Athens News Agency: News Bulletin in English, 07-02-03

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

CONTENTS

[01] Debate on PASOK's no-confidence motion kicks off in Parliament

[02] Gov't, party comments on no confidence motion

[03] EU Mediterranean countries hold third informal FMs meeting

[04] PM Karamanlis confers with FinMin

[05] Antonaros on Turkey and Cyprus' oil exploration agreements

[06] Burns expresses hope Athens and Skopje will reach a solution

[07] SYN withdraws "Article 16" question

[08] Bakoyannis to carry out two-day tour of Xanthi, Rodopi

[09] Watchdog rules against the publicizing of the names of draft dodgers

[10] Debate on common European foreign policy

[11] Offices in Greece of European Parliament and European Commission host reception

[12] Greece's new ambassador to Hungary presents credentials

[13] Greek budget deficit down 26 pct in 2006

[14] Proastiako railway to reach Xylokastro in 2009, minister says

[15] Deputy FinMin meets with Commission officials in Brussels

[16] Greek-Slovak trade relations on rise, promising prospects seen

[17] PASOK official criticises government over 2006 state budget

[18] Marfin Popular Bank "chasing" multiple targets, CEO says

[19] Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling inaugurates new bottling plant on Crete

[20] Helexpo eyes expansion

[21] More than 300,000 cars uninsured in Greece

[22] Greek stocks end 0.54 pct up on Friday

[23] ADEX closing report

[24] Greek bond market closing report

[25] Foreign Exchange Rates - Monday

[26] International conference on the environment

[27] Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos addresses the conference

[28] French President Chirac receives Vartholomeos

[29] University tutorial staff call five-day rolling strikes

[30] Break-ins at supermarket, home, in Athens

[31] Earthquake measuring 4.8 jolts Thesprotia prefecture

[32] Bomb scare at private TV station turns out to be a hoax

[33] Search underway for location of 16 illegal immigrants in the sea region of Samos

[34] One in 10 inhabitants of Thessaloniki are immigrants and expatriates from the former USSR

[35] Firebombs target cars, OASA booth

[36] Albanian arrested on drug charges in Thessaloniki

[37] Development minister refers to importance of the Technology and Research Foundation

[38] Thessaloniki Police hold crisis management seminar

[39] Awards presented to youths of Aegean islands

[40] Weather Forecast: Low temperatures on Saturday

[41] The Athens dailies at a glance

[42] Commission backs Cyprus' exploration rights

[43] Cyprus will not file recourse to UNSC over Turkish threats

[44] Moller informs G/C & T/C political parties on latest Cyprus developments

[01] Debate on PASOK's no-confidence motion kicks off in Parliament

Papandreou, who at the same time demanded early elections, announced that his party's MPs were withdrawing from the debate on revision of the Constitution.

Leading the debate, speakers for PASOK accused the government of flouting the Constitution and Parliamentary procedure and hinted at involvement in financial scandals.

PASOK MP for Thessaloniki Evangelos Venizelos accused the government of "deme-aning and trivializing" democratic procedures and said there was an issue "Constitu-tional legality".

He was referring, in particular, to an incident on Wednesday when the government's proposal for revising article 24 of the Constitution was nearly passed by a Parliamentary committee without the required number of votes when New Democracy Parliamentary group secretary Apostolos Stavrou was counted among the voters, even though he was not actually a committee member.

The irregularity was pointed out by opposition MPs and a recount showed that the proposal did not have the required backing among ND deputies on the Committee. The Com-mittee's vote is not binding, however, and the proposal can still be presented before the full Parliament.

"The day before yesterday we witnessed a flagrant attempt to falsify an electoral result, blackmail and pressure against ND MPs that dared to vote according to their conscience," Venizelos said.

PASOK MP Theodoros Pangalos slammed Parliament Presi-dent Anna Psarouda-Benaki for saying that those in charge of the proceedings were "momentarily carried away" to descibe what he called an attempt to "falsify Parliament's verdict during a debate on revising the Constitution".

He also hinted at major financial scandals that he said PASOK would "not allow to be buried".

"A ring of your party officials, a ring that was extremely close to your ministers, were installed in the depths of the Compe-tition Commission, from where control of the economy should be exercised. They were uncovered - and you hurried to either cover up or reward them," Pangalos said.

The MP also accused the government of mis-spending state funds through moves like the purchase of Turkey's Finansbank at what he said was five times its actual value, or the acqui-sition of the retail electronic goods chain Germanos, hinting that certain quarters had received lavish kickbacks from the two deals.

Pavlopoulos: PASOK 'no confidence' motion a 'cover' to avoid vote on Article 16

Interior and Public Administration Minister Prokopis Pavlo-poulos, as the government's chief rapporteur in the debate over the motion, lambasted Papandreou' move and charged that it was an attempt to solve his internal party problems.

"Does anyone seriously believe the reasoning behind the tabling of PASOK's no confidence motion? ... Does anyone believe the reasons for its submission, other than to solve internal party problems?" Pavlopoulos underlined from Parlia-ment's podium.

According to Pavlopoulos, the reasons cited by PASOK absolutely do not justify such a motion -- which, if successful, will result in the calling of general elections.

Moreover, Pavlopoulos directly charged that PASOK's motion is no more than "cover" for abstaining from the entire revision process in Parliament, thereby preventing the presence of its deputies from a vote allowing the possible revision of controversial Article 16 -- so as to lift current prohibitions on establishing non-state universities in the country -- and thus avoiding political fallout from a split PASOK vote.

Papandreou has repeatedly voiced his support for revising Article 16, whereas a handful of PASOK MPs -- including one of the two PASOK rapporteurs on Friday, Evangelos Venizelos -- oppose attempts to allow non-state higher education institu-tions in the country.

"PASOK is leaving because debate and a vote by Parliament's plenum would be painful for PASOK," Pavlopoulos said, while stressing that Papandreou has now crossed over to Venizelos' position.

The minister, a noted constitutional law expert by training, also pointed to PASOK's overall history -- as he claimed -- of walking out of Parliament during crucial votes, pointing to its abstention from debate on the first post-dictatorship constitu-tion of 1975; its exit from the chamber during a vote to ratify Greece's accession to the European Union before 1980 and a PASOK government's declaration of early elections in 1996, a decision he said scuttled constitutional revision at the time.

