Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 08-08-26

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Karamanlis confers with GSEE ahead of TIF address

[02] Greek PM confers with Federation of Hellenic Industries

[03] PM Karamanlis receives merchant sector representatives

[04] Greek Trade Confederation on economic reforms

[05] Gov't refers to FM's statement vis-a-vis FYROM

[06] PASOK spokesman on Papandreou's contacts, economy

[07] PASOK spokesman on FYROM name issue

[08] Caucasus crisis could create domino effects, KKE says

[09] Alavanos tours Ilia prefecture

[10] Parliament president receives Ombudsman

[11] Greek officer in OSCE mission to Georgia

[12] Calabria children hold event for Kassimis

[13] Government's economic policy will not change, FinMin says

[14] Dodecanese officials bring up ferry routes in meeting with minister

[15] Trade balance deficit up in June, marks decline in 1st-half 2008

[16] Greek trade deficit up 3.7 pct in June

[17] Intralot signs partnership agreement with FIFA

[18] ATE Insurance reports 5.8 pct increase in premium production

[19] ELVAL says H1 turnover 9.9 pct down

[20] Greek stocks end 0.18 pct higher

[21] ADEX closing report

[22] Greek bond market closing report

[23] Foreign Exchange rates: Tuesday

[24] Part of Mylonas ransom, weapons, found in hideout

[25] Wave of illegal migrants arrests in eastern Aegean

[26] Wildfire in Kastoria prefecture

[27] Drug trafficking arrest in Karditsa

[28] Fair on Tuesday

[29] The Monday edition of Athens' dailies at a glance

[30] Cyprus House President conveys Morphou petition to foreign officials

[31] Syrian FM to pay official visit to Cyprus Politics

[01] PM Karamanlis confers with GSEE ahead of TIF address

The GSEE delegation called on the prime minister for measures to boost the financially weaker strata and to tackle the high cost of living.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, GSEE officials stated that "we are leaving poorer than when we came, because we did not receive answers to our demands for strengthening of the (financially) weaker strata, for confrontation of expensiveness, for a heating subsidy".

The delegates said that "the same economic policy will be continued, in other words the rich will get richer and the poor will become poorer", and strssed that "the working people will give a militant response on September 6", the day of Karamanlis' address at the TIF.

Asked what the prime minister told them, GSEE president Christos Panagopoulos said that 'the prime minister does not share our worries, and considers that the economic policy has yielded results", warning that GSEE would not accept "abolition of the law and decimation of the list of 'heavy and hazardous' professions".

GSEE secretary and leader of the DAKE (ruling New Democracy-affiliated trade union organization) Costas Poupakis said that they had a "very good discussion, on all the issues".

"We demand immediate measures for confrinting expensive-ness and boosting the low income brackets," Poupakis said, adding that all the government officials must turn their attention to solving the every-day problems.

Asked whethr DAKE would take part in the workers' mobilizations in Thessaloniki, Poupakis replied that DAKE "will be present in the mobilizations, removed, however, from any expediencies".

GSEE vice-president Alekos Kalyvis noted that he has proposed that the GSEE presidium should not attend the prime minister's address in Thessaloniki.

Karamanlis was due to meet later with the presidium of the Federation of Greek Industries (SEB) for similar tals.

Also present at the meeting were economy and finance minister George Alogoskoufis, development minister Christos Folias, and employment minister Fani Pali-Petralia.

[02] Greek PM confers with Federation of Hellenic Industries

Speaking to reporters, after a meeting with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, Economy Minister George Alogoskoufis, Development Minister Christos Folias and Employment Minister Fani Palli-Petralia, Daskalopoulos said "the country was in the vortex of an international crisis that highlighted its accumulated problems," adding that "the crisis was a challenge for all social and political forces. Without a minimum social consensus the future is closed".

Daskalopoulos said the Federation of Hellenic Industries submitted its proposals for the economy: redistribution and cutting of public spending to release more funds for lower income classes, deregulating all economic sectors to boost competitiveness and support business activity that will lead to higher production and employment. "To avoid more taxes we need growth," Daskalopoulos said, adding extraordinary situations must not be dealt with permanent taxes.

[03] PM Karamanlis receives merchant sector representatives

Speaking after the meeting, ESEE President Dimitris Armenakis said that "we came to get and not to give and we briefed the prime minister on the issues of the market."

He added that they called for the continuation of their social security fund's financing and the establishment of a pension for those having consecutive social security that equals that received by the beneficiaries of one fund.

"The social security funds are robbing those who are receiving successive pensions," Armenakis said, while on the question of their demands he said that "the prime minister said that he will be examining them and giving us a reply."

