Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 00-03-17

Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] PM says funding of rural areas will increase over the next four years

[02] National Defense Minister says peace initiatives necessary in Kosovo area

[03] Health minister says targets have been met, but primary healthcare remains thorn for National Health System

[04] ND leader Karamanlis visits Piraeus and surrounding districts

[05] Greek-Latvian foreign ministries sign cooperation protocol

[06] National Bank governor says stock market's outlook positive

[07] Greek stocks end sharply up in dramatic change of climate

[08] Maillis inaugurates three new factories

[09] Sofia says 70% of enterprises set for privatization passed into private sector

[10] Sixty-six percent of British MPs would favour return of Elgin marbles to Greece

[11] Athens and Paris mayors sign friendship and cooperation protocol

[12] NY Mayor Giuliani pays courtesy call on Archbishop Dimitrios of America

[13] Hellenism in north and south America will celebrate 1821 national anniversary

[14] In show of solidarity for Serbian people, Greek Embassy in Belgrade will not host Independence Day reception

[15] Rail and shipping links to be created with Turkey

[16] Spider company provides municipalities and communities with eight modern fire engines

[17] Univ. of Athens to honor noted British archaeologist

[01] PM says funding of rural areas will increase over the next four years

Athens, 17/03/2000 (ANA)

Simitis, who was speaking at a press conference in the city of Volos, eastern Greece, on balanced regional development, said the country needs a strong government on April 9 (the date of the general election) with a fresh popular mandate to enable negotiating for the country's new era to be strong.

He said Greece will deservedly join Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and a new era will open before it with security and stability, adding that for his PASOK party two Greeces do not exist and pointed out that such policies are applied by others and not the government.

Simitis placed special emphasis on the issue of unemployment, underlining that the next four years will be a period of employment and that eradicating unemployment will be one of PASOK's top priorities.

Simitis underlined policies concerning rural areas and noted that the relationship between funding for rural and urban areas will change, meaning that funding for Attica (the prefecture containing Athens) will decrease and funding for rural areas will be boosted.

Simitis was accompanied by a number of government officials, including National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis, Agriculture Minister George Anomeritis, Press and Information Minister Dimitris Reppas and Interior Minister Vasso Papandreou.

Later, Simitis held consecutive meetings with the prefect of Magnissia and the mayor of Volos and visited the community of Grakia where he was proclaimed an honorary citizen. He returned to Athens early in the afternoon.

[02] National Defense Minister says peace initiatives necessary in Kosovo area

Athens, 17/03/2000 (ANA)

Replying to questions by journalists on press reports that the NATO alliance is expressing concern over the activities of Albanian-speaking people, Tsohatzopoulos reminded that in past statements of his he had spoke of phenomena of irredentism which are appearing intensely in south Yugoslavia.

Tsohatzopoulos said these phenomena justify the concern of NATO and the European Union, but this concern is not enough, what is necessary are initiatives of substantive and decisive support for the implementation of the Security Council's resolution.

Tsohatzopoulos, who was speaking on the sidelines of his visit to the offices of the Thessaloniki Bar Association, said the Council of Defense and Foreign Affairs Ministers will convene in Brussels on Monday and discussions will be held on promoting the creation of the EU's joint defense and security, the main target of which will be restoring calm in Kosovo, adding that Greece will be making relevant proposals.

In another development, Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Secretary General Aleka Papariga called for the return of the Greek military force from Kosovo, claiming that it has become part of the forces of occupation and national cleansing against the Serbs.

Speaking in Thessaloniki on the occasion of the presentation of her party's election ticket, Papariga called for vigorous mobilizations over the weekend when US marine forces are expected to pass through Thessaloniki on their way to Kosovo to participate in the military exercise code-named "Dynamic Response." "We also call on the other parties which supposedly express leftist policies to take their decisions and call on the Greek people to be on the alert over the next few days and raise obstacles for the passing of the conquerors," she said.

[03] Health minister says targets have been met, but primary healthcare remains thorn for National Health System

Athens, 17/03/2000 (ANA)

In an exclusive interview with ANA, Papadimas said the targets he had set as minister of health had been fulfilled in his one-and-a-half years in office, citing an improvement in the accommodation infrastructure at five major hospitals in Athens and the operation of six new hospitals in the provinces as the most important interventions.

He added, however, that primary healthcare remained the thorn in ESY, adding that those who tried to "commercialize" health were "enemies of the system (ESY)", and pledged that the cots would "disappear" from hospital hallways in the next four-year term if PASOK was re-elected to government.

It was wrong to consider the health sector an "easy target for criticism", Papadimas said, adding that the ESY could not remain a "static system".

"Consistency of words and deeds" was PASOK's big asset in the April 9 general elections, the minister added.