As per Article 16, Pavlopoulos said PASOK cannot perpetually avoid its responsibilities. "If it avoids them now, it will not avoid them after the elections, because they may avoid internal friction for the time being, but won't they have to express their position after the election regarding Article 16?" he rhetorically asked.

Finally, Pavlopoulos said PASOK has the temerity to demand early elections without having yet unveiled its own election programme.

"The only thing Mr. Papandreou has achieved is to ruin his deputies' weekend," he concluded.

Papandreou

Outlining the reasons for tabling the no confidence motion, Papandreou charged that the current government "has lied to the people" with its pre-election promises.

He also repeated charges that ND had "taken from the many and weak (financially needy) to give to the few and powerful" as well as "selling off" state assets and causing state coffers to contribute an extra four billion euros towards the EU's budget following a "bogus" upwards revision of Greece's GDP.

Moreover, the PASOK leader again underlined standing criti-cism over the government's policy in the sectors of education, health care, the capacious public administration and social security reform.

Finally, he said the country was being "ridiculed" on a daily basis on several foreign policy fronts.

"The government has fallen into the eddy of pre-election reasoning. It is not doing anything anymore. It is injurious for the country. We're saying: enough," the PASOK leader said from Parliament's podium.

No confidence motion leads to 'fiasco', KKE's Papariga says

Taking the stand, Communist Party of Greece (KKE) General Secretary Aleka Papariga said that PASOK's no confidence motion would be a "great fiasco".

According to Papariga, it would result in a systematic effort to impose the 24-hour domination of forced dilemmas that called for either reforms or chaos, on the one hand, and elections or chaos, on the other.

"It is an opportunity for thought by the people, farmers, pensioners, those who are engaged in struggle, to exert mass, dynamic pressure and to create situations of mass counter-attack. In this process, when partisanship peaks, the element of hope is the people's intervention," she said.

According to Papariga, ruling New Democracy was "fulfilling its pre-election pledges with very great consistency," while PASOK's opposition, in its attempt to slide out of its commit-ments, cover up its agreement with the government and serve the interests of big capital, was a "joke"

"I cannot choose which one is the best representative of capital," Papariga concluded.

SYN's Constantopoulos: No confidence motion a 'supreme Parliamentary act'

Former Coalition of the Left (Synaspismos) leader Nikos Con-stantopoulos noted from Parliament's podium that Friday's 'no confidence' motion, is a "supreme Parliamentary act.'

"From our part, we will try to contribute to this process so that it remains on a proper level. We claim our right to state our opinions,' Constantopoulos said, speaking as his party's rapporteur during the debate on the no confidence motion.

"We will not allow anyone to classify us with anyone else ... SY.RI.ZA (another name for Synaspismos) does not table its views to be judged by any other party; we're not interested in ND's or PASOK's assessment..." he said.

[02] Gov't, party comments on no confidence motion

Regarding Papandreou's call for early elections, alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros stressed that the government had yet to complete its work, while adding that the prime minister's statements on the timing of the elections still applied.

In response to PASOK's threat to withdraw from the debate on revising the Constitution, Antonaros stressed that there was no way for Papandreou to justify resorting to such tactics.

Synaspismos

On his part, Coalition of the Left (Synaspismos) leader Alekos Alavanos noted that "only one no confidence motion has been passed and is bearing results: the movement in the education sector in favour of a public university".

According to the Synaspismos leader, Papandreou's announce-ment that PASOK will walk out of the debate for constitutional revision means the "bipartisan (ND and PASOK) consensus" to allow revision of Article 16 (by the next Parliament) with 180 votes has been "broken".

"We had said it: the movement for Article 16; the youth movement for Article 16 will turn into a river (of protest). And it has become just that. It will determine political develop-ments'" he concluded.

Procedure

According to Article 142 of the Rules of Parliament, a no confidence motion should bear the signatures of at least 50 Parliament deputies.

Parliament will interrupt its proceedings for two days, unless the government, as in this case, requests that the debate over the motion starts immediately.

According to the bylaw, the debate concludes at midnight of the third day since its commencement with a roll call vote. For a no confidence motion to pass, it must be approved by an absolute majority of the 300-deputy legislature (150 + 1).

The Hellenic Parliament has been called to discuss no confidence motions against governments or ministers seven times since the restoration of Democracy in 1974, all of which were rejected.

Four no confidence motions were tabled against governments, three of them against governments led by Andreas Papandreou (June 1988, March 1989 and January 1996) and one against Constantine Mitsotakis' government (March 1993).

A total of three motions of no confidence were tabled against government ministers. In January 1999 and in January 2001 against PASOK's Education Minister Gerasimos Arsenis and Finance and Economy Minister Yannos Papantoniou respectively and in June 2005 against New Democracy's Eco-nomy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis, which was turned by the government into a vote of confidence debate.

The Hellenic Parliament was called to renew its vote of confidence in a government three times; for Andreas Papan-dreou's government in May 1987, Constantine Mitsotakis' government in April 1992 and Costas Simitis' government in November 1997.

Alogoskoufis

Finance and Economy Minister George Alogoskoufis, addres-sing Parliament on Friday during the debate on the vote of censure against the government, said that the great political deadlocks facing PASOK are expressed by the vote of censure submitted against the government by the main opposition PASOK party leader.

Speaking in the presence of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and a large part of the cabinet, Alogoskoufis said that the vote of censure "expresses the climate of introversion, dejection, defeatism and the intraparty anxiety gripping the main opposition party."

He added that as for the rest the proposal "doesn't mean anything:Proof of this are the empty seats on the side of PASOK. The party that submitted the vote of censure is absent."

According to the minister, all that PASOK was saying about consensus and the necessity of reforms for education were pretexts, while "all that it said about constitutional revision, about article 16 and the need for reforms were hypocrisy."

Commenting on the phrase by PASOK leader George Papandreou about the "path of the green economy", he said that the results of the green economy experienced by the Greeks for 20 years were disastrous, with fiscal chaos and a public debt that "undermined the future of our children."

