Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 01-08-10

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK secretary unveils party charter proposal

[02] Government spokesman accuses ND department chiefs of incorrigible nostalgia of the past

[03] Nationwide network for monitoring diseases to be set up

[04] Gov't to adopt seven measures to boost Skyros tourism

[05] Sofia gov't calls fringe group's claims 'absurd, outrageous'

[06] Cyprus President to go on Greek islands holiday

[07] Budget revenues exceed target in July

[08] Greece launches international tender for Mont Parnes hotel-casino

[09] Skaramangas Shipyards sale procedure questioned

[10] Weak banks push Greek stocks lower

[11] Students in FYROM receive certificates for learning Greek

[12] New round of UN-led talks expected to start Sept. 4 or 6, according to reliable sources

[01] PASOK secretary unveils party charter proposal

Athens, 10/08/2001 (ANA)

The proposal is reportedly based on deliberations at a series of recent meetings by the ruling party’s charter committee, complete with observations by party leader and Prime Minister Costas Simitis included in the text drawn up by PASOK Secretary Costas Skandalidis.

The proposal will again be considered by the relevant charter committee at its two upcoming conferences – Aug. 21 and 23 – and before it is forwarded to PASOK’s Central Committee at the end of the month. The last stage is for a finalized text to be submitted by the Central Committee and tabled at the ruling party’s stepped up congress in October.

According to Skandalidis, the basic changes envisioned for the party’s charter revolve a-round three axes: a return to the party’s grass roots; a new regional structure as well as more a collective effort to shape PASOK’s political direction.

Calls to expand the number of Central Committee members from 180 to 500 or even 600 cadres, as well as the method of electing the party’s president and secretary at the upcoming congress were not included in the publicized proposal.

Skandalidis said the reactivation of the "progressive citizen" in the political sector and PASOK's opening to society constitute the targets of the ruling party's new charter.

"Changes have one target: To open PASOK to society. They have a target of appealing to the ordinary citizen, PASOK's voter, the progressive man who wants to preoccupy him-self again with politics and to find, through these ranks, changes and decisions, the way to participate in political action, to decide on what concerns him and to substantively shape the policy of the great progressive and democratic party," he said.

Referring to those desiring early elections, Skandalidis said "at ND (the main opposition New Democracy party) they will be waiting for the elections for at least two summers and three winters", adding that the vision of early elections "appears more like a midsummer night's dream."

[02] Government spokesman accuses ND department chiefs of incorrigible nostalgia of the past

Athens, 10/08/2001 (ANA)

"Really, who is not aware that PASOK's government has been applying the objective way of hiring in the public sector for years, as is the case in every modern democracy? However, the old-party mentality of New Democracy, unfortunately, also characterizes its shadow, in name and reality, government," Hytiris said.

[03] Nationwide network for monitoring diseases to be set up

Athens, 10/08/2001 (ANA)

The new Crisis Management Team will collect information from an electronic network hooked up to health services, agencies and local Health departments throughout Greece, recording outbreaks of food-related, water-related and other contagious diseases.

The information will be processed at KEEL, whose crisis management team will advise on the risks and ways of containment. The new system will also allow for full records and statistical analysis of disease outbreaks.

According to health ministry general secretary Christos Sofianos, the ministry's priorities are to "monitor and shield the country from epidemics".

One part of KEEL's revised remit will be strategic planning and research of diseases in the community, such as hepatitis, HIV infection, diseases affecting migrant populations, diseases affecting humans and animals and tuberculosis.

Other areas of activity will be the handling of hazards in hospitals and other areas for providing care, such as bacterial resistance, hospital-related disease, strategic use of antibiotics and work-place accidents.

[04] Gov't to adopt seven measures to boost Skyros tourism

Athens, 10/08/2001 (ANA)

The series of measures, which the Ministry of Development, in cooperation with other ministries, is getting set to adopt, include state intervention in banks, and other authorized organizations, to facilitate a series of actions for businesses on Skyros that have outstanding debts.

The state also plans to provide technical support and substantive policies from the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) so that small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) are included in the programs designed at strengthening the island's tourism industry.

In addition, the Ministry of Development plans to promote tourism on the island, through the Social Tourism program, as well as at the same time subsidizing holidays for Skyros workers, fund and provide technical assistance and push forward a promotional campaign designed at promoting travel to the island with the cooperation of local authorities.

