Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 12-06-26

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

CONTENTS

[01] Obama, Samaras hold 20-minute talks by phone

[02] PM accepts decision by Rapanos not to assume FinMin post (adds)

[03] Papoulias to represent Greece at Summit (adds)

[04] PASOK, DIMAR leaders not to attend EU summit given PM's absence for health reasons (ADDS)

[05] Broad meeting on preparations ahead of EU Summit

[06] SYRIZA once again rejects PASOK proposal for national negotiating team

[07] Gov't spokesman: Step-by-step renegotiation with Troika

[08] PM discharged from hospital after eye surgery, to have telephone discussion with Obama in afternoon

[09] European Commission wishes PM speedy recovery, say troika mission to Athens soon

[10] Prospective finance minister's medical exams normal, doctors report

[11] SYRIZA accuses gov't of being 'silent observer' of developments

[12] Dem.Ar does not object to privatising 'non-strategic' state companies, senior party official says

[13] FM Avramopoulos visits Ecumenical Patriarch

[14] DM holds talks through teleconference with Agathonissi NCO and Greek Afghanistan Force commander

[15] State Budget deficit at 10.874blm euros in 5-month period, lower than projected target

[16] Trade deficit drops 14.2pct in April

[17] Finance ministry leadership meeting

[18] Greek industry federation president to meet EU officials on Tuesday

[19] SEV president to meet with leading EU officials

[20] Priorities of shipping & Aegean ministry outlined

[21] Report shows that Greek consumers have lost confidence in banks in 2011

[22] Stocks nosedive during Monday's session in Athens

[23] Greek bond market closing report

[24] ADEX closing report

[25] Foreign Exchange rates - Monday

[26] Special event for Fulbright Program in Athens

[27] First governor of Greece's letters auctioned

[28] Two dead, two injured in shooting on Crete

[29] Robbers flee with 105,000 euros cash

[30] Wildfire on Mt. Mainalos

[31] Winery Coop's bottling plant destroyed by wildfire

[32] Fire at Papanicolaou Hospital forest extinguished

[33] Rhodes shaken by 5.1 Richter earthquake

[34] Homicide for insignifant reasons

[35] Police raid nets 19 suspects in bank robberies probe

[36] Foreign executive arrested on VAT-related charges

[37] Turkish high society wedding on Samos

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

[01] Obama, Samaras hold 20-minute talks by phone

The US president, according to reports, assured the Greek premier that Washington supports Greece's efforts to remain in the eurozone and to reform its economy, adding that the US will assist in this direction.

The conversation lasted for 20 minutes, reports state.

[02] PM accepts decision by Rapanos not to assume FinMin post (adds)

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras accepted Rapanos' decision and sent him a letter of appreciation.

"I want, first of all, to wish you a recovery from your health problem. I would like to thank you for the willingness with which you accepted the role ... and I hope that you will regain your strength soon and can contribute to the national effort. I know that we can count on your valuable services," Samaras wrote.

[03] Papoulias to represent Greece at Summit (adds)

The statement underlined that this decision is in compliance with European Union rules.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras will have telephone communications with his counterparts within the framework of the preparations for the EU Summit meeting, the statement stressed.

According to a ruling issued by the European Council legal service, the country had to be represented by the head of state.

[04] PASOK, DIMAR leaders not to attend EU summit given PM's absence for health reasons (ADDS)

After a meeting with Venizelos on Monday, in which the prime minister also participated via intercom, Kouvelis announced their decision not to go to Brussels until the prime minister was able to join them.

"We agreed that as soon as the prime minister has recovered we will go to Brussels together, to all of Europe, in order to negotiate and obviously strive for things that correspond with applying and implementiong all those things we have agreed in terms of the policy agreement, on policy convergence," Kouvelis said.

Asked whether there was any change in plans to have banker Vassilis Rapanos sworn in as finance minister, following health issues that also saw Rapanos hospitalised over the weekend, Dem.Ar's leader said he considered the banker's recovery certain and wished him a speedy recovery.

Venizelos said that visits to "decision-making centres" such as Brussels, Frankfurt, Washington and the capitals of major European countries playing a key role in the discussion on the Eurozone's future had been decided during the meeting.