Alogoskoufis further said "you speak of bloodletting of households, you who left 530,000 unemployed behind you."

After reiterating that the ruling New Democracy party had spoken from the beginning about the difficulties and efforts that were required, he underlined that the government is imple-menting "in the full" its policy statements and, speaking about the problem of unemployment in particular, he said that it decreased by 3 percent to 8.3 percent, however "its handling will always remain our first priority."

[03] EU Mediterranean countries hold third informal FMs meeting

The third informal session of Mediterranean European Union member-states' foreign ministers, attended by Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, convened here on Friday and focused on illegal immigration and European political neighbourliness, with emphasis being placed on its southern dimension.

The aim of these informal sessions, for the establishment of which Greece has played an active role with the holding of the previous session at Lagonissi, Attica, is to keep issues concerning the Mediterranean peoples "high" on the EU's agenda and to contribute to the shaping of a unified European policy on them.

"Our country, just like the other Mediterranean countries of Europe, constitute the first recipients of the illegal immigration wave," Bakoyannis said after her address at the session, during which she referred to the need for an integrated handling of the immigration problem and to the need to support regional cooperation, both in its Mediterranean dimension and its eastern one, the Black Sea, with the utilisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation, that unites the countries in the region.

"The initiative by the countries of the Mediterranean to head the creation of an effective European immigration policy does not only have a repressive character, but also includes cooperation with the countries of origin and the processing of economic policies that should follow and function as incentives to contain populations," the foreign minister said.

The spirit prevailing at the session, and has the support of the Greek side, is for the existence of a combination of bilateral agreements between the EU and the countries of the immigrants' origin for the signing of readmission agreements, on the one hand, and, on the other, providing facilities for entry visas for certain categories of their citizens, with the purpose of promoting tourism, investments, educational exchanges and entrepreneurship.

Delegates stressed that facilitating entry visas will help mobility and contacts between the EU and Mediterranean countries outside it in general.

The eight ministers and deputy foreign ministers participating from Greece, Cyprus, Malta, France, Slovenia, Italy, Spain and Portugal also underlined successful cooperation existing in the business sector, with the activation of the European service for the "frontex" borders and expressed their intention to proceed with more intensive forms of cooperation so that they can contribute to the shaping of a central European policy.

Fllowing a proposal by Greece, the two new EU member-states, Bulgaria and Romania, although not having a particular Mediterranean character geographically, will be accepted by the "Olive Tree Group", as the eight have been called, from the next session.

[04] PM Karamanlis confers with FinMin

Replying to press questions afterwards, Alogoskoufis said that he and the premier had been informed during the course of their meeting that main opposition PASOK leader George Papan-dreou had tabled a "no-confidence" motion against the government in parliament.

Asked to comment on the motion, Alogiskoufis said: "I think it is a reflection of the personal and political impasses that the main opposition leader is facing. The government is prepared to go to parliament and to elaborate its body of work, which will be completed by the end of the four-year term.".

Alogoskoufis said he and the premier had discussed the course of the economy, which, he stressed, "is developing positively".

[05] Antonaros on Turkey and Cyprus' oil exploration agreements

"The Greek government has stated its position on the issue," Antonaros said, adding that Athens' positions are clear and leave no room for doubt regarding the national sovereignty of the Cyprus Republic.

Responding to a question on Cyprus' continental shelf, something also disputed by Turkey, Antonaros said there were international rules defining such issues.

Regarding the continental shelf of the Greek isle of Kastellorizo -- just off the southwest part of Asia Minor and across the Turkish resort town of Kas -- Antonaros said Athens defends its sovereign rights effectively and meaningfully. Ankara has also reportedly disputed the small island's continental shelf.

[06] Burns expresses hope Athens and Skopje will reach a solution

U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns said on Friday that "the U.S. position has not changed," regarding the negotiations between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on the name issue.

Burns made the statement after the meeting of the Group on Haiti.

"You know, our position hasn't changed, and we hope very much that, under the good auspices of Ambassador (Matthew) Nimetz, that it might be possible for the two governments to work out an appropriate solution to that problem," Burns said.

[07] SYN withdraws "Article 16" question

Alavanos said that SYN's demand that the government withdraw its proposal for revision of Article 16 fell exclusively under the authority of the prime minister, stressing that Karamanlis himself should have attended the parliamentary session "so that we could say to him: Karamanlis, open up the universities and let the students and professors return to the Schools instead of taking to the streets to safeguard the public university".

According to Alavanos, dialogue could not take place with "private universities as bait", with brass knuckles, with hooded troublemakers and with indignant students and professors.

Parliament first vice-president Sotiris Hatzigakis replied that the Parliamentary Procedures allowed the prime minister to choose the questions to which he would reply, and also that statements by the education minister would be binding for the government.

Yiannakou, in turn, noted that it was Alavanos' right and prerogative to withdraw his question, but stressed, however, that "the process of Constitutional revsion falls under the authority of the Parliament and completion of the revision requires that elections intervene, consequently it is under the authority of the people".

Regarding the substance of the revision of Article 16, Yiannakou said that SYN had opted for abstention from the dialogue that was taking place for the past two years, and had not submitted any alternative.

SYN Central Political Committee meeting postponed

Opposition party Coalition of the Left (SYN) Central Political Committee postponed its meeting scheduled for February 3 and 4.

[08] Bakoyannis to carry out two-day tour of Xanthi, Rodopi

Bakoyannis is scheduled to meet local government officials and the official heads of the Greek Orthodox and Moslem religious communities in the region, the Komotini metropolitan and mufti, on Monday morning. She will then go to the town of Organi for meetings with community organisations and then address a meeting of the Komotini Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the afternoon. Later the same day, she will give a press conference at the Eastern Macedonia-Thrace Regional authority.

On Tuesday morning, the minister will travel to Xanthi for meetings with local authority and religious leaders in that prefecture, after which she will carry out a tour of villages and settlements in Xanthi's mountains. She is due to address the Xanthi Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday afternoon.

[09] Watchdog rules against the publicizing of the names of draft dodgers

The ruling was issued in response to a Jan. 17, 2007 request by the ministry of defense calling on the watchdog to reconsider the publicizing of the names of all those who dodged military service using fake medical certificates.

