Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 04-09-29

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

CONTENTS

[01] Road safety the highest priority, PM says after tragic accident culls seven teenage lives

[02] DM Spilios Spiliotopoulos to make official visit to Cyprus on September 30

[03] Greek Deputy Minister of Defense meets with Hungarian counterpart

[04] PM chairs meeting on armaments program report

[05] Gov't to decide action after studying prosecutor's report on arms spending, spokesman says

[06] Washington expects US arms purchased by Greece and transferred to Cyprus to be returned to Greece, State Department spokesman says

[07] US welcomes revival of Greek aid plan for Balkans

[08] President Stephanopoulos receives Antioch Patriarch Ignatios

[09] Athens Paralympic Games come to a close; Ceremony kept modest

[10] IPC President praises 'fantastic' Paralympics and 'mind-blowing' public in Athens

[11] Fitch: Greece on rating watch negative after upward budget deficit revision

[12] Traditional forex business down in Greece, survey shows

[13] Austria wants Greece punished for giving EU wrong fiscal data

[14] Provisional jobless data shows 11.9% rate in Q1

[15] PASOK party leader greatly concerned over course of economy

[16] Symbolic occupation of Acropolis by culture ministry contractual employees

[17] Head of IOPC Fund visits Merchant Marine Ministry

[18] Power-GEN 2004 international exhibit to be held in Florida

[19] Stocks nose up in lower-cap buying

[20] Bomb alarm on Olympic Airlines aircraft flying to New York, airliner diverted to Shannon airport in Ireland

[21] Two immigrant smugglers arrested, search underway for illegals in Sfaktiria

[22] Athens Municipality to offer computer classes

[23] Two Iraqi children in Athens for treatment

[24] Borrell says Cyprus solution plan could not have been good

[25] Cypriot President: Discussions could help resumption of talks

[01] Road safety the highest priority, PM says after tragic accident culls seven teenage lives

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

The premier also outlined a series of measures designed to reduce road accidents, decided on during a cabinet meeting from which he had just emerged.

"The drastic reduction of accidents is our duty," Karamanlis stressed, noting that lives lost on Greek roads each year were equivalent to the population of a small town.

He said the government was planning to take measures in five areas, which formed part of an integrated policy on the issue. Among these he listed the swift completion of road building, noting that an accelerated pace in this had already been confirmed, so that Greece would finally acquire a national road network befitting an EU member-state.

Other measures included stricter policing of roads, especially known danger spots, the installation of cameras along dangerous stretches of highway that would help immediately locate dangerous drivers that violated traffic rules and tougher penalties for traffic violations, especially by drivers of heavy vehicles.

Karamanlis also announced that the public order ministry had been asked to prepare a comprehensive plan for creating a national highway traffic police force.

Another set of measures targeted heavy goods vehicles and coaches, in particular, such as a revision of the system for checking driving licenses, especially for heavy vehicles, and making the owners of trucks and coaches liable for offences as well as drivers.

The accident, which involved a head-on collision between a truck and a coach carrying high school students on a school trip to the Paralympics, occurred on a particularly dangerous stretch of roadway along the notorious Maliakos 'horseshoe'. It was also very similar to another accident involving a coach load of school students and a truck that occurred near Tempi in 2003, in which 23 youngsters were killed.

Expressing his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and his unstinting support for the injured and their families, the premier underlined that road safety was an essential element of the quality of life and one that, apart from the State, also concerned each person individually and was a question of social culture, ways of thinking and education.

In villages of Zarko and Farkadona in Trikala, meanwhile, the tragic footnotes to the accident were being written as hundreds gathered to bid their last farewell to the slain teenagers. Among the mourners at the funerals were the parents of Makrohori, who had lost their own children a year earlier at Tempi and local authority representatives, while Education Minister Marietta Yiannakou and Deputy Education Minister Spyros Taliadouros arrived shortly afterward.

Similar scenes were witnessed in Grizano and Diasello, where three more of the slain 16-year olds were buried by their parents and loved ones, as well as the entire local community. Here also, representatives of the state and teaching community were present, as well as Yiannakou and Taliadouros for the government.

In Athens, Justice Minister Anastasios Papaligouras called Supreme Court Public Prosecutor Dimitris Linos to the ministry on Tuesday and asked him to immediately initiate a judicial probe into the circumstances of Monday's accident at Maliakos and identify who was responsible, giving the case priority treatment at all stages.

He stressed that there should be a thorough investigation of all aspects of the case and that all those responsible would be held liable.

