Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 05-12-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] Karamanlis briefs President of the Republic on EU Summit

[02] Finmin: Results of EU summit a success for PM and Greece

[03] Government welcomes results of EU summit for Greece

[04] PASOK says gov't 'was not successful in EU Summit'

[05] Parliamentary debate on 2006 budget continues

[06] Gov't again dismisses prospect of reshuffle

[07] Greek-Albanian protocol eyes more effective monitoring of sea boundaries

[08] PM briefed by Interior minister

[09] Parliament accepts Papandreou proposal for setting up of Inter-Party Committee on immigration

[10] Transport minister hosts dinner for accredited journalists

[11] KKE leader decries CoE draft condemning crimes of totalitarian communist regimes

[12] Prosecutors pledge to probe alleged abductions of Pakistanis

[13] ND secretary meets Thessaloniki prefect

[14] Delta to absorb Chipita, creating largest Greek food firm

[15] Greek unemployment fell to 9.7 pct in 3rd quarter, yr/yr

[16] Sharp rise in November tax revenue, finmin says

[17] Minister puts Sunday-opening for stores to public debate

[18] Unions, employers launch talks on wage pact

[19] Commission rebukes Athens over failure to comply with cabotage rules

[20] EU raps Greece over ship-generated waste facilities

[21] EU replies to opposition query on funding

[22] Gov't: No impact on Greek cotton from WTO move

[23] Albatros Airways launches direct flights between Athens and Tirana

[24] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks slip in brisk trade

[25] Cold front sweeps across northern Greece

[26] Victims' attorney: N17 terrorists 'common criminals'

[27] Survey: 65% of Greeks think immigration bad for the country

[28] Alternate culture minister visits Crete

[29] Book by ND's Polydoras presented in Athens

[30] Helios deadly flight re-enacted

[31] 8,000 police officers will be used in Attica during the Christmas season

[32] Results of Greek First Division soccer matches played over the weekend and Monday

[33] Cyprus government: Property ''law'' reaffirmation of illegal occupation

[34] Cyprus continues representations regarding Cherie Blair's actions

[01] Karamanlis briefs President of the Republic on EU Summit

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

Karamanlis made the statement after briefing President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias on the outcome of last week's EU summit.

The premier added that the final result "after concertations that lasted many months and alliances, satisfies us all".

"We have succeeded in the objectives we had set and we did not lose even one euro, despite the fact that the budget agreed upon is smaller than the one the Luxembourg presidency had proposed (last June)", Karamanlis said.

President Papoulias, on his part, said "it is very good for Greece", adding "we have avoided what we had been afraid of". He also praised the role played by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"Germany helped a lot, while the British Presidency showed a good disposition in relation to its past proposals," Karamanlis said.

[02] Finmin: Results of EU summit a success for PM and Greece

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

The total funds for Greece agreed at the meeting come to ¬ 20.1 billion, to which Greece would have to contribute an additional ¬ 3.6 billion in national funds to implement the 2007-2013 program, he said.

The minister also pointed to a series of other measures that favored Greece, such as an increase in the contribution of Community funds to 85 pct instead of 75 pct in the target 1 regions, and 85 pct instead of 50 pct in target 2 regions like central Greece or the southern Aegean islands.

Greece had also ensured that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will remain unaltered until 2013 and that there would be no reduction in the amounts going to the Convergence Fund.

According to Alogoskoufis, a delay in a decision on the EU's fiscal prospects in 2007-2013 until the next EU presidency under Austria would have cost Greece ¬ 4 billion.

At the same time, he noted that the funds secured by Greece would not be enough to achieve the goals set by the government and that further reforms would be required. He said that the change in the N+2 rule (which will now become N+3) concerned the years 2007-2010.

Alogoskoufis also stressed that systematic planning would be needed from here on, because the economy was going through a critical period when problems would have to be permanently solved. Development would come about through extroversion and an increase in competitiveness, he added.

[03] Government welcomes results of EU summit for Greece

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

Government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said that Greece had achieved its goals in securing ¬ 20.1 billion from the total EU budget for 2007-2013.

"We fought so that not a single euro would be lost from the equivalent summit meeting in June, even though the total sum for the EU was smaller," he said.

The spokesman also pointed to the one-year extension gained by Athens for the absorption of funds from the 4th Community Support Framework, the delay of a revision in the Common Agricultural Policy until after 2013 and the increased contribution by the EU in co-funded projects.

[04] PASOK says gov't 'was not successful in EU Summit'

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

Athanassakis said that the government's claims that it succeeded in its objectives "are in the air because the government had never said exactly what its objectives were," noting that this is a permanent practice of the New Democracy (ND) government."

The PASOK spokesman added:" In essence, we got what they gave us and it does not appear anywhere that there was a battle which had positive results for Greece." He said that Greece got "exactly the same amounts, contained in the first proposal of the British presidency."

