Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 04-07-13

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

CONTENTS

[01] Athens 2004 says it is prepared for power shortages following Monday's blackout

[02] PM talks to 'Der Spiegel' on Olympics, economy, Greece's Euro triumph

[03] FM Molyviatis calls on EU partners to send 'positive message' to Serbia-Montenegro

[04] Public Order Minister on three-day visit to Istanbul

[05] Yiannakou attends informal meeting of EU education ministers in Rotterdam

[06] Long-awaited Vari-Koropi Avenue opens to traffic

[07] Metro service to Athens Airport begins in two weeks

[08] Romanian prime minister visits Patriarch Vartholomeos

[09] Unions fear mass redundancies in state sector

[10] Greece, Turkey debate cooperation in agriculture

[11] Greece, Thailand to cooperate in tourism

[12] Gov't backs modernization for wine producers

[13] Stocks nose up in flaccid, range bound trade

[14] PM Karamanlis chairs meeting on Olympic Games preparations

[15] Three albums dedicated to the Olympic Games released

[16] Amnesty International calls for human rights protection ahead of the Olympics

[17] Earthquake registering 4.8 points on the Richter scale rocks Preveza

[18] PM Karamanlis conveys condolences over death of Larissa's 'Eleftheria' newspaper publisher

[19] Cyprus FM holds meetings regarding EU Commission's regulations on T/Cs

[20] Cyprus Spokesman says Filori confirms government's positions

[01] Athens 2004 says it is prepared for power shortages following Monday's blackout

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

"The Athens 2004 Organizing Committee has implemented a plan for dealing with power disruptions, should they occur during Games-time. During the Olympic Games, an uninterrupted power supply system (generators and UPS) will provide back-up power to all critical areas of Olympic Venues. This system is designed to allow the continuous supply of power for systems including results, scoring, lighting, information technology and television broadcast.

As such, a similar incident would not affect the competition schedule and the broadcasting of the Games," the announcement said.

The Organizing Committee's announcement also states that by August 8th an additional 5 power sub-stations will become operational.

Power blackout in south-central Greece due to electricity grid overload, authorities say: The power blackout in south and central Greece on Monday, including Olympic host-city Athens, the port of Piraeus and the surrounding Attica region, was not due to a shortage of power but because the electricity grid became overloaded as a result of higher-than-average demand due to the heat wave currently sweeping the country, Greek authorities said.

Government officials stressed that no problems were reported at any of the city's Olympic hospitals or with any of the Olympic facilities, which were powered by auxiliary power units.

They also noted that power had been restored to 70 per cent of the Attica network by 13:45, just over an hour after the problem first arose at 12:39. In three similar crises that had occurred over the past 20 years, it had taken at least five to six hours to restore power, they added.

According to the same sources, state services acted extremely quickly while the government was fully briefed on the extent of the problem within the first eight minutes.

The power failure caused extensive problems with traffic lights throughout south and central parts of the country, particularly in highly congested areas like the capital, while the fire brigade received over 500 calls to help people stuck in elevators.

The electrically-powered trains of the Athens metro and the Kifissia-Piraeus light railway stopped running and a number of passengers were caught in between stations though all were extricated within 12 minutes without particular problems. According to sources, Transport Minister Mihalis Liapis was also a victim of the power failure during a test run of the metro service to the Athens international airport and has asked Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis for additional power to all electrically-powered rail and trolley services so that they do not stop running during future crises of this kind.

In fact, the first trial run of the Syntagma-Airport line was dogged with problems from the start. The minister and Attiko Metro chairman boarded the train at 11:00 and everything seemed to be going smoothly until the train stopped just before Katza station due to a power failure that was in fact unrelated to the later blackout.

The train was towed into the station by diesel-powered engines that arrived soon afterward and power was then restored so that the trip to the airport could be completed. The return trip proved even more eventful, since it coincided with the generalized blackout at 12:45, which immobilized the train carrying the minister and the reporters covering its maiden journey near Evangelismos, forcing them to abandon the train and walk through the tunnels to the next station.

The blackout also caused problems with the water supply network in many areas, due to a lack of power for pumping stations and a fall in water pressure, while the water company EYDAP has asked consumers to limit water consumption as far as possible until full operation is restored.

An announcement by the Public Power Corporation, meanwhile, said the blackout was a result of higher power demand by air-conditioners as temperatures soared, which the PPC had sought to meet by putting one of the units at the Lavrio power station back online. This disrupted the power supply until 13:20, after which power was gradually restored.