In a written statement from faraway Brussels, meanwhile, ruling New Democracy MEP Antonis Trakatellis accused former PASOK governments of faulty planning of the work along the Patras-Athens-Thessaloniki national highway.

He said the previous government had failed to implement simpler, feasible solutions for improving the safety of the road network - such as completing the E65 road axis that would bypass Maliakos Bay - and wasted time in plans that remained on paper and were never realized.

Trakatellis also raised questions about why the Lamia-Skarfia section of the road that would link the E65 with the E75, again bypassing half of Maliakos Bay and saving many lives, was not included in the 2nd Community Support Framework and the reasoning behind plans for an undersea tunnel in Maliakos, which was an area of high seismic risk and also part of the Natura 2000 program.

Prosecution launched against drivers, joint owner of truck involved in schoolchildren's tragic traffic accident: A public prosecutor in the city of Lamia, central Greece, on Tuesday launched prosecution against the drivers of the coach and the truck, as well as the joint owner of the truck, involved in the tragic traffic accident on the Athens-Thessaloniki motorway on Monday morning in which seven schoolchildren traveling in the coach were killed.

Charges filed against the three concerns disrupting the security of transport, manslaughter, causing bodily injury, speeding, overloading, entry into an oncoming lane and lacking a speedometer card.

The three will then be brought before an investigating magistrate in Lamia and charges will be separated for each defendant.

Cyprus president, IPC send condolences to President for Maliakos accident: Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos on Tuesday sent a telegram of condolences to President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos over the tragic accident at Maliakos Bay near Kamena Vourla, in which seven high school students lost their lives.

"All Cypriots grieve with the families of the victims and our Greek brothers," Papadopoulos wrote.

Telegrams of condolence were also sent to Stephanopoulos by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Executive Commission, the Paralympic Family and all the athletes.

"Greek children were our greatest supporters and were a source of inspiration to the entire world during the Paralympic Games. They have all our sympathy," they said.

Demonstrators block off stretch of National Highway in aftermath of road accident that killed seven pupils: Local residents and pupils on Tuesday blocked off five points along the Athens-Thessaloniki National Highway from the 200th kilometer (Thermopyles) to the 225th kilometer (Stylida) in the aftermath of Monday's road tragedy in which 7 pupils were killed and 30 others were injured, two of them seriously, after a container truck veered into the opposite lane and rammed into a bus carrying high school pupils from Trikala to Athens to attend the Paralympic Games.

The crash occurred at a stretch of highway along the Maliakos Gulf 'horseshoe' where hundreds of lives have been lost in road accidents in recent years.

Turnout exceeded the organizers' expectations, as more than 10,000 people demonstrated at the main blockade at the entrance to the town of Lamia, where schools, shops and public services remained closed for the day. Schools throughout the country will remain closed on Wednesday in a day of mourning over the accident declared by the government.

The demonstrators, chanting "no more bloodshed", blocked off both directions of the highway for more than three hours, leaving little margin for traffic police to divert vehicles and demanded that work begin immediately on the Maliakos horseshoe.

Later reports said that all the pupils who were rushed to hospital in Lamia after the accident -- who had sustained light injuries -- were released by noon on Tuesday, while a young boy whose arm was severed in the accident was reported to be in stable condition at KAT hospital in Athens after undergoing microsurgery to reattach the limb.

Meanwhile, Patriarch Eirinaios of Jerusalem sent telegrams of condolences over the accident to education minister Marietta Yiannakou and the local Metropolitan, Alexios of Trikki and Stagon.

At the same time, the Greek athletes competing in the Paralympic Games were wearing black ribbons on Tuesday in mourning for the 7 pupils killed in the accident, while the entertainment part of the Paralympics Closing Ceremony was cancelled. The Closing Ceremony on Tuesday night would comprise only of the protocol section of the Ceremony officially declaring the Games closed.

Also, speaking to local officials at the village of Farkadona, Trikala, where she would be attending the funerals of the pupils killed in the accident, education minister Marietta Yiannakou said that the Ministry had never given instructions for buses to transport pupils from the provinces to Athens for the Paralympic Games.

Yiannakou said that the ministry had given out tickets to the Games only to schools in Athens and Piraeus, adding that she had no knowledge of the movement of 150 buses from the Thessaly region to Athens for that purpose. The minister further presented a document that had been sent to all schools on March 23 that stipulated that the authoritative committee for deciding on pupils' movement was the School Committee, which was required to follow a specific procedure.