"We have to respect the health problem faced by Mr. Samaras, he has to follow his doctors' advice, developments are unfolding rapidly on a European and international level and we must monitor them closely and be ready to give the political instructions needed for Greeks to have a sense that there is a centre in the country that is governing politically with stability and prospects," he noted.

Concerning the summit, PASOK's leader said that there would be no point in the leaders of the two junior parties in the coalition attending since there could not be any of the face-to-face meetings with EU leaders that would be more useful than the formal process of the summit.

Venizelos said that he would visit Brussels on Thursday but only to attend the Party of European Socialists (PES) meeting taking place on the sidelines of the summit, where he would meet leaders of European socialist parties as PASOK president.

He said that PASOK's proposals for a 'national negotiating team' was another issues discussed with Kouvelis and Samaras on Monday, adding that its formation would help set up a running dialogue with the opposition parties, with an standing open invitation to SYRIZA's leader Alexis Tsipras and other opposition parties to take part.

Like Kouvelis, he wished Vassilis Rapanos a speedy recovery and said they had spoken repeatedly but not about politics.

Also discussed during the meeting was the need to supervise the government's work in order to ensure its success for the benefit of society and the country.

[05] Broad meeting on preparations ahead of EU Summit

Discussed during the meeting were all the data, while the stance of the Greek side was also set out. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has been already briefed and will meet on Tuesday with Avramopoulos and the government's economic staff in order to give the final directions.

A similar meeting will also take place on Wednesday morning at the foreign ministry.

[06] SYRIZA once again rejects PASOK proposal for national negotiating team

"We want to remind for Mr.Venizelos that there can be no substantive and real negotiating at the European bodies as long as the commitments to the troika are valid and the policy of memorandums, unemployment and poverty is not questioned. Negotiating does not take place with wishes, vague intentions and contemporaneous oaths of faith in the memorandums," the SYRIZA spokesman said.

[07] Gov't spokesman: Step-by-step renegotiation with Troika

Speaking on private VIMA radio station, Kedikoglou said that the agreement among the three parties backing the government covers a full four-year term in office, and explained that all the issues will not be put forward simultaneously.

"For example, at this moment, the extension of the debt repayment is ripe for renegotiation, given that our partners have already begun to discuss this. We can put forward the issue of VAT reduction because we have figures that show that the increase of the VAT resulted in a reduction of state revenues, an increase in unemployment and a sharp rise in the number of enterprises that went out of business. These are matters that we believe can be put on the table on which we will find understanding and reach some other arrangement with our partners," he said.

Kedikoglou added that the issue of taxation on investments will put on the table shortly, noting that "everyone agrees that Greece needs to attract investments, that it cannot be obliged to have a multiple rate of that in neighboring Bulgaria".

The government spokesman further announced that designate finance minister Vassilis Rapanos will not be sworn in this week, due to the fact that prime minister Antonis Samaras, who underwent eye surgery on Sunday, has been instructed by his physicians to remain bedridden.

Also, Samaras' physicians predict that the premier will be able to meet with the troika on Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

[08] PM discharged from hospital after eye surgery, to have telephone discussion with Obama in afternoon

The phone date with Obama is scheduled to take place at 18:50 local time.

This will be the first discussion between the two leaders since Samaras assumed the helm of Greece's new three-party coalition government, and diplomatic sources said the talks will mainly focus on economic issues.

Samaras' attending physicians said they are satisfied with the premier's post-operation progress, but said he must stay at home for the next few days and is prohibited from travelling to Brussels for the EU summit that opens on Thursday.

[09] European Commission wishes PM speedy recovery, say troika mission to Athens soon

Amadeu Altafaj, the spokesman of European Commissioner for economic affairs Olli Rehn, on Monday said the European Commission wished Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and prospective finance minister Vassilis Rapanos a speedy recovery and confirmed that the heads of the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) troika mission in Athens would be arriving "as soon as possible".

Asked whether financing of Greece will continue, Altafaj noted that one billion euro in bailout loans held back pending the conclusion of the Greek elections will be disbursed through a decision of the Eurogroup within the next few days.

From then on, he added, it was an issue of planning, with the need for an evaluation first and the briefing of the Eurogroup so that it could decide on whether to disburse the next tranche based on the troika's quarterly report.