Athanassakis proceeded in comparing Greece and Portugal, stressing that "Portugal for the first time takes more money than Greece." He said Greece lost 200 to 300 million euros from the credits for the development of regions.

[05] Parliamentary debate on 2006 budget continues

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

He noted that "we will receive this sum despite the fact that the total European budget was reduced by 10 billion in comparison to June."

Doukas said that the deputies of the main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) would have spoken of an utter failure of the government if Greece received 12-18 billion, and now that we will receive 20.1, they cannot accept that it was a success. He questioned "do they (PASOK) believe that every negotiation must be made only through the mass media?"

Referring to the tax revenue of the budget, Doukas said that "they will increase as much as the bulk of the economy will increase."

The deputy finance minister said that "the Greek people are aware that bold changes and radical reforms are needed."

Tourism Development Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos said that this year's budget "helps the ministry to move with stronger planning."

Avramopoulos said:" In the current transactions, the gross revenue only from travel services increased by 6.1 per cent compared to last year which was also an Olympic Games year, while tourism foreign exchange increased by 16-17 per cent."

Former PASOK transport and communications minister Christos Verelis said that the ND deputies will vote the 2006 budget "out of political obligation."

The PASOK deputy called on the ND deputies to be concerned on how, within 20 months, "the country fell from 34th to 46th position in competitiveness worldwide and that the profits of the banks have increased by 50-80 per cent when citizens and businesses are in the red."

Referring to the 20.1 billion of EU funds, Verelis said that "at the rate the government is going, I doubt that it will absorb them."

Communist Party of Greece (KKE) deputy Dimitris Tsiogas accused the government of "an attack against the working people" and adjusting a budget "which meets the demands of competitiveness and of the profit of industrialists."

Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (Synaspismos) deputy Asimina Xyrotiri said that "the government is abandoning every idea of planning and social control of development" and that the budget "sacrifices the rights of the working people so as to strengthen competitiveness."

Independent deputy Stefanos Manos said that he did not trust the manner with which the budget was formulated "as the government through its actions, ridiculed the meaning of the budget, both in 2004 and 2005. In 2005 the revenue had nothing to do with the forecasts. Why should we believe for 2006 the same people?"

The parliamentary debate on the 2006 budget will end at midnight on Thursday with a vote.

[06] Gov't again dismisses prospect of reshuffle

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

Spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos added that his past statements still stand vis-a-vis a possible government reshuffle.

[07] Greek-Albanian protocol eyes more effective monitoring of sea boundaries

TIRANA, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

Among others, the agreement envisions an exchange of information between the two countries' coast guards relating to stolen goods, bodies of unidentified victims found in the sea as well as seaborne emergencies.

Additionally, a joint coordinating body fielding experts from both sides will be formed, meeting once a month in Corfu, or Sarande and Vlore in Albania.

According to reports, the protocol falls within Schengen Pact guidelines.

[08] PM briefed by Interior minister

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

Afterwards, the minister said the development was necessary, especially in light of better exploiting upcoming 4th Community Support Framework (CSF) funds.

[09] Parliament accepts Papandreou proposal for setting up of Inter-Party Committee on immigration

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

This was announced by Parliament 2nd Vice-President Yiannis Tragakis, clarifying that the Inter-Party Committee will comprise of 15 members and each political party will be represented accordingly, while Eurodeputies will also portico-pate.

[10] Transport minister hosts dinner for accredited journalists

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

The minister noted an increase in passenger traffic on the Suburban Railway or Proastiakos, especially between Corinth and Athens, and said that new trains would be leased and bought to cover the increased demand.

He announced that the ministry intended to extend the Proastiakos line up to Lavrio, an industrial town on the east coast of Attica - an idea also proposed by ship owners to relieve some of the congestion at the port of Piraeus.

The minister also stressed his satisfaction with passenger levels on the Athens tram, noting that this had stabilized at around 50,000 passengers a day after the promotional campaign between the tram company and Athens theatres.

Regarding the Greek Railway Organization (OSE), Liapis did not rule out possible changes in top management, while announcing that a Balkan transport ministers' meeting will take place in Athens at the end of January.

He also appeared optimistic that the rate of absorption of EU funds would increase; noting that it had been just 19 pct when he had taken over and was now up to 35 pct, while predicting that it would soon stand at 60 pct.

Concerning traffic restrictions in the centre of Athens, Liapis repeated on Monday that the current "odd-even" number-plate method was out-of-date and announced that a new method to limit traffic congestion will be found by next September.

[11] KKE leader decries CoE draft condemning crimes of totalitarian communist regimes

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

Papariga called on the prime minister and political leaders to publicly state their views on the issue, while also demanding that ruling ND and main opposition PASOK representatives clarify the position they took at a CoE political affairs committee session that passed the relevant draft last week.