In another development, the vice-president of the company that owned the truck involved in the crash was arrested Monday night in Hania, Crete.

Maria Sartzetaki, vice-president of the Hania-based company and the wife of the company's owner/manager and loading officer Eftychios Sartzetakis, was arrested on Monday and taken to Athens for questioning. Eftychios Sartzetakis, who was responsible for overseeing the loading of the glass sheeting on the truck, had accompanied the cargo to Athens, according to the local police director, Markos Pangalos. Pangalos said that, given that the company and truck were Hania-based, and also that the driver was from Hania, the local police department was also involved in the preliminary investigation into the accident. He said the Hania police were responsible for finding and arresting the company owners, the company's director, and the company official responsible for the loading of the truck in question. Of those individuals, he added, only Maria Sartzetaki had been found as yet.

[02] DM Spilios Spiliotopoulos to make official visit to Cyprus on September 30

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

Spiliotopoulos will be holding talks with Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos and his Cyprus counterpart Kyriakos Mavronikolas and will be visiting the National Guard General Staff and the barracks of the Greek Force in Cyprus (EL.DY.K).

On the morning of October 1, the Greek defense minister will watch the military parade organized on the anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Cyprus.

[03] Greek Deputy Minister of Defense meets with Hungarian counterpart

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

The two countries expressed their common desire to further improve co-operation by the signing of two new agreements. The first concerns the mutual protection of classified information and the second concerns co-operation between the Cartographical Services of both nations. According to the press release, the Greek deputy minister also up-dated the Hungarians on Greece's experience in organizing secure Olympic Games and also put forward his opinion that in future, within the framework of the European defense, co-production of defense equipment would take place.

Michaloliakos also met with Hungarian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Andras Barsony with whom he discussed the issue of Kosovo. Finally, Michaloliakos asked for Hungary's support of the Greek bid for EXPO 2008, which if successful, would take place in Thessaloniki.

[04] PM chairs meeting on armaments program report

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

According to reports, the meeting focused on the issue of main shareholders, while according to other sources the issue of a report prepared by a public prosecutor on armament programs, which reached Parliament on Tuesday night, was also discussed. No statements were made after the meeting.

[05] Gov't to decide action after studying prosecutor's report on arms spending, spokesman says

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

The findings of two judicial probes focusing on defense contracts and procurements between 1999 and 2003 were submitted to Parliament on Tuesday after the chief prosecutor of the first instance courts delivered them to a Supreme Court prosecutor on Monday.

The investigations involve the purchase of the TPQ-37 artillery radar system and Russian-made TOR-M1 anti-aircraft units.

According to the two prosecutors that headed up the probes, collected documents and testimony point to the possibility of "criminal responsibility of political figures".

Recently passed legislation mandates that any judicial investigation pointing to the involvement of political figures (Parliament MPs, for instance) is immediately referred to Parliament.

The investigation into possible liabilities by non-political figures is continuing.

Public prosecutor speaks of 'possible penal responsibility' of former defense ministers in armaments program issue: An Athens public prosecutor speaks of "the possible penal responsibility of the then defense ministers Akis Tsohatzo-poulos and Yiannos Papantoniou" in a report he submitted to the Supreme Court public prosecutor and the Justice Ministry in connection with the contract on the procurement of 21 Russian-built mobile tracked TOR/M1 anti-aircraft systems and the contract on offset benefits resulting from the above contract.

The public prosecutor's report has been forwarded to Parliament by the Justice Ministry and was distributed by the Parliamentary Control Department, while Parliament President Anna Psarouda-Benaki had previously announced to the House that the report had been received.

"It is clearly deduced that the Hellenic state suffered a loss as a result of the purchase of the TOR/M1 anti-aircraft weaponry system," the report said, adding that "the responsibility for the choice of this system primarily lies with all the members of the military leadership (members of the Supreme Military Council, the National Defense General Staff chief) who evaluated it and included it in the list of options."

It also said that "adequate evidence exists against these persons for perpetrating the felony of breach of trust against the state."

The Justice Ministry also forwarded to Parliament another report by a public prosecutor concerning the issue of the procurement of six AN/TPQ-37 anti-artillery radars.

[06] Washington expects US arms purchased by Greece and transferred to Cyprus to be returned to Greece, State Department spokesman says

WASHINGTON 29/9/2004 (ANA/T. Ellis)

Replying to questions on the issue during a regular press briefing, Ereli said: "I think the United States is looking for those arms to be returned to Greece and to be used consistent with the terms of the license.

