Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 16-07-14

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Tsipras takes initiative to resolve Siemens trial impasse

[02] Dep. FM delivers Siemens trial correspondence to head of Supreme Court

[03] Central banker optimistic about Greek economy

[04] Greek-Iranian economic cooperation discussed between government VP and Iranian Dep. FM

[05] Deputy Economy Min Stathakis meets Iran's Deputy FM Ravanchi

[06] Skourletis and visiting Iranian official discuss cooperation in energy

[07] Tsipras, Mouzalas meet ?Save the Children? president Thorning-Schmidt

[08] FM Kotzias to participate in 11th ASEM summit in Mongolia

[09] Kotzias replies to MP over 'Ramadan breakfast show' in Hagia Sophia

[10] Security forces need solutions free of ideological inflexibility, Mitsotakis says

[11] There has to be a political reply to climate change, Mitsotakis says

[12] Turkish military aircraft intercepted in flights over Greek islands in Aegean

[13] Translation of crucial material for Siemens trial completed on May 13, FM Kotzias says

[14] Supreme Court prosecutor orders disciplinary inquiry over 'indefinitely adjourned' Siemens case

[15] Appeals Prosecutor's office blames both foreign ministry and court for problems in Siemens trial

[16] Former minister's trial for taking Siemens bribe may be 'indefinitely adjourned' after presiding judge dies

[17] Greece-Russia seek closer bilateral relations

[18] Greece sells three-month T-bills

[19] Jumbo Group to pay extraordinary dividend to shareholders

[20] Groupama reports higher profits

[21] Greek stocks rally for sixth successive session

[22] Greek bond market closing report

[23] ADEX closing report

[24] One dead girl after boat capsizes off Lesvos

[25] 57,079 identified migrants and refugees in Greece on Wednesday

[26] Three shot, one fatally, in incident near Omonia Square

[27] Fair on Thursday

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

[01] PM Tsipras takes initiative to resolve Siemens trial impasse

On Tuesday, the trial was postponed for an indefinite period because the court accepted the objections of the foreign defendants who claimed that the charge sheet had not been translated in their native language - French and German - which renders it invalid.

In an effort to resolve the impasse, Paraskevopoulos will meet with Supreme Court Prosecutor Xeni Dimitriou on Thursday and ask her to order that the Siemens trial be tried as a matter of absolute priority as provided for in Article 30 par. 3 of the Criminal Procedure Code in cases of "exceptional nature".

[02] Dep. FM delivers Siemens trial correspondence to head of Supreme Court

The handing over of the correspondence follows a request by Thanou and a decision by Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias.

[03] Central banker optimistic about Greek economy

He also said he expects 2.5 percent growth for 2017 and 3 percent for 2018 and a primary surplus for the general government of 0.9 percent in the current year. Stournaras said there is an important increase in revenues from indirect taxes which is due to electronic transactions which have revealed important taxable assets. In this spirit, he said that if the percentage of electronic transactions is significantly increased in Greece, there may not be need to implement the new taxes.

[04] Greek-Iranian economic cooperation discussed between government VP and Iranian Dep. FM

Dragasakis said Greece is at a turning point, passing from a period of crisis, uncertainty and recession to a phase of stabilization, with growth potential, increase of employment and improvement of social conditions.

He said in periods of international tensions caused by the Brexit and the refugee crisis, the answer to ensure the prosperity of nations can only be the closer cooperation between European countries and between Europe and neighboring countries.

On his side, Ravanchi said his country has a very special relationship with Greece due to their historical and cultural ties. This opens the way for economic synergies in energy, shipping, food and pharmaceuticals, high technology, tourism and the financial sector.

[05] Deputy Economy Min Stathakis meets Iran's Deputy FM Ravanchi

Stathakis also expressed Greece's intention to strengthen its relations with Iran, attracting investors, especially in the energy sector.

Ravanchi, who is paying an official visit to Greece, stressed that his visit is a continuation of the prime minister's visit to Tehran, during which they agreed on a "road map" for cooperation between the two countries, opening large alliances perspectives between Iran-Greece in the energy sector, new technologies and tourism. Particular emphasis was given to the shipping and shipbuilding industry, sectors where Greece has valuable expertise.

Ravanchi, Stathakis and Alternate Foreign Minister Nikos Xidakis attended on Tuesday a working meeting with Greek and Iranian businessmen, organized by the Greek Investment Company and Foreign Trade (Enterprise Greece).

[06] Skourletis and visiting Iranian official discuss cooperation in energy

Potential areas of cooperation discussed included that of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), natural gas, renewable energy sources and energy efficiency, where the prospects for possible collaboration will be explored in consultation with the Iranian embassy in order to exhaust investment opportunities in Iran and cooperation between companies in the two countries.

