Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 07-08-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] Prime minister Karamanlis briefed by employment minister Magginas

[02] Synaspismos on statements by employment minister

[03] Torrential rain causes floods in northern Greece

[04] Road repair works at Alexandroupolis

[05] PASOK on Evros floods; interior ministry reply

[06] Ev. Polyzos won't be candidate at Pieria prefecture in the elections

[07] Rural Police chief assumes duties

[08] Bulgarian pipeline explosion halts natgas supply to Greece

[09] Power exchange deal between Greece, Turkey begins

[10] Interior miniser meets civil servants' leadership

[11] Greek exports post 7.1% hike in Jan-May, yr/yr

[12] Allianz Hellas reports improved first half profits

[13] July 2007 records 'bullish' figures for ASE

[14] Greek stocks down on Monday

[15] Net assets of listed portfolio firms increase slightly

[16] ADEX closing report

[17] Greek bond market closing report

[18] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

[19] Fires in Achaia and Athens

[20] Six fires in Chania placed under control

[21] Deputy finance minister at Mykali Naval Battle commemoration events on Samos

[22] Fatal speedboat chase

[23] Illegals intercepted on Lesvos; smuggler sought

[24] Abandoned cannabis plantation destroyed

[25] Low blood supplies at Larissa General Hospital

[26] Mostly sunny on Tuesday

[27] Turkey's moves relating to oil are not Cyprus' concern, says Nicosia Politics

[01] Prime minister Karamanlis briefed by employment minister Magginas

Magginas told reporters after the 90-minute meeting that he briefed the premier on ministry issues, while they also discussed the course of the ministry's legislative work.

He said that the bill on e-governance, which he called a landmark for the country's social security sector, has been approved by the relevant standing parliamentry committee.

Magginas said that they further discussed the targeted actions in the framework of the social cohesion fund, while he also briefed the prime minister on the selection process of the social security funds' presidents.

Replying to questions on the matter of the planned minimum national pension, Magginas noted that national economy and finance minister George Alogoskoufis has made several statements on the issue, adding that it was an issue "that is being studied".

"Nothing of what has been announced are pre-electoral benefits, but rather are the materialisation of various points of our governmental platform," Magginas said.

[02] Synaspismos on statements by employment minister

"The prime minister (Costas Karamanlis) discussed for one-and-a-half hours with Mr. Magginas on how they will camouflage more effectively, with flashy golden paper of pre-election promises for small grants, the real intentions of the New Democracy (ND) party to promote after the general elections, providing it wins the elections, sweeping changes in the social insurance system, taxation, labour relations and the income of the working people and of the youth," Stratoulis said.

"However, the citizens and the youth, are not 'natives', for the government to mock them by selling to them post-election sea weed as pre-election silk ribbons," Stratoulis concluded.

[03] Torrential rain causes floods in northern Greece

The Hellenic Railways, OSE, network is under water at the Alexandroupolis-Komotini section. A passenger train was immobilized by the rising waters at the borders of the Rodopi and Evros prefectures Monday morning. All 46 people on board were forwarded with OSE busses to the village of Mesti to continue their trip by train.

Traffic problems were reported on the "Egnatia Odos" motorway at the Komotini-Alexandroupolis section after a truck overturned.

The most serious damages were reported in the coastal resorts of Dikeli and Makri, were houses were flooded and an effort was underway to restore power supply to the region.

Two bridges collapsed along the Makri-Dikeli provincial road, while the Dikeli-Mesimvria seafront road was seriously damaged.

Meanwhile, all flights to and from Thessaloniki's Macedonia International Airport were resumed as scheduled on Monday. Several flights had to be diverted to the airports of Athens and Kavala throughout the night as they were unable to land in Thessaloniki due to low clouds.

The Fire Brigade responded to a total of 35 calls for water pumping in the wider Thessaloniki region, the most affected area being the coastal town of Perea.

[04] Road repair works at Alexandroupolis

As stated on Monday by Eastern Macedonia-Thrace Region Secretary General Michalis Angelopoulos, who communicated by phone with Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos, work for the repair of the bridge between Makri and Dikella, as well as of the coastal road, will begin on Tuesday afternoon.

[05] PASOK on Evros floods; interior ministry reply

"The compensation of those affected, the immediate reparation of the damages in the provincial road network and to the railway network as well as the securing of access to the sea are self-evident measures and of vital importance, not only for the inhabitants and the visitors, but also for the whole operation of the local economy," Venizelos said.

