Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 04-07-12

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greece welcomes assumption of new Serbian president

[02] PM Karamanlis witness in marriage of Turkish premier's daughter

[03] Gov't again vows to clean up public administration

[04] Next US ambassador to Greece vows to strengthen bilateral ties

[05] Greek PPC at bottom end of bidding in Bulgarian power tender

[06] US cites good progress with Greece in Olympics security

[07] Athens Olympics chief lights cauldron at ancient Cretan site

[08] Greeks back hosting of Olympics in Athens

[09] Communist youth wants NATO, multinationals out of the Olympics

[10] Cyprus parliament speaker attends memorial service for dead in Turkish invasion

[11] Patriarchs of Istanbul, Jerusalem jointly lead mass

[12] Athenians flock to the beach in mini-heat wave

[01] Greece welcomes assumption of new Serbian president

ATHENS, 12/7/2004 (ANA)

"I think that this is a significant step in the development not only of domestic affairs in Serbia, but mainly for the prospect of the country's entry into European institutions, and the European Union. I think that it is the first step, and I hope and wish that there will be a continuation," Molyviatis told the Athens News Agency (ANA) in an interview.

"The traditional ties of friendship that link the two countries are well known, and in this spirit I congratulated the new president, and wished him every success in his term of office," he added.

The minister was in Belgrade to attend Tadic's inauguration as president, a post left vacant since August 2002. The two officials held a private meeting.

Molyviatis also met officials including the Serbian and Montenegrin prime ministers, and his Serbian counterpart.

Also attending the ceremony was George Papandreou, leader of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, who was invited by Serbia's Democratic Party.

"Boris Tadic's assumption of the presidency is a new start for Serbia and its shift to democracy, as well as for its move towards the European Union. This is something we had supported as a country, and of course while I was foreign minister. I think we could now take initiatives in this direction, as we will do in the Europarliament, Papandreou told the ANA.

He met Tadic for a private meeting at which the two officials discussed cooperation between the two parties.

[02] PM Karamanlis witness in marriage of Turkish premier's daughter

ISTANBUL, 12/7/2004 (ANA/A.Kourkoulas)

Other witnesses in the Istanbul marriage were Abdullah II, King of Jordan, and Romania's prime minister, Adrian Nastase.

Turkish media commented on the significance of the Greek premier's presence at the wedding, a personal event for Erdogan.

"A few years ago, the presence of a Greek prime minister at such an event would have been inconceivable," Karamanlis told the ceremony attended by around 7,500 guests from Turkey and abroad.

[03] Gov't again vows to clean up public administration

ATHENS, 12/7/2004 (ANA)

"Many tend to distort the government's positions because they want the type of stagnant situation in which corruption and vested interests have had their impact over all these years in Greece, the impact we're all familiar with," Pavlopoulos said in reply to a reporter's question that workers were charging the government with reinstituting a party state.

The minister said that the work of the state's examinations body for entry into the civil service would be strengthened and made more transparent, along with the National Public Administration Centre.

He was speaking on the sidelines of an internal preparatory meeting of ruling New Democracy for its next party congress.

[04] Next US ambassador to Greece vows to strengthen bilateral ties

NEW YORK, 12/7/2004 (ANA/P Panayiotou)

Ries, the State Department's principal deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, told a meeting of ethnic Greeks in New York that he would also work for regional stability and security, with special emphasis on growth of business ties and investments.

A career diplomat, Ries said that he had begun intensive Greek lessons before assuming his new post, probably early in 2005.

The gathering was arranged by the World Coordinating Committee for the Cyprus Struggle.

[05] Greek PPC at bottom end of bidding in Bulgarian power tender

SOFIA, 12/7/2004 (ANA/B.Borisov)

The distributor's network was divided into three sections in the international privatization tender that totals 67 percent of the company. Bids were opened on Friday.

The offer price is a base criterion in the tender, but not the sole one, a government privatization officer was quoted by media as saying.

[06] US cites good progress with Greece in Olympics security

WASHINGTON, 12/7/2004 (ANA/A.Ellis)

Asked in Friday's daily press briefing to comment on a US newspaper report that spoke of fears for security in the games, Boucher said: "We have been working very closely with the Greek government on security for the Olympics. I think you've seen some announcements from NATO on what they could do and we will continue to work with the Greek Government to try to help support their plans to ensure security for the Olympics."

"We feel that the process has been progressing well and we'll continue to work with them as the Olympics arrive," the spokes-man added.

US ambassador says Olympics security going "quite well"

The US ambassador to Greece, Thomas Miller, said on Sunday that Greece's security endeavor for the Athens 2004 Olympics next month was going "quite well".

"Let's be frank. The world is dangerous nowadays. Much more dangerous than it was four years ago, for the Sydney Olympics," Miller told reporters on the sidelines of an event in the Cretan town of Hania.