The blackout affected Attica, Biotia, the Peloponnese and the entire southern PPC system.

Ministry of Development sets up committee to investigate black-out: Minister of Development Dimitris Sioufas decided to create a commission tasked with investigating the causes of a black-out on Monday, which caused power failures in Attica, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, the Ionian islands and parts of Central Greece. Secretary General of the Ministry of Development Nikos Stefanou will head the committee, which will begin its investigation on Tuesday.

Opposition parties criticize government on power blackout: The main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) made announcements concerning the power blackout in south and central Greece on Monday, including Olympic Games host city Athens.

"One month before the Olympic Games we are obliged to protect the country's international image. For this reason we ask that there be a full investigation and in continuation, at the appropriate time, an official briefing of Parliament on the causes of today's prolonged power blackout," the PASOK statement said.

The KKE in its announcement said that the blackout in half of Greece was a result of high demand in electricity in combination with the consequences from "the liberation of the electric energy market which was advanced by the government of PASOK and the ND government is continuing and because of the lack of investments."

Asimina Xirotyri, a Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology party, said that Monday's blackout "unfortunately confirmed" her statements last June according to which she ''did not share the government's optimism and content with the sufficiency, operational reserves and stability of the national system for the production and distribution of electric power in the months of July and August."

[02] PM talks to 'Der Spiegel' on Olympics, economy, Greece's Euro triumph

HAMBURG 13/7/2004 (ANA - A. Brilaki)

"The championship came at the most opportune moment and proved that we can pull off a surprise. We are ready for the great celebration when the Games return to their homeland. The Olympic Games are the greatest sports event and at the same time a challenge. Just before the opening ceremony the sense of responsibility, the task of meeting all those expectations, can take one's breath away when you think that everything must end well. The best answer will be given by the Games themselves," Karamanlis underlined.

The Euro triumph had helped strengthen Greece's self-confidence and showed what Greeks can achieve when they work together, he added.

"Football is about team work and our team proved that its success was the result of team work. We didn't have any big names, we didn't have any big stars. The message sent out in the metaphorical sense is that a team with simply decent players can achieve the utmost when it has a very good coach," Karamanlis said.

According to the Greek premier, while primarily just a football match and a big surprise, the Greek team's victory was also a national success.

"Never up to this day have I seen so many people in the streets of Athens, with the possible exception of the restoration of democracy after the fall of the dictatorship 30 years ago. Our country found itself soaring in an instant," he said, describing the feelings engendered by Greece's triumph. Asked whether he enjoyed the Greek team's victory more than his victory in the elections, Karamanlis said his feelings of joy at the trust placed in him by the Greek people were mixed with a sense of great responsibility, while at the European championships he was simply a fan who had no responsibility for the final outcome.

Regarding the Olympic Games in August, the Greek premier said he was unable to understand the negative climate against Greece in the past few weeks.

"Of course mistakes were made during the preparations and there were delays in the completion of some Olympic installations. These things also happen elsewhere, even with the successful organization of the Euro 2004 in Portugal. We may have made mistakes but the international criticism was often pointless.

The only thing I can understand is the great concern about security. The world has changed between Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004," Karamanlis stressed.

He reiterated, however, that Greece had done everything humanly possible to avert the possibility of a terrorist strike during the Games, spending four times the amount spent by Sydney on security measures and cooperating with all countries that had expertise in this area. In spite of this, he noted, the criticism from the foreign press sometimes bordered on the hysterical.

Regarding the economic repercussions of the Games and their total cost, the premier said it was too soon for any precise answer to be given, while conceding that the initial plans and budgets had been greatly exceeded.

"But this is not helpful at this time. What matters is to organize successful Games," he added, noting that this might well lead to a repetition of the massive surge in tourism seen after the Olympics in Barcelona, which was transformed from simply a nice area to a highly sought-after tourist destination in Europe.

Asked about Greece's high public deficit, which exceeded limits set by the EU, Karamanlis said this was a serious problem but not one related to the Olympics.

"We have to change the structures of the economy, increase productivity, become more competitive and restrict the inflexible, unproductive and often corrupt state. A report by the European Central Bank says that Greece has lost the unbelievable sum of 10 billion euros as a result of bureaucracy and corruption. This is the problem that we have to tackle," the premier said.

Regarding Turkey, Karamanlis said that Ankara's rapprochement with Europe had to be rewarded and that, for this reason, he expressly supported Turkey's European prospects.

Noting that many of the democratic reforms initiated by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan were much bolder than those of previous Turkish governments, he stressed that these had to continue and that the EU must at some point decide whether the accession criteria had been fulfilled, even if Turkey could not become a full member overnight.

