Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 02-01-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] Snow-bound Greece begins path of refunctioning normally; improvement -in weather on Tuesday

[02] PM Costas Simitis arriving in New York on January 8

[03] Metropolitan officiates at waters sanctification ceremony

[04] Minister chairs meeting on Olympiad projects in Thessaloniki

[05] Initiative to ascertain fate of Bactrian treasures in Kabul

[06] Illegal immigrants found on Turkish trawler taken to Rafina

[07] Youths confess to bomb attacks on police station, church

[08] Greek and Turkish Cypriots hope for a settlement in 2002

[01] Snow-bound Greece begins path of refunctioning normally; improvement -in weather on Tuesday

Athens, 07/01/2002 (ANA)

Not all flights are taking place because some planes are frozen. Olympic Airways has established a route plan, especially for foreign destinations so as to reduce the number of passengers remaining at the airport. Efforts are continuously being made to keep open the Attica highway for the use of travelers.

Many passengers not living in the Athens area have found themselves stranded at the airport over the past two days.

Following a meeting of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, Skandalidis also said that since 19.30 p.m. Sunday, containers are gradually moving on the Athens-Lamia highway. Decision was reached for 30 snow-chained containers to be allowed to move every half an hour. The number may increase according to the remaining traffic on the national network.

The minister said that despite the snowfall in Malakasa, northern Attica, traffic was going smoothly and he praised the enormous efforts made by the Fire Brigade, police, municipal workers and volunteers to facilitate the commuters.

Skandalidis conceded there were major problems in public power corporation stations due to the fact that access to the units by technicians was difficult.

The minister said that from Monday an assessment will be made of the damages caused by the bad weather. A proposal was also accepted by the prefect of Rethymno, Crete, for his prefecture to be declared in a state of emergency.

Two elderly people died on Saturday. Evangelia Makri, 78, was found dead at 9.am Saturday morning outside a petrol station in Athens' coastal suburb of Vari. She was covered in snow. According to information, the elderly woman suffered from amnesia and possibly went out of her house in the night, resulting in her freezing to death. Theodoros Souliotis, 75, was found dead in his burnt-out home in Mytilene, on the island of Lesvos, on Saturday morning.

Firemen believe the fire had started when the elderly man tried to change the cylinder of a gas stove he used for heating purposes.

In another development, Education Minister Petros Efthimiou announced on Sunday that due to the prevailing bad weather conditions, elementary schools, secondary schools, lyceums and technical schools in the prefectures of Attica, Viotia and Evia will remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. They will reopen on Thursday. Under normal conditions, classes would have recommenced on Tuesday.

Earlier, Interior Minister Costas Skandalidis, following a marathon meeting on Sunday morning, announced that as of 1 p.m. cars driving on the Athens-Lamia motorway can drive towards Athens and as of 2.30 p.m. in the opposite direction, on condition they are fitted with snow chains.

Skandalidis also appealed to citizens to postpone their return trip to Athens until Monday since Athenians are expected to return to Athens en masse following the Christmas and New Year's holidays and traffic jams can be expected.

He acknowledged that motorists are being inconvenienced on national motorways, adding that snow ploughs are already in use and are cleaning up the national motorway from Ritsona to Agios Stephanos and between the 70th and 90th milestone in the Iliki area.

Meanwhile, the Fire Brigade termed weather conditions "unprecedented", since Athens has not been faced with a similar situation since 1963, while many regions have become isolated either due to snow or ice covering streets.

Trolley and urban buses are not running in Athens, the electric railway is scheduling trains from Piraeus to Neo Irakleio and the Athens Metro is operating as normal.

Weathermen are expecting an improvement in the weather as of Tuesday.

Attica declared in a state of emergency due to heavy snowfall: Prime Minister Costas Simitis was briefed on Saturday on the situation prevailing throughout the country due to the heavy snowstorms and low temperatures.

He was briefed at the offices of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection by Interior Minister Costas Skandalidis and deputy minister Loukas Papadimas.

Simitis said the bad weather was unprecedented, noting that Greece faced a similar but less harsh phenomenon in 1963.

The prime minister said the state was handling the situation effectively.

Simitis called on the citizens to be careful and to limit their use of cars and at the same time thanked all those who volunteered their services to tackle the phenomenon.

Skandalidis earlier in the day announced a series of measures which have been taken due to the bad weather and issued instructions to citizens on how to cope with the problems which have been created.

As of 8 a.m. Saturday, three regions, Attica, Viotia and Evia have been declared in a state of emergency, which will last until Monday morning.

In a press conference, he noted that the same weather conditions would continue in these three regions at least until Sunday afternoon.

The minister said the situation was under control and that the army, fire brigade and hospitals were on high alert.

About 150 villages throughout the country have been cut off from the snow and troops have undertaken to supply food and blankets to the inhabitants.

By order of Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos all the services of the municipality are on the alert and snow-removal vehicles have started the operation of clearing avenues and streets from the snow.

Main opposition new New Democracy (ND) party leader Costas Karamanlis on Saturday visited the Center of Operations of the Fire brigade in Halandri and was briefed on the problems faced due the unprecedented bad weather.

Karamanlis said that it was necessary for the state to take all the necessary measures to deal with the situation and help the citizens. "What is needed is coordination and action," he said.

Karamanlis had earlier chaired a meeting at ND's headquarters.

Olympic Airways creates special telephone center at airport: Olympic Airways, Greece's national carrier, announced the creation of a special telephone center (9369111) at Eleftherios Venizelos airport in Athens on Sunday to provide information on departure times or flight cancellations.

The announcement also said that, due to unfavorable weather conditions which have prevailed and are prevailing at Eleftherios Venizelos airport over the past three days, it has been impossible for it to carry out more than 150 flights, despite intensive efforts by people and machinery, resulting in unimaginable inconvenience for passengers, whose understanding it requests.

It further said that over the three-day period in question, OA took care, to the degree possible, of its passengers who stayed or who are staying at Eleftherios Venizelos, providing them with the possibility of changing tickets, getting a money refund and receiving "catering" services by those who so desired.

[02] PM Costas Simitis arriving in New York on January 8

NEW YORK, 07/01/2002 (ANA - M. Georgiadou)

Simitis and the archbishop will then be visiting Ground Zero where the latter will hold a service for the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and Simitis will be making statements.

The prime minister will attend a reception given in his honor at a Manhattan hotel afterwards by Greece's Ambassador in the United States Alexander Philon.

At 4 p.m. local time Simitis will hold a meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at the organization’s headquarters, at the end of which he will be giving a press conference for Greek and foreign newsmen.

Simitis will be leaving for Washington in the evening of January 9.

[03] Metropolitan officiates at waters sanctification ceremony

Athens, 07/01/2002 (ANA)

Despite snowfall and extremely low temperatures, crowds flocked to the Akti Miaouli area where the Holy Cross was tossed into the sea after a church service was held at the local cathedral.

At the end of the Epiphany religious service, Kallinikos, assisted by President Stephanopoulos, tossed the Holy Cross into the icy waters of the port three times.

Dignitaries attending the event made no statements and went to the town hall afterwards to attend a reception given in their honor by the mayor of Piraeus.

[04] Minister chairs meeting on Olympiad projects in Thessaloniki

Athens, 07/01/2002 (ANA)

"This period until 2004, and with the prospect extending up to 2006 which is the year in which the 3rd Community Support Framework (CSF) will be completed, the culture ministry is promoting projects amounting to 160 billion drachmas in the region of Thessaloniki," he said afterwards.

Venizelos further said that the projects are Olympic, sports, cultural and urban reformation ones, adding that the meeting focused on the course and progress of purely sports projects, many of which are linked directly to the preparation of the Olympiad and others indirectly.

[05] Initiative to ascertain fate of Bactrian treasures in Kabul

Athens, 07/01/2002 (ANA)

The matter was discussed on Sunday at a meeting chaired by Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos and attended by the archaeologist in charge of the Bactrian excavations, Prof. Viktoras Sarigiannidis, and members of the Greek Archaeological Service.

The initiative will be carried out in collaboration with UNESCO and the provisional Afghan government. The United States and the Russian Federation will also be briefed on its development.

It follows upon proposals made by Greece at the 11th meeting of UNESCO's intergovernmental committee for the return of cultural artifacts to their country of origin - which convened in March 2001 in Cambodia.

