Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 15-07-30

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Tsipras: 'If I don't have parliamentary majority, we will be forced to hold elections'

[02] We took initiatives amid a stifling climate,' PM Tsipras tells 'Sto Kokkino' radio

[03] We will try to improve the bad agreement that Tsipras has achieved, New Democracy leader Meimarakis says

[04] ND leader meets Bank of Greece governor

[05] Tsipras both 'apologetic and unrepentant' in radio interview, PASOK says

[06] Heads of the institutions to arrive in Athens on Wednesday

[07] IMF's Lagarde: debt restructuring necessary for Greek programme 'to fly'

[08] European Commission satisfied with progress of talks in Athens, Andreeva says

[09] Tsipras, Anastasiades, Netanyahu possibly to meet in autumn

[10] EU Commission adopts 54 mln euro programme for the development of local economies

[11] Independent Greeks table draft law allowing civil suits against cabinet members

[12] Appeals justices relax conditions for Golden Dawn leader and wife, end house arrest

[13] Parliament budget office sees hope in new bailout, warns that Grexit is not off the cards

[14] Greece to revise special property tax without changing revenue target

[15] Greek tourism continues growth momentum, Kountoura tells Al Jazeera

[16] Supermarket offers to consumers totaled 750 mln euros in 2014

[17] Athens Concert Hall hosts Mikis Theodorakis 90th birthday concert

[18] The Wednesday edition of Athens' dailies at a glance Politics

[01] PM Tsipras: 'If I don't have parliamentary majority, we will be forced to hold elections'

"I am the guarantor of unity in SYRIZA and will strive to the end to guarantee it, but forced unity does not exist anywhere," he said in a message to party rebels. He underlined that he will not allow SYRIZA to become a problem for the country and expressed fears that the decisions to provoke this rupture and splinter the party had been taken "long before this".

"I would be the last one to want elections if we had a secure government majority behind a plan to complete our four-year term....an effort to fight and be judged in real politics, not in theory, whether we can contend with the enclaves of power. If I don't have a parliamentary majority, I will be forced, we will be forced to hold elections," he said.

Tsipras underlined that his proposal for an emergency conference in September so the party might make decisions on crucial strategic dilemmas facing the country was reasonable and that he was unable to understand a demand by some members that the party adopt a position before the agreement:

"There is not even the minimum expression of comradely solidarity. It is as if we are holding a bomb and they are saying: 'No, we will force you to have the bomb explode in your hands. I don't understand this. If there is such a demand, the least one can ask at this time is for the members to decide with a vote in a short space of time, which does not preclude holding a conference later," he said.

Noting that efforts to transform SYRIZA into a unified party in 2013 had failed, he said that a party could afford to contain divergent views in the opposition but this became unworkable for a party in government.

"We cannot have an a la carte majority," he underlined, "all ideas should be... presented democratically. But when you make a decision to govern the country, then you must govern the country."

When a decision was taken collectively, then this collective decision must be respected by all MPs, he said. Otherwise, the rules of SYRIZA's parliamentary group were that those with a different viewpoint must give up their seat. Tsipras made it clear, however, that he had not asked and did not intend to ask for seats in Parliament to be given up but for an organised, collective procedure where the party as whole could make decisions.

"In my view, you cannot say that I vote against the government's proposals and at the same time I support it. This is too surreal," he added.

Tsipras also expressed surprise at the stance of some of the dissenters, saying that many of them had shared the same fears and anxiety as he did leading up to the referendum but, once he had pulled the country back from the brink, they decided "we have the right to let you vote while we reap the laurels of ideological purity."

[02] We took initiatives amid a stifling climate,' PM Tsipras tells 'Sto Kokkino' radio

Regarding the negotiation, Tsipras noted that a sober evaluation of the situation must be made and underlined that we should be proud of the battle we gave.

He declined having said before the elections that he would tear the memoranda with one law. "We did not promise the Greek people that things would be easy," he said.

"We voted a law on humanitarian crisis, we managed to restore major social injustices, we voted the law for the 100 installments 'against the institutions' will', we had the opportunity to vote for progressive laws beyond the fiscal framework. We took initiatives amid a stifling climate while negotiating. Let's not cancel the work of the government," the prime minister underlined.

"I had no other choice but to go to a referendum. It was a risky choice. The chances of losing the referendum were rather high, since the partners led things to the extremes and decided the closure of banks," Tsipras said and added: "It was a one way road because they gave us a deal with difficult-and in my view-unnecessary measures without a survival outlet."

Tsipras also said that what they wanted was to implement the three-year programme in five months. The resounding 'No' of the Greek people in the referendum revealed the harsh face of the partners and the lenders, the prime minister said and considered that the course of the eurozone would be different in the future.

The prime minister reiterated that the referendum did not concern the stay or exit from the eurozone. "We decided to hold a referendum when we were in Brussels. As soon as I came back to Athens, I called a government council, which I interrupted in order to brief (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel and (French President Francois) Hollande, and ask them to help us to its smooth conduct, which they promised. Merkel informed me that she would tell in public that the referendum is on 'euro or drachma.' I explained to her that this was not the issue of the referendum but she is allowed to have her own view. They did not keep their promise."