The Iranian side noted that existing cooperation with Hellenic Petroleum for the supply of crude oil was unfolding without problems and indicated Iran's willingness to expand this by increasing the quantity of crude and with additional products.

Skourletis said that Greece can and is willing to act as a bridge between Iran and the European Union, while confirming a willingness to expand energy cooperation.

The meeting was also attended by Iranian Ambassador in Greece Majid M. Shabestari, ELPE CEO Grigoris Stergioulis and the director of the minister's office Dimosthenis Papastamopoulos.

[07] Tsipras, Mouzalas meet ?Save the Children? president Thorning-Schmidt

The three officials discussed cooperation between the Greek authorities and the NGO on the education, psychological support and activities of unaccompanied minors and the children of refugees during their stay in the country.

[08] FM Kotzias to participate in 11th ASEM summit in Mongolia

At the 11th Summit Meeting, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Dialogue between European and Asian states, 51 member states will discuss the future of ASEM cooperation and the strengthening of its three pillars: political, economic and cultural. The Summit Meeting will also explore the potential for promoting Europe-Asia connectivity as the most defining element of this cooperation.

Within the framework of the Summit proceedings, a number of meetings have been scheduled between Kotzias and the prime ministers or foreign ministers of Mongolia, Australia, the Republic of Korea, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Singapore.

[09] Kotzias replies to MP over 'Ramadan breakfast show' in Hagia Sophia

"With actions such as that in Hagia Sophia, Turkey is pulling further from the EU instead of coming closer," he said.

Kotzias said the decision made by Turkish authorities was unequivocally condemned by the Greek government through an announcement issued by the foreign ministry. "It not only violates Turkey's international obligation to respect all monuments, both Christian and otherwise, within its territory but also turns against a monument listed on the UNESCO world heritage site, which Turkey is now trying to convert into a mosque, even though it has functioned as a museum by virtue of a decision in 1935, under Kemal Ataturk," he pointed out.

The issue concerned the entire international community and was not restricted to relations between Greece and Turkey, Kotzias pointed out. Greece had acted promptly to raise the matter with the appropriate European and international bodies, he added, as well as with partner countries, so that countries such as the United States and Russia had both already broached the matter with Turkey.

"As has already been pointed out to the Turkish side, respecting the historic and religious value of monuments that are within its territory is not only the country's international obligation but, if exercised, acts to multiply the benefits for Turkey also, promoting its European course, encouraging economic growth and avoiding the creation of tensions," the minister said.

Greece had raised the issue with UNESCO, asking for the necessary action to be taken for an international condemnation of Turkey's attempt to alter the nature and use of a historic monument with global importance, Kotzias added.

[10] Security forces need solutions free of ideological inflexibility, Mitsotakis says

ND's leader said the security forces must be supported with the best possible solutions to succeed in their task, without the inflexibility of hidebound ideology, while criticising the government for an economic policy that not only impoverished Greek people but also had serious repercussions on security conditions in the country.

"Today I had the opportunity to be briefed by the representatives of the security forces about the situation and the problems that the personnel of the Hellenic Police, fire brigade and coast guard are daily called on to deal with, often under adverse conditions," Mitsotakis said.

He said the discussion had touched on a series of institutional issues that concerned the smooth operation of the security forces that have also been presented to the government officially but have not been suitably resolved, with serious repercussions on the day-to-day life of civilians.

[11] There has to be a political reply to climate change, Mitsotakis says

"Our stance cannot be one of indifference or only perfunctory compliance since the problem affects us directly," he said, noting that there must be a political answer to the problem of climate change.

Speaking at an event on "Climate change and new policies: international community, European Union and Greece," at the Constantine Karamanlis Institute for Democracy, Mitsotakis also stressed the need to boost what he called Greece's "anaemic" awareness of environmental issues.

"Climate change is an indisputable fact and the phenomenon is anthropogenic," Mitsotakis told his audience, outlining the effects that rising temperatures will have on the planet and calling for ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"Achieving this goal is a global issue," he added, presenting the five main points of the Paris agreement, which he described as "exceptionally important".

Noting that such issues were unfortunately not discussed in Greece, ND's leader said he had served as chairman of the relevant committee in Parliament and that ND had helped dispel the myth that environmental sensitivity was the exclusive province of the left.

The main weakness of climate change agreements was the absence of mechanisms to impose sanctions, Mitsotakis noted, saying there had to be "a powerful momentum in order to put pressure of the leadership of countries." He also outlined the dire predictions about Greece.

"This discussion is particularly crucial in our country because we must understand that Greece is on the front line of countries threatened by climate change," he said, outlining a future with rising seas, more days of extreme heat and more frequent extreme weather events.