Concerning a Greek newspaper report claiming that 70,000 had been hired to the public sector in the last two years, the spokesman said that he was unable to confirm the number and clarified that the document leaked to the press had not been drafted by the European Commission.

"Our priority is for the troika to go to Athens, in order to assess all areas of the Greek programme in detail," he said, adding that the structural reforms that needed to be carried out as a priority were the organisation of the public sector, which presented serious shortcomings.

He also insisted on the need for a fairer and more cohesive taxation system, with the implementation of legislation to bring this about.

[10] Prospective finance minister's medical exams normal, doctors report

He is due to be discharged from the private hospital where he is being treated on Tuesday but his swearing in - originally postponed until after the current finance minister George Zannias had returned for the Eurogroup finance ministers' meeting - will be further delayed to the illness of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who is recovering from serious eye surgery carried out on Saturday.

[11] SYRIZA accuses gov't of being 'silent observer' of developments

Referring to Spain's decision to ask for eurozone aid to recapitalize its banks, SYRIZA stressed that this development "points at the European character of the crisis stemming from the exercised neo-liberal policy". The statement underlined that "the crisis will become deeper, condemning the European peoples to destitution and threatening the existence of the EU for as long as the dominant powers in the EU insist on austerity measures and fiscal discipline."

SYRIZA stressed that "the Greek government should cease supporting the EU's dead end policy by being a silent observer of developments."

The SYRIZA statement underlined that the exercised policy needs to be radically changed focusing on boosting economic growth and employment, by changing the role of the European Central Bank and the European Investment Bank, and on a European debt settlement that will put an end to the markets' impunity while, at the same time, introducing a new financial system architecture.

[12] Dem.Ar does not object to privatising 'non-strategic' state companies, senior party official says

"Privatisations that are related to issues of national strategic importance, such as energy and water, we do not agree with. On the contrary, privatisations on issues that do not impinge on strategic pillars of the public sector we can discuss. We bring gambling as an example," he said.

He clarified, however, that while not opposed in principle, the party's final agreement would also depend on the conditions and sale price.

"There are interesting proposals for public and private joint ventures, there is a field on which we can find alternative solutions," he said, adding that this was the only area on which the three parties in the governing coalition still had different approaches.

[13] FM Avramopoulos visits Ecumenical Patriarch

Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, who visited the Phanar in the afternoon, called for the blessing and the thought of Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos for the success of the new government in Greece.

Speaking after his meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Foreign minister said "the Patriarchate, apart from its historical role, has contributed decisively to the shaping of a new environment in the wider region as well," adding that "the creation of an environment of stability, peace and friendship with the neighbouring people of Turkey was always in our priorities."

Avramopoulos referred to the new government in Greece and addressing Vartholomeos said "our country is experiencing difficullt moments at this time. Our society is suffering and a new government that expresses composition and unity has prepared a plan, a programmne that will once again open the path of optimism, recovery and progress."

[14] DM holds talks through teleconference with Agathonissi NCO and Greek Afghanistan Force commander

Panayiotopoulos revealed through these talks that he will be visiting these units soon.

Financial News

[15] State Budget deficit at 10.874blm euros in 5-month period, lower than projected target

The finance ministry said in an announcement that "according to the final data available for the execution of the State Budget for the five months January - May 2012, on a modified cash basis, the State Budget deficit amounted to 10.874 million Euros, a significant improvement relative to the target deficit of 12.896 million Euros set in the 2012 Supplementary Budget. During the same period, the State Budget primary deficit amounted to 2,349 million Euros, notably better relative to 4,234 million Euros primary deficit required to be in line with targets.

Specifically, Ordinary Budget net revenues amounted to 18,173 million Euros for the five month period of January - May 2012, presenting a decrease of 661 million Euros comparing to the target (18,834 million Euros) set in the 2012 Supplementary Budget.

This shortfall is in part due to lower income tax revenues relative to targets (by 305 million euros) following the extension given to corporations for submitting their tax declarations (until the 8th of June 2012). This revenue is expected to be collected in June. In addition, transaction taxes revenues were below their target (by 497 million Euros) due to the contraction in domestic demand while specific non-tax revenues also fell short of targets.

Part of the above shortfall was offset by the receipts from vehicle taxes and the collection of indirect tax arrears due to intensified audits.

