Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 01-01-31

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

CONTENTS

[01] National economy minister responds to main opposition call for his resignation

[02] US verbal protest over Kaklamanis' comments draws Athens response

[03] Gov't won't invoke party discipline in constitutional revision vote

[04] Planes depart with humanitarian aid for India

[05] PM inaugurates volunteer program for Athens 2004 Olympics

[06] Simitis still most appropriate for premier, poll shows

[07] FM Papandreou says Europe should return to its humanitarian values

[08] Press minister says National Radio and TV Council has responsibility for transparency issues since 1996

[09] Bulgarian environment minister says Strymonas and Nestos rivers not polluted with uranium

[10] Those who pollute or waste water will have to pay

[11] PASOK Central Committee Secretary and Coalition leader discuss revision of Constitution, electoral law

[12] Armed forces map exercise to be held in February

[13] Religion to be registered in certificates only for legal reasons

[14] Structural funds aid economic development, cohesion in EU, but differences persist

[15] EU agriculture ministers agree that spinal cord should be removed from meat of bovines

[16] Franchising business grows steadily in Greece

[17] Government spokesman says government's election commitment to increase minimum pension will be met

[18] Public works ministry says new Athens airport at Spata will operate in March

[19] Cyprus Airways to submit proposal to participate in privatization of OA

[20] Agrotica 2001 officially opens on Wednesday

[21] Fixed-line telephones will have 10 digits as of 2002

[22] Greek stocks rebound strongly on ASE

[23] Florida runaway lured to Greece through Internet traced to Athens

[24] Power restored throughout northern Greece, DEH reports

[25] Greek film industry to participate in Berlin Film Festival

[26] Vartholomeos expected on Dodecannese isle in August

[27] Illegal Turkish Cypriot court adjourns hearing of Greek Cypriot

[01] National economy minister responds to main opposition call for his resignation

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

Responding to NDs call for his resignation during a discussion of a no confidence vote against him, Papantoniou said that the motives of ND in tabling the no confidence motion are transparent.

The success of the economic policy of the government of PASOK, during the (premiership of late) Andreas Papandreou and (currently) Costas Simitis, have aggravated the main opposition party, especially when comparisons are made between ours and their performance, the minister said.

ND can not find anything to accuse the government with, thus it found an issue and a front to open, the front of the ASE. This (action) is not taken in any other Parliament. You are an international exception of irresponsibility. You should think of the small investors," he said.

I condemn ND for its tactics and state that the economic policy of the government, with my responsibility at coordinating it, will continue on firmly leading the course of the economy, while supporting the stock exchange, he concluded.

ND deputy Giorgos Alogoskoufis, speaking on behalf of his party, called for the resignation of the minister and all those responsible and asked for the prosecution of all those that made the Athens Stock Exchange non-credible.

He said that the drop of the stock index, at the ASE from over 5000 points to close to 3000 points within a year, was a major political and social issue and accused the government, for what he called entrapment of investors in the pre election period, resulting in about a million people being financially trapped in the ASE.

He also claimed that during the pre election period the government used state owned banks and the state property management agency (DEKA) to intervene in the ASE stock price index.

Alogoskoufis, in his conclusion, proposed measures to secure transparency in the ASE and called for structural changes to the economy, such as deregulation of markets.

Communist Party of Greece (KKE) deputy Antonis Skyllakos quoted Karl Marx saying "the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) is the whorehouse of capitalism," showing his party's view of both the policies of the government and the main opposition New Democracy's (ND) call for the resignation of National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou.

Coalition of the Left and Progress representative Panayiotis Lafazanis on Tuesday said in Parliament he will vote for the main opposition New Democracy party's vote of censure against National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, saying the government has huge responsibilities regarding the "trapping" of thousands of small investors.

"For the first time in such a small period of time such a big transfer of wealth took place with a forceful unequal distribution against popular incomes, which started with the austerity policies of the past decade," Lafazanis said.

Authorities reject opposition accusations over bourse: The Capital Markets Commission on Tuesday rejected allegations by Miltiades Evert, a former leader of the main opposition New Democracy (ND) party, that it was culpable of mismanagement that contributed to a lasting slump on the Athens Stock Exchange.

Without naming Evert in its statement, the commission said that it had strictly adhered to the law on entry requirements for new listings on the Athens bourse, and for share capital rises by firms already quoted.