"The message is, however, clear. The Union has indicated that it wants to accept Turkey within its ranks. And this is right, because a European Turkey is in the interests of all, both the Turkish people and their neighbors," he added.

With respect to European enlargement, Karamanlis said it was unrealistic to expect a Union with 25 or 30 members to proceed at the same pace and that there would have to be 'reinforced cooperation' between certain members of the EU, such as the 12 members of the Eurozone or the 13 countries within the Schengen Pact. Regarding transatlantic relations, Karamanlis stressed that the United States needed the EU and vice-versa and that the correct balance had to be found.

"In my opinion, we need a strong Europe," he concluded.

[03] FM Molyviatis calls on EU partners to send 'positive message' to Serbia-Montenegro

The situation in Iraq and the Balkans, the Dutch EU presidency's action plan and ratification of the EU constitution were the topics EU foreign ministers discussed during their meeting here on Monday.

Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis, who along with Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Valinakis represented Greece at the council, briefed his EU counterparts on the results of the meetings he had with officials in Belgrade on Sunday. Molyviatis emphasized that after democratic and pro-European processes prevailed in the country with the election of Boris Tadic as President of Serbia & Montenegro, the European Union must send Serbians a positive message. According to Molyviatis, this positive message means reinforcing Serbia & Montenegro's European prospects and the country's full integration in Euro-Atlantic institutions.

As for Iraq, the Greek foreign minister said that the representatives of the 25 member-states at Monday's meeting unanimously agreed to actively contribute to the country's re-building. Greece has committed to contributing ¬ 8 million in aid.

[04] Public Order Minister on three-day visit to Istanbul

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

Voulgarakis will also meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos.

[05] Yiannakou attends informal meeting of EU education ministers in Rotterdam

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

Greece is represented by Education and Religious Affairs Minister Marietta Yiannakou, who, intervening on the issue of the transfer of economic support given to students, noted that it is not possible for political issues to be solved at the European Court and called for the issue to be dealt promptly by the Council of Education Ministers.

The minister noted that the European Court through a decision has already pre-empted certain political options, thus obliging host countries to give scholarships to students-nationals of other member-states, without there being the prerequisites which exist in the host country. It is therefore up to the Council of Education Ministers to set these prerequisites to as to settle effectively the transfer of economic support and to anticipate the European Court decision.

[06] Long-awaited Vari-Koropi Avenue opens to traffic

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

The 14-kilometer stretch of roadway had generated political criticism against the previous government and numerous complaints by local residents and merchants because of repeated delays in its completion.

The road is also a significant addition to traffic planners in the greater Athens area ahead of the 2004 Athens Olympics.

[07] Metro service to Athens Airport begins in two weeks

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

The trip from Syntagma Square will take 37 minutes in the first phase of operations, and less in the future when fresh works have been completed.

The fare has been set at eight euros.

[08] Romanian prime minister visits Patriarch Vartholomeos

ISTANBUL 13/7/2004 (ANA - A. Kourkoulas)

After his audience with the Patriarch, Nastase said it was a great honor for him to be received by Vartholomeos and that he considered the Patriarch's blessing to be highly important at a time when Romania had so many things to do.

"We can work with greater strength and greater enthusiasm to improve the good things we have done and to eradicate the mistakes that have begun and not repeat them," the Romanian premier added.

Nastase also referred to the recent wedding of the daughter of Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying it was important for both the young couple but also politically, since the witnesses at the ceremony had included important political leaders in the Balkan region, among them Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

[09] Unions fear mass redundancies in state sector

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

The head of the General Confederation of Employees of Greece (GSEE), Christos Polyzogopoulos, told a news conference on Monday that the new presidential decree failed to grant permanent status to the majority of temporary workers, paving the way for wide-scale dismissal.

"The interior ministry's decree is a half-measure. We will oppose attempted mass redundancies of those who do not fall under the terms of the decree," said Polyzogopoulos, whose federation represents around 800,000 workers.

"We will be tackling this both in the workplace and within the framework of European institutions in order to have this legislative framework overturned," he said.

The GSEE plans to take up the issue with the European Union's executive Commission and the Europarliament; proceedings already launched at the European Court.

Polyzogopoulos said the GSEE believed that the government's decree ran contrary to both the spirit and the letter of an EU directive that allows more categories of workers to gain permanent status.