Ereli said that, under US law, "when licenses are provided for the purchase of arms that they be used in certain ways and not used in other ways, and that when the terms of those licenses are not fulfilled, it's our obligation to notify Congress. It is what it is. I wouldn't qualify it as a big deal or not a big deal. It is a statutory requirement that we are obliged to follow".

"The issue that we are dealing with here is the licensing and sale of U.S. arms to foreign governments and the terms, which govern the use of those arms. And that law applies equally to any country that buys defense articles from the United States, whether it is Greece, whether it is Turkey, whether it is the Czech Republic, whether it is anybody. You've got terms according to which those arms are to be used and not used. And we look at every case individually according to the terms of the license and how the arms were used. And if we find that the use of those arms is contrary to the terms of the license, then we notify Congress. That was the case in Greece," Ereli said.

Asked whether violation of US legislation by Turkey should be examined regarding the arms used by the Turkish invasion and occupation forces in Cyprus, Ereli said that "I don't know that the same issue applied -- if they used arms that they bought from the United States, what the terms of the license were, et cetera, et cetera", adding that "each case is taken individually according to the terms of the license and the requirements of law, and that the answer to your question is to look at it with that in mind and I'd refer you to the law".

US State Department spokesman reiterates position on US arms transferred to Cyprus:

US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher on Tuesday evening reiterated Washington's steadfast position that his ministry is obliged to notify the Congress on US arms purchased by Greece and transferred to Cyprus in violation of the licensing governing the sale.

[07] US welcomes revival of Greek aid plan for Balkans

WASHINGTON 29/9/2004 (ANA/A Ellis)

Following talks in the US capital with the deputy assistant secretary for European affairs, Laura Kennedy, the Greek official said the national economic reconstruction plan for the Balkans had dwindled in the past three years, and its reactivation required legal changes and assurance that funding complied with Greek foreign policy priorities.

Due to a need for reevaluation, negotiations had been conducted over projects in Romania and Albania, said Stylianidis, who handles the government's economic diplomacy.

Main priorities included road-building works in Albania to link villages of the Greek minority in the neighboring country with urban centers in that country's south and to Greece; and a major highway in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia connecting Greece to markets in central Europe, he added.

[08] President Stephanopoulos receives Antioch Patriarch Ignatios

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

Benaki awarded Ignatios the gold medal of the Greek Parliament and said his visit is received as "an expression of love and as a proposal of cooperation" for the Greek Parliament.

The Parliament President referred to the great effort being made by Greek Parliament to support Orthodoxy and Hellenism and for the unification, all over the world, of forces capable of promoting this cause.

PM Karamanlis, Patriarch Ignatios of Antioch discuss Patriarchate issues:

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Tuesday met with Patriarch Ignatios of Antioch and discussed issues concerning the Patriarchate.

The Patriarch was accompanied by Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece, while deputy foreign minister Panayotis Skandalakis was also present at the meeting.

[09] Athens Paralympic Games come to a close; Ceremony kept modest

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

The ceremony began with the official arrival of President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Phil Craven and Athens 2004 President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki.

The flags of the 136 participating countries were paraded into the stadium, with the Greek flag appearing last. Immediately after, the athletes entered the stadium, not split up by nationality, but in a group, reflecting the spirit of the Paralympic Games.

Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Craven, Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyanni and Beijing's Deputy Mayor Zhihua Liu, appeared on the stadium's central platform along with the six newly-elected members of the IPC Athletes' Committee, among them Greek Paralympian Constantinos Fykas.

"Tonight we conclude the 12th Paralympic Games, and dedicate the closing ceremony to the victims of yesterday's tragic accident. Our thoughts and sentiments go out to the families and friends who suffered a great loss," Angelopoulos-Daskalaki said in her brief address.

Speaking of the athletes' performance, she said: "For 11 days, you thrilled us with your efforts, and showed us again and again the extraordinary potential we all have, as human beings, to overcome barriers and the boundaries of human achievement," she continued.

"Thank you for the magical moments you have given us. Thank you for leaving a unique legacy to Greek society: hundreds of thousands of Greeks attended the Games, discovering your amazing ability to excel and to amaze," Angelopoulos-Daskalaki said, who went on to thank the spectators who filled the stadiums during the Paralympics, the organizing committee staff and the volunteers.