Public Investment Program revenues amounted to 1,493 million Euros, against a target of 1,758 million Euros. This deviation of 265 million euros is due to delays in EU payments part of which is expected to be received in June.

In total, State Budget net revenues amounted to 19,666 million Euros, undershooting the target set in the 2012 Supplementary Budget (20,592 million Euros) by 926 million Euros.

This revenue shortfall was more than compensated for by the savings in State Budget expenditures for the first five months of 2012 that equaled to 30,541 million Euros, 2,947 million Euros lower than the year-to-date target (33,488 million Euros) forecast in the 2012 Supplementary Budget.

This development reflects the significant containment of Ordinary Budget spending which are decreased by 1,510 million Euros, as well as the restriction of Public Investment spending by 1,437 million Euros. Specifically, ordinary budget expenditures decreased mainly due to the reduction of primary expenditures by 1,126 million Euros, military procurement (158 million Euros below the target) and net interest payments (136 million Euros below the target) comparing to the Supplementary Budget projections.

[16] Trade deficit drops 14.2pct in April

ELSTAT, in a report, said that the total value of imports-arrivals, excluding oil products, in April 2012 amounted to 2316.9 million euros (3040.2 million dollars) in comparison with 2531.9 million euros (3645.6 million dollars) in April 2011, recording a drop, in euros, of 8.5%.

The total value of exports-dispatches, excluding oil products, in April 2012 amounted to 1267.7 million euros (1673.6 million dollars) in comparison with 1309.6 million euros (1896.8 million dollars) in April 2011, recording a drop, in euros, of 3.2%.

The deficit of the trade balance, excluding oil products, in April 2012 amounted to 1049.2 million euros (1366.6 million dollars) in comparison with 1222.3 million euros (1748.8 million dollars) in April 2011, recording a drop, in euros, of 14.2%.

The total value of imports-arrivals, excluding oil products, for the 4-month period from January to April 2012 amounted to 9765.5 million euros (12782.7 million dollars) in comparison with 11023.3 million euros (15233.1 million dollars) for the corresponding period of the year 2011 recording a drop, in euros, of 11.4%.

The total value of exports-dispatches, excluding oil products, for the 4-month period from January to April 2012 amounted to 5298.5 million euros (6977.6 million dollars) in comparison with 5085.1 million euros (7078.4 million dollars) for the corresponding period of the year 2011, recording an increase, in euros, of 4.2%.

The deficit of the Trade Balance, excluding oil products, for the 4-month period from January to April 2012 amounted to 4467.0 million euros (5805.1 million dollars) in comparison with 5938.2 million euros (8154.7 million dollars) for the corresponding period of the year 2011, recording a drop, in euros, of 24.8%.

[17] Finance ministry leadership meeting

[18] Greek industry federation president to meet EU officials on Tuesday

According to a SEV announcement, Daskalopoulos will stress the need to end uncertainty concerning relations between Greece and the EU and that this request major and bold decisions by European leaders to save the European 'edifice'.

He will also note the need for Greece to reach agreement with its EU partners on a revised framework of actions that will ensure the fastest and most effective implementation of necessary structural reforms, combined with the need to deal with the repercussions of austerity and continued recession in the Greek economy and society.

[19] SEV president to meet with leading EU officials

The meetings will take place within the framework of the presentation of the positions of the BusinessEurope employer organisation, ahead of the June 28-29 EU Summit.

[20] Priorities of shipping & Aegean ministry outlined

He clarified that he will meet with all parties involved for open and honest cooperation, adding that the presidential decree defining the jurisdiction of the newly established ministry has not been signed yet.

Referring to the sea cruise sector, he said that international experience should not be bypassed.

Mousouroulis also underlined the importance of drawing up a 10-year operational programme for the ministry.

[21] Report shows that Greek consumers have lost confidence in banks in 2011

On a global level, only 44 percent of customers say that banks adapt their products and services to correspond to their needs and 70 percent would be willing to disclose more personal information if that would lead to an improved level of products and services.

The global financial crisis has also dented Greek consumers' confidence in their banks, though 55 percent remain loyal to their main bank. Another 34 percent have changed banks and a further 10 percent say they intend to change banks within the next 12 months because of high bank transaction charges.

Around 41 percent of Greek consumers have dealings with more than two banks and an overwhelming 95 percent of Greek consumers believe that there should be no charge for basic banking services. Around 45 percent of consumers believe that banks tried to adapt their products and services to the changing financial needs of their customers but without a satisfactory result.

At the same time, 58 percent of Greek bank customers believe that a non-bank provider of products and services offers better interest rates for their deposits and 62 percent are Internet users or use social networking sites in order to learn about banking products and services.

With respect to Greek bank branches, 83 percent of customers claim that branches should be staffed appropriately in order to provide better service to customers and 80 percent say they have not been registered in a programme rewarding their loyalty to the bank.

[22] Stocks nosedive during Monday's session in Athens

The composite index of the market nosedived 6.84 pct, falling below the 600-point barrier to end at 566.79 points. Turnover was a low 41.020 million euros.

The Big Cap index fell 8.57 pct, the Mid Cap index ended 7.44 pct lower and all sector indices lost ground, with the greatest losses in Public Utilities (-15.09 pct), Telecommunications (-14.76 pct) and Banks (-13.88 pct).

There were major losses for all blue chip stocks, with the greatest losses for PPC (-18.50 pct), Alpha Bank (-18.40 pct), Eurobank (-16.31 pct), OTE (-14.76 pct), NBG (-13.61 pct) and Ellaktor (-13.56 pct) suffered losses.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 95 to 26 with another 23 issues unchanged. Europaiki Pisti (ko) (16.00 pct), Lavipharm (15.19 pct) and Unibios (9.52 pct) were top gainers, while Hellenic Postbank (-20.32 pct), Tria Alpha (-19.87 pct) and SATO (19.64 pct) were top losers.

Sector indices ended as follows:

Industrials: -3.52%

Commercial: -6.25%

Construction: -6.55%

Oil & Gas: -6.97%

Personal & Household: -7.28%

Raw Materials: -6.41%

Travel & Leisure: -6.44%

Technology: -3.44%

Telecoms: -14.76%

Banks: -13.88%

Food & Beverages: -1.18%

Health: -5.09%

Utilities: -15.09%

Financial Services: -8.36%

The stocks with the highest turnover were Alpha Bank, National Bank, OTE and HBC Coca Cola.

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

Alpha Bank: 1.02

Public Power Corp (PPC): 1.63

HBC Coca Cola: 13.50

Hellenic Petroleum: 4.24

National Bank of Greece: 1.27

EFG Eurobank Ergasias: 0.58

OPAP: 4.54

OTE: 1.79

Bank of Piraeus: 0.24

Titan: 12.34

[23] Greek bond market closing report

In interbank markets, interest rates remained mainly unchanged. The 12-month rate stood at 1.21 pct, the six-month rate was 0.92 pct, the three-month rate 0.65 pct and the one-month rate 0.37 pct.

[24] ADEX closing report

Volume in futures contracts on equities totaled 45,157 worth 6.072 million euros, with investment interest focusing on Alpha Bank's contracts (18,479) followed by National Bank (13,664), Bank of Cyprus (2,727), PPC (2,259), OTE (1,841), Piraeus Bank (1,841), OPAP (1,349) and Mytilineos (846).

[25] Foreign Exchange rates - Monday

U.S. dollar 1.267

Pound sterling 0.814

Danish kroner 7.545

Swedish kroner 8.948

Japanese yen 101.06

Swiss franc 1.218

Norwegian kroner 7.610

Canadian dollar 1.305

Australian dollar 1.266

General News

[26] Special event for Fulbright Program in Athens

He said such cooperation marks one of the foundations of in the long-standing ties and friendship between the United States and Greece.

Smith congratulated the 51 scholarship recipients, who hailed from universities throughout Greece, and who represent a wide spectrum of academic interests, including life sciences, cultural studies, engineerings, education, digital art, law, cinema studies and even landscape architecture.

Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bay Fang, a Fulbright scholar herself, was present at the event.

[27] First governor of Greece's letters auctioned

The letters were addressed to his close associate Alexandros Kondostavlos and were written between 1828 and 1830 and refer to Kapodistrias' huge efforts to put some order to the newly-established Greek state.