[04] Greek Trade Confederation on economic reforms

The memorandum further notes that first and second stage local administration bodies are not honouring existing regulations and are abusing their duties to the point of creating serious suspicions of favouritism.

Merchants believe that the protection of organised and housed trade from the absolute unaccountability of illegal outdoor trade is an urgent necessity and strict sanctions must be imposed on lawbreakers and on local officials who are not applying the existing institutional framework.

[05] Gov't refers to FM's statement vis-a-vis FYROM

Bakoyannis responded on Sunday to comments by FYROM PM Nikola Gruevski a day earlier.

[06] PASOK spokesman on Papandreou's contacts, economy

He added that at these meetings the party will be explaining its plan for the country and calling for social consensus on certain issues such as the granting of a special solidarity bonus.

"We do not believe that the payment of such a bonus will solve the problem, however it is helpful at a specifici time of economic crisis," he said.

Referring to contacts between Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and social agencies in light of the TIF, the spokesman said that "at this TIF as well, the prime minister has nothing to tell the Greek people and the Greek citizen has nothing to expect from the prime minister and the government."

[07] PASOK spokesman on FYROM name issue

"They are trying to place non-existent issues on the table and, unfortunately, they have been encouraged in this direction by the tactic of the Greek government of replying and indirectly of allowing other issues, apart from the name, to be placed on the negotiating table," he said.

The spokesman stressed that only the name issue exists and this can and must be solved "in the framework of the 'red line': One name with a geographical qualifier for all uses."

[08] Caucasus crisis could create domino effects, KKE says

KKE added that these developments, that are related to the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and to preparations of war against Iran, could create 'domino' effects that will affect our region as well, and even our country."

It further said that the United States, in order to safeguard their dominant position in general, and towards Russia in particular, are preparing to establish in Europe the so-called "anti-missile shield" in the Czech Republic and in Poland with the aim of overturning the current nuclear power correlation with Russia and predicted that this move will unavoidably lead to a response that will intensify the armaments race, aggravating negative repercussions in all sectors for peoples.

At the same time, the announcement pointed out, they are pursuing the militarisation of space and the further enlargement of NATO towards the Balkans and the fomer USSR and the appearance of a new network of military bases with the aim of "encircling" and weakening Russia.

[09] Alavanos tours Ilia prefecture

Alavanos said that work to restore and reconstruct the wildfire-stricken region has not gone ahead and no step has been taken to prevent wildfires.

"New Democracy is a government of low capabilities, that is not leaving scorched earth symbolically but literally as well and it must leave the country's governance as soon as possible, with the placing of the ballot box now being a one-way road," he said.

[10] Parliament president receives Ombudsman

Sioufas also referred to the establishment of a new unit that will focus on the best cooperation between Parliament and independent authorities.

[11] Greek officer in OSCE mission to Georgia

[12] Calabria children hold event for Kassimis

The children from Calabria departed from Athens on Monday, from the Greek-speaking region of southern Italy which Kassimis visited last May, opening a new chapter in the relations of Greek-speaking regions of the neighboring country with Greece.

It was a hospitality program which next year will be extended to three weeks, the deputy minister promised. He was accompanied by the principal, A. Vantale and professor Salvatore Dieni.

Financial News

[13] Government's economic policy will not change, FinMin says

Speaking to reporters, after a meeting with representatives of GSEE -Greece's largest trade union umbrella- and the Federation of Hellenic Industries, chaired by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, Alogoskoufis said that the Greek economy was growing with satisfactory rates despite an international crisis with higher interest rates and inflation. He noted that economic growth was 3.5 pct in the first six months of 2008, double compared with the Eurozone's average growth rate. Alogoskoufis said unemployment fell during the first half of the year and acknowledged that Greek households were feeling the impact of higher inflation and interest rates.

[14] Dodecanese officials bring up ferry routes in meeting with minister

Voulgarakis was on the small Dodecanese island of Symi on Sunday.

Among others, local officials on Rhodes pointed to the issue of regular and dependable ferry boat connections as the Dodecanese chain's biggest problem, while Prefect Yiannis Mahairidis also referred to a surge in the number of illegal immigrants attempting to land onto the islands from neighbouring Turkey.

Water shortages on the more arid holiday islands were also brought up.

[15] Trade balance deficit up in June, marks decline in 1st-half 2008

According to ESYE, the trade balance deficit reached 3,117.1 million euros in June this year, up 3.7 percent from 3,005.0 million euros in June 2007, and was attributed to the difference between a 5 percent increase in the overall value of imports/arrivals and a 7 percent rise in the overall value of exports-dispatches.