She spoke at a press conference for the specific reason.

[12] Prosecutors pledge to probe alleged abductions of Pakistanis

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

Papangelopoulos made the statement after a meeting with Supreme Court Public Prosecutor Dimitris Linos and one of the first-instance court prosecutors around midday to discuss the case, stressing the investigation would not shy from taking action against Greek police officers found to be responsible for the affair.

Sources revealed that the public prosecutors had on Monday examined eight of a total of 20 Pakistanis that claim they were abducted and interrogated.

They said that those interrogating them spoke Greek and did not cover their faces, while they placed hoods over the heads of the Pakistanis. According to the victims, the trip to the interrogation centre had taken about 1.5 hours.

The alleged abductions all occurred after the terrorist attacks in London in July and the questions concerned their relations with other Pakistanis living in London.

The claim has been denied by the Pakistani Embassy in Greece, which said that it had received no complaints from the relatives or friends of the alleged victims, and by Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao when he was in Greece for a quadrilateral meeting on preventing organized crime last week.

According one of the two lawyers representing the group, however, the Pakistani Embassy had been informed of the abductions on the very next day after they occurred and had done nothing, while putting pressure on the victims not to report the incident to the authorities.

The abductions were reported by the head of the Pakistani Community in Greece Tzavet Aslam, while the left-wing Coalition (Synaspismos) party has also been active in seeking an investigation into the matter.

[13] ND secretary meets Thessaloniki prefect

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

They discussed upcoming local government elections and other issues concerning the prefecture.

[14] Delta to absorb Chipita, creating largest Greek food firm

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

Each firm's board of directors decided on 16, 17 and 18 of December 2005 to propose to their general assemblies of shareholders a merger by absorption by Athens-quoted Delta Holding.

"This landmark unification of Delta Holding, and its subsidiaries, with Chipita creates a power-house of leading food brands and is beneficial to all our shareholders and stakeholders. We are combining our capabilities into an organization which is rich in human resources, knowledge capital and infrastructure, with international experience, modern professional management and strong corporate governance foundations. " Dimitris Daskalopoulos, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Delta Holding, said in a statement on Monday.

"We are becoming financial stronger and achieving noteworthy scale. Now we can be more ambitious - for growth and results," Daskalopoulos noted.

Under a share exchange ratio that will be put to an AGM, Athens-quoted Chipita shareholders will hold approximately 24% of shares in the combined company. Goody's minority shareholders are to own about 7.4%, and General Frozen Foods 1.8%.

Delta Holding's convertible bonds will become 3,926,046 newly issued common shares prior to execution of the draft merger agreement.

Independent advisors are auditors KPMG and Grant Thornton, along with Eurobank, National Bank of Greece and Investment Bank as consultants in the merger.

Subject to clearance from regulatory authorities, the merger is due for completion by July 2006, the statement said.

"Our joining creates a food company with significant scale in the European market. We acquire new increased capabilities for further product development and geographic expansion under more competitive terms. We already have presence in 28 countries with a total population of 1,000,000,000. We possess a robust brand portfolio with big international utilization prospects," Spyros Theodopoulos, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Chipita commented.

"As a combined company we fortify our market position and can maintain our leadership in consumer choice more effectively increasing value for the benefit of our shareholders," Theodopoulos added.

On completion of the merger, the combined company will be the leader in the food sector in Greece, second in the food & beverages sector, the seventh largest industrial company, the sixteenth largest Greek corporation and 35th largest European food processor, the statement said.

Sale of Delta Ice Cream to Nestle Hellas: Delta Holding said that is had signed an agreement, subject to approval by regulatory authorities, to sell its 96.53% holding in Delta Ice Cream S.A., which operates in Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro and other markets of the former Yugoslavia for an enterprise value of ¬ 240 million including total debt.

Delta Ice Cream had a consolidated annual turnover of ¬ 123 million in 2004 and holds the leading position in its sector in the Balkans, the statement said.

The final share price will be set immediately before the closing date based on the deduction of total debt from business valuation. Indicatively and based on debt levels as of the 30th of September 2005, the per share offer price will be calculated at ¬ 6.22. The transaction is due for completion by spring 2006, the company added.

[15] Greek unemployment fell to 9.7 pct in 3rd quarter, yr/yr

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

NSS, in its regular report, said the unemployment rate for women was 15 pct in the period from July-September, more than double the 6 pct unemployment rate for men, while young people - aged 15-29 - recorded the highest unemployment rates at 19.3 percent for both sexes and 26.2 pct for women.

Those entering the workforce for the first time account for 37.4 pct of all unemployed, while the long-term unemployed (defined as those out of work for more than a year, including first-time job seekers) accounts for 55.1 pct of the total.

The number of Greeks in employment totalled roughly 4,386,000 in the third quarter, which is the highest absolute number ever recorded in Greece. Unemployment among foreigners was 7.8 percent over the same period, while percentage employment in the foreign population was 72.7 pct.