"If I had listened to my heart and packed it in while I was giving a battle for 17 hours, banks would have collapsed the following day," he underlined. "I continue to fight being aware that if I left, I would have to come back with worse terms. The prevailance of the protection the working classes, of the country and of the left instead of a vindictive politics, it was a good choice," he said.

As for the possibility of elections, he said that he would be the last one to want elections if parliamentary majority was secured. "If we do not have parliamentary majority, we will have to go to elections," he stated.

[03] We will try to improve the bad agreement that Tsipras has achieved, New Democracy leader Meimarakis says

"They should have informed us that the Plan B was Greece's exit from the eurozone. We thought that Plan B was another plan that would lead to an agreement within the eurozone," Meimarakis said.

"We do not vote for the government and the measures; we vote for Greece's European course. The path of non-agreement is a disaster, the other way gives us the possibility to fight. We will try to improve the bad agreement that Tsipras has achieved," he added.

[04] ND leader meets Bank of Greece governor

Calling Stournaras the "steward" of the Greek economy's stability, he said this sense of stability had been shaken during the first half of the year, "when there were major problems which, had there been sage and cautious management, would not have arisen."

Meimarakis noted that signs of growth at the start of the year had now become recession, while primary surpluses had changed to deficits.

"We can find solutions and be optimistic if the government clinches a deal in August and we can lead the country onto a path of growth, understanding and consensus between political forces," he said.

The ND leader's associates warned, however, that if SYRIZA continued to be caught up in its own internal problems, the country will be unable to find solutions.

[05] Tsipras both 'apologetic and unrepentant' in radio interview, PASOK says

"Once again, Mr. Tsipras attempted to lull the Greek people to sleep....we remind him that this is no longer January but the end of July, with the country bankrupt and sacrificed to his party's internal games," the party said.

[06] Heads of the institutions to arrive in Athens on Wednesday

Negotiations at a technical level started on Tuesday with officials collecting fiscal data at the General Accounting Office.

Both sides aim at the conclusion of the agreement as soon as possible. The technical staff is expected to have their work completed by Friday and there is little likelihood of a follow up at the weekend.

[07] IMF's Lagarde: debt restructuring necessary for Greek programme 'to fly'

"For any programme to fly, significant debt restructuring should take place," she said.

Lagarde presented four key 'legs' that a Greek programme must have to succeed. She said these included realistic fiscal targets, structural measures to open up the Greek economy and release its growth potential, sufficient financing to make the programme workable and last, a restructuring of the country's debt.

The IMF chief also insisted that the Greek government must have ownership of the new programme. When asked whether the Greek government will be able to implement a programme when it has publicly said it does not believe in, Lagarde said the IMF would look at "deeds, not creeds" and pointed out that what matters in the end are actions, not words.

[08] European Commission satisfied with progress of talks in Athens, Andreeva says

European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva on Wednesday expressed the European Commission's satisfaction with the progress in the negotiations on a third financial assistance programme for Greece.

During the regular press briefing, she said the talks were progressing in a "positive" and "constructive" way and this could allow them to be concluded as quickly as possible.

The head of the European Commission's mission in Athens was already on the scene and leading "intensive negotiations" with the Greek side, she added. According to Andreeva, the two packages of prior actions and reforms passed by the Greek Parliament showed that the Greek government was delivering on its commitments, exactly as agreed.

[09] Tsipras, Anastasiades, Netanyahu possibly to meet in autumn

[10] EU Commission adopts 54 mln euro programme for the development of local economies

European Commission on Wednesday adopted the 2014-2020 cross border cooperation programme between Greece and Cyprus, worth 54 million euros, with nearly 46 million euros coming from the European Regional Development Fund.

The programme will help Greece and Cyprus further develop their local economies with the objectives of creating jobs, improving infrastructures and protecting the environment, by promoting active cooperation in these areas.

This programme is part of the Interreg programme framework which has a budget of 10.1 billion euros for the period 2014-2020, invested in over 100 cooperation programmes between regions. Interreg programmes aim to tackle common challenges identified in the border regions and to exploit their growth potential.

[11] Independent Greeks table draft law allowing civil suits against cabinet members

The party called for a "special, brief, secure and fair process for seeking and forced collection of civil damages from members of the government and deputy ministers when the damage to the State is intentional."

ANEL MP Nikos Mavraganis noted that passing the draft bill would be a way to get around current restrictions in the Constitution, which result in many offences being dropped as statute-barred, since the article in the Constitution refers only to criminal and not civil proceedings.

The proposal concerns cases where the damages involved exceed 100,000 euros.

[12] Appeals justices relax conditions for Golden Dawn leader and wife, end house arrest

The court ordered that house arrest under 24-hour police guard be replaced by the requirement that both MPs report to their local police station three times a month.

Mihaloliakos, who faces charges of running the Golden Dawn party as a criminal organisation in an ongoing trial, was released from prison after the 18-month maximum period for holding a prisoner on remand had expired.