The IPC president also referred to the tragic bus accident that killed seven students on the Athens-Thessaloniki National Road on Monday. "Tonight should have been a night for celebration. Millions of people around the world have experienced 11 days of exceptional Paralympic sport. The children of Greece, especially, have learned first-hand the meaning of 'Paralympic Spirit.' It is their infectious enthusiasm and open-mindedness that motivate the world to embrace tolerance and change. They are the messengers of a better world. This simple truth magnifies the tragedy that has befallen their families and friends. Tonight we mourn their loss and dedicate, to these young people, the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games," Craven said.

Craven went on to thank Angelopoulos-Daskalaki and the organizing committee for their efforts and work which "made these Paralympic Games unique." He also thanked Athenians and Greeks in general for their hospitality and friendliness.

Addressing the athletes, Craven said: "Thank you athletes. Your performances were incredible. You have raised your sports to a new level. I am so proud of you. When you leave here, take the spirit of Athens with you and inspire young athletes all over the world." Craven also thanked sports officials and members of the Paralympic family, as well as the volunteers whom he called "remarkable". He also announced the launch of the IPC's new logo, symbolizing "Spirit in Motion", which was unveiled during the ceremony.

In closing, he invited Paralympic athletes to participate in the 13th Paralympic Games which will be held in Beijing in 2008.

[10] IPC President praises 'fantastic' Paralympics and 'mind-blowing' public in Athens

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

Commenting on Tuesday's night altered closing ceremony, in which the artistic and entertainment segments will be omitted out of respect for seven teenagers killed in a tragic road accident while traveling to watch the Games, Craven said it would still celebrate the great success of the Games "and particularly the effect they have had on the Greek public which has been just mind-blowing for me".

"We really found the foundation of the Paralympic movement here in Greece during the Games," Craven told reporters, stressing the warmth with which Athens spectators had greeted the athletes of the Paralympic movement.

"The biggest positive part for me is that Paralympic sports have gotten into the Greek hearts and I don't think there are bigger hearts around the world than Greek hearts. That has made the Paralympic Games an absolute success," he said.

Expressing his own and the Paralympic Family's sadness at the loss of the schoolchildren killed at Maliakos Bay near Kamena Vourla, the IPC president said that the Closing Ceremony will be altered to show respect for Monday's tragedy but will still celebrate what has gone on in Athens the last 11 days of competition.

''The key is the recognition that the spectators have given to the Paralympic athletes. They viewed them as sporting, competitive, athletic and friendly, all the things that make up the Paralympic movement and that is why I am particularly happy with what has been going on these two weeks in Athens.

"What the world needs to know is that here in Athens, there are, without doubt, the best group of sporting venues in the world. And it's not just the concrete and the glass and the wooden floors but it's the people that have been working in them because they become alive when you have a good team working in them. That comes from the cleaners, right through to the Venue and Competition Managers and all the people who have been working in them," Craven said.

Regrets for Monday's accident were also expressed by IPC Communications director Miriam Wilkens, who conveyed the IPC's condolences to the families and friends of the children who lost their lives, noting that 70,000 schoolchildren had visited the Games and been among the most enthusiastic and tireless supporters of the athletes.

According to Wilkens, the total number of tickets sold for the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games was 850,000 and more than 3,200 media representatives were accredited.

In statements on Monday, Wilkens said that the Athens Games had also broken records for worldwide viewing rates and broadcast coverage.

"Almost 50 broadcasters are present in Athens - this is a new record and a development, which confirms that there has been a good growth in interest for the Paralympic Games since the Sydney 2000 Paralympics. We expect to continue this positive trend for Torino in 2006 and Beijing in 2008," Wilkens said.

She also noted that up to 10 million Chinese and 8 million Japanese had stayed up through the night to watch live broadcasts of the Paralympics opening ceremony.

Daily highlight programs are attracting millions of European viewers. German broadcaster ARD/ZDF reported that the highlights aired on Sunday 19 September, were watched by nearly 1.5 million persons. In Great Britain, the BBC attracted approximately 2 million viewers for their first Sunday Paralympic program, whereas 634,000 persons watch the summary broadcast in Spain on 19 September. Italian television reported an average of 600,000 viewers for their daily broadcasts of Paralympic highlights.

Gov't congratulates Greece's medal-winning athletes in Paralympics: Deputy government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros on Tuesday expressed the government's congratulations to the Greek athletes that took part in the 12th Paralympic Games in Athens and won 20 Paralympic medals for Greece.

[11] Fitch: Greece on rating watch negative after upward budget deficit revision

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

"The ratings action follows large upward revisions to the general government deficit and debt figures for 2000-03, and strong indications that the fiscal position has deteriorated further in 2004," Fitch said in a report.

