Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 06-02-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greek and Russian FMs discuss economic cooperation and Cyprus issue

[02] PM meets with Russian FM Lavrov; latter refers to Iran nuclear crisis

[03] Inquiry launched into phone-taps and Vodafone executive's death

[04] Main opposition insists on ministers' resignation due to phone-tapping affair

[05] State Department spokesman refers phone-tapping issue to Greek government

[06] Athens Bar Association discusses phone-tapping issue

[07] Israeli president in Athens next week

[08] Greece supports neighbors' EU accession, ND cadre says

[09] Voulgarakis meets with Serbia-Montenegro minister Jocic

[10] Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos on official visit to Panama and Mexico

[11] Archbishop Christodoulos says he is "ready for 'velvet' separation" of Church and State

[12] Conference of SE Europe justice and internal affairs ministers beginning on Tuesday

[13] FinMin Alogoskoufis optimistic that gov't targets on boosting economy will be achieved

[14] Opposition party again blasts gov't over social insurance

[15] Gov't on collective bargaining

[16] One-day bank strike held

[17] Finmin reports on investment applications

[18] Exports rise seen holding in 2006

[19] Athens Bourse Close: Shares hit new five-year high

[20] Cold front again sweeps through Greece

[21] State agencies ready for bad weather, Interior Minister says

[22] Greece helps Albania deal with bad weather

[23] Two assailants of labor confederation leader remanded in custody

[24] Jail term handed down to Turkish migrant smuggler

[25] Collection of paintings by Spyros Papaloukas donated to Athens Municipality

[26] Any Cyprus initiative should include all UN Security Council members, says Spokesman

[27] Cyprus government has no information over Bryza visit

[28] EU Commissioner satisfied with avian influenza measures in Cyprus

[01] Greek and Russian FMs discuss economic cooperation and Cyprus issue

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

The two ministers also discussed the issue of Cyprus, while Lavrov said that a solution must be based on international law and on UN resolutions and it must be given through negotiations and not be imposed from outside. All five permanent members of the Security Council must also participate in relevant initiatives.

Otherwise, Lavrov added, when the members of the Council begin to act independently nothing is achieved.

The Russian minister, who met with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and President Karolos Papoulias, gave a press conference together with Molyviatis.

The Greek foreign minister said that "bilateral relations are at an excellent level and are based on the strong foundations of sincere friendship and historic ties which are very old."

He stressed the possibility and need for strengthening bilateral economic relations, particularly in the sectors of commerce, tourism and energy, a sector on which he placed great importance.

Lavrov said that "we examined relations between Greece and Russia on the issue of providing gas, the transportation of gas through Greece and participation in regional energy networks."

The Russian minister underlined Greece's special role in security and the "optional policies" in Europe's energy supply.

The Greek foreign minister thanked his Russian counterpart for Russia's consistent support for a just and viable solution to the issue of Cyprus, based on Security Council decisions and resolutions.

Lavrov ascertained a coincidence of views, or at least a great proximity in views between Greece and Russia, on such issues as Cyprus and the Middle East, including the nuclear program of Iran and Kosovo.

Referring to the problems of Kosovo and Cyprus, he stressed that an arrangement must be reached on the basis of international law and UN resolutions and must result from negotiations and not imposition from outside, terming the violation of these principles a very dangerous precedent.

Lavrov also underlined his country's interest in participation in the Greek energy market that will be "deregulated."

Commenting on the issue of Kosovo, the Greek minister said that the region's final status quo must be the result of negotiations and dialogue and not imposition and coercion and it must respect the values of the international community and strengthen the stability of the wider region.

Lavrov further noted the deep historic roots and the spiritual ties between Greece and Russia, while referring to the spectacular development of Russian tourism to Greece and thanked Greece for facilitating the issue of entry visas.

Replying to questions on Black Sea cooperation and cooperation between Russia and Turkey on security and terrorism issues, Lavrov said that the Montreux Treaty is valid in all directions.

Welcoming the Russian minister at the Presidential Mansion during the day, President Papoulias spoke of the very friendly relations between the two peoples and of the constructive contacts between the leaderships of the two countries.

Lavrov mentioned that predictions by his ministry's relevant services who informed him of a warm welcome that he would be receiving in Greece were confirmed.