Financial News

[13] Parliament budget office sees hope in new bailout, warns that Grexit is not off the cards

"The final agreement with the institutions that is now on the horizon is important in order to avoid the worst in the short-term and not enter into uncertain terrain in the long term," it said.

The report says the decline in GDP on a weekly basis is forecast to be in the region of 1.75-2.8 billion euros for the period from July to September. Based on the European Commission's forecast for a recession ranging from 2-4 pct, it added, the annual loss of GDP for 2015 is estimated to range from 4.0-10 billion euros.

Capital controls were unlikely to be lifted soon, the report said, and the extent of GDP decline would largely depend on their impact on rates of consumption.

"The decline in weekly GDP will reach 2.8 billion euros a week or 1.5 pct of GDP in 2014...in the case that the decline in consumption approaches 80 pct, and 1.75 billion euros per week or 0.9 pct of GDP when the decline in consumption is around 50 pct," it said.

In fiscal terms, the report predicted that Greece would shift from a primary surplus at the start of the year to a primary deficit of 1 pct of GDP in 2015.

[14] Greece to revise special property tax without changing revenue target

Alexiadis said that the ministry was examining measures exploiting credit cards for direct VAT payments and announced that a plan for an online connection of cash machines with the ministry's IT authority would begin from tourist islands. He dismissed the possibility of further extending a deadline for income tax statements.

The Greek minister said the ministry has already made plans to change a special property tax, adding: "We cannot reduce the target of 2.5 billion euros in tax revenue", while he stressed that the ministry was currently discussing a timetable for property tax payment with the country's creditors. Alexiadis said that interventions and corrections must be made in the taxation of farmers, but cautiously in order to avoid impacting primary production in the country. He said that the issue was under discussion with the country's creditors. He stressed that the ministry was examining plans to facilitate enterprises to pay their taxes by the end of the year, such as expanding a measure for offsetting taxes.

He also announced a package of measures aimed at intensifying tax controls in the market and particularly in tourist regions. He added that inspections carried out over the weekend on a total of 1,600 enterprises found that tax evasion rates were around 23 pct.

[15] Greek tourism continues growth momentum, Kountoura tells Al Jazeera

In interviews with Al Jazeera International, the network's channel in English and the Al Jazeera Media Network in Arabic, Kountoura noted that tourism is still high in the list of preferred destinations for tourism and underlined Greece's interest in the tourist market from the Middle East.

In the last month, she added, she had visited Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and closed agreements designed to boost Greek tourism, such as the addition of direct flights to Greece from the end of June.

Noting that Greece was a safe and ideal destination for holidays, Kountoura also announced the launch of an internet campaign to attract last-minute tourists throughout the world and said that her ministry is working round the clock to immediately solve any problems that may arise.

[16] Supermarket offers to consumers totaled 750 mln euros in 2014

The survey examined the contribution of special price offers and promotion actions in the supermarket sector. The total value of special offers to consumers through large supermarket chains in 2014 reached 750 million euros last year, up 12 pct from the previous year. If discount coupons were to be added to this amount, the resultant benefit was more than 180 euros annually per household on average.

The categories with the largest special offer sales (approaching 50 pct) were detergents and healthcare products. A report by Hellenic Statistical Authority showed that in the period 2009-2013, average monthly spending on food products has fallen by 13.8 pct, reflecting a combination of price declines, higher offers and purchase of cheaper products.

The survey, conducted on a sample of 2,000 consumers around Greece, offered evidence that Greek consumers tend to exploit special price offers and discounts by supermarkets.

General News

[17] Athens Concert Hall hosts Mikis Theodorakis 90th birthday concert

The Popular Orchestra "Mikis Theodorakis" will participate: piano Yiannis Belonis, bouzouki Thanassis Vassilas and Yiannis Matsoukas, guitar Vangelis Kontaratos, cello Marilisa Papadouri, accordion Lefteris Grivas, bass Stavros Kavalieratos, drums Nikos Skomopoulos, percussion Stefanos Theodorakis-Papangelidis.

Theodorakis will also attend the concert that starts at 21.00.

In the meantime, the film "Recycling Medea" by Asteris Koutoulas will make its world premiere at Alkyonis cinema, at 19.30, in the framework of the commemoration of the 90th birthday of the renowned Greek composer.

Koutoulas has been a music producer and manager of Mikis Theodorakis abroad since 1986, and has worked with him in many countries such as Australia, Canada, Chile, Israel, Russia.

[18] The Wednesday edition of Athens' dailies at a glance

DIMOKRATIA: Tax income in 12 installments

EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Ready for fighting within the SYRIZA ahead of Thursday's congress

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: All the changes in capital controls

ESTIA: Why (SYRIZA deputy Panagiotis) Lafazanis is not a threat for (Prime Minister) Alexis Tsipras

ETHNOS: Crude Oil falls. From 60 dollars to 47 dollars in a month

IMERISSIA: The Athens stock exchange to open with capital controls

KATHIMERINI: Double investigation into (former Finance Minister Yanis) Varoufakis and his colleagues

NAFTEMPORIKI: The heads of the institutions in Athens

RIZOSPASTIS: A heatwave of anti-popular measures

TA NEA: A third wave of measures in August

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