Commenting on Papadimas' statements, main opposition New Democracy party press officer Aris Spiliotopoulos said that "the ministers of the Simitis government insist on continuously confirming, with their statements, how distanced they are from reality and from the big, day-to-day problems of the citizens".

"The statement of the day came from Mr. Papadimas who, without the slightest qualm, appeared completely satisfied with the work of the government in the health sector, stressing that he had attained all the targets he had set as minister," Spiliotopoulos said.

"His satisfaction alone is a provocation to all those who suffer the Third World-like reality," the ND spokesman added.

He said that Papadimas was unaware of even the "perhaps ostensible, concession" by the Prime Minister "who recently pledged reform of the ESY", and "the estimations of his own government of wasteful spending in the health sector in excess of 20 percent".

Spiliotopoulos said it was time that the ruling party realized that "the only legacy that PASOK is leaving in the health sector, after 20 years in power, is the most expensive and biggest flop of a national health system in Europe".

[04] ND leader Karamanlis visits Piraeus and surrounding districts

Athens, 17/03/2000 (ANA)

Karamanlis criticized the correctional system noting problems, such as overcrowding, as the number of inmates in the specific prison is three-fold its capacity.

He added that the correctional system is lacking as it promotes criminal behavior, claiming that some one can be incarcerated for a non-drug related crime and end up as a drug user before he steps out of prison.

During his walk through the Kaminia shopping mall, Karamanlis discussed with merchants and other citizens problems such as unemployment, crime and the environmental deterioration of their district.

Karamanlis concluded his tour of the southern Athens metropolitan region with his visit to Piraeus city hall, where he was met by the municipality's mayor Christos Agrapidis, with whom he held a short private meeting.

A New Democracy three-day conference on principles and positions is set to begin on Friday afternoon.

Karamanlis is expected to inaugurate the conference on Friday, while on Sunday he is expected to deliver the closing remarks.

[05] Greek-Latvian foreign ministries sign cooperation protocol

Athens, 17/03/2000 (ANA)

The protocol includes issues regarding economic, scientific, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, while the protocol articles specifically mention the issue of bilateral cooperation regarding Latvia's accession course to the European Union.

The protocol was drafted following Rokofyllos' visit to Riga, Latvia last October.

[06] National Bank governor says stock market's outlook positive

Athens, 17/03/2000 (ANA)

Speaking to reporters in Alexandroupoli, during a ceremony for the inauguration of three new production units by Maillis SA, Karatzas said that the stock market "will inevitably reflect the Greek economy's very good performance. The same thing will happen with National Bank of Greece, whose share price is trading at very favorable levels".

The Greek banker said that recent developments in the Athens bourse were unjustified and stressed that the stock market "should not be moved by enthusiasm and panic, but to balance on the truth of the matter".

Karatzas said that National Bank's recommendation to investors, based on ASE's current trading levels, was to put money in equities.

[07] Greek stocks end sharply up in dramatic change of climate

Athens, 17/03/2000 (ANA)

Buying focused on small and medium-sized capitalization stocks with the parallel market and the construction indices scoring the biggest percentage gains.

The general index ended at 4,759.89 points, up 4.53 percent. The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks rose 2.95 percent to end at 2,676.60 points and the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index jumped 8.28 percent to 708.81 points.

Turnover was a moderate 188.3 billion drachmas.

Sector indices ended as follows: Banks: 9,136.95 +2.28% Leasing: 1,081.00 +8.02% Insurance: 3,107.25 +5.69% Investment: 2,433.26 +7.06% Construction: 2,348.44 +9.81% Industrials: 2,814.77 +6.89% Miscellaneous: 5,390.64 +8.62% Holding: 4,743.95 +5.91%

The parallel market index for smaller capitalization stocks soared 9.75 percent to end at 851.86 points.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 332 to nine with only one issue unchanged.

More than 100 shares ended at the day's 10.0 percent limit up, while Iktinos jumped 11.91 percent on the second day of trading in the market.

Aspis Insurance, Selonda, Doudos, Veterin and Exelixi ended at the day's 10.0 percent limit down.

Mytilineos, General Warehouses and Ergo Invest were the most heavily traded stocks.

Leading shares' closing prices (in Drs): National Bank: 23,350 Alpha Credit: 24,140 Commercial Bank: 21,000 Ergobank: 8,480 Eurobank: 11,700 Heracles Cement: 8,955 Titan Cement (c): 14,250 Hellenic Petroleum: 4,300 Intracom: 5,850 Minoan Lines: 7,350 Hellenic Telecoms: 9,800 Panafon: 5,570

Derivatives prices end sharply up on Thursday: Derivatives prices ended higher on the Athens Derivatives Exchange on Thursday following gains in the two benchmark indices, FTSE/ASE 20 and FTSE/ASE 40, which ended 2.9 and 8.2 percent higher, respectively.