Western Macedonia (18.5 pct), Epirus (12.0 pct) and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (11.9 pct) recorded the highest unemployment rates in the country, while the Ionian Islands (5.4 pct) and Crete (5.5 pct) the lowest rates.

[16] Sharp rise in November tax revenue, finmin says

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

Income in November from Value Added Tax increased by a healthy 11.6% against a rise of 9.3% a month earlier, the minister told a ceremony for delivery of 10 vehicles designed to make on-the-spot inspections for adulterated fuel.

"The government's central option is to combat tax evasion and illegal trade," he noted.

"Tax evasion has risen since 2000 as shown by tax revenue, especially indirect tax, as a proportion of gross domestic product," the minister stated.

Although tax brackets had not been lowered, revenue from indirect taxation was 15.3% of GDP in 2000; 14% of GDP in 2003; 13.8% of GDP in 2004; and 13% in 2005, he added.

[17] Minister puts Sunday-opening for stores to public debate

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

Up for discussion was the possibility of stores opening for two or three Sundays before Christmas each year, one or two before Easter, one during the winter sales, and another in the summer sales in order to aid consumers.

Later in the day, the Communist Party of Greece charged the government with trying to abolish Sunday as a day of rest.

The Athens Commercial Association described the proposal as "untimely" due to problems faced by small and medium-sized enterprises.

The National Confederation of Greek Commerce said the matter would be discussed at a board meeting; and the GSEBEE trade group noted that small businesses were continually falling under pressure from large companies.

[18] Unions, employers launch talks on wage pact

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

Employers said they wanted to exempt new recruits from the national pact in areas with high unemployment or in loss-making sectors; but union negotiators stated that they would not accept such a move.

[19] Commission rebukes Athens over failure to comply with cabotage rules

BRUSSELS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

According to a Commission press release, the "infringed" Regulation applies the principle of freedom to provide services to maritime transport within member-states. Under this Regulation, members are, in principle, obliged to let the concerned parties operate freely in this type of market. Exceptions may be allowed only if market forces would not result in a satisfactory level of service, "owing to special circumstances."

Specifically for Greece, the Commission charged that "almost all its intra-island network of shipping services has been made subject to public service obligations, without evidence that there is a real public service need. The Commission also considers that Greek legislation on crews and the internal organization of ships disproportionately restricts the freedom operators should have over the way they provide their service to users."

[20] EU raps Greece over ship-generated waste facilities

BRUSSELS, 20/12/2005 (ANA/M Spinthourakis)

"It is important that all Member States implement properly this legislation that enhances the protection of the maritime environment. Obligations both on masters of ships to deliver their waste and on Member States to make facilities available to treat this waste must be respected", said Vice-President Jacques Barrot in charge of transport.

A directive adopted in 2000 aims at reducing discharge from ship-generated waste and cargo residues into the sea from ships using ports in the EU by improving the availability and use of the facilities designed to receive and treat such waste and residues, thereby enhancing the protection of the maritime environment.

Concerning Greece, the case relates to non-implementation of the obligation to develop, approve and implement waste reception and handling plans in all Greek ports, including fishing ports and marinas, the Commission said in a statement.

The plans are a key element in ensuring that port reception facilities made available meet the needs of the ships normally using the ports, that their operation does not cause undue delay to ships and that fair, transparent and non-discriminatory fees are applied, the statement said.

Member states should have adequately transposed the directive into their national law and established waste reception and handling plans for all their ports by 27 December 2002, it added.

[21] EU replies to opposition query on funding

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

The data was given by the EU's commissioner for employment, social affairs and equal opportunities, Vladimir Spidla, in reply to a question from a eurodeputy for the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology, Dimitris Papadimoulis.

[22] Gov't: No impact on Greek cotton from WTO move

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

Basiakos, who headed Greece's delegation to the meeting, said that the abolition from 2006 of export subsidies on cotton would not affect Greek cotton output as the product was not exported to third countries.

The minister also noted that the European Union's revised common agricultural policy and cotton support mechanisms were unaffected.

[23] Albatros Airways launches direct flights between Athens and Tirana

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

As announced on Monday, the duration of the trip from Tirana to Athens with Albatros Airways will be 50 minutes, while the prices of return flights start from 159 euros.

The Albanian-interest Albatros Airways was founded in May 2004 and to the present conducts regular flights from Tirana to eight destinations in Italy, while soon, it plans to serve London, Brussels and Pristina.

[24] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks slip in brisk trade

ATHENS, 20/12/2005 (ANA)

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for high capitalization shares ended 0.21% down; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium cap stocks closed 0.26 higher; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap shares finished 2.92% up.

Of stocks traded, advances led declines at 179 to 102 with 49 remaining unchanged.

Stock Futures: