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Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 03-07-30Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>July,30 2003CONTENTS
[01] PASOK's Executive Bureau examines proposed new election lawAthens 29/7/03(ANA)Prime Minister Costas Simitis chaired a three-hour meeting of his PASOK party's Executive Bureau on Tuesday night which focused on the proposed new election law, while Interior Minister Costas Skandalidis outlined the main principles and guidelines of the government's proposal on the issue.According to reports, Simitis said the Executive Bureau's members can have and express different views on all issues, including the election law, but he called for a unified stance on the outside, personal attacks should be avoided and full support should be provided for the interior minister. PASOK Central Committee secretary Mihalis Chrysohoidis said an in principle agreement was reached during the meeting between all members of the body, while individual observations were made. He added that a productive dialogue took place during which a variety of views were heard, terming them ''positive and constructive'' since they ''help dialogue.'' The secretary further said no member of the Executive Bureau raised the issue of whatever points in the proposal being withdrawn. However, reports said all the members of the body, with the exception of one, expressed reservations over the ''double ballot box'' and the list of candidates. Skandalidis said he will take into consideration skepticism developed during the Executive Bureau's meeting, which Chrysohoidis confirmed, adding that this is the essence of dialogue. Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis said PASOK should proceed unified, positively and aggressively, while supraprefect Fofi Gennimata preferred to speak in general of initiatives undertaken by the government which, as she said, are overturning the climate. PM-Chrysohoidis meeting prior to executive bureau meeting Prime Minister and PASOK president Costas Simitis on Tuesday received new party secretary Mihalis Chrysohoidis at his office, hours before a PASOK executive bureau meeting later in the evening. The much-debated new election law that the government wants to table in Parliament is expected to dominated discussions at the executive bureau meeting, with relevant Interior and Public Administration Minister Costas Skandalidis expected to attend as well. [02] PM praises Fire Brigade work, says Greece is the EU's safestAthens 29/7/03(ANA)Prime Minister Costas Simitis on Tuesday told Fire Brigade officers in Athens that Greece was one of the safest countries in the European Union and urged them to continue their efforts to maintain that level of safety in view of the Olympic Games 2004 to be hosted in the Greek capital.Simitis was addressing the personnel of the Fire Brigade Operations Centre in Athens -- better known as ''199'' from the 3-digit emergency call number -- which he visited accompanied by Public Order Minister George Floridis and Fire Chief Panayiotis Fourlas. The premier said the mission of the Fire Brigade was to ensure the safety of a great section of the population which does not feel safe without the intervention of state agencies. ''State agencies must be effective, and we have already made great progress in that area'', the prime minister said. He placed special emphasis on a new service allowing the hearing impaired to communicate with ''199'' through written messages and said it was very important that also this group of citizens could now communicate through with the Fire Brigade through this service. On his part, Fourlas praised the work of the Fire Brigade personnel for their overall performance and effective response to emergencies, which he said contributed to a record low in fires in the past fifty years. [03] FM and Archbishop Christodoulos discuss the ''Thessaloniki Episcopate crisis''Athens 29/7/03(ANA)The crisis that broke out between the Church of Greece and the Ecumenical Patriarchate over the selection of candidates for the recently vacated Thessaloniki Episcopate was central to discussions between Foreign Minister George Papandreou and Arch-bishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos on Tuesday.Coming out of the meeting, the minister said that discussions had covered a wide range of issues, and more specifically initiatives in the Balkans taken by the Archbishop's office in cooperation with the foreign ministry. He said the issue with the Patriarchate had also been discussed, adding that the government respected the right to independence of both institutions, recommending dialogue and sobriety for the settlement of all issues. ''We believe that such issues can be resolved through dialogue and with sobriety to the benefit of Orthodoxy, which is also the wish of the administration'', Papandreou said, adding ''Orthodoxy and the functioning of these institutions is arguably a very significant part of our country's image''. Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos in a letter addressed to Christodoulos on Monday requested that the due process set by the 1928 Synodical Volume of the Patriarchate be followed for filling the seat at the episcopate of northern Greece, which mandates that a list with candidates be sent to the Patriarchate for approval. [04] Gov't seeks to improve Greek aid abroadAthens 29/7/03(ANA)The government is working on improving the organization and management of Greece's international aid to third countries.Meeting on Tuesday to discuss the plan were Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis and Foreign Minister George Papandreou. ''Nowadays, Greece gives much more aid to third countries than it receives from the various bodies. In other words, it is a donor country,'' Christodoulakis told reporters. The aid focuses on restructuring economies, aiding poor populations, and contributing to a more equitable distribution of income worldwide, he added. [05] FM meets with PASOK party secretaryAthens 29/7/03(ANA)Foreign Minister George Papandreou and ruling PASOK party secretary Michalis Chrysohoidis met on Tuesday and discussed issues related to the reorganization of the party.''The effort in the party to make it a party that is open, democratic, participatory and one that reflects the demands of our era is certainly laborious and a great challenge. Cooperation and sup-port on our part is a given fact,'' Papandreou said after the meeting, according to a press release issued by the foreign ministry. ''We had the opportunity of discussing many issues. I had, in the past as well, submitted proposals for the operation of the party, an open party, a party that is a school, a party of direct democracy,'' Papandreou concluded. [06] Kaklamanis calls for a reinforced Competition CommissionAthens 29/7/03(ANA)President of the Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis, during a meeting with the chairman of the Greek Competition Commission Dimitris Tzouganatos on Tuesday, stressed the need to reinforce the staffing and infrastructure of this independent body.''This would boost development, economy and everyone's actual income'', he said. During the meeting, Tzouganatos gave Kaklamanis the com-mission's annual report along with the budget for next year and the audit report on the financial management and balance for 2002, which will in turn be submitted to the competent Parliamentary committee. Parl't speaker rejects press reactions to his interview as 'misleading': The comments and headlines that followed an interview given by Parliament Speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis in 'Ta Nea' were not only exaggerated but actually misleading with respect to his views, an announcement issued by Parliament said on Tuesday. Kaklamanis triggered speculation that he was making a public break with the government when he called for even tougher measures to promote transparency than those foreseen by the government and disagreed with three key government proposals for reforming the election system. ''The President of Parliament does not enter into disputes with anyone, and naturally not the government, which he supports with his vote as an MP,'' the announcement said. ''He always believes in dialogue, in this case is participating in this [dialogue] and hopes that out of this dialogue will arise the best possible synthesis - which is the purpose of all dialogue - for the new electoral law,'' the announcement concluded. [07] SYN leader appeals to gov't to oppose closure of UN office in AthensAthens 29/7/03(ANA)Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (SYN) leader Nikos Constantopoulos on Tuesday appealed to the Greek government to oppose UN plans to discontinue the operation of the office housing the Un representation in Athens.Constantopoulos made the appeal to foreign minister George Papandreou, during a meeting between the two men, referring to a standing UN decision to close down regional offices in a bid to cut down on operational expenses. After his meeting with Papandreou, Constantopoulos told re-porters that the UN representation in Athens, "which also covers the region of Cyprus and Israel", had "accomplished substantial work", and was "called on to meet the immense needs of groups of impoverished citizens, the migration pressures, and outstanding issues of defense of human rights". The SYN leader recalled that "the latest experiences led to the exhaustion of the UN", but stressed that the United Nations was historically a "point of reference, point of support and point of inspiration for more justice and humaneness". [08] Deputy FM meets with Canada's ambassador to AthensAthens 