"The demands of Evros Prefecture to the Interior Ministry must be answered with the utmost speed and due to the extent of the dasmages, but also due to the short duration of the tourism season in the region," Venizlos concluded.

In response to the PASOK deputy, the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation Ministry in an announcement said:

"As usual, far from reality and the country's problems, PASOK comes after the event to project self-evident things.

"Should Mr. Venizelos have perhaps been informed that the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation Minister (Prokopis Pavlopoulos) communicated immediately with the Secretary General of the Region and particularly, with the Prefect and what has been jointly decided? Let him (Venizelos) be informed and later make statements if he so wishes."

[06] Ev. Polyzos won't be candidate at Pieria prefecture in the elections

In his letter to Karamanlis, Polyzos said:

"I also wish to stress that I'll always be present in the in your struggles and the ND."

In a statement, Polyzos assured that he will steadfastly continue the struggle for the ND and Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and called on all those who are next to hm to act the same because "this is imposed by our party obligation and common logic."

On his part, ND Central Committee Secretary Lefteris Zagoritis made the following statement:

"We thank the Pieria deputy of the New Democracy party, Mr. Evangelos Polyzos, for his more than a decade contribution to the party in Parliament. We are certain that he will continue and outside Parliament and after the next general elections to be present in the New Democracy's struggles with the same vigour."

[07] Rural Police chief assumes duties

Initially, the personnel of the new Rural Police will be comprised of 1,700 individuals, of which 500 come from the old Rural Police.

This was stated by Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras on Monday during the presentation of Rural Police Chief Dimitrios Nikolakopoulos.

Polydoras stated that the number of the Rural Police's personnel is expected to reach 4,500.

The public order minister described the re-establishment of the Rural Police as "a historic moment," adding that "the role of the new corps will be the rendering of ecological services in cooperation with the countryside's inhabitants."

Financial News

[08] Bulgarian pipeline explosion halts natgas supply to Greece

Greece discontinued natural gas imports at Bulgaria's request, until the damage was repaired. Officials of natural gas companies told ANA-MPA that the demand for natural gas in the country would be supplied without problem from the state-owned Natural Gas Corporation's (DEPA) Revithoussa plant in Megara, where liquefied natural gas is imported.

The explosion, caused by a pipeline leak, occurred early Monday in south-western Bulgaria, near the village of Balgarchevo in the Blagoevgrade area, some 100 kilometres south of the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.

No one was injured in the blast, which did not cause an ensuing fire apparently due to heavy rainfall in the region at the time. The explosion was being investigated by police and the civil defence service, while police have closed off the area.

A Bulgarian economy ministry spokesman said that the problem was expected to be fixed in the next 24 hours, noting that 10 metres of the pipeline had been affected.

Bulgaria's state-owned Bulgargaz transits natural gas from Russia's giant Gazprom to Turkey, Greece and FYROM. Last year, Bulgargaz supplied Greece with 2.7 billion cubic metres of gas.

[09] Power exchange deal between Greece, Turkey begins

The implementation of the electricity exchange protocol constitutes a first step for comprehensive bilateral cooperation in the sector, while all grid connection projects set to be completed by January 2008.

Power exchange is feasible with the construction of a 4.2km-long, 150KV line by Greece's power utility, the bourse-listed Public Power Corp. (PPC) The agreement will feature the import of 180MW from Turkey to Greece this month, with PPC exporting electricity back to Turkey during the January-February 2008 period.

The inauguration of the power exchange deal comes on the heels of this week's completion of a section of a natgas pipeline connecting the two countries that passes beneath the Evros River, the land border between Greece and Turkey in the Thrace province.

The July 19 agreement had been signed by Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas and Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Mehmet Hilmi Guler.

The Greek and Turkish grids will be permanently linked in January 2008 with the operation of the 400KV Filippi-Babaeski line, the Greek minister noted.

[10] Interior miniser meets civil servants' leadership

ADEDY President Spyros Papaspyros told ANA-MPA that the meeting revolved around the planning of ADEDY's congress, which will be held in November in the presence of the prime minister.

[11] Greek exports post 7.1% hike in Jan-May, yr/yr

Total exports reached the 7.06 billion-euro mark, up from 6.60 billion in Jan-May 2006.

Conversely, in May exports dropped by 9.3 percent (1.382 billion euros) as compared to May 2006; if oil products are excluded, the decrease during the same month is 0.6 percent. According to HEPO and the national statistical service (NSS), the May 2007 "slide" in the otherwise hefty year-long increase in Greek export activity is due to reduced exports of bulk olive oil to Italian wholesalers.