Issues discussed included bilateral relations, Cyprus, relations between Russia and the European Union, the Middle East and developments in the Balkans.

[02] PM meets with Russian FM Lavrov; latter refers to Iran nuclear crisis

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

"It would be best if we didn't make prophecies or various predictions; issuing assorted threats also isn't needed," the Russian minister said in response to reporters' questions vis-à-vis a reported statement by the US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Lavrov made the statement at a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart Petros Molyviatis, who also attended Russian FM's meeting with Karamanlis.

Rumsfeld was quoted by a German paper on Sunday as saying that "all possibilities are still open in the dispute over Iran's nuclear program, including military action".

Lavrov reminded that the use of violence can only be based on the UN Charter, while he also cited comments by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who ruled out the possibility of military action against Iran.

Concluding, the Russian minister said the most significant issue at hand is for the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) queries to be answered by Tehran.

[03] Inquiry launched into phone-taps and Vodafone executive's death

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

Costas Tsalikidis died on March 9, 2005, just a few days after a 'ghost' software system responsible for the clandestine tapping of 46 Vodafone mobiles, including those of the Greek prime minister and several members of government, was discovered in Vodafone's systems. His death also occurred one day before the security breach was reported to the government.

Syrros, who led top-secret police investigation into the phone-tapping conspiracy lasting 11 months, had attributed the 38-year-old's death to suicide in his last testimony to a public prosecutor, which is also the sole cause of death listed in a police report submitted at that time.

In charge of the re-opened judicial investigation is first-instance court public prosecutor Ioannis Diotis, who was also in charge of the investigation into the terror group November 17.

The public prosecutors' office announced on Monday that it would ask for the confidentiality of phone records and conversations by the deceased during the period in question to be lifted, as well as investigating press reports alleging that a Vodafone executive had been murdered.

An announcement by Vodafone on Monday, meanwhile, denied reports claiming a series of meetings between Tsalikidis and Vodafone managing director George Koronias in the crucial period when the phone-taps were discovered, as well as meetings between Tsalikidis and a series of other senior Vodafone executives.

The conspiracy and an unsuccessful 11-month probe to discover those behind it was announced by the government last week, following a front-page article that appeared in the Athens daily 'Ta Nea'.

In a lengthy press conference held by three ministers, the government revealed that the phone taps were discovered during a systems check initiated on March 4, 2005 after customers complained of a glitch in the system. The 'ghost' software responsible was then isolated by the multinational Ericsson, which had developed Vodafone's systems, on March 7, 2005.

An order to disable the software was given the next day, March 8, and the government was notified two days later on March 10. The company's decision to disable the software before notifying the government has given rise to much press speculation, since the government said that this hampered attempts to trace those responsible, or even the location of the 14 pre-paid mobiles used to eavesdrop on the phones being monitored, once it ceased to function.

According to Public Order Minister George Voulgarakis, the 'ghost' software was actually a legal but very costly 'low phone interception' program developed by Ericsson that had not, however, been purchased by Vodafone and had been activated without the knowledge of either Vodafone or Ericsson.

Also considered controversial was the government's decision to keep the investigation secret, even from the individuals whose phones had been under surveillance or Greece's independent authority for the privacy of telecommunications.

The 46 individuals listed as having fallen victim to the mobile phone tapping include Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, the foreign minister, defense minister, the public order minister, the justice minister, the deputy foreign minister, former PASOK minister Yiannos Papantoniou, the mayor of Athens, a few journalists, police officials, diplomats, defense ministry cadres and attorneys, as well as mobile phones belonging to ruling New Democracy party.

Other targeted individuals include a bevy of known anti-state, anti-war or out-of-Parliament leftist activists, a Greek-American U.S. Embassy employee, along with 11 individuals with Arab surnames, including a correspondent for "Al Jazeera" and a former correspondent in Athens for a Syrian newspaper.

Constantopoulos seeks Parliament briefing:

In a letter to Parliament President Anna Psarouda-Benaki, the former leader of the left-wing Coalition party Nikos Constantopoulos proposed that Parliament be immediately briefed on the phone-tap affair and that a probe be launched by Parliament's Institutions and Transparency committee, as well as an off-the-agenda debate on additional measures that should be taken to protect against surveillance networks.

