Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 07-01-27

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

CONTENTS

[01] IMF praises Greek fiscal effort, sees strong growth

[02] Greece's Bakoyannis stresses need for stability, security in Afghanistan

[03] Greek military presence in Afghanistan not increasing, spokesman says

[04] KKE, Coalition parties comment on NATO meeting

[05] FM Bakoyannis to meet OSCE SG on Monday

[06] Waste management for Attica discussed by PM, Athens mayor

[07] Reaction to Talat spokesman

[08] Deputy FM Valinakis participates in 18 EU Affairs Ministers meeting

[09] Tzannetakis, Papandreou to attend centennial conference in India

[10] Papandreou calls on Socialist Int'l leaders to support campaign against capital punishment

[11] DM Evangelos Meimarakis on official visit to Egypt

[12] Kassimis, Papandreou attend Cem funeral in Istanbul

[13] Archbishop of Athens Christodoulos receives Rodi Kratsa

[14] Cyprus' DHSY president speaks in Thessaloniki on Cyprus issue

[15] Finmin says reform aiding investment

[16] Greece wants shipping debated on global level

[17] Discussion on future of Olympic Airlines company

[18] Most Lannet phone lines disconnected

[19] Hotel occupancy rate at 62.9 pct in Jan-Sept, yr/yr

[20] Greek stocks ease slightly on Friday

[21] Derivatives Market Close: ATEbank top in stock futures trade

[22] Foreign Exchange Rates

[23] Greek leadership commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day

[24] President Papoulias hosts reception in honor of Armed Forces and Security Corps leadership

[25] Ecumenical Patriarchate's 'Ecumenica' sends medical equipment to Sarajevo

[26] Greece proposed as theme country at 40th Cairo International Book Exhibition

[27] Graduates with fake degrees discovered by Greece's recognition agency

[28] Papoulias in Thessaloniki over the weekend

[29] Tree planting by Greek-American foundation at Dion site

[30] Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis to meet Richard Bottram, inspirer of 'Marathon 365'

[31] Thessaloniki police report long waiting lists for new passports

[32] Suspect seriously injures woman with acid in face

[33] Car with diplomatic plates in Thessaloniki damaged in fire

[34] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Saturday

[35] The Athens dailies at a glance

[36] Cabinet approves definition of sites for exploration of oil deposits

[37] FM: New UNSG wants to meet with G/C side to discuss Cyprus problem

[38] Cyprus to apply for EMU entry next month, Finance Minister says

[39] OSCE SG underlines Cyprus' role in the organisation

[01] IMF praises Greek fiscal effort, sees strong growth

The report recommends that Greece present balanced budgets in the period 2010-2012 and surplus budgets afterwards.

Greece's growth rate - remaining strong for several years - is expected to remain above the EU average rate, further closing a gap in living standards between Greece and its west European partners. The IMF said the country's GDP grew 4.1 pct in 2006 and predicted a slight slowdown to 3.8 pct this year due to lower demand and noted risks of further slowdown in the coming years.

The IMF praised a sharp reduction of the fiscal deficit (below 3.0 pct) in 2006 but noted that the Greek economy developed certain vulnerable spots, such as very high credit expansion, persistent inflationary pressure, lower competitiveness and excessive current accounts deficit.

The report underlined the need to reform the country's pension system. Referring to the Greek banking system, the report said it was generally healthy but recommended that the Bank of Greece be alerted over any over-extended debt burden by Greek households.

Combating tax evasion, reducing red tape, improving efficiency in public enterprises, expanding privatisation, further deregulating markets and more flexible labour markets were top reform priorities for the government, the IMF said.

[02] Greece's Bakoyannis stresses need for stability, security in Afghanistan

Greece's Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis on Friday said that the international community must succeed in its mission to make Afghanistan stable and secure and that Greece will continue to contribute to efforts for its reconstruction.

She made the statements in Brussels after taking part in Friday's meeting on the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan by NATO foreign ministers, on the sidelines of which she also met U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Turkish counter-part Abdullah Gul.

Developments in Kosovo following the recent elections in Serbia were also on the agenda during her talks with Rice - as in the NATO meeting earlier - while they also discussed Greece's possible entry in the U.S. Visa Waiver programme.

Bakoyannis noted that Greece issued high-security passports and hoped to join the Visa Waiver programme, which would mean that Greek citizens would no longer be obliged to obtain visas in order to visit the United States.