[28] Two dead, two injured in shooting on Crete

According to early information, a 34-year-old municipal employee went to a local butcher's shop in order to settle his differences with the 52-year-old owner.

The two men argued, and they started to throw punches, the butcher's 17-year-old son tried to separate them, but the 34-year-old pulled out a 9mm pistol and fired at least five shots, injuring the butcher in the legs, while one bullet wounded the teen boy in the neck and another bullet ricocheted, hitting a 64-year-old customer.

The butcher ran to his car, took out a hunting gun and shot at least twice at the 34-year-old, killing him on the spot. The butcher, who had been shot in the legs earlier by the deceased, immediately turned himself in to police, telling them that he and his teenage son were the victims of an armed assault by the deceased and that he had acted in self-defence, forced to return the fire in order to save his and his son's lives.

The butcher was taken to Rethymno Hospital, where he is under police guard, while the 64-year-old customer died later in intensive care unit (ICU) of nearby Venizelios Hospital.

The teenager was reported to be in a non-life-threatening condition in the Venizelio Hospital's neurosurgery unit.

A strong police contingent was dispatched to the village, but also the hospitals, in fear of a vendetta.

[29] Robbers flee with 105,000 euros cash

According to police the robbers were riding on a bike, approached the man and grabbed from him a bag containing 105,000 euros.

At about the same time two men robbed the female owner of a gas station. The woman was driving her car on the Lagyna-Laganas rural highway, near Thessaloniki, when another car cut her off, forcing her to stop. One of the suspects got of the car and after breaking her window, threw pepper spray at the woman and grabbed a bag containing 69,300 euros in cash and checks.

The perpetrators of both incidents escaped. Police are conducting an investigation into the two incidents.

[30] Wildfire on Mt. Mainalos

Four firefighting aircraft are dropping water, assisted by on the ground by five fire engines with a 12 member crew and a team on foot.

Meanwhile the wildfire in Candia, near Nafplio on Monday was placed under control. A team of firefighters remain in the area to prevent rekindlings.

[31] Winery Coop's bottling plant destroyed by wildfire

The fire started on Sunday afternoon in a nearby area with brushland and spread to the winery's bottling plant and warehouse.

The Fire Brigade rushed to the area and managed to set the blaze under control, however the bottling section of the winery was totally destroyed.

[32] Fire at Papanicolaou Hospital forest extinguished

[33] Rhodes shaken by 5.1 Richter earthquake

The epicentre of the quake was in the sea 25 kilometres east of the island. According to geology professor Efthymios Lekkas, the quake is part of the sequence of aftershocks that followed a 5.8-Richter earthquake on June 10. Though it was widely felt, it did not especially disturb residents and visitors on the island.

[34] Homicide for insignifant reasons

During the investigation the two suspects confessed that they had a quarrel with the victim, who was patrolling the courtyard of a bank, and attacked and injured him with a sharp object in the chest.

Residents called the police which found the victim covered with blood and took him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The two perpetrators will be sent before a Piraeus prosecutor.

[35] Police raid nets 19 suspects in bank robberies probe

The specific robberies were conducted by suspects fielding AK47-style assault rifles.

Authorities said they seized assault rifles, handguns, explosives, ammunition, bullet-proof vests and cash, beiieved to be the loot of recent of robberies from several residences.

The suspects are also accused of breaking open ATMs using explosives and attacking police officers.

[36] Foreign executive arrested on VAT-related charges

[37] Turkish high society wedding on Samos

The guests included Turkish tycoon Rahmi Koc and his wife as well as Turkish celebrities, most of whom arrived on private yachts and with a specially chartered ferry boat sailing from the Turkish resort of Kusadasi to the island.

The civil marriage ceremony was performed by Samos' mayor at the Doryssa seaside resort.

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

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "No more taxes, no more salary reductions".

AVRIANI: "Samaras' tough line in the".

DIMOKRATIA: "The truth about Antonis' (Samaras) problem".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Medical thriller with political side effects".

ESTIA: "Last chance for Greece".

ETHNOS: "Finance Minister-designate Vassilis Rapanos the regulator of developments".

IMERISSIA: "Finance Ministry's authority in mid-air (due to Rappanos illness)".

TA NEA: "Greece in the doctor's office, euro in the hands of the EU top leadership".

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