A review of the ratings is expected to be completed in November and will focus on the outlook for public finances, including this year's likely outcome and the 2005 budget, as well as medium-term growth prospects and progress with fiscal consolidation and structural reforms, coupled with their credibility.

Revised figures published by Eurostat, the European Union's statistics agency, on September 23 indicate that the general government fiscal deficit averaged 4 percent in the four years to 2003 rather than 2 percent as previously indicated.

According to Eurostat, the revisions are related to a number of factors including previous under-recording of military spending and interest payments, and over-estimations of the surplus on social security funds.

The new 2003 figure also reflects the reclassification of a payment from the postal savings bank as a financial transaction and downward adjustments to VAT receipts and EU transfers.

While data revisions are common across all countries rated by Fitch, the scale of the adjustments, combined with the fact that they follow a number of earlier revisions that, in each case, were supposed to have marked the end of major adjustments to the figures, is a concern, the report noted.

"These figures show that fiscal consolidation is far less advanced than previously believed," said Chris Pryce, Fitch's director of sovereign ratings.

"General government debt was actually 110% of GDP at the end of 2003, seven percentage points higher than was previously estimated, and recent trends are not encouraging," Pryce added.

The primary balance has declined steadily since 1999 and the prime minister warned recently that it expects the fiscal deficit to reach 5.3 percent of GDP this year and debt to reach 112 percent of GDP. While spending overruns related to hosting the Olympics have contributed to this deterioration, it also reflects poor control of primary spending and is disappointing given that the Greek economy has been growing far faster than the euro-area average, according to the report.

Although one-off spending pressures related to the Olympics will not be repeated, fiscal consolidation will be challenging, the report predicted.

The government is under pressure to cut taxes and the impact of several temporary factors that have been supporting GDP growth over the past few years, such as the sharp fall in interest rates in the run-up to euro-area membership and construction related to the Olympics, will now fall away.

Against this background, a credible 2005 budget and progress with structural reform, including privatization, will be essential. However, Greece's track record is mixed and the most important measures, such as labor market and pension reforms, are likely to be the most politically difficult to push forward, Fitch said.

With the distraction of preparing for the Olympic Games now gone and the scale of the challenges in the open, it is expected that the government will turn its attention to these issues. A credible 2005 budget and a positive response from European finance ministers who have requested details of fiscal adjustment to be made under the stability and growth pact's excessive deficit procedure will be important factors in determining the outcome of the review of Greece's sovereign rating, the report concluded.

[12] Traditional forex business down in Greece, survey shows

Traditional foreign exchange market operations in Greece dropped sharply between 2001 and 2004, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

The growing role of electronic brokering in the spot interbank market, consolidation in the non-financial sector, and increased intra-eurozone trade seem to have been the main factors in the fall in FX market turnover, according to the study conducted by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in April 2004 among 52 central banks and monetary authorities, including the Bank of Greece. In the same period, there was a significant rise in the use of derivatives due to introduction of the euro and hedging of trading risks, the survey said.

Average daily turnover in traditional foreign exchange activity in April 2004 was 4,223 million US dollars compared to 4,921 million US dollars in the same month of 2001.

- Spot daily turnover in April 2004 was 994 million dollars compared to 1,993 million dollars in April 2001

- Outright forward totaled 29 million dollars compared to 283 million dollars

- Foreign exchange swaps totaled 3,200 million dollars compared to 2,645 million dollars

Average daily turnover on OTC derivatives market activity was 228,90 million dollars in April 2004 compared to 37,31 million dollars in April 2001.

- FX OTC options were 54,65 million dollars compared to 5,63 million dollars

- FRAs and IR swaps totaled 134,10 million dollars compared to 28,26 million dollars

- IR options totaled 40,15 million dollars compared to 3,42 million dollars

[13] Austria wants Greece punished for giving EU wrong fiscal data

VIENNA 29/9/2004 (ANA/D.Dimitrakoudis)

In addition, a tighter, more effective system of controls on economic data submitted to EU authorities by member states should be found, Grasser told reporters in the Austrian capital.

Greece's move represented a European problem as confidence in the bloc's stability and growth plan was jeopardized, Grasser added.

The governor of the Austrian National Bank said that giving erroneous data set a poor example for the EU's new members.

[14] Provisional jobless data shows 11.9% rate in Q1

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

Labor and Social Protection Minister Panos Panayiotopoulos said he had requested further data from the finance ministry, which runs the GNSS.