Evert had told a news conference on Monday that part of the reason for the market's decline was a 'scandalous' use of procedures for bourse entry and share capital rises.

He said that dubious share capital rises were held over the past 16 months that were endorsed by the capital markets commission, citing a series of decisions he claimed had led to an unbridled corporate hunt for capital that was unwarranted by the companies' financial performance.

The ND deputy criticized the commission for abolishing restrictions on the amount of capital each firm could seek; easing conditions for bourse entry; and failing to check out companies that repeatedly made false public statements about their in-vestment plans.

The capital markets commission rejected the argument, saying that entry requirements to the bourse had been made tougher with a rise in the minimum shareholders' equity a company had to demonstrate it possessed.

Evert also blasted market entry share prices that he said bore no relation to reality. The commission countered by saying that the setting of entry prices was in the hands of a firm's underwriters, and it had no right to intervene.

Evert presented a table of the prices of 34 stocks belonging to 28 companies that in 2000 showed losses ranging between 84 percent and 94 percent of their value, and called for a detailed auditing of the finances of each, and an account of how the capital they raised from the bourse had been used.

The commission said that the shares Evert named represented only 4.5 percent of the Athens bourse's capitalization on January 3, 2000, and only 1.0 percent on January 3, 2001.

In addition, none of the companies whose stocks were cited appeared in the bourse's general index, or in the FTSE/ASE 20 or FTSE/ASE 40 indexes.

Finally, only one of the firms Evert cited had held a share capital increase in a public offer between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2000, while 13 had had boosted their share capital on behalf of existing shareholders or to abolish preference rights.

Of a total of 189 billion drachmas the 13 companies raised, 167 billion drachmas, or 88 percent of the amount, had been allocated by September 30, 2000, the commission added.

[02] US verbal protest over Kaklamanis' comments draws Athens response

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

In Athens, the acting government spokesman said Greece's ambassador to Washington Alexander Philon told a State Department official that the Greek government does not comment on statements by the Parliament president.

Speaking on Friday in Athens after a meeting with a visiting US Congressional delegation, Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis told reporters that "it is not possible for the United States to act as prosecutor and for Greece to take on the role of the accused; nor for terrorism to be used as a lever to exert pressure on a diplomatic or an economic level, such as in the case of the 2004 Olympics."

According to an ANA dispatch from Washington late Monday evening, State Department officials took exception with Kaklamanis' criticism of the way the Congressional delegation pressed US demands regarding the problem of terrorism in Greece.

An unnamed State Department official criticized Kaklamanis' statements as "outrageous" and described them as "surprising".

The same US official said Washington has repeatedly avoided publicly criticizing Greece over terrorism and that statements like those made by Greece's Parliament president adversely affect bilateral cooperation, "which is very good..."

Government spokesman Telemachos Hytiris echoed that statement in a response to a press question, saying Greek-US relations are excellent and that Athens looks to even more expanded cooperation, particularly in combating organized crime and terrorism.

[03] Gov't won't invoke party discipline in constitutional revision vote

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

Specifically, acting government spokesman Telemachos Hytiris said that "toeing the party line" would not be invoked in voting for an amendment outlawing Parliament deputies' professional activities, or, a controversial amendment to Article 24 - the all-important provision for protecting forest lands.

Environmentalists to encircle Parliament in act of protest: Environmentalist organizations are to encircle the Parliament building at Syntagma Square on Wednesday in protest over the amendment of articles of the Constitution concerning the environment.

During the debate in Parliament on Wednesday of the proposal of the review of Article 24, environmentalist and other organizations will encircle Parliament as a symbolic protest action.

The demonstrators are demanding that the remaining forests in the country be protected following the catastrophic fires and arsons, which have occurred during the past few years.

[04] Planes depart with humanitarian aid for India

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

Greece has also decided to offer food, medicines, blankets and the sum of 100 million drachmas to the quake-stricken country.

[05] PM inaugurates volunteer program for Athens 2004 Olympics

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

Called "Volunteerism - Athens 2004", the campaign aims to raise public awareness regarding the importance of volunteers to the success of the Games.

In his speech, the prime minister said that the government was looking to muster 60,000 people to help organize the Games and would be spending 25 billion drachmas on a volunteering program undertaken jointly by the government and the Athens 2004 Olympics Organizing Committee (ATHOC).