However, the Hellenic Data Protection Authority mentions in its decision that there are certain exemptions in the processing of personal data provided by law namely, for reasons of national security, punitive action or in the case of public figures.

[10] Debate on common European foreign policy

The debate, which will be coordinated by Prof. Panayiotis Roumeliotis, will be held at the foreign ministry's amphitheatre and is organised by the Pantion University and the French embassy.

[11] Offices in Greece of European Parliament and European Commission host reception

The director of the Office of the European Parliament, George Kasimatis, in a brief address marking the 50th anniversary of the then EEC and now EU, underlined the importance which the Constitutional Treaty has for the European Union.

He noted that "the European Parliament will support all the effort being made and the broad dialogue on the Constitutional Treaty."

The director of the Office of the European Commission in Greece, Ierotheos Papadopoulos, referred to the current developments in the EU regarding the debate on the Constitutional Treaty, underlining "the importance and role of the European Union for the peoples of Europe," stressing that "the Union this year completes 50 years of life and has achieved the targets of stability, peace and democracy."

Also present at the reception were Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Valinakis, Employment and Social Protection Minister Savvas Tsitouridis, main opposition PASOK deputy Christos Papoutsis and many other officials.

[12] Greece's new ambassador to Hungary presents credentials

Greece's new ambassador to Hungary, Dimitris Kypreos, on Friday presented his credentials to Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom.

Upon receiving Kypreos' credentials, President Solyom referred to the close relations between Greece and Hungary and to the need for their strengthening.

President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias is due to pay an official visit to Hungary at the end of March.

The Hungarian president referred in particular to the two countries' cultural relations and to the presence of Greeks in Hungary since the 18th Century.

At a private meeting with the Hungarian president after the presentation of the credentials, the new Greek ambassador to Hungary referred to the basic goals of his mission, which he said is the further strengthening of cooperation between Greece and Hungary, within the framework of the European Union and NATO, the strengthening of bilateral economic cooperation as well as the strengthening of the two countries' cultural relations.

Financial News

[13] Greek budget deficit down 26 pct in 2006

Commenting on official figures for the 2006 budget, published by the State's General Accounting Office, Doukas said the figures "showed a clear improvement in all indexes".

Budget revenues rose 9.7 pct in 2006, from a budget target of 9.9 pct, while spending grew by 3.1 pct compared with a budget target of 3.5 pct for the year. Primary spending rose 5.3 pct in 2006, down from a 6.0 pct budget target for the year, while revenues in a Public Investments Programme grew 38.3 pct from a budget target of 32.2 pct. Spending of the pro-gramme grew 8.8 pct, up from a budget forecast of 7.7 pct.

The Greek minister said the 2006 budget figures were, among others, "a credibility measure of Greece's improved picture in the EU, international orgnaisations and foreign investors".

[14] Proastiako railway to reach Xylokastro in 2009, minister says

He also announced that the line to Kiato will be ready by June and a system to make the railway electrically powered is due to be delivered in 2008 and would greatly increase its speed.

He made the statement during an event held in Xylokastro to mark his visit, during which he inspected the progress of work underway on the line extension.

According to the minister, the journey from Xylokastro to Athens would take roughly an hour and a half, with trains running every half hour. He said the new service would greatly enhance the area's growth and offer residents of west Corinth a safe, cheap, fast and modern means of transport.

The event was also attended by Justice Minister Anastasios Papaligouras, who thanked Liapis for his efforts to quickly resolve various problems and begin work on the extension to Xylokastro, stressing the many positive spin-offs that this would bring for the area.

During his inspection, Liapis asked an ERGOSE work team to speed up the work as much as possible to ensure the greatest possible absorption of Community funds.

[15] Deputy FinMin meets with Commission officials in Brussels

The Greek minister met with the new president of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Pöttering, with Greek EuroMPs, EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, while he is expected to meet with EU Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hubner and other Commission officials on Friday afternoon.

Folias said EU Commission officials acknowledged efforts made by Greek authorities to efficiently manage community funds and in improving monitoring and management systems.

[16] Greek-Slovak trade relations on rise, promising prospects seen

"When judging the quantitative indicators of mutual trade between the Hellenic Republic and Slovakia, it is essential to consider the fact that this bilateral relationship did not used to be a major one with regard to the export of Slovak products to Greece in the past. But after the Slovak Republic joined the EU, the commercial relations between the two countries started to become more intense, and this resulted in a significal increase in bilareral commercial exchanges," Beckova said in exclusive statements to ANA-MPA.

A further increase in commercial exchanges between the two countries is also anticipated, "due to the gradual upgrading of Trans-European Corridor X or, more precisely, of its side corridor which leads to Budapest, thanks to which transport conditions are steadily improving," she added.

According to Beckova, exports to Greece accounted for 0.31 percent of total Slovak exports in 2003, rising to 0.37 percent in 2004 and to 0.45 percent in 2005, while the volume of bilateral trade reached 140.5 million euros as on December 31, 2005, whereas "the active trade balance was equal to 54.6 million euros", with the highest export volumes being in manufactured articles, machines and transport machinery.

"In the period of January to October 2006, trade volume reached 182.2 million euros, which meant that there was an increase of 62%, in comparison with the same period last year, while import as well as export had a significantly rising tendency. Slovak exports to Greece increased by 65% in the period January- October 2006 and reached 130.4 million euros. Just like the previous years, the biggest volumes were noted in machinery and transport equipment (59.5%), manufactured goods (38.7%) and chemicals and related products (11.4%). In the same period, imports from Greece to Slovakia marked an increase of 55% and thus the import volume made up 51.7 million euros. The major portion of import from Greece was constituted by categories such as raw materials (22%), food products (10,4%) and manufactured goods (9,7%). The active balance of trade was equal to 78.8 million euros in the periods Jan-Oct 2006, representing an increase of 72.2% in comparison to the same period last year," Beckova continued.

Therefore, she said, " it can be concluded that trade between Slovakia and Greece has had a very positive development, in which the fact that Slovakia joined the EU played a major role".