"The excessive borrowing of the previous generation has saddled the next generation with a disproportionate burden and we are seeing the equivalent phenomenon on the issue of the environment. We must understand that we are borrowing the environment from the next generation," he added, stressing that protecting the environment did not undermine growth.

"There are clearly areas where growth clashes with protection of the environment. Any comparative advantage that Greece possesses, however, is linked to the protection of our natural environment. The environment itself is our comparative advantage," ND's leader concluded.

[12] Turkish military aircraft intercepted in flights over Greek islands in Aegean

According to the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, a Turkish coast guard naval cooperation plane flew over the island Panagia in the Oinousses islands' complex at 11:43, at a height of 1,500 feet. This was followed by a pair of Turkish Air Force F-16s at 12:11 that flew over the Kalogerous islets in the central Aegean, between the islands of Chios and Andros, at a height of 32,000 feet.

Turkish aircraft had last flown over Panagia and the Oinousses complex on April 29.

[13] Translation of crucial material for Siemens trial completed on May 13, FM Kotzias says

"The translation was completed on May 13 and not end June as initially planned, that is two months earlier," he underlined.

Earlier, the ministry said that reports claiming the trial of the suspects in the OTE-Siemens scandal was postponed for an indefinite period on Tuesday because crucial material had not been translated for the foreign defendants are "false and unsubstantiated."

"Despite its work overload, the foreign ministry's Translating Service completed in time the massive, 1,580-page translation and promptly delivered the relevant decree to the Appeals Prosecution. Specifically, the first 700 translated pages were delivered on 02.11.2015 and the remaining 880 pages, on 13.05.2016," the foreign ministry said.

"Despite this fact, some people today circulated unsubstantiated information on an alleged delay in translating the ruling on the Siemens case by the Translation Service of the Foreign Ministry. The ministry calls on the competent judicial authorities to identify and attribute responsibility to those who maliciously and deliberately spread false and unsubstantiated information," the ministry concluded.

[14] Supreme Court prosecutor orders disciplinary inquiry over 'indefinitely adjourned' Siemens case

[15] Appeals Prosecutor's office blames both foreign ministry and court for problems in Siemens trial

The so-called cash-for-contract case concerns an investigation into claims that the German company bribed politicians to win

a contract Greek telecoms company OTE for the digitalisation of the company's call centers. The suspects include former Siemens and OTE executives, who are accused of money laundering, offering and accepting bribes and acting as accomplices in the above acts. On Tuesday, the trial was postponed for an indefinite period because the court accepted the objections of the defendants who claimed that the charge sheet had not been translated into French and German, which renders it invalid.

The same sources said the foreign ministry didn?t deliver in time all the passages of the decree before the trial started in November 2015, but were delivered on May 2016, when the trial had already started. They added that Appeals Prosecutor?s office send the summons to the defendants without waiting for the French and German translations to stop it from being statute-barred.

Commenting on the court?s decision, the Appeals Prosecutor?s office said it didn?t expect it to accept the objections raised by the defendants and were "absolutely certain" these claims would have been rejected, as there is a precedent with the trial of Turkish nationals charged with terrorism, whose similar claims had been dismissed.

[16] Former minister's trial for taking Siemens bribe may be 'indefinitely adjourned' after presiding judge dies

The case against Mantelis and another four defendants facing charges for accepting bribes from the Siemens parent company in Germany had gone to trial on November 11, 2013 but made halting progress due to an ongoing lawyers' strike and serious health problems faced by the 58-year-old presiding judge. The latter had caused the trial to be adjourned until September 19 but the judge's unexpected death has cast the entire trial in limbo. Even though it was expected to be lengthy, no replacement judges had been selected, meaning that the court will have to adjourn and wait for a new trial date the next time it reconvenes.

Mantelis and the other four defendants are on trial for an alleged bribe given to him in two installments, which he had claimed to be a Siemens campaign contribution to support his election bid. The case forms part of a larger case concerning the contract signed between the Greek state telecoms firm OTE and Siemens when Mantelis was minister in 1997. This case was also indefinitely postponed on Tuesday on a technicality, resulting from a failure to present the foreign defendants on trial with a copy of indictment and charges translated into their language.

The charges against Mantelis claim that the former minister accepted the sum of 450,000 marks (230,000 euros) from Siemens in 1998 and 2000 through a Swiss bank account under the name Rocos, in exchange for giving Siemens the OTE contract. Others facing charges in connection with the bribery case were his friend Giorgos Tsougranis, tax official Antonia Markou, former Siemens Hellas executive Ilias Georgiou and a former associate, Aristidis Mantas.

Financial News

[17] Greece-Russia seek closer bilateral relations

The two minister discussed the possibility of further strengthening bilateral economic relations after trade transactions between Greece and Russia in 2016 dropped by one-third compared with the previous year, hit by EU sanctions.