Main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis also addressed the gathering, saying that his party considered the Olympic Games a common cause for all Greeks and had already prepared its own campaign to inform the public.

ATHOC chairwoman Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki outlined the four phases of the volunteer program, which would begin with a campaign to raise public awareness, provide information on all parameters of the program and keep the public interested until the Games were over. The second phase would be to set up a strategic body to implement the volunteering program, the third to draw up an action plan and finally to put the results to the test in 2004 itself, initially through "test events" and finally during the Games themselves.

Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos, whose ministry is the government's chief liaison with ATHOC for the Olympics preparations, said that the public's contribution to the Olympics was a matter of sensitivity but also of society in general.

"Through this effort we will emerge stronger, more organized and with more pride," he said.

Regarding Greece's Olympic medal winners, who will act as the "messengers" of the volunteer movement for 2004, he said that they had already begun their work and had much to offer, since they were in the limelight.

"A society, no matter what problems it faces, can find itself through such processes," he added.

"The Volunteer Movement is capable of adding a greater dimension to the Olympic ideals. All of society must be mobilized. Volunteerism will provide the warmth that must be evident throughout the Games and a sense of hospitality, joint responsibility and cooperation."

[06] Simitis still most appropriate for premier, poll shows

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

In the second part of a V-PRC nationwide poll appearing in Tuesday's edition of TA NEA daily newspaper, Simitis was considered the most appropriate for prime minister with 32.4 percent, followed by main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis with 26.6 percent and Avramopoulos with 20.7 percent.

Avramopoulos was also thought positively of by 56.5 percent of respondents, against 54.1 percent for Karamanlis, 51.4 percent for Coalition of the Left and Progress (SYN) leader Nikos Constantopoulos, and 48.1 percent for Simitis.

Some 23.3 percent of respondents said Simitis gave a sense of security to the citizens, against 16.8 percent for Karamanlis and 17.2 percent for Avramopoulos.

Simitis was further seen by 25.1 percent of respondents as having a leader personality, against 21.1 percent for Avramopoulos and 15.4 percent for Karamanlis, while 19.9 percent said that Simitis had a vision for the country, against 21 percent for Avramopoulos and 18.4 percent for Karamanlis.

Also 27.1 percent considered Simitis the most efficient, against 11.6 percent for Karamanlis and 9.5 percent for Avramopoulos.

As for first-time voters, 37.9 percent said they would vote for ND, 27.6 percent for PASOK, and 24.1 percent for Avramopoulos' party.

In addition, a proportion of 16 percent of PASOK voters intended to vote for Avramopoulos' new party, 17.9 percent from ND, 12 percent from SYN, 54.5 percent from the Democratic Social Movement (DHKKI), and 3.6 percent from the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).

[07] FM Papandreou says Europe should return to its humanitarian values

STOCKHOLM, 31/01/2001 (ANA - G. Angelopoulos)

Papandreou was speaking here at the two-day International Forum against Intolerance, attended by 450 personalities from 50 countries.

"More and more people realize that a multiple identity is a positive force, it offers a sense of pride and constitutes a source of creativeness," he said.

Papandreou said all should become citizens respecting each other as people, peoples and complex persons, adding that they should unite round these values and the principles of democracy and human rights to protect the holy individuality of each.

"A policy for refugees is necessary. We should coordinate our efforts towards developing countries where poverty and gaps, technological, ecological, racial or between men and women, continue to appear. We have a mandate to cultivate the critical conscience of citizens, not only on the issue of racism, intolerance and authoritarianism, to enable them to have a deeper understanding of the wealth of being different as well," Papandreou said.

[08] Press minister says National Radio and TV Council has responsibility for transparency issues since 1996

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

Reppas, replying to the opposition's allegations of "non-transparency and vested interests", said that since 1996 the ERS has had the obligation of preparing the share owners' lists of companies which are active in the media sector and check the violations of legislation prohibiting the linkage of media owners with public contracts.

[09] Bulgarian environment minister says Strymonas and Nestos rivers not polluted with uranium

SOFIA, 31/01/2001 (ANA - B. Borisov)

Maneva was replying to a question by the Athens News Agency (ANA) during a press conference whether over the past three years there had been cases of the cross border rivers being polluted by waters polluted with radioactivity leaking from the artificial lake where refuse accumulated from the now closed "Elesnica" uranium mine near Bulgaria's border with Greece.