"The prospects for Slovak exports to Greece will be influenced to a great extent by progress in implementation of the strategic aims of the Greek government in the sphere of sectoral and regional development, public tenders for products and services (e.g. in the defense industry) and following negotiations between Slovak companies and partner institutions in Greece. The potential fields for Slovak companies entering the Greek market are construction and reconstruction of infrastructure such as roads and railways as well as infrastructure for energy and the environment. There is a great potential for cooperation in this field, by means of subdeliveries of machines, equipment, material and services. Within the context of realization of great infrastructural projects in Greece, like construction of motorways, railroads, extension of the Athens metro, construction of medium pressure and low-pressure gas pipelines, there is a space for import of steel products, iron and aluminum,"Beckova opined.

She also said that an important opportunity for cooperation is being prepared in the field of the defense industry (an official attendance of the Slovak Republic in Defendory in October 2006, the preparation of signing the memorandum between the defense sectors of the two countries, planned mission of Greek businessmen to Slovakia focused on defense industry in the spring 2007).

Another potential field for cooperation could be the supply of a great variety of products and equipment to the shipping industry (such as engineering, electrical and electronic products, etc.), Beckova continued.

"Presently, the main interest of Greek entrepreneurs trading with Slovakia is chiefly concentrated on wood for construction purposes and furniture making. In line with the commercial and economic policies of the Slovak Republic, there is an effort to export final products, like furniture, parquet, wooden garden houses, pergolas, wooden panels, etc., for which there is an obvious interest," she said.

Furthermore, she added, it would be desirable to found joint-ventures situated in Greece, which could make final products from wood. Establishing a joint-venture for assembling environment-friendly buildings, wooden houses, could present a potential form of cooperation between the two countries. Trade with products of rubber industry indicates another area for dynamic presence of Slovak products on Greek market. There is an on-going demand for rubber products and Slovak products in this field include tires, various tubes, pipes and hoses, vertical bends and flat rubber products, which are still in demand. Tires from Slovakia are already used to supply needs of the armed units in Greece (Ministry of Defense, Police Forces, etc.), while in retail sale there is no significant representation yet.

Conveyor belts also represent promising products for export. There seem to be good export prospects also for other products in this category, such as polymers of ethylene in their primary form, polymers of polypropylene or other olefins in their primary forms, as well as other products from plastic materials. There is an expectation for a near future that there will be a remarkable increase in export of automobile industry products. This expectation is supported by the fact that Greece is not a producer of automobiles and there is a great degree of motorization and thus there will be a constant demand for new vehicles as well as spare parts thereof. Taking into account the fact that new Slovak automobile plants of Peugeot-Citroen, Kia-Motors are starting their operation, a rapid rise in export of this commodity is anticipated, Beckova continued.

The efforts of the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Athens are leading to a more active participation and cooperation between Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Industrial Associations in establishing higher forms of economic cooperation, such as common production, mutual investment, etc., Beckova concluded.

[17] PASOK official criticises government over 2006 state budget

Papandreou added that the government "is congratulating itself over the implementation of the budget, as it has shaped it, and is pleased with the policy it is following. The results of their policy are felt on a daily basis by the majority of the citizens in their income that is decreasing, in the high cost of living, in the downgrading of the quality of their life."

Lastly, she said that "the government 'forgot' to mention that the results in revenues and expenditures emerged with the additional measures that were taken immediately after the ratification of the budget and until November 2006, that burdened citizens with an additional 1.2 billion euros, the so-called non-regular revenues that have been included and which are not compatible with the rules of Eurostat and with the restraining of expenditures due to the subfinancing of the social security system that is leading it to bankruptcy."

[18] Marfin Popular Bank "chasing" multiple targets, CEO says

Addressing an event in Nicosia, Vgenopoulos pledged that 2007 would be a year of plenty trade deals for MPB and reassured that the presence of the Group in Cyprus will result to benefits for the Cypriot economy, consumers and the bank's workers.

MPB's vision is to build the biggest financial group based in Cyprus, with a leading position in Southeastern Europe, the Mediterranean and certain Arabian countries.

Vgenopoulos expressed his confidence that MPB would implement its vision and stressed that Marfin Popular Bank focused on investments in sectors such as healthcare and tourism.

[19] Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling inaugurates new bottling plant on Crete

Inaugurating the unit, Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas said the investment was a significant moment for the growth of Crete and noted that the investment will create 150 new jobs.

The investment, Sioufas said, "underlined healthy reflexes and reaffirmed the company's goal to actively contribute to the growth and improvement of social and economic life in the Greek provinces".

He also noted that a total 616 investment plans, budgeted at 550 million euros, had been submitted by the end of 2006, seeking subsidies worth 210 million euros. Sioufas said 571 invest-ments plans have been approved, budgeted at 420 million euros with subsidies totalling 160 million euros.

Doros Constantinou, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling's chief executive, said the company was "open" to geographical expansion and takeovers but stressed there was nothing specific at the moment. Constantinou said the company would expand its product range with tea and underlined there would no price hikes despite a rapid increase in aluminium prices.

[20] Helexpo eyes expansion

Helexpo President Aristotelis Thomopoulos, addressing an event to celebrate the new year, said 2007 would be a landmark year for Helexpo in its drive to expand activities.

[21] More than 300,000 cars uninsured in Greece

Addressing an event on the outlook of private insurance in Greece, in Thessaloniki, Leftheriotis said the Fund has paid a total of 215 million euros in the period from 1995 till today.

Representatives from the insurance industry said a friendly settlement system recorded a 17 percent increase in cases last year and noted that the system helped significantly in reducing the average compensation time from six months in 2000 to 12-35 days currently, along with the number of cases solved in courts.

Doukas Palaeologos, president of the Association of Insurance Enterprises of Greece, said he was optimistic over the industry's outlook and noted that the total insurance product in Greece accounted for 2.5 pct of GDP, sharply down from an 8.5 pct rate in the rest of Europe.

[22] Greek stocks end 0.54 pct up on Friday

Sector indices ended up, with the Insurance, (2.52 pct), Raw Materials (2.51 pct) and Industrial Products (1.83 pct) scoring the biggest percentage gains of the day, while the Utilities (0.89 pct), Oil (0.49 pct) and Technology (0.49 pct) suffered the heaviest losses.