A total of 1,838 contracts were traded on the FTSE/ASE 20 index, worth 9.7 billion drachmas. The March expiring contract ended at 2,670 points, the April contract at 2,704.50, the May contract at 2,735 and the June expiring contract at 2,740 points.

A total of 1,440 futures contracts were traded on the FTSE/ASE 40 index, worth 3.8 billion drachmas the March expiring contract ended at 722.75 points, the April contract at 737, the May contract at 746, the June contract at 765 and the September expiring contract at 790 points.

Bond yields maintain spread with German bunds in buy trade: Greek bonds maintained their yield spread from German bunds in buy trade on Thursday, as both increased at almost the same rate, following a 0.25 percent rise of interest rates by the European Central Bank.

The basis interest rate in the euro-zone now stands at 3.5 percent.

The volume of transactions totalled 84 billion drachmas, with buy orders accounting for 72 billion drachmas.

The benchmark 10-year bond showed a yield of 6.22 percent, with the spread over German bunds fluctuating between 91 basis points.

The increased liquidity in the interbank market forced short-term period rates downward, with the National Bank of Greece quoting 8.80 percent for overnight, 9.30 percent for two weeks and 7 percent for one year.

Drachma firms vs. dollar slightly retreats vs. euro: The drachma on Thursday rose against the US dollar and retreated slightly against the euro in the domestic foreign exchange market. Demand for drachmas continued to be healthy allowing for the development.

At the central bank's daily fixing, the euro was set at 333.660 drachmas up from 333.570 drachmas in the previous session on Wednesday.

Also at the fixing, the US dollar was set at 344.570 drachmas from 345.320 on Wednesday.

[08] Maillis inaugurates three new factories

Athens, 17/03/2000 (ANA)

The project includes a packaging film production unit, owned by the parent company, M.I. Maillis AEBE, of an investment value of 5.5 billion drachmas, an adhesive tape production union and a paper cylinder production unit, of a total investment of 3.1 billion drachmas, owned by Straptech SA, a Maillis subsidiary.

Mihalis Maillis, chairman of the group, said that a three-year investment plan in the region marked the company's dynamic entry in the light packaging sector.

The group's total production accounted for 5-25 percent of the domestic market share based on product category.

"The development of the Balkans is under way and we hope that resolving Greek-Turkish differences in the framework of the European Union will soon link us with a new very large market," Maillis said.

National Bank of Greece's governor, Theodore Karatzas, who inaugurated the project in a special ceremony, noted the significance of the project and said that its outlook looked bright.

[09] Sofia says 70% of enterprises set for privatization passed into private sector

SOFIA, 17/03/2000 (ANA - B. Borisov)

According to Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov, the Sofia government considers that this year favors the commencement of procedures for the privatization of other state-run utilities and enterprises, including the national power utility (NEC), the tobacco processing industry Bulgar Tabac, Bulgarian railroads (BDZ) and the country's largest commercial bank, Bulbank.

The Bulgarian premier spoke on Friday in Parliament.

No mention of ongoing talks for the privatization of the Bulgarian telecom utility was reported, however.

A deal to purchase a majority stake of the Bulgarian Telecommunications Organization (BTC) by a consortium comprised of state-run Greek telephony utility OTE and KPN of the Netherlands has generated opposition amid some quarters of the neighboring country's political leadership and state bureaucracy.

[10] Sixty-six percent of British MPs would favour return of Elgin marbles to Greece

LONDON, 17/03/2000 (ANA - L. Tsirigotakis)

The poll was conducted among 183 MPs from all parties in an effort to compile a relevant report on the Parthenon Marbles and Greece's efforts to get them back. The report will be published on Friday.

The poll showed that 85 percent of MPs of the Labor Party and the Liberal Democrats support the return of the Parthenon Marbles and only the majority of the Conservative Party's MPs, which has 174 seats in the present British Parliament, support keeping the historic monuments at the British Museum.

The "Economist" comments that "while pressures on Britain to return the Elgin Marbles are increasing, British excuses not to return them are continuously wearing thin."

[11] Athens and Paris mayors sign friendship and cooperation protocol

PARIS, 17/03/2000 (ANA - O. Tsipira)

"The importance of signing (this protocol) is especially great, if we take into account that the two capital cities have two points in common, culture and history, which we are obliged to protect," Tiberi said. "In parallel with the protection of our heritage, we should adopt our cities to the modern world, securing a quality of life in the sectors that are of concern today, that is the environment, security, social solidarity. These are problems, which we confront with the same spirit," he said, adding, "the signing of the protocol will contribute to the strengthening of bonds and greater cooperation between the two cities".