Speaking after the NATO meeting, the minister stressed that further efforts must be made to help the Afghan people, particularly in the social sector, such as education, health and the fight against drugs.

She said that Greece will continue contributing to the effort for the reconstruction of Afghanistan in the following way: with a 120-strong engineering battalion, which is already there; with the additional number of Greek officers who already fill various posts on the ISAF staff; extending the stay of a 45-staff hospital unit which is stationed in Kabul airport by six months; contributing 300,000 euros in 2007 to a special UN fund for dealing with drug problems; providing 500,000 euros in economic aid to four programmes for agricultural development, water resource management, education and health; donating 10 to 13 M-60 A3 tanks to Afghan forces.

Regarding developments in Kosovo, Bakoyannis said that NATO member-states wished to avoid possible problems after UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari submits his proposals regarding the future status of Kosovo.

With respect to Serbia, the minister said that following Serbia's entry into NATO's Partnership for Peace program, she expected that the EU would follow the same path of cooperation and trust.

[03] Greek military presence in Afghanistan not increasing, spokesman says

"As Foreign Minister Mrs. Dora Bakoyannis has clearly stated, the Greek presence in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, by decision of the UN Security Council, remains as it was from the point of view of manpower. Not even one Greek soldier is being added," the spokesman said.

"Greece's latest contribution to international efforts for stability and the reconstruction of Afghanistan concerns exclusively the following," Koumoutsakos added.

ü An extension of 3+3 months, 6 in all, for the stay of the medical unit.

ü A contributrion of 300,000 euros to the UN's special fund to handle the problem of drugs in Afghanistan.

ü 500,000 euros in four reconstruction and support programs, in cooperation with Hungary, in the following funds:health, training, farm development and water resources management.

ü The granting in the form of a donation to the Afghan armed forces of 10-13 tanks of the M-60 A3 type.

[04] KKE, Coalition parties comment on NATO meeting

"The government's agreement on NATO increasing its occupation and war forces in Afghanistan and its decision to strengthen Greek military forces in this framework must meet with the universal outcry of the Greek people. It is a criminal, adventurous and dangerous act," KKE said.

"The ND government is also exposed towards previous proclamations it has made that it would not increase the Greek troops that the PASOK government sent. The war in which it is participating is not against terrorism, it is a terrorist one and must be judged by the people in this way," it added.

Lastly, KKE said "the people must demand the immediate and unconditional return of the Greek army from Afghanistan and from wherever else it is found outside the borders. No participation in the imperialist army of war and terrorism against peoples. The anti-imperialist movement must strengthen its struggle and give its own reply."

The Coalition party's Political Bureau member, Panos Trigazis, commenting on statements by Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis after NATO's meeting, said that "unfortunately, the concerns we had expressed over the special session of NATO foreign ministers have been confirmed."

And this is so because "the Greek government accepted the demands by the Bush administration for greater involvement in the war in Afghanistan, confirming its Atlantic options."

Trigazis further said "we denounce this policy and we request Greece's immediate and full withdrawal from Afghanistan."

[05] FM Bakoyannis to meet OSCE SG on Monday

The two officials will address reporters after their talks.

[06] Waste management for Attica discussed by PM, Athens mayor

After the meeting, Kaklamanis said they had discussed issues that concerned Athens and local authorities in general, such as local authority funding and finances, payment of a tax on beer and an increase in annual subsidies to local government from the state budget from 5% to 7%.

According to the Athens mayor, Karamanlis had agreed both to his proposals on waste management and on local authority finances, promising to discuss them with the new leadership that emerged after the elections at the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities KEDKE in April.

Asked if he would try to run for KEDKE's presidency, meanwhile, Kaklamanis said that the issue was premature.

Regarding Athens, in particular, Kaklamanis said that he had asked that funds be immediately set aside in the budget for continuing the "Help at Home" programme that ends in May, as well as the transfer of funds currently administrated by the environment ministry for the maintenance of drains in Attica to municipal authorities, who take over responsibility for keeping them clear at the start of 2008.

He also briefed the prime minister on the progress of a double redevelopment project in the region around the stadium of the Athens football club Panathinaikos.

Answering questions on the city's waste management woes, Kaklamanis said that a decision from Greece's supreme administrative court, the Council of State, was imminent regarding the creation of a new landfill site in Grammatiko, while decisions were still pending regarding planned landfills in Fyli and Keratea.