29/7/03(ANA)Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Loverdos on Tuesday met with Canada's Ambassador to Athens Philip Somerville.The two men discussed the major problem of human trafficking in the Balkans and the prospects for its containment through the cooperation of non-governmental organizations from both countries. The deputy minister briefed the Canadian emissary over the out-come of his recent Balkan tour and progress with Greece's program for Balkan reconstruction (ESOAB), while special emphasis was placed on Canadian investment within the frame-work of the program. [09] Macedonian-Thrace minister proposes establishing Balkan ombudsmanAthens 29/7/03(ANA)Macedonia-Thrace Minister Haris Kastanidis, speaking at a conference of the United Nations Advisory Committee of the Public Government Center in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, on Mon-day proposed the establishment of a Balkan Ombudsman patterned after the Swedish model.The minister said that bureaucracy and mismanagement problems still in existence in western democracies were more pronounced in Balkan countries and the independent state commonwealths which were in the process of new forms of administration. ''I am very much in support of the idea to establish a Balkan Ombudsman, a Balkan mediator patterned after the European example, assisted by special advisors in his work'', Kastanidis said, and proposed Thessaloniki as the seat of this new institution. The minister expressed the hope that the Balkan Ombudsman would soon become a reality following deliberations among the Balkan states. [10] IUSY wraps up on Tuesday with an event on Olympic volunteerismAthens 29/7/03(ANA)The Socialist International's Youth (IUSY) festival, hosted at the coastal town of Kammena Vourla in central Greece by the ruling socialist PASOK party's youth organization, wrapped up on Tuesday with an out-of-schedule event on Olympic volunte-erism.Socialist youth from New Zealand to the US, and from Argentina and South Africa to Britain converged on this resort town and for five days exchanged views at over 110 round-table discussions and attended speeches delivered by international political figures and activists of the caliber of Shimon Peres, Faruk Kadoumi, Felipe Gonzalez and Susan George. On the other hand, the IUSY showed how difficult it is to bridge contrasts and inequalities that continue to exist in spite of aspirations for a ''global village'' and a globalized economic and social world. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict still raging in the Middle East was transferred to the festival grounds during a public confrontation between the representatives of the two sides. African youth had great expectations that they would find friendly ears and sensitive hearts among the developed countries over the vital problems of the ''black continent''. On their part, the world social-democrat personalities proclaimed their attachment to principles of democracy, peace and solidarity and insisted on the feasibility of their vision toward a ''human-centered globalization''. [11] Northern power plant to open in the autumnAthens 29/7/03(ANA)A new power plant is to begin operations in the north, near Florina, owned by Athens-quoted Public Power Corporation, Development Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said on Tuesday.''The new 330 megawatt (lignite) unit at Meliti-Ahlada will be inaugurated in the autumn," the minister told reporters while visiting the area. The project is budgeted at 64.3 billion drachmas, he added. [12] Gov't offers to aid in talks between striking fuel truckers, suppliersAthens 29/7/03(ANA)The government said on Tuesday that it was willing to aid in talks between fuel supply firms and striking truckers, who launched a snap, indefinite walkout on Monday.The strike threatens to seriously disrupt fuel supplies in the tourist season, initially to the islands and then the mainland. Truckers unions claim that liquid fuel companies have failed to readjust transport rates agreed a fortnight ago. They had initially announced they would begin an indefinite strike at midnight on Sunday but suspended action when the finance and development ministers intervened, apparently leading to acceptance of the strikers' demands. [13] Food control authority reports on sector violationsAthens 29/7/03(ANA)The state's food control authority said that it had found 332 breaches of the law in 5,032 inspections it had conducted in the first half of 2003.Spot checks were conducted in a range of catering outlets, including hotels, hospitals; and in retail concerns including supermarkets, butchers, bakers and central markets, the development ministry said in a statement. Inspectors made recommendations for improvements in about a third of the outlets inspected, the statement said. [14] Stocks jump, fuelled by European marketsAthens 29/7/03(ANA)The Athens