[10] Greece, Turkey debate cooperation in agriculture

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

The secretary general of the ministry of agricultural development and foodstuffs, Christos Avgoulas, said in a statement that the Greek side raised the European Union's new common agricultural policy, organic farming, livestock hygiene, and protected names for products from specific areas.

Raised for discussion by the Turkish side were an exchange of know-how and experts, and harmonization of domestic law with European Union legislation, the statement said.

[11] Greece, Thailand to cooperate in tourism

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

The move followed talks in Bangkok between Tourism Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos and his Thai counterpart, Sontay Kunplome.

Avramopoulos paid a two-day visit to Thailand to attend publicity events on the Olympic Games and a festival of Greek cuisine arranged by the Thai government, the Greek embassy, and Thai, the national air carrier.

The two sides also agreed to try to boost Thai tourism to Greece.

Part of Greece's national tourism policy is to attract more visitors from emerging countries in the Far East.

During his stay in Thailand, Avramopoulos also met French Tourism Minister Leon Bertrand. The two officials agreed to push for a European Union tourism policy.

Avramopoulos is to pay an official visit to Paris in the near future.

[12] Gov't backs modernization for wine producers

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

A priority had been set on restructuring varieties grown in Greek vineyards in order to attain consistently high quality, Basiakos said.

The trade deficit in wine has widened, with imports increasing sharply.

[13] Stocks nose up in flaccid, range bound trade

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

The Athens general share index closed at 2,332.15 points, showing a rise of 0.03 per cent. Turnover was 62.8 million euros.

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for high capitalization shares ended 0.04 per cent up; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium cap stocks closed 0.17 per cent higher; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap shares finished 0.24 per cent down.

Of stocks traded, declines led advances at 149 to 134 with 61 remaining unchanged.

[14] PM Karamanlis chairs meeting on Olympic Games preparations

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

As stated by Palli-Petralia, there was no discussion on the power blackout that occurred earlier in the day, noting that "the statements by (Development Minister Dimitris) Mr. Sioufas completely cover all of us and there is no concern."

However, according to sources, discussed at the meeting were solutions which should be taken in brief power blackouts as the government is not concerned about a greater problem given that another five Public Power Corporation (DEH) sub-stations will be created in Athens for the Olympic Games.

For the eventuality of brief blackouts, agreement has been reached with the Public Order Ministry for the mobilization of all the police in order for the streets to be free and particularly the Olympic traffic lanes.

On her departure from the Maximos Mansion, Alternate Culture Minister Palli-Petralia said:"We discussed about the Games. We had the meeting with the Organizing Committee, as we had scheduled since last week. They are meetings which are mounting as we are proceeding towards the Olympic Games. We had an excellent cooperation."

According to sources, examined was the operation of Athens during the course of the Olympic Games, the restoration which must be done in certain areas and the posting of signs.

On the issue of tickets, ATHOC President Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, according to the same sources, reiterated her position that no free tickets should be given by the State and claimed that the program of the sale of tickets is doing well and that an increase in the sale of tickets has been observed these past few days.

[15] Three albums dedicated to the Olympic Games released

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

"Fos" (Light) is the Greek album, wherein 16 leading Greek singers perform songs written by Mikis Theodorakis. According to EMI Managing Director Margarita Matsa the idea for the album belongs to producers Elias Benetos and Achilleas Theofilou.

"History is written by events and people that must not be for-gotten; one such person is Mikis Theodorakis," Benetos said. Maria Farantouri, George Dalaras, Haris Alexiou, Yiannis Parios, Marinella, Dimitris Mitropanos, Alkistis Protopsalti and Paschalis Terzis are among those singers performing on the album.

The second album "Unity" is the Olympic Games' pop album with artists, such as Avril Lavigne, Destiny's Child, Earth Wind & Fire, Tiziano Ferro, Jamelia and others contributing.

"The Olympic Games are an opportunity for people to come closer together during a difficult time," artist Macy Gray, present at the press conference, said.

Finally, "Harmony" is the third album featuring classical music and artists such as Maksim, Adiemus, Sarah Brightman, Nigel Kennedy, Vanessa Mae, Kiri Te Tanawa, Placido Domingo, Maria Callas, Vangelis and others.

"These Olympic Games are special, since they are returning to the place where they belong," Croat pianist Maksim said during the press conference.

Matsa thanked Athens 2004 for its trust and explained that a portion of the albums' sales will be donated to UNICEF in the fight against AIDS among children in Africa.

[16] Amnesty International calls for human rights protection ahead of the Olympics

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

"The danger of Olympic Games security further undermining the social and economic rights of vulnerable minorities, such as the Romas, is real," the announcement said.