The Big Cap index rose 0.54 pct, the Mid Cap index ended 0.98 pct higher and the Small Cap index fell 0.15 pct.

Tsoukaridis (18.18 pct), Ergas (12 pct) and Postal Savings Bank (7.40 pct) were top gainers, while Ikona-Ihos (20 pct), Desmos (7.14 pct) and Neorion Holdings (6.10 pct) were top losers.

Decliners led advancers by 129 to 128 with another 49 issues unchanged.

Sector indices ended as follows:

Insurance: +2.61%

Industrials: +1.83%

Commercial: -0.12%

Construction: +0.21%

Media: +0.77%

Oil & Gas: -0.49%

Personal & Household: -0.24%

Raw Materials: +2.51%

Travel & Leisure: +0.28%

Technology: -0.49%

Telecoms: +1.13%

Banks: +0.54%

Food & Beverages: +0.14%

Health: +0.12%

Utilities: -1.04%

Chemicals: +0.54%

Financial Services: +1.70%

The stocks with the highest turnover were National Bank, OPAP, Piraeus Bank, Eurobank and OTE.

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

Alpha Bank: 25.00

ATEbank: 4.22

Public Power Corp (PPC): 21.50

HBC Coca Cola: 32.20

Hellenic Petroleum: 11.12

Emporiki Bank: 22.86

National Bank of Greece: 40.00

EFG Eurobank Ergasias: 30.48

Intralot: 26.26

Cosmote: 23.50

OPAP: 28.78

OTE: 23.62

Titan Cement Company: 43.60

[23] ADEX closing report

The February contract on the FTSE 20 index was traded at a discount of 0.40 pct and on the FTSE 40 index at a discount of 0.42 pct.

Volume in futures contracts on the FTSE 20 index totalled 4,758 contracts worth 61.516 million euros with 20,806 open positions in the market, while on the FTSE 40 index totalled 760 contracts worth 21.566 million euros with 1,520 open positions.

Volume in futures contracts on equities totalled 9,103 contracts worth 8,301 million euros. Investment interest focused on GEK (1,249 contracts), followed by Eurobank (172), OTE (589), PPC (291), Piraeus Bank (385), Hellenic Exchanges (318), National Bank (426), Alpha Bank (831), Intracom (782) and ATEbank (943).

Volume in stock repos totalled 123 contracts and in reverse stock repos 641 contracts.

[24] Greek bond market closing report

The yield spread between the 10-year Greek and German benchmark bonds rose to 26.8 basis points.

In the domestic interbank market, interest rates were slightly unchanged. National Bank's overnight rate was 3.57 pct, the two-day rate was 3.57 pct, the one-week rate was 3.58 pct, the one-month rate 3.60 pct, the three-month rate was 3.78 pct, the six-month rate 3.92 pct and the 12-month rate 4.08 pct.

[25] Foreign Exchange Rates - Monday

U.S. dollar 1.312

Pound sterling 0.666

Danish kroner 7.513

Swedish kroner 9.13

Japanese yen 158.8

Swiss franc 1.630

Norwegian kroner 8.200

Cyprus pound 0.583

Canadian dollar 1.553

Australian dollar 1.695

General News

[26] International conference on the environment

The international conference titled "Citizens of the Earth" began here on Friday with the ultimate aim of examining factors concerning the establishment of a UN organisation on the environment.

Six laboratory sessions have been shaped in the framework of the conference, while in two of them Greek European Union Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas and Greek Deputy Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Stavros Kaloyiannis will be participating.

The six laboratory sessions will focus on a discussion on the following issues:ways of handling climatic changes (Dimas will be co-chairing this event), joint actions for the salvation of biovariety, tackling pollution and health protection, water as a common commodity, change in mentality, ways of production and consumption (Kaloyiannis will be participating) and strengthening global governance for the environment.

The conclusions to be drawn from work will be announced on Saturday, while French President Jacques Chirac will be participating in the closing ceremony, who intends to call on the international community once again to mobilise itself to achieve the creation of a UN organisation for the environment.

The event is taking place at the initiative of the French president, who said during Friday's opening ceremony at the Presidential Palace, in the presence of a large number of guests, "the planet is suffering, nature is suffering, the day is approaching when the climatic upset will be getting out of any control. We are on the verge of no return."

[27] Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos addresses the conference

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos, who is in Paris since Thursday afternoon, was due to meet French President Jacques Chirac on Friday evening.

In the morning, Vartholomeos attended the start of the sessions of a conference on the environment titled "Citizens of Earth", which was held at the presidential mansion.

The Ecumenical Patriarch, who, due to his activities on environmental issues, is known as the "Green Patriarch", was one of Chirac's official guests.

Addressing the conference, Vartholomeos said:"For the confrontation of the ecological crisis, we believe that technical means are not enough. Humanity's only hope is to be found in the awareness of the collective character of the destiny of peoples, every race, religion and economic condition."

"The Ecumenical Patriarchate, one of the most ancient spiritual institutions in the world, has launched, since more that ten years, initiatives for the protection of the environment and the reconciliation of scientific observation with the wisdom of religion," the Patriarch noted.

[28] French President Chirac receives Vartholomeos

French President Jacques Chirac on Friday evening received Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos.

The meeting, which was held in a cordial atmosphere, lasted about an hour.

No statements were made after their meeting.

[29] University tutorial staff call five-day rolling strikes

Federation President Lazaros Apekis said on Friday night that "the only solution is the continuation of the struggle until the demands of university professors are met. The beginning of the strike will take place on Monday February 5."

The POSDEP president assessed that "the backtracking of PASOK on the article 16, is a victory of the university movement."

The decision to continue the strike, and indeed in the rolling strike form, was taken with 18 votes out of 24 professors present, who represented all the universities in the country.

[30] Break-ins at supermarket, home, in Athens

The alarm went off as the burglars entered the store, but they managed to flee the scene with a waiting car and a motorcycle, taking the safe with them.

In a separate incident, three individuals robbed an 80-year-old woman after breaking open the main entrance of her house in Peristeri, Athens, shortly after midnight.

The burglars savagely punched the elderly woman and removed 1,000 euros, 2,000 euros worth of jewelry, bank books and other objects from the house before fleeing the scene. The victim was taken to a hospital to receive treatment.