bourse finished higher on Tuesday fuelled by across the buying, in turn triggered by a rise in European markets and a domestic decline in the previous session, traders said.The general share index gained 1.66 percent to end at 2,095.77 points. Turnover was 150.5 million euros. The FTSE/ASE-20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks ended 1.77 percent up; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium capitalization paper 1.96 percent higher; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap equities finished with gains of 2.31 percent. Of stocks traded, advances led declines at 274 to 62 with 29 issues remaining unchanged. Bond Market Close: Sellers match buyers on Tuesday Greek Benchmark 10-Year Bond Derivatives Market Close: Turnover at 96.3 mln euros Tuesday Equity Index Futures: Stock Futures: FOREIGN EXCHANGE Closing rates of July 29 2003 Parities in euro Banknotes For. Exchange Buying Selling US Dollar 1,155 1,129 [15] Traffic measures, tickets for Aug. test events announcedAthens 29/7/03(ANA)The government on Tuesday noted that traffic adjustments throughout greater Athens next month during a string of 2004 Olympic Games “test events” will be the same as when the Athens marathon or annual parades are held in the Greek capital.Additionally, spectators will be able to view most of the competitions only with free passes issued by the relevant federations hosting the sports events. The first test event of 2003 will be the World Rowing Junior Championships from Aug. 6 to Aug. 9, which will be held at the new Schinias & Marathonas Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre, east of Athens proper. Archery will follow (Aug. 9-15) at the all-marble Panathinaiko Stadium in downtown Athens, followed by equestrian events (Aug. 15-17); canoe and kayak flat-water racing (Aug. 15-17); the Road European Championships (2003 Espoirs) in cycling (Aug. 15-17); the Men’s Beach Volleyball FIVB Challenger (Aug. 19-24), and finally, the Athens Regatta (Aug. 20-28). A triathlon test event is scheduled for Oct. 25. Some 700 spectator passes will be issued for the rowing championships at Schinias and 500 for the archery competition. The cycling race through the Greek capital, of course, will be open to all spectators, whereas residents of areas affected by the “test events” are expected to be informed in advance of parking measures. During the run-up to the Olympic Games of 2004, the test events are held to evaluate all the critical parameters of competition, venues and technological systems. Forty international events, the majority of which will be top-level international sport events, comprise the schedule from Summer 2003 to June 2004. August’s test events were the focus of a high-ranking culture ministry meeting here on Tuesday, chaired by Minister Evangelos Venizelos, where a work group to liaise with local officials and the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (ATHOC) was set up. The work group, in cooperation with ATHOC and local officials, is expected to tackle whatever problems arise during the holding of the test events. According to the government, 2,300 law enforcement officers from various branches will handle security during the events, whereas 1,679 volunteers are also scheduled to work. In terms of athletes, 1,925 have committed so far, with 478 judges set to arrive for the events as well. [16] International hockey federation director satisfied with Olympic Games facilitiesAthens 29/7/03(ANA)International Hockey Federation general director Hans Bertels expressed his absolute satisfaction on Tuesday over developments concerning the construction of the Olympic Games hockey facilities at Hellenikon.''We had two very productive days of contacts with the members of the Organizing Committee. We visited the hockey facilities for the second time since last April and we are very impressed by the great progress achieved in constructions,'' he said. [17] Court decides against forcing S. Xiros to testify.Terrorism trial heads towards last stagesAthens 29/7/03(ANA)A special three-justice court trying 19 alleged “November 17” terrorism suspects on Tuesday ruled against forcibly bringing back one of the primary defendants, Savvas Xiros, to the court-room in order to answer questions by defense attorneys.Xiros’ initial pre-trial confessions and statements to judicial officials implicated several of the other defendants on trial with him, including his two brothers, Christodoulos and Vassilis. Meanwhile, attorneys for the other suspects said they would not request Savvas Xiros’ presence in the courtroom to take the stand, saying they “respected his right to silence”, although the court justices called on Xiros to voluntarily return and provide whatever clarifications are necessary through his testimony. Earlier, the court read out several passages of statements taken from Xiros following his arrest in late June 2002, after a botched bombing attempt left him hospitalized for several months. The trial continues with the reading of pre-trial confessions, while the court is also set to rule on a request by Christodoulos Xiros that his confessions and statements be thrown out. The elder Xiros claims his statements were the product of “psycho-logical pressure, threats and blackmail”, something the prosecutor proposed the court flatly reject, as he stressed that all of the defendant’s rights were respected. [18] Onassis Foundation announces 9th Foreigners' Fellowships Program for 2003-2004Athens 29/7/03(ANA)The Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation on Tuesday announced its 9th Foreigners' Fellowships Program for the academic year 2003-2004, comprising 49 research grants and educational scholarships.The academic year runs from October 2003 to September 2004, and the deadline for the submission of candidatures is January 31, 2003. This year's program provides 11 research grants to full members of National Academies and university professors; 16 grants to university professors of all levels, researchers, translators of Greek literature, and artists; 7 educational scholarships for elementary and secondary school teachers of Greek as a foreign language; and 15 scholarships for post-graduate students and Ph.D. candidates. The grant and scholarship recipients come from Egypt, Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, the UK, the US, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Ca-nada, China, Cuba, Croatia, S. Africa, Hungary, Ukraine, Peru, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Turkey. The names of the grant and scholarship recipients will be posted on a message board at the Foundation's scholarships department at 7 Aischinou street, Athens, and on the Foundation’s website at (http://www.onassis.gr). All candidates will receive individual notifications. [19] President Stephanopoulos unveils bust of Greek revolution heroAthens 29/7/03(ANA)President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos on Monday unveiled the bust of the Greek revolution hero Gregorios-Dikaios Papaflessas at Maniaki, in the southern Greek prefecture of Messinia.The 13-foot-high bust was financed by the Pammessinian Federation of the USA and Canada, and was constructed to commemorate the martyrdom of the Greek hero and his men in a battle against the Turkish forces on 20 May 1825. [20] Body of man found in Ioannina prefectureAthens 29/7/03(ANA)The body of an unidentified man presumed to have been an Albanian illegal immigrant trying to enter Greece was found in a remote mountainous location of Ioannina prefecture, it was reported on Tuesday.The body was in an advanced state of decay when it was found by a local shepherd and has now been transferred to Ioannina to be examined by a coroner. [21] Photography exhibition about Aegean at Athens airportAthens 29/7/03(ANA)An exhibition of photographs entitled "Aegean: the Sea of Amaranth" opens its doors at the Athens International Airport on Wednesday and will run until October 31.It is organized in collaboration with the Museum of Greek Traditional Art and features a series of photographs taken by Velissarios Voutsas that illustrate the diverse cultural traditions and timelessness of Aegean islands. [22] Schwimmer: Council can help contribute to implement UN planNICOSIA 29/7/03 (CNA/ANA)The Secretary General of the Council of Europe Walter Schwimmer has said the Council is willing to contribute to the implementation of a UN peace plan for a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus and warned against returning to ''square one'' in the negotiations, stressing that the window of opportunity for a solution will remain open until May 2004, when Cyprus joins the European Union.In an interview with CNA, he said the European Court of Human Rights is evaluating all new facts with regard to the possibility of accepting as domestic remedies so-called courts, set up in Turkish occupied Cyprus by the Turkish Cypriot illegal regime of Rauf Denktash. Schwimmer has warned Turkey that compliance with the principles of the Council and Court rulings is a factor it needs to take seriously into consideration, if it wishes to see its European aspirations progress. The Secretary General reiterated that the government of the Republic of Cyprus is the sole legitimate government of Cyprus and said both the Council and the Court show due consideration to the UN position on Cyprus and will continue to do so. Invited to comment on press reports suggesting that the Council and Turkey have come to an understanding with regard to the so-called courts, he confirmed that there had been contacts with the authorities of Turkey regarding execution of the judgment of the Loizidou versus Turkey case, relating to property