"I am aware that this issue has once again attracted the attention of media in Greece lately. On our part, we are ready to make measurements of these rivers' waters, in the presence of independent observers, and publicize the results immediately," Maneva said.

[10] Those who pollute or waste water will have to pay

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

Following an ministerial meeting, which chaired by Prime Minister Costas Simitis on the handing of the country's water resources, the minister said that it was decided to set up a new body, which will coordinate the role of dealing with water resources.

Three ministries are at present dealing with the water issue, while it was noted at the talks that 87 per cent of water is consumed by agriculture.

The new body will have a consultative role to the government and the decisions will be taken by the competent ministries.

Anomeritis said specific measures would be taken by the summer. It is expected that the first measure will concern the completion of the Smokovos Dam.

Taking part in the meeting were Development Minister Nikos Christodoulakis, Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis and Anomeritis.

[11] PASOK Central Committee Secretary and Coalition leader discuss revision of Constitution, electoral law

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

Constantopoulos said that the existing electoral system reinforced the center-right majority instead of the progressive forces the country needed. Proportional representation, he added, was the cornerstone for developments and could be introduced within the framework of revising the Constitution.

Skandalidis, on the other hand, said there was a need for radical change to the political system in the country and that revising the Constitution was the first step in this direction. The question of election laws, he added, would be considered in depth after the revision of the Constitution.

[12] Armed forces map exercise to be held in February

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

The purpose of the exercise is to train the members on handling crisis situations and the coordination of operations.

The exercise will be under the command of National Defense General Staff Chief General Manoussos Paragioudakis.

[13] Religion to be registered in certificates only for legal reasons

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

A document addressed by the interior ministry's General Administrative Support Department to municipalities and communities, including this paragraph, briefs relevant agencies on the issue of religion being registered in certificates issued by municipalities and communities concerning new identity cards.

Religion can only be listed in a certificate provided a legal reason exists. Such a legal reason only exists in the event religion, according to law, constitutes a precondition for exercising a right such as the certificate being used for enrolment at a Greek Orthodox academy for priesthood. On the other hand, if it is requested for the issuing of an identity card it should not be listed.

[14] Structural funds aid economic development, cohesion in EU, but differences persist

BRUSSELS, 310/01/2001 (ANA - V. Demiris)

The report of the Commission, to be published on Wednesday, focused on the economic and social cohesion of the Union and was conducted in light of the opinions to be submitted by member-states on the future of the Funds.

Following the current budget of the structural funds, which was planned until 2006, decisions for the economic and social cohesion will not be taken by consensus.

Greece receives 3.5 per cent of its current GDP from the Union structural funds the highest among recipients and compared to Portugal's 3.3 per cent and Spain's 1.5 per cent.

The funds allocated to Greece, Portugal and Spain amount to 10 per cent of the total Union investment.

The same report, also, stated that 20 per cent of Greeks and 25 per cent of Portuguese citizens live under the poverty line, which is defined as earnings amounting to less than 60 per cent of the median national GDP.

"Unemployment in Greece, Spain, France, Italy and Finland reached at 10 per cent, about double that of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria and Portugal," the report noted.

[15] EU agriculture ministers agree that spinal cord should be removed from meat of bovines

BRUSSELS, 31/01/2001 (ANA - Y. Zitouniati)

However, the final decision at European level, meaning the implementation of the ban, will be taken by the European Commission following a recommendation by the Permanent Veterinary Committee.

The Council, at which Agriculture Minister George Anomeritis represented Greece, also ascertained that the implementation of measures decided in December to control the crisis concerning spongiform encephalopathy is being carried out by all member-states with great effectiveness, which applies the system of examining animals over 30 months old to be slaughtered with special rapid tests.

On the question of spongiform encephalopathy checks regarding Greece, it was mentioned that the systematic process of implementing rapid tests has already started and 131 such checks have been conducted so far, which proved to be negative and confirmed that the disease does not exist in the country.

In order to carry out all the checks, which have been decided, Greece will utilize the capacity of five laboratories at the present stage, which have either been suitably equipped or are currently being equipped and provided with the necessary staff.