Until that time, he added, work would go ahead on a temporary landfill site. The mayor stressed that this was a huge expense but that there was no other choice, while noting that he had asked the premier to lose no more time and begin construction of waste processing plants in the government's next four-year term.

Gov't on tax evasion, T/C spokesman's quip over 'illegal' military forces

The government on Friday reiterated that the pervasive and long-standing problem of tax evasion in the country cannot be resolved from one day to another, but that efforts to date have produced tangible results.

Alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros made the statement during his regular press briefing, and in reply to questions citing a handful of measures announced a day earlier by Economy Minister George Alogoskoufis, who more-or-less said tax evasion was rampant.

[07] Reaction to Talat spokesman

The same spokesman said that national guard forces belonging to the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus, which he called "south Cyprus", "have no legal basis".

Antonaros merely reminded that the international community is "well-aware of which ranks as the only occupation army on Cyprus based on UN resolutions and every international organization."

A Turkish Cypriot pseudo-state was illegally declared in 1983 in the roughly one-third of the EU member-state's territory that has been occupied by Turkish troops since 1974.

[08] Deputy FM Valinakis participates in 18 EU Affairs Ministers meeting

"The European Constitutional Treaty is very important for Greece because it secures for our country a series of special advantages, such as greater security, protection of external borders, as well as special activities for tourism and the development of insular regions. All these benefits for Greek citizens make us a faithful ally of the idea that we must move ahead," he said.

The meeting titled "The Friends of the Constitutional Treaty" was attended by 18 European Union member-states who have ratified the "European Constitution" to date for an exchange of views and to coordinate their moves. Assistance for the work of the German Presidency to present proposals and a road map on the future of the Constitutional Treaty in June and the need for emphasis to be placed on the fact that over two-thirds of member-states have ratified the Treaty, encouraging the remaining members of the EU in the same direction, constituted the main aims of the meeting.

"2007 will be a crucial year. The German Presidency has already started consultations with the EU's member-states to enable us to proceed with the scheduling of a plan for us to exit from the present situation," the deputy foreign minister said, stressing that "Greece was among the first countries to ratify the Constitutional Treaty, sending a message of determination and at the same time of devotion by the overwhelming majority of Greek citizens for the vision and course of European unification."

[09] Tzannetakis, Papandreou to attend centennial conference in India

Tzannetakis, who leaves Friday for India and will be representing the Greek government, will convey the efforts of the Greek government and prime minister Costas Karamanlis for closer ties with Indiea in the sectors of politics, the economy, and culture.

Papandreou, who is also president of Socialist International, will go to India on Saturday at the head of a PASOK delegation. He is expected to meet with Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi, and the Indian foreign minister.

The Indian National Congress is hosting an International Conference in New Delhi on 29-30th January 2007 on the theme of - Peace, Non-Violence and Empowerment and Gandhian Philosophy in 21st Century reflecting the renewed the commitment of people to building a world that is in peace and harmony with itself.

Over 300 delegates, including Heads of State/Government, Foreign Ministers, other Ministers, eminent personalities, Nobel laureates, representative delegations from the major political parties from all regions of the world, and leading civil society organizations working for peace and human rights are participating in the conference.

[ details at http://www.satyagrahaconference.com ]

Sonia Gandhi, Congress President, and Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, will address the Conference, according to an announcement by the Indian embassy in Athens.

The Conference will consider presentations by eminent scholars on subjects such as non-violent approach to Conflict Resolution and Peace building, Gandhian philosophy for poverty eradication, education & people's empowerment, Dialogue among Peoples and Cultures, and progress towards a nuclear weapons-free and non-violent world order.

11th of September 2006 marked the Centenary of the Satyagraha movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa for the peaceful resistance against discriminatory and unjust laws. It became a powerful mass movement of passive resistance and civil disobedience. Over the years, it achieved major successes, including India's freedom from colonial rule, and civil rights for people suffering from racial discrimination in the US.

[10] Papandreou calls on Socialist Int'l leaders to support campaign against capital punishment

Papandreou said support for the initiative, within the frame-work of the United Nations, aims at achieving a suspension of capital punishment in every country ahead of an eventual global ban.