Earlier, Constantopoulos tabled a question in Parliament concerning the government's decision to by-pass the independent telecoms authority in this case.

Papandreou calls for ministers' resignation: Main opposition leader George Papandreou on Monday again commented on the unprecedented mobile tapping furor that more-or-less shocked the nation late last week and which continues to cause political reverberations, as PASOK's president called for the resignation of the ministers responsible for issues dealing with telecommunications and public security.

"In any well-governed state this is the least that would have been done, namely, for responsible ministers to resign," Papandreou told high-ranking PASOK cadres and members of his party's political council, which convened in a seaside town southeast of Athens.

The phone-tapping conspiracy, which targeted Greece's top political leadership, including Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, was disclosed by a trio of ministers on Thursday after an initial 11-month probe into the affair. A same-day front-page article in the Athens daily "Ta Nea" preceded the government's announcement. Charges, against "unknown persons", have already been filed by a relevant prosecutor, while the judicial probe will also consider felony espionage charges.

Turning to other political fronts, Papandreou, the former foreign minister, emphasized that differences between ruling New Democracy and PASOK's policies are now clear two years after the March 2004 election.

Among others, he charged that the government is attempting to slash wage-earners' real incomes and to establish a "medieval labor regime", as he called it. Along those lines, he said the country's developmental prospects are not based on low labor costs, "poverty and depravation, but rather, on social solidarity and citizens' security".

Earlier, several top PASOK cadres covered issues ranging from the party's strategy for upcoming municipal and prefecture elections, analyses of recent opinion polls, the main opposition's positions on constitutional revision and various organizational issues.

Gov't replies to Papandreou, PASOK criticism: Dismissing main opposition criticism regarding the recently-disclosed phone-tap affair as "a bid to overcome its internal problems through sensationalist moves", government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos on Monday called on PASOK leader George Papandreou to get his own house in order and to put PASOK members criticizing public prosecutor Dimitris Papangelopoulos "in their place".

"Mr. Papandreou and PASOK, unused to procedures of transparency, are trying to escape their internal party problems through sensationalist moves. What is it that bothers them? That all the facts were made public or that justice is carrying out its role without interference. Or perhaps both?" he said.

Speaking before his party's political council earlier on Monday, Papandreou had said that the ministers responsible for telecommunications and public security should be asked to resign over the affair, in which the mobile phones of the prime minister and several members of government - among several others - had been secretly monitored for several months before the surveillance was discovered.

A top-secret 11-month investigation into the affair ordered by the government once the phone-taps were discovered also failed to turn up any clues as to who was responsible.

Shortly before the PASOK council meeting, high-ranking PASOK member Theodoros Pangalos had openly questioned first-instance public prosecutor Dimitris Papangelopoulos, saying that he had wasted the time given to him to carry out the investigation without examining all its aspects and that he should be replaced.

"I believe that the case should be given to another public prosecutor, who will provide the guarantees of objectivity and full independence from the government's dictates," Pangalos said.

While not openly asking for Papangelopoulos' replacement, PASOK MP Evangelos Venizelos said there had been an "unprecedented delay in the public prosecutor's investigation" and said the government had "forced prosecuting authorities to act using methods not foreseen under criminal procedure.

The head of PASOK MEPs Stavros Lambrinidis, meanwhile, accused Justice Minister Anastasios Papaligouras of "hypocrisy" and said that he had concealed the discovery of the phone taps from his EU partners when they were deciding on a directive on legal telephone surveillance, noting that their decision may have been different if they had been informed.

Responding to the criticism of the public prosecutor, Roussopoulos pointed to PASOK's attitude in the Markoyiannakis affair and stressed that the government had observed the institutional framework, referring the case to judicial authorities.

Asked about the government's decision to propose a parliamentary investigation once the judicial investigation was completed, Roussopoulos said the move was dictated by a "need to end attempts to create impressions by certain political circles". He said the government was not in favour of an immediate Parliamentary inquiry because the law demanded that the ongoing judicial investigation into the same case should then be interrupted and the government wanted it to run to its conclusion.