In terms of the five-month period of 2007, exports to the expanded European Union increased by a noteworthy 29.3 percent. Even more impressive, exports to Russia posted a 106.6-percent increase, rising to 182.4 million euros.

On the down side, the trade balance worsened in May 2007, rising 7.4 percent in comparison with the corresponding month in 2006, whereas it increased by 12.6 percent in the first five months of 2007 compared with Jan-May 2006.

[12] Allianz Hellas reports improved first half profits

[13] July 2007 records 'bullish' figures for ASE

The figures for the FTSE/Athex Mid 40 index were 42.9 percent in July 2007 (44.89 percent in June 2007); 21.06 percent of shares for companies listed on the FTSE/Athex Small Cap 80 were held by foreign investors in July 2007, as opposed to 18.92 percent in June 2007.

Since the beginning of the year, 6.2 billion euros were invested in the ASE by foreign investors, of which 428.51 euros alone came in July. The previous month was also termed as the best since February 2000, with the volume of transactions reaching the 13.31-billion-euro mark, an increase of 33.5 percent from June 2007.

[14] Greek stocks down on Monday

Sector indices mostly fell with the exception of Telecoms, which rose by 0.97 pct. Financial Services (-3.13 pct), Media (-2.57 pct) and Chemicals (-2.34) posted the biggest percentage losses of the day.

The Big Cap index ended 1.33 pct down, the Mid Cap index fell 2.23 pct and the Small cap index ended 1.83 pct down.

Decliners led advancers by 241 to 30 with another 29 issues unchanged.

[15] Net assets of listed portfolio firms increase slightly

Sector indices ended as follows:

Insurance: -1.32%

Industrials: -1.02%

Commercial: -2.33.%

Construction: -1.99%

Media: -2.57%

Oil & Gas: -1.18%

Personal & Household: -2.25%

Raw Materials: -2.26%

Travel & Leisure: -1.26%

Technology: -1.58%

Telecoms: +0.97%

Banks: -1.84%

Food & Beverages: -0.58%

Health: -1.47%

Utilities: -1.19%

Chemicals: -2.34%

Financial Services: -3.13%

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

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

Alpha Bank: 22.80

ATEbank: 3.84

Public Power Corp (PPC): 20.80

HBC Coca Cola: 32.00

Hellenic Petroleum: 10.52

Emporiki Bank: 20.42

National Bank of Greece: 42.50

EFG Eurobank Ergasias: 26.08

Intralot: 24.96

Cosmote: 21.34

OPAP: 25.74

OTE: 22.24

Titan Cement Company: 37.30

[16] ADEX closing report

The September contract on the FTSE 20 index was traded at a discount of 1.24 pct while the August contract on the FTSE 40 index at a discount of 1.63 percent.

Volume in futures contracts on the FTSE 20 index totaled 8,754 contracts worth 110.571 million euros, with 41,890 open positions in the market, while on the FTSE 40 index volume was 1,162 contracts worth 36.396 million euros, with 1,492 open positions.

Volume in futures contracts on equities totaled 8,742 contracts worth 11.543 million euros, with investment interest focusing on Atebank's contracts (1,770) followed by Intracom (1,498), Alpha Bank (831), Post Office Bank (621), ELTEX (574), Marfin Popular Bank (479), National Bank (476) and OTE (378).

[17] Greek bond market closing report

The 10-year benchmark bond (July 20, 2017) was the most heavily traded security with a turnover of 275 million euros. The Greek bond yielded 4.63 pct.

In the domestic interbank market, interest rates were mixed. National Bank's overnight rate was 4.06 pct, the two-day rate 4.07 pct, the one-week rate 4.09 pct, the one-month rate 4.11 pct, the three-month rate 4.30 pct, the six-month rate 4.40 pct and the 12-month rate 4.55 pct.

[18] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

U.S. dollar 1.392

Pound sterling 0.685

Danish kroner 7.502

Swedish kroner 9.293

Japanese yen 164.18

Swiss franc 1.651

Norwegian kroner 8.006

Cyprus pound 0.588

Canadian dollar 1.466

Australian dollar 1.625

General News

[19] Fires in Achaia and Athens

Taking part in the firefighting efforts were 20 firemen with 8 fire engines, assisted by a helicopter and two firefighting aircraft.

Meanwhile, the fire in a low shrub area in the Papagos region, Athens, that broke out at noon, was put under partial control by 21 firemen and 7 fire engines.