"A democratic society must recognize the right to life as the first and foremost human right. This is a fundamental value. The death penalty has no place in democratic societies, regardless of any circumstances. Governments and judicial systems must struggle for justice instead of revenge..." Papandreou stated in his letter, while adding:

"As long as human justice continues to be fallible, the danger of an innocent individual being executed cannot be eliminated."

The PASOK and SI leader also reminded that more than half the countries in the world have already, in practice, abolished the death penalty, "but complete elimination remains an unending objective".

[11] DM Evangelos Meimarakis on official visit to Egypt

Meimarakis will meet with his Egyptian counterpart Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, with whom he will be discussing issues concerning defense, technical and military cooperation between the two countries, according to an announcement by the defense ministry.

In the framework of his visit, the minister will be visiting the Monument of the Fallen Greeks at El Alamein, the Patriarchate of Alexandria and the Library and the Greek Language School for the cadres of Egypt's armed forces and will be having contacts with the Greek community in Cairo and Alexandria.

[12] Kassimis, Papandreou attend Cem funeral in Istanbul

Deputy Foreign Minister Theodoros Kassimis represented the Greek government at a funeral here on Friday for one-time Turkish foreign minister Ismail Cem, while main opposition PASOK leader and former foreign minister George Papandreou also attended the ceremony for his former counterpart.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan led the official Turkish government delegation at the funeral.

"We were close friends. He (Cem) was very mild-mannered, but he had a very dynamic personality. We worked together for peace, for a European Turkey. I would like to pay my last respects to my friend, Ismail, by bringing an olive branch from my garden. I remember that we planted an olive tree together on Samos. This tree of peace has blossomed, with fruits for both nations and the peoples of our two countries," Papandreou told local reporters.

[13] Archbishop of Athens Christodoulos receives Rodi Kratsa

Kratsa requested from the Archbishop, according to an announcement by the archdiocese, the assistance of the Church to enable the completion of the Saint George Cathedral in Beirut.

The Archbishop congratulated Kratsa on the assumption of her new duties and noted that the Church, through the non-governmental organization "Solidarity", sent 156 tons of humanitarian aid to the suffering people of Lebanon last week and promised that the Church will continue to implement development and humanitarian programs.

Lastly, the Archbishop also received the president and the members of the society "The child's smile", who briefed him on the work they are accomplishing and the Archbishop, after congratulating them, expressed the hope that their efforts will be continued.

[14] Cyprus' DHSY president speaks in Thessaloniki on Cyprus issue

Anastasiades made the statements after meeting Thessaloniki Prefect Panagiotis Psomiadis.

Anastasiades took a cause from the term "Greek north" to say that "unfortunately in Cyprus when you talk about the north, today some people use the term 'Turkish north'," noting:"And this is maybe dictated and necessitated for Hellenism to review certain stances, to pave a new strategy so that Cyprus to soon be reunited. And as a united state to prosper in the large family of the Europeans."

Financial News

[15] Finmin says reform aiding investment

Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis said on Friday that the government's economic reform drive had led to a major rise in investment from abroad.

"The Greek economy is becoming more dynamic and outward-looking, and friendlier to investment, thanks to a reform program being implemented by the government," Alogoskoufis told a conference in the UK capital arranged by the Hellenic-British Chamber of Commerce.

"The result has been a spectacular increase in foreign investment to 4.0 billion euros in January-November 2006," he noted.

The aim was to show investors from abroad that Greece could also be used as a springboard for operations in southeastern Europe.

"Greece is the de facto economic and business centre in southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. It has become the local spur to progress and growth in a region of 250 million inhabitants," the minister stated.

"Greek firms have strengthened their position in the region, becoming larger and more consistent and ambitious," he said.

Alogoskoufis laid particular emphasis on the government's tax reform drive, which has lowered corporate tax brackets by 10 percentage points to 25% from 35% from 2005 to 2007.

Another key speaker at the conference on Greece as a strategic partner in the region was Deputy Foreign Minister Euripides Stylianidis, who handles economic diplomacy.

"Employing economic and energy diplomacy as tools, Greek foreign policy is seeking to make Greece an operational centre for investment in the wider region of southeast European, Black Sea and eastern Mediterranean," Stylianidis reported.

"We have been working at this with success, which shows in exports and investment in those countries. At the same time, we have managed to make Greece an energy producing and transit centre," he stated.