[04] Main opposition insists on ministers' resignation due to phone-tapping affair

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

According to Athanassakis, PASOK insists on the resignation of Public Order Minister George Voulgarakis and Justice Minister Anastassios Papaligouras, while also raising the issue for Transport and Communications Minister Michalis Liapis and Defense Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos.

Specifically, PASOK considers the resignations of Voulgarakis and Papaligouras mandatory for failing to brief: Parliament and opposition parties on a national security issue; the agency responsible for telecommunications confidentiality; the people targeted; and for failing to launch a preliminary investigation into the alleged suicide of a high-ranking Vodafone executive.

As for Liapis and Spiliotopoulos, PASOK does not consider them directly responsible since they "were not briefed on the matter, and therefore they are not trusted by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and for that reason should resign".

The phone-tapping, which targeted Greece's top political leadership, including the prime minister, was disclosed by a trio of ministers on Thursday after an initial 11-month probe into the affair. A same-day front-page article in the Athens daily "Ta Nea" preceded the government's announcement. Charges, against "unknown persons", have already been filed by a relevant prosecutor, while the judicial probe will also consider felony espionage charges.

[05] State Department spokesman refers phone-tapping issue to Greek government

WASHINGTON, 7/2/2006 (ANA-MPA/T. Ellis)

[06] Athens Bar Association discusses phone-tapping issue

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

It underlined the "repeated in the long and recent past condemnation of every legislative and administrative measure curbing freedom either at internal, EU or international level."

It further stressed the "responsibilities of both the present and past government for the legislative framework for bending confidentiality which they enacted and the selective slipping towards arbitrary, even with the above framework, surveillance of 'usual suspects'."

It expressed solidarity for the victims of phone-tapping, particularly those lacking coverage from authority agencies, and calls for their full judicial rehabilitation.

Lastly, it stated that it will be "present continuously throughout the entire development of the process and a pioneer in defending individual rights and freedoms, as its institutional and social role necessitates".

[07] Israeli president in Athens next week

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

During his three-day stay, beginning on Tuesday, Katsav will be meeting with President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, Parliament President Anna Psarouda-Benaki, and the leaders of Greek political parties and the Jewish community.

Additionally, Papoulias and Katsav will depart together for Thessaloniki where they will visit the Jewish Museum and the Holocaust Monument.

[08] Greece supports neighbors' EU accession, ND cadre says

BRUSSELS, 7/2/2006 (ANA-MPA/V. Demiris)

He noted that the Balkans must stop being a hotbed for conflict and tensions and must instead be transformed into a region of peace, democracy and prosperity through the European prospects of the countries in the region.

He also said that Western Balkan countries must speed up the process for implementing European values, adopting EU law and bringing their system of governance in line with European standards.

As for Turkey's EU accession, Stavrou noted that any country wishing to become an EU member must fully comply with European criteria and requirements, and placed special emphasis on a country's behavior regarding regional stability and security.

Countries which do not denounce violence or the threat of violence against their neighbors, obviously do not understand the purpose of the EU or they are not interested in approaching it, according to Stavrou.

[09] Voulgarakis meets with Serbia-Montenegro minister Jocic

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

Jocic arrived in Athens to attend a council of Southeastern European countries' justice and home affairs ministers, which is taking place in Athens.

Interior Minister meets with Serbian counterpart: Minister of the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization Prokopis Pavlopoulos discussed Serbia-Montenegro's EU accession course, including public administration, e-governance and immigration, during his meeting with Serbian counterpart Dragan Jocic in Athens on Monday.

The two officials discussed the existing close cooperation and friendly ties between the two countries, while Pavlopoulos reiterated Greece's willingness "to help Serbia deal with the problems it faces today so that it can join the European family."

According to Pavlopoulos, Greece will provide Serbia with the know-how and information the latter needs.

On his part, Jocic expressed confidence that Greece's support towards Serbia and its people will continue as Serbia prepares to join the EU.

Additionally, Jocic also referred to the recent immigration law passed by the Greek government, saying that his country would like to adopt a similar law.

[10] Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos on official visit to Panama and Mexico

NEW YORK, 7/2/2006 (ANA-MPA/P. Panagiotou)

On arrival on Saturday morning (Greek time), Vartholomeos, who is officially visiting the country for the first time, said that "Panama unites two oceans and two worlds, and from this point of view, it constitutes a symbol" because "the world needs unity, cooperation, solidarity."