[16] Franchising business grows steadily in Greece

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

The report said that franchising businesses totalled 247 currently, from 200 in 1998, an increase of 23.5 percent, leading to optimistic forecasts for the future of the sector.

Commerce accounted for 43.9 percent of the total franchising business, manufacturing accounted for 29.3 percent and other services for the remaining 26.8 percent.

A 63 percent of Greek franchising businesses begun their operation after 1995, the report said.

ICAP's survey reveals that 96.3 percent of businesses will seek to raise their network in the near future, 54.8 percent of them said they would implement their expansion plans through franchising, 2.7 percent of them through their own means and 42.5 percent said they would use both ways.

A total of 27.9 percent of franchising businesses said they faced problems in finding the right partners and funding, while one in four said they faced no particular problems.

The survey was conducted in January on 82 franchising business around the country.

[17] Government spokesman says government's election commitment to increase minimum pension will be met

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

Hytiris said 2001 has not come to an end yet, letting it be understood that the pension increases, whenever they are announced, will have a retroactive nature.

In a related development, representatives of pensioners' trade unions will be meeting Prime Minister Costas Simitis in February, according to a promise given on Tuesday to a delegation of demonstrating pensioners by Minister of State Miltiades Papaioannou and Deputy Social Insurances Minister Nikos Farmakis who received a memorandum listing their claims.

Earlier, pensioners' organizations organized a rally in Kaningos Square and marched to the Maximos Mansion.

Trade unionists expressed displeasure over not being able to meet Simitis and underlined their main claims. Minimum pensions should be extended to 152,000 drachmas for all pensioners having a smaller pension, pensions should be relinked to 20 wages paid to an unskilled worker, insurance funds should withdraw their capital from the Athens Stock Exchange and free medical treatment should be provided.

[18] Public works ministry says new Athens airport at Spata will operate in March

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

Liaskas further said "nothing will happen to the country if we delay the delivery of the new airport a few months. This issue cannot take the nature of a personal game and of personal wagers."

Deputy Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Nasos Alevras, replying to Liaskas, said "specious" postponements are not necessary for the new airport to operate and that the project will be enjoyed by all Greeks in a few days.

Transport and Communications Minister Christos Verelis referred to the issue of the new airport without focusing on time.

"The Spata airport will not operate either with sports terms or with political terms. It will operate with technical terms and you should be certain that it will operate excellently," Verelis said.

Airport-affiliated employees rally for runway, claim projected park too expensive: Several Athens airport-affiliated workers' federations, including employees from airline companies and the civil aviation authority, scheduled a rally at the facility on Tuesday to protest what they called the planned dismantling of the decades-old airport's main runway.

A new international airport - one of the largest in the eastern Mediterranean -- is in the final stages of construction at the Spata site, east of Athens, a prospect that severely lessens the importance of the current state-run facility and opens the way for alternative uses of its land.

However, representatives of the various federations charged that law enforcement, defense and airborne ambulance services operate out of the current airport, while it also serves as the operational and technical base for the rest of the country's 42 airports and 80 "helipads".

Union representatives also claimed that the creation of a "metropolitan park" at the site would cost "hundreds of billions of drachmas."

The mobilization by the airport-affiliated workers' federations apparently comes on the heels of a government decision last month to turn the current airport into a desperately needed park for the congested greater Athens area.

A high-level ministerial meeting on Dec. 19, chaired by PM Costas Simitis, also examined the possibility of hosting certain 2004 Olympics facilities in buildings vacated by airport services. Additionally, the national defense ministry was given an extension to transfer an air force unit and buildings from a base adjacent to the airport.

No information was given on the size of the projected park or if a portion of the vacated land will be used for "low density" residential housing, something that government ministers have indicated in the past.

At present, a large tract of land along southeast Athens' coastline includes two airport terminals (west and east) on opposite sides, with the runway in the middle. The same expanse hosts an airbase, a customs clearinghouse, various warehouses, depots and other outdoor auxiliary facilities, whereas the airport's southeastern quadrant borders on the concrete-laden greater Athens area's only golf course.

Flights will be redirected to the new Athens international airport (Eleftherios Venizelos) in the first half of next year.

Mayors' demand: The crucial issue of turning the outdated airport and accompanying lands into precious green space has also become a "rallying cry" for the municipalities bordering the facility.