Finally, direct flights to the island will be available to northern Greeks via the Macedonia Airport in Thessaloniki, and hydrofoils from Piraeus will sail Athenian inhabitants to the island in an effort to boost weekend tourism.

[05] Sofia gov't calls fringe group's claims 'absurd, outrageous'

SOFIA, 10/08/2001 (ANA - B. Borisov)

"Prime Minister of Bulgaria Simeon Saxe- Coburg-Gotha does not know anything about such an organization. We believe (this action) is a wanton effort at misappropriating his (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) name and title," an official statement issued by the Sofia government's cabinet read.

The Bulgarian cabinet also dismissed the assertion that the new prime minister, the ex-king Simeon II, supports the up until this week unknown group, named "Bulgarian Human Rights in Macedonia", whereas Sofia also called the published claims "absurd and outrageous".

A government press and public relations service in Sofia also noted, in a release, that Saxe-Coburg-Gotha has repeated expressed his desire to work towards the further development of Greek-Bulgarian relations and stability throughout the Balkans.

Earlier in the week, the Greek government had downplayed the peculiar first appearance, through a letter published in the Athens daily "To Ethnos", of the previously unknown organization in northern Greece, which claimed to represent a "Bulgarian minority" in this country as well as in the neighboring Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Asked about the matter during a regular press briefing in Athens on Tuesday, the government spokesman said: "I believe that it's ill-advised to give such emphasis on the isolated views of someone or some fringe elements who, from time to time, send letters outlining their fantasies over the existence of minorities in northern Greece".

On her part, high-ranking main opposition New Democracy deputy and former minister Dora Bakoyianni -- in charge of the party's foreign affairs portfolio -- termed the claims put forth by the group as ludicrous, while calling for a clarification by the newly elected Bulgarian leadership.

[06] Cyprus President to go on Greek islands holiday

NICOSIA, 10/08/2001 (ANA)

[07] Budget revenues exceed target in July

Athens, 10/08/2001 (ANA)

The report said that budget revenues exceeded targets by 71 billion drachmas in the first sixth months of the year.

Tax agencies revenues totalled 935 billion drachmas in July, for an increase of 5.66 percent compared with the same month last year, or 5.071 trillion drachmas in the first seven months of 2001 (up 6.83 percent compared with a growth target of 0.3 percent).

Customs revenues totalled 297 billion, up 10.61 percent, or 1.699 trillion drachmas (an increase of 4.59 percent).

State revenues from dividends in state controlled enterprises totalled 799 billion drachmas, up 44.5 percent from the same period last year, creating a surplus of 67 billion drachmas.

Value added tax revenues totalled 244 billion drachmas, up 12.7 percent, or 1.510 trillion drachmas in the January-July period, up 10.7 percent.

[08] Greece launches international tender for Mont Parnes hotel-casino

Athens, 10/08/2001 (ANA)

Hellenic Tourist Real Estate SA, a state body managing the country's state tourist assets, said the tender will be held by its subsidiary Hellenic Mont Parnes Casino SA, a company managing and operating a casino, two hotels (with a total capacity of 433 beds) and a cable car system, covering an area of 3,000 stremmata (one stremma=1,000 square meters).

The strategic investor to be selected through the tender will take over the casino-hotel's management.

Under the terms of the tender, the state will sell an equity stake ranging from 19.9 to 51 percent according to the demand showed by investors and the results of an initial public offering by the company.

Mont Parnes is the only casino in the Attica region. The government has said it would not issue a second license.

[09] Skaramangas Shipyards sale procedure questioned

Athens, 10/08/2001 (ANA)

In an announcement, the administration of the Elefsina Shipyards leaves doubts about the procedure of selecting the highest bidder, claiming that the fiscal consultant did not indicate a highest bidder and, consequently, the board of the Hellenic Industrial Development Bank (ETBA) went ahead with the proclamation at its own responsibility.

The board of the Elefsina Shipyards, in the same announcement, calls on the bank to make clarifications and requests that all documents concerning the tender be publicized and warns of the taking of necessary measures to protect the interests and prestige of the business.

On its part, the ETBA bank points out in an announcement that it had no intention of misinforming the public, and neither did such a thing take place in the relevant press release it issued on the sale of the Hellenic Shipyards SA Company.

ETBA adds that it respects the fact that the procedure is underway and has nothing more to add.