He was received at the airport by First Vice-President Samuel Luis Navarro, Education Minister Miguel Angel Canizales, Catholic Archbishop Jose Dimas Cedeno Delgado, Greek Ambassador to Mexico Alexandros Miliaresis, Greek Community President Evangelos Koumanis Androutsos and senior clerics.

At noon, the Catholic Archbishop hosted a luncheon in honor of Vartholomeos.

On Sunday, the Ecumenical Patriarch officiated a service at the Cathedral and later Androutsos hosted a luncheon in his honor. A ceremony followed, during which the Mayor of the City of Panama, Juan Carlos Navarro, bestowed to Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos the Key to the City.

On Monday, Varthomeos was due to be appointed Honorary Professor of the University of Panama.

On Monday evening President Martin Torrijos Espino was due to host an official dinner in honor of Vartholomeos.

The program of the Ecumenical Patriach's visit to Panama will be concluded with a dinner which Vartholomeos will host in honor of the country's president.

The Ecumenical Patriarch will depart for Mexico on Wednesday, where he will pay an official visit at the invitation of President Vicente Fox.

[11] Archbishop Christodoulos says he is "ready for 'velvet' separation" of Church and State

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

Speaking at the Penteli Orthodox Centre in northern Athens, the Archbishop said:"We will not go with tanks outside Parliament, neither with machineguns to shoot those who are different to us. We never did this. On the issue of the (police) identity cards, we reached the point of recruiting the people. That's what we did, and nothing else, but this showed the strength of the Church and it stung. However, this is another matter. With regard now the separation. Why should we go to the worse model, and if it is needed for us to make a separation between the Church and the State, not to do it as a velvet separation as it is called, that is, a peaceful separation where the Church will not attend the swearing-in of the President of the Republic, or of the government or of the start of Parliament's sessions? In this case, the Church can say:'If you do not want blessing we will not come to do it. We will not lose."

[12] Conference of SE Europe justice and internal affairs ministers beginning on Tuesday

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

Greece is holding the SEECP presidency from May 2005 until May this year.

The conference will be presided over by Justice Minister Anastassios Papaligouras and Public Order Minister George Voulgarakis. It will be attended by justice and internal affairs ministers from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova, FYROM, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro and Turkey.

Cooperation on the region's security, particularly issues related to combating organized crime, human trafficking and terrorism, will be discussed during the conference.

[13] FinMin Alogoskoufis optimistic that gov't targets on boosting economy will be achieved

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

According to Alogoskoufis, the social insurance issue was a "time-bomb", while the system's actuarial deficit was estimated at 200 percent of GDP.

The problem, he explained, was that society would be called on to pay the pensions, and cited a study according to which in the year 2050 expenditure for pensions would double to 25 percent of GDP from the present 12.5 percent, requiring the contribution from the budget to triple to 15 percent from 5 percent today.

Given those developments, the social insurance issue was a major problem and a responsible attitude was required on all sides in order to resolve it, Alogoskoufis said, adding that the government has committed itself to advance dialogue on the issue. He also noted that his ministry will finance a commonly acceptable study on the social insurance problem.

Alogoskoufis said that the Greek economy was facing several challenges, such as the high public debt, the deficit, but also the rigidity caused by the over-inflated public sector.

Between 1993 and 2004, the number of civil servants jumped by 25 percent, or 120,000 persons, but without a parallel reduction in the unemployment rate, he said, adding that the economic policy of the past had proved ineffective and inefficient.

The minister also spoke of mismanagement in the public utilities and organizations (DEKO), and, outlining the targets of the present government's economic policy, said that the conditions were now being created for boosting entrepreneurship and extroversion of the economy.

He further noted the government's initiatives in such areas as promoting collaborations between the public and private sectors, the new investments law, and the reduction of taxation.

Alogoskoufis described tax-evasion as a large wound of the past, adding that the government's efforts had started to yield, with tax revenues marking a 17.8 percent rise in January 2006. He also said that taxation on physical entities would be reduced in 2007.