[15] PASOK party leader greatly concerned over course of economy

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

Speaking after a meeting of the party's coordinating body, Papandreou referred to a report by a public prosecutor on armament programs for the armed forces, saying that the ''uncoordinated government is coordinating scandal talk and is raising its head, creating a climate of polarization to prepare the next elections.''

The PASOK leader said his party is prepared for everything, adding that the party will struggle for transparency and truth through democratic institutions, but it will not be held hostage and it ''will not allow the smearing of the democratic party''.

Papandreou criticized the government of ''being unable to govern, of being unable to fulfill its pledges and to coordinate itself and of lacking policy''.

He expressed great concern over the government's handling of the economy and of issues concerning the state budget.

Papandreou further said the current image of the economy is the result of the government action and the result of ''bad handling, alchemies, destructive accounting and bad management''.

[16] Symbolic occupation of Acropolis by culture ministry contractual employees

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

The employees chose the sit-in as a way of responding to the government's decision to not renew their contracts at the end of the month.

The ministry's contractual employees will meet at Klafthmonos Square, central Athens, on Wednesday morning where they will take part in the demonstration and march towards the Ministry of the Interior, organized by the association of contractual workers.

"The Acropolis, the timeless symbol of democracy, should not be used as a platform for trade and workers union issues," Deputy Culture Minister Petros Tatoulis said of Tuesday's sit-in.

"It would be good if we ourselves protect these symbols-monuments, and do not allow anyone to cover or eliminate the values and principles passed on to us by our predecessors," Tatoulis said.

[17] Head of IOPC Fund visits Merchant Marine Ministry

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

According to a press release issued by the ministry, the right of ship-owners to limit their liability was also discussed as was the phasing out of old ships. It was decided that this should take place with the assistance of international shipping organizations and the enforcement of international treaties regarding ship safety and sea protection. Increased insurance premiums should not be used as a direct and compulsory measure to improve safety and the quality of ships.

According to the press release, it was further decided that by the end of 2004, a vote by the Greek Parliament should be taken on a 2003 protocol concerning whether or not an international fund should be set up to pay for damages awarded for oil spills. Finally, reference was made to Greek ship-owners' proposal for an increase of financial contributions, through voluntary schemes from the P & I group of companies and oil companies. At the same time, it was decided that there should be no revising of work agreements should an imbalance be detected between the various parties involved.

[18] Power-GEN 2004 international exhibit to be held in Florida

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

More than 1,000 exhibitors will be participating, among them leading US companies which will present the latest developments in the production and transmission of electrical energy, including machines, equipment, materials, new technologies, as well as products and services aimed at environmental protection, the transport of fuel, maintenance of power stations, alternative energy sources, etc.

In addition to the exhibit, 78 sessions will be held and four visits to power-generating sites will be conducted.

[19] Stocks nose up in lower-cap buying

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for high capitalization shares ended 0.35 percent up; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium cap stocks closed 0.85 percent higher; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap shares finished 0.62 percent up. Of stocks traded, advances led declines at 170 to 100 with 84 remaining unchanged.

[20] Bomb alarm on Olympic Airlines aircraft flying to New York, airliner diverted to Shannon airport in Ireland

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

The aircraft had left Athens airport at 13.13, carrying out flight 411, with 295 passengers and 12 crew members. About three hours later, at 15.55, and while the airliner was flying over the Atlantic an unidentified called notified the Athens daily Eleftherotypia that a bomb was on board and would explode in about an hour.

The newspaper notified police who in turn alerted all relevant authorities, while the aircraft's pilot was also informed of the event. A decision was ultimately taken to direct the aircraft to Shannon airport in Ireland where draconian security measures have been taken.

A similar bomb hoax incident had occurred with the company last Sunday when an aircraft flying on the same route had been diverted to Stanstead airport in Britain.

Aircraft lands at Shannon airport in Ireland:

An Olympic Airlines passenger aircraft warned of a bomb on board, while in flight from Athens to New York on Tuesday, was diverted to Shannon airport in Ireland where it landed in the evening.

The aircraft was led by security forces and the fire brigade to an isolated spot at the airport, far away from runways, where its 295 passengers and 12 crew members disembarked.

"The classic control procedure in the event of a bomb warning will then be taking place on the aircraft," according to an announcement by the airport's fire brigade spokeswoman.

[21] Two immigrant smugglers arrested, search underway for illegals in Sfaktiria

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

The two men, identified as Sali Tcan Riza and Katin Volcan, had set off in a speedboat from the coast of Turkey carrying seven Africans, six men and one woman.