The deficit fell by 4.7 percent, however, in the six-month period of January-June against the corresponding period in 2007, dropping to 17,098.8 million euros from 17,942.1 million euros in the same period last year.

[16] Greek trade deficit up 3.7 pct in June

The statistics service said the deficit in the trade balance reflected the difference between the value of import-arrivals (up 5.0 pct) and the value of export-deliveries (up 7.0 pct).

The statistics service said the trade deficit in the six-month period from January to June 2008 totaled 17.099 billion euros, from 17.942 billion euros in the corresponding period last year, a decline of 4.7 pct.

[17] Intralot signs partnership agreement with FIFA

Under the agreement, Betting Co. will become a member of FIFA's global network, informing EWS over any signs of football match manipulation practices, something that will be extended to other athletic events. Betting Co. was founded in 1998 to cover an increasing demand for betting services.

[18] ATE Insurance reports 5.8 pct increase in premium production

The decline in profits reflected a negative impact on its commercial portfolio from securities transactions.

Consolidated pre-tax profits totaled 1.8 million euros in the January-June period, from 6.2 million euros last year, while after tax net profits shrank to 800,000 euros from 4.7 million euros in 2007. ATE Insurance said compensation payments totaled 56 million euros, up 14.7 pct from last year, while operating spending grew 19.2 pct to 14.3 million euros.

[19] ELVAL says H1 turnover 9.9 pct down

Gross profits fell 26.1 pct to 34.9 million euros, from 47.2 million in 2007, while earnings before taxes, interest and amortizations (EBITDA) dropped 31.2 percent to 31.6 million euros and pre-tax profits shrank to 3.0 million euros from 20 million euros last year. After tax profits fell to 1.2 million euros, from 13.9 million euros last year.

[20] Greek stocks end 0.18 pct higher

Most sectors moved higher, with the Travel (1.30 pct), Oil (1.12 pct) and Financial Services (0.93 pct) scoring the biggest percentage gains, while Technology (3.52 pct), Healthcare (1.51 pct) and Chemicals (1.38 pct) suffered losses.

The FTSE 20 index rose 0.25 pct, the FTSE 40 index ended 0.21 pct down and the FTSE 80 index eased 1.42 pct. Broadly, decliners led advancers by 115 to 92 with another 64 issues unchanged.

Sector indices ended as follows:

Insurance: -0.93%

Industrials: -1.17%

Commercial: -0.68%

Construction: +0.21%

Media: -0.92%

Oil & Gas: +1.12%

Personal & Household: +0.13%

Raw Materials: +0.25%

Travel & Leisure: +1.30%

Technology: -0.68%

Telecoms: -0.58%

Banks: +0.13%

Food & Beverages: -0.06%

Health: -1.51%

Utilities: -0.71%

Chemicals: -1.38%

Financial Services: +0.93%

The stocks with the highest turnover were National Bank, Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE), Alpha Bank and OPAP.

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

Alpha Bank: 18.62

ATEbank: 2.38

Public Power Corp (PPC): 18.24

HBC Coca Cola: 18.22

Hellenic Petroleum: 8.68

National Bank of Greece: 28.78

EFG Eurobank Ergasias: 14.30

Intralot: 9.72

OPAP: 23.80

OTE: 13.70

Piraeus Bank: 17.10

Titan Cement Company: 24.98

[21] ADEX closing report

Volume in futures contracts on the Big Cap index totaled 5,083 contracts worth 46.258 million euros with 32,904 open positions in the market, while on the Mid Cap index volume was worth 59,720 million euros with 10 open positions.

Volume in futures contracts on equities totaled 5,199 contracts worth 8.276 million euros, with investment interest focusing on National Bank (830), Atebank (393), Mytilineos (346), Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (338), Public Power Corporation (203), Marfin Popular Bank (192) and Eurobank (119).

[22] Greek bond market closing report

In the domestic interbank market, interest rates moved higher. National Bank's overnight rate rose to 4.84 pct, the two-day rate jumped to 4.13 pct, the one-week rate to 4.41 pct, the one-month rate rose to 4.51 pct, the three-month rate to 4.99 pct, the six-month rate to 5.18 pct and the 12-month rate was 5.32 pct.

[23] Foreign Exchange rates: Tuesday

U.S. dollar 1.477

Pound sterling 0.797

Danish kroner 7.464

Swedish kroner 9.357

Japanese yen 162.43

Swiss franc 1.622

Norwegian kroner 7.938

Canadian dollar 1.543

Australian dollar 1.703

General News

[24] Part of Mylonas ransom, weapons, found in hideout

Thessaloniki Security Police chief Dimitris Papadopoulos told ANA-MPA that an early-morning search of an apartment in the Peraia region of the northern Greek capital, which had been rented in recent months by the kidnapping ring and was used as one of its hideouts.