[31] Earthquake measuring 4.8 jolts Thesprotia prefecture

No damages were reported. The tremor was slightly felt in the prefectures of Ioannina and Thesprotia, northwest Greece.

[32] Bomb scare at private TV station turns out to be a hoax

The call took place at at 5:15 a.m. The caller warned that the explosive device would explode in a half hour, and claimed it had been planted by the "Revolutionary Struggle" group.

Police, alerted by the station, immediately cordoned off the vicinity, while traffic on central Messogion Avenue, where the station's facilities are located, was also halted.

A search of the premises by the police bomb squad did not turn up any explosive device. Traffic circulation was restored about an hour later.

[33] Search underway for location of 16 illegal immigrants in the sea region of Samos

Three illegal immigrants were located in the sea by port authorities north, northeast of the coast of Samos.

The search for the other 16 was being conducted by a Super Puma helicopter, given that it was not possible for vessels to sail due to the prevailing inclement weather.

The three men who were rescued and the other missing illegal immigrants had sailed from the neighbouring coast in a wooden boat in which the trafficker was also on board.

[34] One in 10 inhabitants of Thessaloniki are immigrants and expatriates from the former USSR

A total of 62 per cent of them living in Thessaloniki are from the former Soviet Union and 31 per cent from Albania, contrary to what applies in Athens and the other major cities, where the largest group of immigrants are Albanians.

This was revealed on Friday at an event organised by the main opposition PASOK affiliated ISTAME Andreas Papandreou foundation on the issue of immigration. It was noted that one in three expatriates from the former Soviet Union who settled in Greece (51,000), chose Thessaloniki prefecture to live in.

Main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) Political Council member Costas Skandalidis said "the Greek state is now mature to proceed in the next step, that of the social integration of the immigrants," adding that "we have overcome our historic phobias."

[35] Firebombs target cars, OASA booth

According to police, the youths involved in the incident originated from the Zografou university area.

[36] Albanian arrested on drug charges in Thessaloniki

According to police, the heroin was found in a secret compart-ment of the car's four-wheel drive system.

[37] Development minister refers to importance of the Technology and Research Foundation

The minister was speaking from Iraklio, Crete, during the cutting ceremony of ITE's New Year cake.

In his address, Sioufas said that the government will continue to support and finance all of the country's research centres. He referred to the presence of the foundation in Greece and abroad stressing that "ITE's successes in the sector of new technologies have been recognised worldwide."

[38] Thessaloniki Police hold crisis management seminar

The seminar winds up on Friday with a map exercise based on crisis scenarios such as bus hijackings, hostage-taking situa-tions, airplane accidents, etc, projected on a video wall.

Representatives of local government agencies, the Fire Depart-ment, and the medical coroner's office are being briefed on reaction methods and cooperation with the Greek Police in case of emergencies.

Sports

[39] Awards presented to youths of Aegean islands

The event, like every year, was organised by the Aegean and Island Policy Ministry.

Minister Aristotelis Pavlidis said the event had a double message, that "the State recognises the struggle for knowledge under the difficult conditions such as these which the children of border islands live, and on the other, that the message for the incorporation of the Dodecanese to the main body of Greece must this year again come to life."

The minister added:"Every year on March 7, this anniversary is celebrated. This year in Rhodes the President of the Republic will be present at the celebration of the 60th anniversary."

Before the presentation of the awards to the pupilis, athletes and students, President Papoulias said:"Today is really a particular day for me. You know the importance I attribute in the prosperity and progress of the other Greece, of Greece of the border regions."

[40] Weather Forecast: Low temperatures on Saturday

[41] The Athens dailies at a glance

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "The 'movement' of the 1,000 academics demands: Proceed immediately with the changes in Education".

ANO KATO: "PASOK (main opposition party) polarising the climate - They accuse the parliament president (Anna Psarouda-Benaki) and ND (ruling New Democracy party) of being a 'conservative leech' ".

APOGEVMATINI: "Cold War policy by Ankara over the oil in the eastern Mediterranean - The country that wants to join the EU (Turkey) threatening EU-member Cyprus with 'hot' incident" over Nicosia's recent agreements with nearby Lebanon and Egypt for an 'exclusive economic zone' between those three countries under which Cyprus intends to proceed with the exploration and exploitation of possible fossil fuel reserves in the zone.

AVGHI: "Alavanos (SYN leader): Defeat and mortification of the government".

AVRIANI: "ADAE (independent Authority for Assurance of Information and Communication Privacy and Security) facing the docks over the 100,000 euros its member Iacovos Venieris received from Ericsson, which ADAE was supposedly to investigate over the phone-tappings network it set up with the Americans", referring to the probe ordered Thursday by Justice Minister Anastasios Papaligouras into media reports that a member of the country's communications privacy watchdog had been on the payroll of the multinational telecoms giant Ericsson.

CHORA: "The new objective real estate prices will be announced end-Feburary - Everything will be conducted in line with the timetable".

ELEFTHERI ORA: "The pashas of Ankara deployed the armada as a 'bogey-man' in the Mediterranean because...Cyprus' oil ignited fires".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Convergence on Education - Optimism for exodus from the crisis in the universities".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Putin threat to Greece-Bulgaria over the pipeline: Reach agreement, otherwise we'll look elsewhere".

ESTIA: "Tax delusions - The authorities dreaming of non-existend revenues".

ETHNOS: "Putin 'cold-shower' for Karamanlis - Heavy responsibilities on Athens-Sofia over the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline".

KATHIMERINI: "Our goal is the upgrading of the public universities - Dynamic intercession by university professors".

LOGOS: "Yannakou (education minister) conciliatory in the meeting with the 'reformist' professors".

NIKI: "Noose around IKA's (national Social Insurance Foundation) neck - The State owes it 4.3 billion euros".

RIZOSPASTIS: "ND, PASOK and SYN affiliated university professors back the reactionary reforms in the universities".

TA NEA: "Third road for open universities - 21 defusing proposals by 1,000 professors".

TO VIMA: "The Turks also disputing Kastelorizo (as belonging to Greece) - The AThens-Cairo discussions on the (Aegean) continental shelf and Ankara's ruses".

