090 217.007 Australian Dlr 205.319 210.080 Pound Sterling 505.920 517.650 Irish Punt 411.265 420.801 Pound Cyprus 558.893 571.851 Pound Malta 731.697 762.184 Turkish pound (100) 0.065 0.068 French franc 49.378 50.523 Swiss franc 201.505 206.177 Belgian franc 8.029 8.215 German Mark 165.606 169.446 Finnish Mark 54.476 55.739 Dutch Guilder 146.979 150.386 Danish Kr. 43.598 44.609 Swedish Kr. 37.736 38.611 Norwegian Kr. 39.581 40.499 Austrian Sh. 23.538 24.084 Italian lira (100) 16.728 17.116 Yen (100) 294.594 301.425 Spanish Peseta 1.946 1.991 Port. Escudo 1.616 1.653 Foreign Exchange Buying Selling New York 313.373 320.638 Montreal 212.090 217.007 Sydney 205.319 210.080 London 505.920 517.650 Dublin 411.265 420.801 Cyprus 558.893 571.851 Paris 49.378 50.523 Zurich 201.505 206.177 Brussels 8.029 8.215 Frankfurt 165.606 169.446 Helsinki 54.476 55.739 Amsterdam 146.979 150.386 Copenhagen 43.598 44.609 Stockholm 37.736 38.611 Oslo 39.581 40.499 Vienna 23.538 24.084 Milan 16.728 17.116 Tokyo 294.594 301.425 Madrid 1.946 1.991 Lisbon 1.616 1.653 Athens News AgencyAthens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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