He said that 2.9 million euros in marked bills from the ransom money, four submachine guns, two pistols, two handgrenades, 1910 bullet, silencers, gas masks and other objects were found in the apartment.

The weaponry will be examined by ELAS (Greek Police) ballistics expers, while the investigations are still ongoing.

[25] Wave of illegal migrants arrests in eastern Aegean

In employing a now more-or-less summertime "standard practice", according to the Greek coast guard, when detected by patrol boats the illegal migrants aboard inflatable dinghies or flimsy speedboats sink their vessels and jump in the water to await rescue.

Practical all of the foreign nationals in such cases also destroy travel or ID documents before their clandestine journeys in order to delay or prevent deportation, Greek officials charge.

The islands of Kos and Lesvos were reportedly the targets for the groups of illegal migrants on Monday.

[26] Wildfire in Kastoria prefecture

[27] Drug trafficking arrest in Karditsa

Weather Forecast

[28] Fair on Tuesday

[29] The Monday edition of Athens' dailies at a glance

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "1,290 New Democracy(ND) members who had been found capable of taking part the ND government after the 2004 general elections".

APOGEVMATINI: "Prime Minister of FYROM takes the gold medal for his nationalistic blindness- He broke all the records in unreliability and provocation".

CHORA: "Police investigation for the ransom money from the Mylonas abduction - Where have the abductors hidden the 10 million euros treasure".

ELEFTHERI ORA: "Gruevski, the US mouthpiece in the Balkans , provokes again".

ELEFTHEROS : 'The eight secrets for pensions - For what must new and old insured be careful of".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "The social security reform leaves out 500,000 workers from the 'heavy and hazardous' professions category".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "We can't hold up any more, Mr. Karamanlis - GSEE: Do not even think of imposing more taxes on the citizens".

ESTIA: "The 151 majority in (the 300-member) parliament will be stronger if the rebel ND deputy member is expelled".

ETHNOS : "University students queue up for transfers - Record applications this year".

TA NEA: "FinMin George Alogoskoufis recipe is 'taxes for all' - The bad news will be announced this week".

VRADYNI: "Four-speed 'heavy and hazardous' professions - What the report foresees for 700,000 workers in the latter category".

Cyprus Affairs

[30] Cyprus House President conveys Morphou petition to foreign officials

Cyprus House President Marios Garoyian has conveyed to the Presidents of the national parliaments of the EU member states and the permanent members of the UN Security Council as well as the Chairmen of the European Parliament, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and the Interparliamentary Union a petition adopted by the Municipal Council and other organizations of the occupied town of Morphou.

The petition was adopted on the occasion of the 34th anniversary of the occupation of the town by the Turkish troops.

An official press release said that in a letter attached to the petition, Garoyian stressed that that ongoing painful experience of expatriation for Morphou inhabitants, as well as for all the refugees of Cyprus, is a result of the illegal Turkish occupation of Cyprus' northern part since 1974.

The international community with UN Security Council resolutions, the EU and other international and European organizations has repeatedly denounced Turkish occupation, Garoyian points out.

Garoyian noted that he conveyed the petition considering that Morphou refugees and all Cypriot refugees can count on the support and solidarity of the international and European officials, to whom he sent the petition that will allow the peaceful reunification of the island and its people.

House President said that on the threshold of the beginning of talks between Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on September 3, 2008, aiming at a Cyprus settlement "your solidarity and the exercise of your influence aiming at a substantive pressure towards Turkey, which holds the key for a settlement and could facilitate, if it wanted, these talks, means a lot for the people of Morphou and for all Cypriots."

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory.

[31] Syrian FM to pay official visit to Cyprus

Foreign Minister of the Syrian Arab Republic Walid al-Muallem will pay an official visit to Cyprus August 26-27.

During his visit al-Muallem will have official talks with his Cypriot counterpart Markos Kyprianou and will be received by Cyprus President Demetris Christofias.

During their talks, the two Ministers will discuss about the two countries bilateral relations, developments in the Middle East and the cooperation between Cyprus and Syria in the framework of international organizations. Kyprianou will also brief his Syrian counterpart on developments in the Cyprus question.

Kyprianou and al-Muallem will sign an Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Cyprus and the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic on the Abolition of Visa Requirements for Holders of Diplomatic and Service Passports.

They will also sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Political Consultations between the Republic of Cyprus and the Syrian Arab Republic.

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