VRADYNI: "Enough is enough - Cry of agony from more than 1,000 university professors".

Cyprus Affairs

[42] Commission backs Cyprus' exploration rights

The European Commission said Cyprus is a fully sovereign state and its right to conclude agreements with other

countries cannot be questioned, the AFP cited a European Commission spokeswoman as saying Friday.

In a statement following Thursday's unconfirmed Turkish naval military presence in Cyprus in connection with the Republic's offshore oil and gas exploration rights, a European Commission spokeswoman said EU member Cyprus ''is fully sovereign for international agreements it concludes and it cannot be questioned".

She added that any agreements should be in line with EU legislation and called for ''moderation and restraint on this issue''.

According to AFP, the Commission comments came after Cypriot Foreign Minister George Lillikas wrote a letter to it, seeking a response to the situation.

Cyprus' EU Permanent Representative, ambassador Nicholas Emiliou, said there had not been confirmation of increased Turkish naval activity, but criticized Ankara's attitude on the oil rights issue.

''They have no legal claim,'' he told AFP, noting that the "area we are talking about is well to the south of Cyprus, between Cyprus and Egypt. Even geographically it is not an area of Cyprus which is adjacent to Turkey,'' he said.

"I think this kind of attitude is typical of Turkish behaviour and shows that nothing changes. They have been having the same problems with Greece over the last 30 years and now Turkey is threatening another three countries in the same manner, Cyprus, Egypt and Lebanon'', he added.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied the island's northern third.

[43] Cyprus will not file recourse to UNSC over Turkish threats

The Cyprus government said Friday it is watching with a composed manner developments as far as the issue of exploration and exploitation of oil is concerned and does not deem necessary to file a recourse to the UN Security Council.

Replying to questions on the issue as well as commenting on statements by US State Department Spokesman Sean Mc-Cormack, who urged Turkey and Cyprus to refrain from any actions that might be misinterpreted by the other side, Government Spokesman Christodoulos Pashiardis said there are no ambiguous legal dimensions as far as the delimitation of the shelf is concerned.

He noted that only the countries which signed the agreements with Cyprus, that is Lebanon and Egypt, have a say on the issue.

Pashiardis further said that there is no effort to associate the Cyprus issue with the agreements Cyprus has signed in an effort to exploit the possible oil deposits in the region.

Regarding Turkey's reaction, he said that "if Turkey is misinterpreting the exercise of our legal sovereign rights, the only interpretation I can give is that Turkey acts and feels like the gamekeeper of the region, and occasionally a pirate of the east Mediterranean".

Noting Cyprus is proceeding as normal with the issue of exploration and exploitation of possible oil deposits, Pashiardis said ''we have done nothing illegal or anything anybody could misinterpret".

"The Republic of Cyprus, as an independent and sovereign state, can exercise all rights it has by international law. Among these legal and inalienable rights is the right to explore and exploit its natural wealth, either on land or in its coastal areas, where it exercises its sovereignty according to international law", the spokesman added.

To a question if MacCormack's statements imply that other countries have a say too, Pashiardis stressed those countries in which Cyprus has resorted to have a say as far as the delimitation is concerned.

He further noted that Cyprus faithfully adheres to the law of the sea and international law.

Asked if Cyprus intends to report Turkey and its threats to the Security Council, Pashiardis said the Cyprus government is handling collectively and responsibly the situation which the Turkish provocations and threats have caused.

"At this moment, we do not deem necessary or purposive to file a recourse resort to the Security CouncilÖ, he stressed.

Pashiardis said that Cyprus had informed the Greek govern-ment on the issue and the latter fully agreed with Cyprus' handling.

Invited to comment on statements by Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul that Ankara will take all necessary action if by 15 February procedures for oil exploration and exploitation begin, Pashiardis said that the only necessary action which Turkey needs to take is to become accustomed to legality and respect international laws.

[44] Moller informs G/C & T/C political parties on latest Cyprus developments

UN Secretary General's Special Representative to Cyprus Michael Moller informed on Friday the leaders and repre-sentatives of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political parties on the procedure to implement the July 8 agreement.

A joint communique issued at the end of the parties' meeting said that the leaders and the representatives of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political parties have agreed with the proposals of the sub-committee on rapprochement from its last meeting on 8th November, 2006.

They asked the sub-committee to meet on 8th February, 2007 in order to prepare the implementation of the proposed activities.

"The leaders have been briefed about the latest developments on the Cyprus issue by Michael Moller, the Special Repre-sentative of the United Nations Secretary General in Cyprus and Head of the UNFICYP and exchanged the views on this issue with him", the communique said.

In statements after the meeting, AKEL General Secretary Demetris Christofias said that Moller is as always "optimistic". He said his party believes that the procedure should evolve in a way for the two communities to agree on issues which will allow the start of the technical committees and the working groups.

"When all obstacles for the start of the committees are over-come, then we will announce it", he added.

Democratic Rally (DISY) deputy President Averof Neofytou said that the meeting was important because Moller provided some information and explained where the situation stands as far as the preparatory discussion is concerned so that the technical committees can start work based on the July 8 agre-ement.

"Things are not that optimistic, but Mr. Moller has faith and we all have faith that in the end a way will be found for the technical committees to start work", Neofytou said, adding that Moller remarked that there are around five to seven months left which Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots must make use of because after that Cyprus and Turkey will enter a pre-election period and this will make efforts more difficult.

Ecologists and Environmentalist Movement leader George Perdikis said that Moller appeared rather optimistic, noting that there is ground for achieving an agreement at the working groups and that an agreement was reached on the list of issues which will be discussed.

During the meeting, DISY proposed that the leaders of the two communities on the island attend a meeting at the Ledra Palace and explain the reasons why the procedure to implement the July 8 agreement is not progressing.

On July 8th 2006, Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met in the presence of senior UN official Imbrahim Gambari and agreed to begin a process of bicommunal discussions on issues that affect the day-to-day life of the people and those that concern substantive issues.

Following the agreement, the representatives of the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities, Tasos Tzionis and Rasit Pertev respectively, began meetings in the UN-controlled buffer zone to work out the modalities for the implementation of the July agreement.

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