The illegal immigrants are in good health and were taken to the Samos immigrant detention centre, while the two Turkish immigrant-traffickers have confessed and will appear before a public prosecutor.

The two men said they were being paid 1,000 dollars each for the run, while each of the Africans had paid 2,500 dollars each.

Meanwhile, a 25-metre fishing boat smuggling immigrants ran aground on Tuesday morning on the islet Sfaktiria, near the coast of Pylos in the Peloponnese, while being pursued by a coast guard patrol boat.

After following the craft for two days, the coast guard officers were stunned to see the captain of the immigrant-smuggling craft, which they believe to be Egyptian, ram his vessel against the rocks and offload 43 immigrants onto the remote shore.

The officers believe the captain ran aground deliberately, following similar tactics to an immigrant-trafficking vessel that ran aground in Crete on Sunday. Police forces in Pylos have mounted a search operation to locate the immigrants put ashore.

[22] Athens Municipality to offer computer classes

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

Called 'equal skills', the course will be held at the Municipality's vocational training centre and will focus on teaching new technologies and how they can be applied in every day life. Residents of Athens with no previous computer experience are eligible to register. The course will be free of charge for the first 100 applicants over 45 years of age, but will cost 100 euro for everyone else, regardless of age.

[23] Two Iraqi children in Athens for treatment

Athens 29/9/2004 (ANA)

[24] Borrell says Cyprus solution plan could not have been good

BRUSSELS 29/9/2004 (CNA/ANA)

Speaking after a meeting with Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos, Borrell noted that one should listen to the Cypriots in order to find a solution and reassured that the European Parliament was intensely involved in this effort.

The meeting took place Tuesday morning at the European Parliament in Brussels and was described by both Borrell and Papadopoulos as being very friendly and interesting. Furthermore, Borrell accepted an invitation extended by President Papadopoulos to visit Cyprus and said the island needed the European Parliament's attention.

President Papadopoulos, who went to Brussels after a trip to New York, said they both reiterated their expectation for a new opportunity to solve the Cyprus problem, when the time was right and conditions permitting.

He also reiterated his commitment to find a settlement in the context of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, and confirmed the wish of his government and the Cypriot EMPs to support Borrell in his difficult task.

Borrell said they talked about the problems that arose after the April 24 referenda, during which the Greek Cypriot community rejected the UN plan for a settlement, while the Turkish Cypriot community accepted it.

He said the European Parliament was intensely involved in efforts to reach a solution and noted that one should listen to the positions of the Cypriots in order to find a settlement. Borrell noted that the proposed solution plan could not have been very good, as it was not accepted.

Referring to the EU regulation to financially assist the Turkish Cypriots, Borrell said the European Parliament should vote for an amended community budget in order to make more funds available.

President Papadopoulos referred to the manner in which the funds should be made available, so as not to enhance the division of the island and to restrict the problems.

[25] Cypriot President: Discussions could help resumption of talks

BRUSSELS 29/9/2004 (CNA/ANA)

President Papadopoulos indicated that the period between now and December is not conducive for a new initiative on Cyprus.

Papadopoulos was speaking, Monday night, at a dinner with Greek, Cypriot and Belgian journalists on the occasion of his three-day working visit to Brussels, at the invitation of the Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt.

Asked about his meetings in New York with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and US Undersecretary for Political Affairs Marc Grossman, Papadopoulos said they were ''two very useful meetings,'' adding that ''we discussed the Cyprus problem and I reiterated the position that by rejecting the Annan plan (a UN solution plan) we have not rejected the solution, we have not rejected the reunification of our homeland.''

On the contrary, Papadopoulos said, we support and remain firm to the position that the solution to the Cyprus problem must be found in the framework of the Annan plan for a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

''I believe that these discussions can help create the suitable conditions so that a new effort can start at the appropriate time,'' he said, adding that the overall assessment is that the period until December is not suitable for a new initiative.

He added that everyone understands that the outcome of the referendum on the Annan plan is not the end of the road. ''We have to turn the page and make a new effort,'' he said.

Responding to questions, he said the government has the good will to reach an agreement on a European Union regulation for financial aide to the Turkish Cypriots provided that EU law is respected.

He added that there has been significant progress in this issue but the issue of the Greek Cypriot properties has to be solved.

He added that many countries agree with the government position that EU law cannot be ignored in this respect. On Wednesday he will attend a working lunch hosted by Verhofstadt.

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