Amnesty International cited the group of Roma families whose economic and social rights "were compromised after they were evicted from their place of residence at the Olympic Stadium work site." The human rights organization accused the Greek authorities of breaking their promise to subsidise the families' rent at other quarters as well as to find permanent residence for them.

While Amnesty International recognizes that "the Greek government must protect athletes, officials, journalists and spectators," it underlined that this goal should not be achieved at the expense of human rights and especially of the rights of minority groups.

The organization has called on the Greek government "to provide tangible and specific guarantees that the rights of all people in Greece will be fully respected and that measures which under-mine human rights will be modified or withdrawn."

[17] Earthquake registering 4.8 points on the Richter scale rocks Preveza

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

The epicenter of the quake was 12 kilometers northwest of the Ionian island of Paxoi at a depth of eight kilometers.

The quake was particularly felt at Agia in the area of Parga which is near the epicenter. Minor damage was reported in super markets from the fall of items from shelves.

[18] PM Karamanlis conveys condolences over death of Larissa's 'Eleftheria' newspaper publisher

Athens, 13/7/2004 (ANA)

Dimitrakopoulos, who died of a heart attack, was born in 1916 in Volos.

Karamanlis said that Dimitrakopoulos had offered significant work in the regional press, noting that "Eleftheria" newspaper "to which he dedicated his creative strength, will also show in the future, through its successful course, the strength which the voice of local societies can acquire through reliable and objective publishing efforts."

Roussopoulos said that Dimitrakopoulos "was an example of an active citizen" who advanced issues of local society and "contributed actively in the upgrading of our Democracy."

Papandreou said "Panagiotis Dimitrakopoulos worked tirelessly for decades in the field of the Provincial Press with ability and uncontested success."

[19] Cyprus FM holds meetings regarding EU Commission's regulations on T/Cs

BRUSSELS 13/7/2004 (CNA/ANA)

Iacovou discussed among other issues, the European Commission's package of measures that include financial assistance of nearly 260 million euros to the Turkish Cypriots, a regulation governing direct trade between Brussels and the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus and rules on inter-island trade.

Referring to the Regulation on financial assistance for the benefit of Turkish Cypriots, Iacovou expressed the opinion that the EU member states could accept some of the changes the Cyprus government proposes.

Regarding the Regulation for direct trade with the Cyprus' occupied areas, the foreign minister said that some EU partners do not understand ''what this fuss is all about'', since they consider it a purely commercial issue and deem that it only concerns financial aid towards Turkish Cypriots.

According to sources, Iacovou stressed to his counterparts that the Cyprus government could accept the adoption of the Regulation on financial aid towards the Turkish Cypriots, on condition that some changes on the Regulation are made and that the EU partners pledge that the Regulation on direct trade is postponed until the end of the year, so that there is enough time to ascertain whether the Green Line Regulation for inter-island trade could work.

He also underlined to his counterparts that the Cyprus Republic could make use of its right of veto although, as he stressed this is not something the government wishes.

Iacovou said that the Cyprus government would determine its position by July 22, regarding its stance in the event that its EU partners try to adopt the financial aid Regulation on July 26 and discuss the Regulation for direct trade in September.

The government of Cyprus objected to the regulation on direct trade saying it promotes division instead of contributing to the reunification of the country.

[20] Cyprus Spokesman says Filori confirms government's positions

NICOSIA 13/7/2004 (CNA/ANA)

Chrysostomides said that ''the views regarding the legal aspects of the proposed measures are given, they have been expressed by our side as well,'' adding that ''it appears that they are adopted by the Legal Committee of the Council to a great extent.''

''On the other hand, however, the decisions to be taken are political ones. However, the legal positions are those that establish the political decisions sometimes. The political decisions deviate from the legal framework with great difficulty,'' he added.

Chrysostomides noted Filori's statement, saying that ''he confirms the position we had expressed many times that the Committee steadfastly rejects the term 'trade isolation' and says that the current state of affairs is due to a decision of the Court in 1994 which determined that the issuing of certificates by the non-recognized authorities of the pseudo state could not be adopted in terms of accepting goods originating from the occupied areas.''

Replying to questions, Chrysostomides said the discussion on the Commission's proposals to the EU Council would be held in September.

''This period will be useful to determine the proper functioning of the regulation, which has already been decided regarding the movement of goods across the dividing line,'' he said, noting that the government is ready to assist in the implementation of the regulation.

Cyprus, which has been divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion, joined the European Union as a full member on 1 May 2004.

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