In a press conference last month, mayors of four adjacent municipalities called for a "direct and sincere" answer to the question of the airport being turned into a metropolitan park for the greater Athens area, or, as they noted, "if curtailments (real estate development) will begin in order to find revenue."

One of the mayors, Alimos municipality's Alexandros Aloukos, emphasized that per capita green space for a resident of the greater Athens area equals a pitiful 2.5 square meters; as opposed to 50 in Washington D.C., 30 in Sofia, 25 in Vienna, 13 in Berlin, 10 in Rome and nine square meters for residents of London.

He added that turning the roughly 650 hectares of land now used by the airport into a park will increase that average to four square meters per resident, an increase of nearly 60 percent.

Representatives from the four municipalities - Argyroupolis, Glyfada and Hellenikon are the other three - have in the past criticized what they called "vague points" in the law passed to transfer the airport, while proposing that its management be assigned to a new organization with the municipalities' participation.

[19] Cyprus Airways to submit proposal to participate in privatization of OA

NICOSIA, 31/01/2001 (CNA/ANA)

A press release, issued here by Cyprus Airways, said the airline intends to acquire a majority stake in Olympic Airways.

The business plan proposal, to be submitted in London at the headquarters of Credit Swiss which acts as consultant to the Greek state, is not binding for Cyprus Airways nor does it raise any obligations for the airline at this stage.

Cyprus Airways hopes to be at the center of a consortium of Cypriot, Greek and foreign investors with a view to obtain over fifty per cent of stakes in Olympic Airways.

[20] Agrotica 2001 officially opens on Wednesday

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

Agrotica is one of the three biggest farm trade fairs in Europe, and the biggest in southeastern Europe, attracting thousands of exhibitors and visitors from Greece and abroad.

This year's fair, to close on Sunday, February 4, will coincided with the announcement by the Agriculture Ministry of the government's agricultural policy and its plans of distributing funds from a Third Community Support Framework to the farm sector.

Agriculture Minister George Anomeritis will inaugurate this year's Agrotica.

A total of 1,135 exhibitors from Greece and abroad and five countries (Albania, Bulgaria, Italy, Poland and Spain) participate in this year's fair. Helexpo has organized some very interesting events during the fair, such as internet applications in farming, bio-agriculture and agro-tourism.

[21] Fixed-line telephones will have 10 digits as of 2002

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

The change was considered necessary to meet the country's needs for many years since more than 80 numbers will correspond to each subscriber. Implementation of the plan will be carried out in four stages to familiarize citizens and will be completed in 2002.

[22] Greek stocks rebound strongly on ASE

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

Traders said buyers reappeared in the market the day after the Greek market recorded its lowest turnover in the last three years.

A report by Salomon Smith Barney that the market's P/E ratio would fall to 14.2 this year, a level particularly attractive compared with other European markets, also contributed in the creation of a positive climate in the market.

The general index ended 3.12 percent higher at 3,139.70 points, near its day's highs, with turnover an improved 129.153 million euros, or 44.009 billion drachmas.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended 3.08 percent higher at 1,833.04 points, and the FTSE/ASE 40 index jumped 3.79 percent to 329.79 points.

Sector indices ended as follows: Banks: 6,871.57 +3.13% Leasing: 495.79 +4.33% Insurance: 1,217.17 +1.33% Investment: 1,280.36 +3.46% Construction: 1,261.60 +3.97% Industrials: 1,877.71 +3.67% Miscellaneous: 2,138.95 +5.54% Holding: 3,237.83 +2.94%

The parallel market index for smaller capitalization stocks ended 3.66 percent up at 257.32 points.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 322 to 23 with another 11 issues unchanged.

Alpha Bank, Panafon, Hellenic Telecoms and Hellenic Bottling were the most heavily traded stocks.

Leading shares' closing prices (in euros): National Bank: 38.18 Alpha Bank: 33.82 Commercial Bank: 49.26 Eurobank: 20.34 Piraeus Bank: 15.02 Lambrakis Press: 9.34 Altec: 6.14 Titan Cement (c): 38.30 Hellenic Telecoms: 16.72 Panafon: 7.34 Hellenic Petroleum: 9.72 Attica Enterprises: 6.06 Intracom: 18.96 Minoan Lines: 5.10 Viohalco: 10.48 Hellenic Bottling: 18.62

Equity futures end higher, tracking Athens bourse: Equity futures traded on the Athens Derivatives Exchange finished higher on Tuesday, in line with the bourse indices on which they are based, traders said.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index closed 3.09 percent up, and the FTSE/ASE 40 ended 3.79 percent higher.