The minister severely criticized the stance of the main opposition party (PASOK), noting that the new investment law had been voted against by that party, and adding that there was an inconsistency between its words and actions, whereas the greatest possible consensus was required.

On collaborations between public and private sector, Alogoskoufis said that a special Secretariat has been set up to accept relevant proposals, adding that a proposal has already been submitted by the Organization for School Buildings (OSK). Even here, he added, the main opposition party had displayed pettiness, noting that main opposition (PASOK) leader George Papandreou had called, in parliament, the law on Public and Private Sector Collaborations a "suit for collusion".

Turning to the government's initiatives for growth of the economy, Alogoskoufis cited the new generation of denationalizations, the new DEKO operational framework, better exploitation of the EU's Third Community Support Framework (CSF), and confrontation of the banks' social insurance problem, among others.

He explained that the banking system continued to have large diversions in interest rates, and described the system as the "traffic jam" of the economy, stressing that the cost of loans needed to be reduced.

The minister further referred to the forging of a digital strategy for the 2006-2013 period, the upgrading of the Exports Promotion Organization and a new export policy, noting that the next step would be the restructuring of the Hellenic Centre for Investment (ELKE).

Today, Alogoskoufis said, employment was increasing, unemployment was being reduced, exports were being boosted, as was tourism, while the Greek economy's extroversion was also being strengthened, and expressed his conviction that the government's targets for further improvement of the economy will be achieved.

[14] Opposition party again blasts gov't over social insurance

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

Party labor spokesman Dimitris Stratoulis claimed the government's neo-liberal policy, along with that of its predecessor, aimed at creating a climate of terror among working people and pensioners in order to prepare them to accept cutbacks.

Stratoulis was responding to statements earlier in the day by the finance minister.

[15] Gov't on collective bargaining

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

The meeting, held at the economy and finance ministry, coincided with a same-day strike by bank employees. OTOE has strenuously criticized a decision by country's six largest banks to scrap collective bargaining as a whole, instead opting for bank-by-bank negotiations.

Alogoskoufis told union leaders that the government would rightly come under fire if it became involved in collective bargaining negotiations.

"The banking sector is not under the control of the state; there are no state banks, although in a few there is state participation," he said.

[16] One-day bank strike held

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

The strike comes in reaction to a recent decision by the managements of six major banks to refuse sector-wide collective bargaining negotiations in favor of individual negotiations between a bank and its employees' group.

Conversely, bank managements reported that the strike had little or no affect on private banks' operation, while reaching the 54-percent mark at National Bank of Greece, the country's largest financial institution.

OTOE's leadership has called an emergency council meeting where a proposal for additional industrial actions will be on the table, along with legal recourse and appeals to international labor federations.

Banks to stage fresh strike on Feb 17: Bank workers are to stage a 24-hour strike on February 17 in a second walkout to protest against a move by management to scrap collective labor pacts, the sector OTOE union said.

A strike on Monday over the same issue had little impact on private sector banks, with more workers in the state sector staying away from work, the union said in statement.

[17] Finmin reports on investment applications

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

The projects totaled 2.5 billion euros, Alogoskoufis told a seminar arranged by the Constantine Karamanlis Institute for Democracy.

Approved so far have been 601 investment plans totaling 959 million euros that are anticipated to create 3,376 jobs, the minister reported.

[18] Exports rise seen holding in 2006

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

The trade group's president, Christina Sakellaridi told a news conference that exports in 2005 were expected to total 14 billion euros after a January-November figure of 12 billion euros, including liquid fuels.

Italy as an export market was approaching Germany, Greece's biggest customer; an upturn was seen in France; and Spain was becoming an increasingly important market with Greek exports there totaling half a billion euros, Sakellaridi noted.

The country's export rise was a blanket one in 2005, except for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's market, she added.

[19] Athens Bourse Close: Shares hit new five-year high

ATHENS, 7/2/2006 (ANA/MPA)

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for high capitalization shares ended 1.25 percent up; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium cap stocks closed 1.64 percent higher; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap shares finished a whopping 4.68 percent up.

Of stocks traded, advances led declines at 243 to 54 with 32 remaining unchanged.

Bond Market Close: Buyers outpace sellers.