claims and violation of human rights. ''During these contacts, the Turkish authorities informed the Secretariat of their intention to establish remedies in respect of property claims in the north of Cyprus. Subsequently, the Committee of Ministers received information that new specific provisions have been adopted to that effect. It will be for the European Court of Human Rights to assess the new situation in the light of the ECHR's requirements,'' he said. Asked if the Council can accept as ''domestic remedy'' such ''courts'' set up by an illegal regime, he said that both the Council and the Court ''have constantly taken due account of the UN position on Cyprus and will continue to do so'' and recalled the official position of the Committee of Ministers that it continues to regard the Government of the Republic of Cyprus ''as the sole legitimate Government of Cyprus''. Replying to questions about domestic remedies in occupied Cyprus, he told CNA that ''the Court will examine all new facts in accordance with this (a reference to the possibility of accepting such remedies) and other relevant principles, as highlighted in its previous judgments.'' Asked why Turkey has got away with executing the Court ruling in the Loizidou case, he said Turkey's failure to comply with the Loizidou judgment has been firmly condemned by all Council of Europe organs and member states. ''These positions have proven to be effective and positive signals started to come from Turkey and were confirmed during my official visit to Turkey in April 2003,'' he explained, recalling that in June the Turkish authorities announced that the necessary action will have been taken to allow the Committee of Ministers to find, at its meeting on 7 to 8 October 2003, that the just satisfaction awarded by the Court had been paid. ''I trust that this concrete undertaking will be fulfilled as promised,'' he said. Schwimmer pointed out that once the question of payment has been settled, the Committee will decide how to proceed on the other issues raised by the Loizidou case, including peaceful enjoyment of her property in occupied Cyprus and access to that property. Invited to say if Turkey's accession course should be halted if Ankara does not show respect for the principles of the Council and does not abide by Court decisions, he said that this is a matter for the EU to decide, not the Council. ''As a general rule one can say that implementation by candidate countries of Council of Europe standards in the fields of Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law plays an important role in the evaluation of a country's request for membership by the EU,'' he stressed. He welcomed the reform package Turkey has adopted and said joint initiatives are underway to consolidate these reforms. Questioned on the role of the Council in the UN peace effort, he said ''the first thing the Council of Europe can do is to give clear political support to the Annan Plan as the basis for a settlement. With the 'window of opportunity' only open until May 2004, nobody can afford to return to square one with the negotiations and unravel this very sophisticated document.'' ''We will limit ourselves to political support and expertise in the different areas of our competence and where we can possibly contribute to the implementation of the Annan Plan: Human Rights of course, but also strategies for reconciliation, protection of cultural heritage, history teaching etc,'' he added. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37 per cent of its territory. [23] Cyprus participates in EU operation 'Artemis'NICOSIA 29/7/03 (CNA/ANA)Cyprus is participating in Operation 'ARTEMIS' at operational Headquarters in Paris, having posted one senior military officer, along with other contributing countries, as part of its contributing to Common Foreign and Security Policy/European Security and Defense Policy (CFSP/ESDP) of the EU.Operation 'ARTEMIS' is the first EU autonomous military-led mission, which has deployed troops in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo. The EU set up the force in responding to UN Security Council Resolution 1484 of 30 May 2003 establishing under Chapter VII of the UN Charter an interim emergency multinational force aimed at contributing to the stabilization of the security conditions and the improvement of the humanitarian situation in Bunia. This is also the first time Cyprus participates in a UN peace operation, an official statement said here Tuesday. Operation 'ARTEMIS' is the third EU Operation carried out within the framework of ESDP. Cyprus is also participating in the European Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina with four police officers, under CFSP/ESDP within the field of Civilian Crisis Management. Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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