Turnover was 57.9 million euros on 7,833 contracts traded, the dealers said.

Bond prices edge up in moderate trade: Bond prices in the domestic secondary market on Tuesday finished slightly higher in moderate trade with interest focusing on 15-year paper, dealers said.

The new Greek benchmark 10-year bond showed a yield of 5.39 percent, the same as a day earlier.

The yield spread over German bunds was 58 basis points from 54 basis points in the session before.

Turnover through the central bank's electronic system totalled 530 million euros (about 180.5 billion drachmas) from 870 million euros (around 297 billion drachmas) in the trading day before.

Buy orders accounted for around 65 percent of turnover.

Euro/dollar reference rate stable below 92 cents: The European Central Bank set its reference euro/dollar rate at 91.97 cents on Tuesday, almost unchanged from Monday's 91.93 cents, maintaining the US dollar/drachma rate at 370.50 drachmas.

The ECB also set the euro/yen rate at 107.38 yen (3.17 drachmas), the euro/sterling at 62.98 pence (541.04 drachmas), the euro/Swiss franc at 1.5204 francs and the euro/Cyprus pound rate at 57.85 cents (589.02 drachmas).

[23] Florida runaway lured to Greece through Internet traced to Athens

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

Greek police announced that 15-year-old Lindsey Erin Shamrock -- reported as missing from the township of Mulberry, south of Tampa, since late August - entered Greece in mid-September by using a 17-year-old friend's passport.

Authorities in Polk County, Florida, have already issued an arrest warrant for Franz-Konstantin Baehring, a German man who resides in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, on charges of interfering with parental custody.

A search of Baehring's revealed that he left for Athens several days ago, while Shamrock is believed to have sent e-mails from an "Internet cafe" in the Greek capital recently.

Shamrock and Baehring apparently communicated over the Internet several months before she ran away from home, police said.

[24] Power restored throughout northern Greece, DEH reports

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

DEH's latest update said that the blackout had extended from central and eastern Macedonia to all of Thrace and had been caused by an as yet unidentified malfunction at a unit in Oreokastro, Thessaloniki.

According to DEH, the second blackout at 3:35 p.m. had only affected the city and prefecture of Thessaloniki, not all of northern Greece as previously reported.

[25] Greek film industry to participate in Berlin Film Festival

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

The greatest event will the big Greek cinema panorama concerning the presentation of 60 films, covering the 1930-2000 period, at the Frankfurt International Book Exhibition on October 10-14, where the country to be honored this year will be Greece.

[26] Vartholomeos expected on Dodecannese isle in August

Athens, 310/01/2001 (ANA)

Vartholomeos may also visit nearby Rhodes as well.

All of the Dodecannese's Greek Orthodox Metropolitans are expected to gather on Nisyros for Vartholomeos' visit, as the bishoprics in the Greek island chain of the southwestern Aegean fall under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

[27] Illegal Turkish Cypriot court adjourns hearing of Greek Cypriot

An illegal court in the northern areas of Cyprus, occupied by Turkey since 1974, on Tuesday adjourned until February 8 a so-called hearing to decide whether to free on bail a Greek Cypriot, abducted last December and "charged" with drug possession.

The illegal court took the decision to give the so-called attorney general's office time to examine a file handed over by Panicos Tziakourmas' Turkish Cypriot lawyer and to enable the Greek Cypriot, who is a diabetic, to be taken to hospital for medical observation.

The 70-page file includes pictures and documentation from the British Bases police, who compiled a report on the abduction since Tziakourmas was abducted from well within the area of one of the two military bases Britain has retained on the island since Cyprus gained its independence in 1960.

The British police last week held a reconstruction of the events that took place on December 13, proving that Tziakourmas was abducted from an area under their control and was taken from his car by force and against his will.

The evidence gathered by the Bases also proves that Tziakourmas did not possess drugs, as claimed by the illegal regime in the island's occupied north.

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