The head of the Greek National Tourism Organization, Dimitris Lambadarios, outlined changes in the law and measures introduced by the tourism ministry to improve Greece's tourism product.

A key aim was to make Greece an all-year travel destination, he said.

The conference was held under the aegis of the British ambassador in Athens, Simon Gass.

[16] Greece wants shipping debated on global level

Greece would like to see environmental protection and safety in shipping debated on a global level and not only within the European Union in order to prevent a flight from the bloc's fleet, of which 60% is Greek, Merchant Marine Minister Manolis Kefaloyiannis said on Friday.

Kefaloyiannis was speaking in the German capital after a meeting with Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee linked to Germany's assumption of the EU's rotating presidency.

The talks were "in-depth and substantive", and Athens backed most of the German presidency's agenda for the sector, the Greek minister told reporters.

He stated that Greece was insistent that regulations on double hulls for liquid fuel carriers in the EU and other countries should match, otherwise, the bloc's tighter rules could lead to a flight from European registers to flags of opportunity.

[17] Discussion on future of Olympic Airlines company

Rejecting data by PASOK that the company's work has diminished, Liapis said that the capacity of the company's flights is presenting an increase, having reached 70 percent (compared to 64-66 percent over the 2003-4 two-year period) and that during ND's governance only three lines were dropped as against 21 during the 2001-3 period.

"We are creating a new course for Olympic, with sincerity towards the Greek people and the EU and continuously, every day, we are gaining Olympic's lost credibility," the minister said.

[18] Most Lannet phone lines disconnected

OTE, a heavily traded stock on the bourse, disconnected the lines last week following a failure by Lannet to pay a 10 million euro debt incurred by a subsidiary, Telepassport, which it acquired recently.

Lannet had contested the decision, seeking a restraining order from the court. According to management, OTE's move breached interim court orders in October and November 2006.

The company has sued OTE chairman Panayiotis Vourloumis and the board of directors for the disconnection, which was linked to an intra-day suspension and resumption of trade in Lannet's stock on the Athens bourse last week.

[19] Hotel occupancy rate at 62.9 pct in Jan-Sept, yr/yr

NSS, in a report, said guest arrivals were up 2.4 pct over the same period, while occupancy rates in Greek hotels rose slightly to 62.9 percent, up from 62.8 pct, over the same periods, respectively.

The majority of guests arriving at Greek hotels hailed from EU countries, with Germany and the UK at the top of the list. Overnight stays and arrivals were up also from other European states and North America

[20] Greek stocks ease slightly on Friday

Sector indices ended mixed, with the Financial Services (0.80 pct), Technology (0.66 pct) and Media (0.63 pct) scoring the biggest percentage gains of the day, while the Travel (0.96 pct), Telecoms (0.80 pct) and Insurance (0.65 pct) suffered the heaviest losses.

The Big Cap eased 0.28 pct, the Mid Cap ended 0.05 pct higher and the Small Cap rose 1.05 pct.

Texapret (11.11 pct), Parnassos (10.48 pct) and Mohlos (10.0 pct) were top gainers, while Petzetakis (7.75 pct) and Tria Alpha (4.44 pct) were top losers.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 139 to 119 with another 52 issues unchanged.

Sector indices ended as follows:

Insurance: -0.65%

Industrials: +0.22%

Commercial: +0.23%

Construction: +0.31%

Media: +0.63%

Oil & Gas: +0.20%

Personal & Household: -0.01%

Raw Materials: +0.55%

Travel & Leisure: -0.96%

Technology: +0.66%

Telecoms: -0.80%

Banks: -0.21%

Food & Beverages: +0.62%

Health: -0.36%

Utilities: -0.45%

Chemicals: +0.42%

Financial Services: +0.80%

The stocks with the highest turnover were National Bank, Marfin Popular Bank, OTE, and Eurobank.

Selected shares from the FTSE/ASE-20 index closed in euros as follows:

Alpha Bank: 25.12

ATEbank: 4.24

Public Power Corp (PPC): 21.50

HBC Coca Cola: 29.70

Hellenic Petroleum: 11.22

Emporiki Bank: 23.04

National Bank of Greece: 39.30

EFG Eurobank Ergasias: 30.00

Intralot: 25.34

Cosmote: 22.90

OPAP: 29.76

OTE: 22.96

Titan Cement Company: 43.00

[21] Derivatives Market Close: ATEbank top in stock futures trade