[10] Weak banks push Greek stocks lower

Athens, 10/08/2001 (ANA)

Alpha Bank (-1.26%), EFG Eurobank (-1.10%), ETEBAbank (-2.32%) and Commercial Bank (-0.22%) led the sector's decline reflecting market disappointment over the sector's profitability.

The general index ended 0.04 percent lower at 2,634.89 points, off the day's lows of 2,614.17 points and the day's highs of 2,657.94 points.

Turnover was a low 98.68 million euros, or 33.63 billion drachmas.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended at 1,476.40 points, off 0.13 percent, the FTSE/ASE 40 index rose 0.27 percent to end at 301.39 and the FTSE/ASE SMALLCAP 80 index ended at 875.03 points, up 0.42 percent.

The parallel market index for smaller capitalization stocks ended at 258.12 points, up 0.35 percent.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 182 to 117 with another 53 issues unchanged.

Kordellos Bros, Mouriadis, Douros, VIS, Betanet, Viosol, Parnassos, Nestos, Sato and Lanacam scored the biggest percentage points (between 12.0% and 6.0%), while Alysida, Autohellas, Barba Stathis, Micromedia-Britannia, Mohlos, Vision-Sound, Neorion, Allatini Ceramic and Sfakianakis suffered the heaviest losses (between 8.36% and 3.14%).

Hellenic Telecoms (5.48 million euros), Giannousis, (5.46 million euros), National Bank (3.90 million euros), Alpha Bank (3.51 million euros) and Betanet (3.16 million euros) were the most heavily traded stocks.

Bond prices nose up in heavy trade: Bond prices in the domestic secondary market on Thursday finished slightly higher in heavy trade.

The Greek benchmark 10-year bond showed a yield of 5.35 percent, and the yield spread over German bunds was 51 basis points.

Turnover through the central bank's electronic system totalled 1.5 billion euros.

Buy orders accounted for the bulk of turnover.

Equity futures seek direction in edgy trade: Equity futures traded on the Athens Derivatives Exchange ended at a slight discount on Thursday in moderate, volatile trade.

Changing hands were 8,665 contracts on turnover of 57.8 billion drachmas.

[11] Students in FYROM receive certificates for learning Greek

Athens, 10/08/2001 (ANA)

The awards ceremony, which was held at the headquarters of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE) in Thessaloniki, was conducted in the presence of General Secretary for Hellenes Abroad Dimitris Dollis, Director of Macedonia University's Research Institute Eleftherios Skalidis, and other dignitaries from both the academic and social domains.

Following the ceremony, Dollis told reporters that the teaching of the Greek language to people of Hellenic origin, in the Balkan region, is one of the most fundamental programs offered by the General Secretariat for Hellenes Abroad and highly supported by the Greek government.

"We have an obligation to support the needs of people of Greek origin who live in these countries (Balkans), but also all those wishing to learn the Greek language," he said.

[12] New round of UN-led talks expected to start Sept. 4 or 6, according to reliable sources

NICOSIA, 10/08/2001 (CNA/ANA)

UN Secretary-General Koffi Anan is scheduled to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash on August 28, in Salzburg, Austria.

The following day Anan's special adviser on the Cyprus problem Alvaro de Soto will visit Cyprus for consultations with President Glafcos Clerides and Denktash regarding the resumption of the UN-sponsored talks.

The Peruvian diplomat is expected to stay on this eastern Mediterranean island divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion until September 1 or 2, before flying back to New York to report to the UN Chief, in view of the new round of Cyprus peace talks.

The same sources said non-papers on key aspects of the Cyprus problem are expected to be presented during the new round of talks, as happened during the previous rounds of talks.

"Denktash should give answers to the previous non-papers, according to the procedure agreed. Already the Greek Cypriot side has given answers and it expects that the new process will start from the point

Rauf Denktash withdrew, demanding recognition of his bogus-state and a change to the talks process," the sources told CNA.

"Denktash should explain the reasons of his withdrawal from the talks and which is the new element that has made him return", they added.

Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides has repeatedly expressed his readiness to participate in a new round of UN-led talks with "flexibility and in a conciliatory spirit" based on the relevant UN resolutions and human rights principles.

The United Nations were trying to bring the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides back to the negotiating table, which Denktash abandoned last year after five rounds of UN-led proximity talks.

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