Paris is a candidate city for the 2008 Olympic Games. In this light Tiberi noted that he was planning to visit Athens in order to learn of the Greek experience in successfully biding for the 2004 Games. On his part, Avramopoulos stressed that the importance of signing the protocol is only equaled by the fact that it was signed during the summit of the mayors from around the world.

"The mayors of the most important cities are expected to exchange opinions, experiences and delineate common policies for the future of cities, as well as on ways to confront the internal problems of local societies, by solutions based on new developments, which have been created on a social and cultural level," Avramopoulos said.

"This is an important initiative Paris undertook, on which Greece was informed a year ago, and for this reason we had a particularly active presence," he concluded

[12] NY Mayor Giuliani pays courtesy call on Archbishop Dimitrios of America

NEW YORK, 17/03/2000 (ANA-M. Georgiadiou)

After the 45-minute meeting, the two officials said they had a warm and cordial discussion that focused on the importance and role of the Greek Orthodox Church and its position in New York and the World.

Giuliani told reporters after the meeting that they had had a "very interesting" discussion that covered "the influence of the Greek Orthodox Church and its significant contribution to our city, under the spiritual leadership of the Archbishop".

"We had many matters to discuss about New York, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the situation in Cyprus", Giuliani said.

He said it gave him great pleasure to meet the Archbishop, adding his believe that "religion is the source of strength for the inhabitants of our city".

"One of the reasons that make New York stand out is that it hosts so many different manners of worship. The Greek Orthodox Church has contributed greatly to the city," Giuliani said.

Archbishop Dimitrios said the discussion had been of substance and "not at all a formality".

We spoke of the ecumenical role of New York, this cosmopolitan megalopolis, that is flourishing under the leadership of Mayor Giuliani," Dimitrios said.

Replying to questions, Giuliani said he was looking forward to marching in the huge Greek Independence Day Parade held annually on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

"It is one of the parades in New York that attracts many people not only from the city, but also from neighboring cities and states, even visitors from abroad. It is a big celebration and reflects the influence and contribution of the Greek-Americans," Giuliani said.

The visit was given wide coverage by the local media, as Giuliani is running for the state's seat in the Senate against First Lady Hillary Rodham-Clinton.

Dimitrios was enthroned in September 1999 as the sixth Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America since its establishment in 1922.

[13] Hellenism in north and south America will celebrate 1821 national anniversary

Athens, 17/03/2000 (ANA)

"One hundred and seventy-nine whole years have passed since our enslaved ancestors stood their ground and heroically shouted Freedom or Death against Greece's four-century occupation by the Ottoman Turks," said the Vice President of the Council of Hellenes Abroad and coordinator of the North and South America region Christos Tomaras.

"This year's celebration is not only historical but symbolic as well, since it is leading us to a new period of vigilance, a new century of memory of our heroic past as Greeks," he added.

[14] In show of solidarity for Serbian people, Greek Embassy in Belgrade will not host Independence Day reception

BELGRADE, 17/03/2000 (ANA - M. Mouratidis)

The money, which was to be used for the reception, will go instead to regions bordering Kosovo, for the needs of inhabitants whose homes have sustained serious damage from bombardments and for the needs of Serbian refugees from Kosovo.

The Greek Consulate in Montenegro will do likewise.

[15] Rail and shipping links to be created with Turkey

Athens, 17/03/2000 (ANA)

The links concern the Thessaloniki-Istanbul railway line and the Volos-Padirma shipping route. The two links will enable a big part of Turkish goods, using French and Italian ports at present, to be channeled to markets in western Europe through the Greek railway network.

Magriotis said the European Union's Helsinki summit did not only have positive repercussions for the country's national issues, but also provides the possibility of developing multifaceted economic relations between the two countries.

[16] Spider company provides municipalities and communities with eight modern fire engines

Athens, 17/03/2000 (ANA)

Spider, headquartered in the city of Ioannina, northern Greece, is also active in the sector of refuse management systems. It is already completing delivery of 500 wheeled garbage bins for the municipality of Paleo Phaliro, worth 48 million drachmas, while it has also signed a contract to provide the municipality of Halandri with 1,000 such bins worth 90 million drachmas.

Production of metal parts for the Mercedes Jeep is also underway for the armed forces in cooperation with the German Daimler Chrysler company and the Hellenic Vehicles Industry.

[17] Univ. of Athens to honor noted British archaeologist

Athens, 17/03/2000 (ANA)

Prof. Sinclair Hood, considered by his peers as a successor to pioneering 19th century archaeologist and Minoan civilization scholar Sir Arthur Evans, will speak on the topic of "Sir Arthur and the Palace of Knossos" at the event, where he will be bestowed an honorary doctorate by the university's history and philosophy faculty.

Hood, a prolific author and published scholar, is renowned as the dean of British archaeologists focusing on the prehistoric Aegean, while he was the director of the British Archaeological School in Athens for many years.

Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article