Greece has already participated in the creation of a new UNESCO fund for the return of cultural items and said it is ready to contribute to the restoration of Afghanistan's museums, the preservation and temporary storage of cultural artifacts from this country and to provide archaeological know-how.

The Greek mission will also include professor Sarigiannidis.

[06] Illegal immigrants found on Turkish trawler taken to Rafina

Athens, 07/01/2002 (ANA)

Despite bad weather conditions and gale-force winds, the vessel was led to the port of Rafina where the immigrants, 256 of whom are men, were counted and taken to the indoor stadium where food and medical attention was provided for them.

The trawler's Turkish captain, who has been detained by port authorities, said the vessel had set out from Izmir, Turkey, two days ago with Greece as its destination.

[07] Youths confess to bomb attacks on police station, church

Athens, 07/01/2002 (ANA)

The five, aged between 18 and 23, were arrested on Friday night after throwing two homemade explosive devices in the district of Paramythia. No damage was caused to buildings or cars.

The youths were identified as Thomas Godoras, 22, Grigoris Liaros, 18, Theodoros Pavlou, 19, Lambros Kontos, 23 and Spyridonas Kouroutis, 18.

After intensive interrogation, they also confessed to having placed homemade explosive devices outside a police station and a church in Paramythia. The police station was attacked on December 15 and the church in the early hours of New Year's Day. The explosions caused material damage but there were no injuries.

According to sources, the youths threw the bomb at the police station to take revenge on the police for repeatedly giving them parking tickets. They also attacked the church to disorientate the police from their enquiries.

[08] Greek and Turkish Cypriots hope for a settlement in 2002

NICOSIA, 07/01/2002 (CNA/ANA)

The bicommunal event, organized by Greek and Turkish Cypriot political parties, was marked with success as about 300 politicians, academics and artists from both communities as well as foreign diplomats showed up to wish each other a happy new year. They underlined the importance of such get-togethers that contribute to a better understanding and to the common wish for a unified Cyprus within the EU.

Ambassador of the Slovak Republic Dusan Rozbora, whose country organizes on a regular basis the bicommunal political party meetings, expressed the hope that the New Year would bring both communities together in a course towards Europe.

General Secretary of opposition AKEL Demetris Christofias stressed the importance of such events for the common efforts to reach a settlement of the Cyprus question as well as for a common and unified homeland.

Ruling Democratic Rally Deputy President Panayiotis Demetriou said that the meeting was "successful and symbolic", since Greek and Turkish Cypriots share the hope for a solution to the Cyprus problem.

He also added that Turkey has to change its policy in this matter, so that conditions for a solution are created.

Democratic Party Deputy President Nicos Kleanthous noted that the differences keeping both communities apart belong to the past adding that much unites them "in the present and in the future like the common course for a better future within the EU".

Social Democrats Movement President Yiannakis Omirou expressed hope that the January 16 meeting between Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash would mark the beginning of rapid progress in the Cyprus question, leading "as soon as possible to a solution". He furthermore noted "there are no signs of good will on behalf of Rauf Denktash that could justify optimism".

United Democrats Deputy President Michalis Papapetrou said that "in this event we distinguish the common and hidden hope that the talks continue and lead to the termination of the division of Cyprus".

Hussein Angolemli of the Turkish Cypriot Communal Liberation Party expressed his support towards such meetings that are "useful" for the forthcoming meeting between President Clerides and Denktash.

Mehmet Ali Talat of the Republican Turkish Party said that the timing of such an event is very important and added that the solution of the Cyprus problem is "this time beyond the control of any person", since conditions have been created leading to a settlement.

On his part Izzet Izcan of the Turkish Cypriot Patriotic Unity Movement expressed hope that the New Year will bring peace and security for a united Cyprus towards Europe. Invited to say whether Denktash was sincere in his intentions, Izcan answered "we never believe he is sincere, we will see if he has changed".

The next bicommunal meeting of the political parties will be held one or two days before the meeting of President Clerides and Denktash, scheduled for the January 16.

Clerides and Denktash have agreed to begin, under UN aegis, direct talks on the island in mid-January after nearly a year of not negotiating at all, after Denktash withdrew from the process in November 2000.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third.

Cyprus opened accession negotiations with the EU in 1998 and has so far provisionally closed 24 out of 29 chapters under negotiation.

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