He said the Greek and US governments were working together on security for the games, and that Greece had taken all necessary measures.

[07] Athens Olympics chief lights cauldron at ancient Cretan site

ATHENS, 12/7/2004 (ANA)

Receiving the Olympic flame at the entrance to the archaeological ruins from another torchbearer, student Manolis Alexakis, Daskalaki said: "I have on many occasions been given the opportunity to talk about the torch relay, but in fact when you are holding the flame up high yourself the experience is indeed unique".

"I am specially moved and joyful. I have become a link in the chain which has made reality of our motto: pass the flame, unite the world," she added.

In his greeting, the mayor of Iraklio, Yiannis Kourakis, outlined links between Crete's Minoan civilization and the dissemination of ideas promoted by sport; and the executive director of the games' national organizers, Marton Simitsek, spoke of history and the Olympic Games.

"The presence of the torch here in Knossos demonstrates that Greece has the right to connect her history to the games", Simitsek said.

From early in the morning residents of Iraklio and nearby villages were out in the streets to welcome the torch. Greek flags, Olympic emblems and rose petals mingled in many spontaneous festive outbursts as the procession passed. With them were tourists, some of whom waved the flag of their country next to the Greek flag and that of the games.

At noon, the torch relay reached the archaeological site of Malia where local authorities had prepared a welcome ceremony with traditional dances and singing by school choirs.

"The flame sends to the powerful of this world the message of peace among peoples", the mayor of Malia, Kostas Lagoudakis, said in his greeting.

The torch later made a halt in the town centre of Agios Nikolaos, where the Association of Foreigners of Agios Nikolaos presented songs from the world over followed by dances on the theme of the power of the flame.

"It is our wish that the light of the flame should burn ever brighter in the hearts of everyone in the world", Mayor Yiannis Loukarakis said.

The Olympic flame first arrived in Iraklio on Friday, its return to Greek soil after an international relay through 26 countries across five continents.

[08] Greeks back hosting of Olympics in Athens

ATHENS, 12/7/2004 (ANA)

Conducted by Opinion, the survey showed that 85 per cent of people supported the event being held in Athens, while 82 per cent of respondents said they were fully satisfied that the games were being held in their country.

In addition, eighty seven per cent of people polled were convinced that organization of the international event would be good; and 80.9 per cent believed that hosting the Olympics would have a favorable impact on Greece.

Finally, 73.9 per cent of respondents said that much more money had been spent on the Olympics than was necessary.

[09] Communist youth wants NATO, multinationals out of the Olympics

ATHENS, 12/7/2004 (ANA)

Also taking part in the protest were representatives of communist youth movements from Turkey and Sweden, in Greece to attend meetings with their Greek counterparts.

The protesters marched from Omonia Square to Syntagma Square in the city centre, at one point covering a security camera in place for the Olympics.

They also erected a marble plaque in memory of workers who died in industrial accidents on Olympics construction projects.

[10] Cyprus parliament speaker attends memorial service for dead in Turkish invasion

ATHENS, 12/7/2004 (ANA)

Addressing the event, Christofias said that Cyprus had since continued to live with the repercussions of the invasion.

Turning to Cyprus' referendum earlier this year on whether to accept or reject the Annan plan, he said that the island's "no" vote did not represent a refusal to solve the Cyprus problem.

The Greek-Cypriot side remained committed to a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation that would reunite the divided island, safeguard human rights, and allow Greek- and Turkish-Cypriots to coexist peacefully, he added.

[11] Patriarchs of Istanbul, Jerusalem jointly lead mass

ISTANBUL, 12/7/2004 (ANA/A Kourkoulas)

Irineos, Jerusalem's new Orthodox leader, was visiting Vartholomeos in his first official visit since the Israeli government belatedly recognized his appointment.

He arrived in Istanbul on Friday.

Asian, African migrants found exhausted, hungry in truck Northern border guards on Saturday arrested a Greek truck driver for transporting 24 illegal Asian and African migrants, most of them suffering from exhaustion and hunger.

The 36-year-old from Attica, who is due to hear charges, was arrested while driving the truck between Kavala and Xanthi after picking up the migrants at the border with Turkey and charging them for transportation to Athens, police said.

Deportation proceedings will begin for the migrants to return to their countries of origin.

[12] Athenians flock to the beach in mini-heat wave

ATHENS, 12/7/2004 (ANA)

Civil protection authorities were on stand-by, urging the public to restrict travel and exposure to the sun's damaging rays, especially the elderly, the infirm and young children.

At the end of the two-day hot spell on Sunday, traffic jams were reported on access roads to Athens as people returned for the start of the working week.

On Monday, temperatures are forecast to drop slightly, with showers or storms likely in the centre, including Attica, and in the north, from late afternoon.

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