[20] Six fires in Chania placed under control

The biggest fire occurred in the region between Vrysa and Georgoupoli where due to dense cultivation, there were fears that the flames may reach as far as the yards of houses. However, with the presence of a strong Fire Brigade force and of two fire-fighting helicopters, the danger was averted.

Fires took place also in the region of Ebrosneros, Megalia Chorafia and in the regions of Aghios Pavlos and Krapi Sfakia.

[21] Deputy finance minister at Mykali Naval Battle commemoration events on Samos

"In the Naval Battle of Mykali, we proved what we Greeks can do when we are united and have common goals. The state owes gratitude...to those who took part in that battle. We thank them and appreciate them," Doukas said after the anniversary events in Pythagorio municipality.

While on Samos, Doukas met with the prefectural leadership, and discussed matters concerning the islands of Samos, Ikaria and Fournoi.

Doukas reiterated that "these next four years will be the years of the periphery", noting the government's decision that 80 percent of the approximately 21 billion euro from the EU earmarked for Greece in the 4th Programming Period (2007-2013) will be channeled to the periphery, and adding that Samos "is one of our priorities".

Samos "has immense developmental prospects, and we want to assist in that effort," he said.

The commemorative events commenced on Saturday evening with a youth concert and continued on Sunday with a re-enactment of the Naval Battle of Mykali and the burning of the Turkish fleet's flagship and on Monday with the laying of wreaths at the statue of Lycurgos Logothetis, while they will culminate on Monday night with a festival and live music at the Pythagorio port.

Mykali, in the Samos Strait, was also the site of the final major clash between the Greeks and the Persians in 479 B.C., with the Greeks emerging victorious in naval and infantry battle, thus putting an end to the Persian efforts to expand towards the West and dominate the Mediteranean.

[22] Fatal speedboat chase

The incident took place on Sunday evening off the eastern Aegean island of Chios' "Ermioni" sea region as the 10-meter speedboat was en route to Ikaria Island.

According to the Merchant Marine Ministry, the speedboat, which had no navigation lights or insignia, had set sail from Athens. Its captain ignored the calls by a Coastguard patrol boat crew to stop for a check after being regarded as a suspect for illegal migrant smuggling, and instead engaged in dangerous maneuvering in an attempt to ram the patrol boat.

The Coastguard officers fired warning shots in the air, and one of them hit the speedboat captain in the course of his manoevering. The man succumbed while being transported to Chios Hospital.

Two individuals on board the speedboat have been detained at the Chios Port Authority facilities.

[23] Illegals intercepted on Lesvos; smuggler sought

According to reports, the alleged migrant smuggler is a Turkish national who jumped off a speedboat some 100 metres from the island's shores, near the Nees Kydonies site. Earlier, the migrant smuggler reportedly forced the group off the craft in order to delay pursuit by coast guard vessels.

The illegals, 16 men and one woman, claimed they each paid 1,500 US dollars to be transported clandestinely onto Greek territory.

[24] Abandoned cannabis plantation destroyed

The plantation was unattended and an investigation is underway to locate the growers. All cannabis plants were destroyed by police.

[25] Low blood supplies at Larissa General Hospital

The low supplies, mainly in rare blood types, are attributed to limited blood donation due to the summer season and to a lack of public awareness.

Weather Forecast

[26] Mostly sunny on Tuesday

Cyprus Affairs

[27] Turkey's moves relating to oil are not Cyprus' concern, says Nicosia

The Republic of Cyprus is exercising its sovereign rights, in the context of international law, regarding the exploration and exploitation of oil and natural gas reserves at sea and believes that any Turkish reaction or moves in this regard are not the concern of the Republic, Government Spokesman Vassilis Palmas said here on Monday.

He noted that so far Turkey has not violated the territorial waters of the Republic, which is closely monitoring the situation and will address itself to international organisations in case this happens.

Palmas noted that ''the information we have is from Turkish media,'' adding that ''there is movement in some areas.''

He pointed out that Cyprus was exercising its sovereign rights, within the framework of international law and the Convention on the Law of the Sea, and that if there was any violation of these rights by Turkey, the Republic would report Turkey to international organisations.

Asked if the UN were aware of the situation, Palmas said they were.

Replying to questions, Palmas noted that on August 16 the interested parties should submit their tenders for the right to explore and exploit oil reserves, if any are located.

"Anybody who submits a bid on 16 August will have the right to extract oil. In the second half of 2008 the second phase would begin, which provides for three-dimensional search, with more precise studies," he explained.

Turkey, whose troops occupy Cyprus' northern part since they invaded in 1974, does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus.

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