Tzakri said Russia has invested around 700 million euros in Greece and there was room for further investments in transport, energy, tourism, ship-repair, mining and pharmaceuticals. Manturov said Russia was drafting a special programme under which Greek pharmaceutical companies could participate, while he asked more details over the possibility of Russian companies' participation as strategic investors in state-owned industries.

In a series of meetings with Russian officials, Tzakri presented investment opportunities offered by Greece in the fields of energy, food processing and beverage, IT and telecommunications, along with investment opportunities offered by the Agro-food Park of Pella.

[18] Greece sells three-month T-bills

[19] Jumbo Group to pay extraordinary dividend to shareholders

In an announcement, Jumbo Group said it was restoring dividend payment which was skipped last year because of extremely complex economic conditions, raised by 50 pct.

Jumbo sales grew 9.44 pct to 637.56 million euros with stores in Greece and Cyprus recording increases of around 4.0 pct and 5.0 pct, respectively, while turnover in Romania almost doubled. In Bulgaria, sales grew more than 12 pct.

The management plans to make a more efficient management of its existing network and infrastructure and to continue

expanding in new areas. The Group operates a network of 71 stores in four countries (51 in Greece, five in Cyprus, 8 in Bulgaria, 7 in Romania and an e-shop).

The Group plans to operate three new super-stores (one in Bulgaria and two in Romania) in the remaining of the year.

[20] Groupama reports higher profits

Turnover in the life insurance sector was 52.28 million euros, down 7.3 pct from the previous year, while new premium production was 14.4 million euros (reflecting a 7.4 pct increase in health insurance contracts).

In the car insurance business, Groupama raised its market share to 5.0 pct, from 4.7 pct and its fleet by 1.6 pct.

[21] Greek stocks rally for sixth successive session

Eurobank (7.24 pct), Folli Follie (4.41 pct) and GEK Terna (3.17 pct) scored the biggest percentage gains of the day among blue chip stocks, while Viohalco (2.31 pct), Hellenic Petroleum (0.84 pct) and Aegean Airlines (0.74 pct) suffered the biggest losses. Among market sectors, Commerce (4.41 pct), Banks (3.23 pct) and Travel (2.67 pct) scored the largest gains, while Financial Services (0.39 pct) and Food (0.05 pct) suffered losses. National Bank and Piraeus Bank were the most heavily traded securities of the day.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 60 to 34 with another 16 issues unchanged. Pegasus (19.55 pct), Dionic (18.37 pct) and Boutaris (14.71 pct) were top losers, while Epilektos (29.29 pct), Alumil (26.43 pct) and Progressive (19.51 pct) were top gainers.

[22] Greek bond market closing report

In interbank markets, interest rates moved lower. The 12-month rate fell to -0.062 pct from -0.061 pct, the nine-month rate fell to -0.131 pct from -0.129 pct, the six-month rate fell to -0.194 pct from -0.191 pct, the three-month rate dropped to -0.299 pct from -0.291 pct and the one-month rate was -0.376 pct.

[23] ADEX closing report

General News

[24] One dead girl after boat capsizes off Lesvos

The bodies of a four-year old girl, an infant boy, a woman and a man have been already been recovered.

The Greek Coast Guard had earlier rescued four people.

[25] 57,079 identified migrants and refugees in Greece on Wednesday

According to the Refugee Crisis Management Coordination Body's figures, 23,250 of the refugees are in northern Greece, 10,234 are hosted in the region of Attica, 8,475 on the Greek islands, 1,713 are hosted in different areas in central Greece and 251 in southern Greece. 6,539 refugees and migrants are hosted in several facilities rented by the UNHCR, and 1,900 persons are living outside organised facilities.

[26] Three shot, one fatally, in incident near Omonia Square

The armed assault by an unidentified gunman took place on Zinonos Street near Omonia Square, shortly before 17:00 on Wednesday.

Based on witness accounts so far, the gunman may have been a foreign national that had earlier got into an argument with the 56-year-old as he was passing in front of a coffee shop in the area, claiming the victim had molested his wife. The assailant left and returned with a gun shortly afterward, which he used to shoot at the 56-year-old that later died in hospital. The bullets also injured a bystander that happened to be on the scene during the fight and a passer-by that found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Police are currently conducting an investigation and searching to locate and arrest the shooter.

Weather forecast

[27] Fair on Thursday

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

DIMOKRATIA: SYRIZA's embarrassment (referring to SIEMENS case)

EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Stench (over SIEMENS scandal)

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: Illegal reductions in public sector's dividends

ESTIA: Vindication on Kastellorizo

ETHNOS: War over SIEMENS fiasco

IMERISSIA: Suspension of payments

KATHIMERINI: Police intervention at Exarchia

NAFTEMPORIKI: Cosco at Piraeus

RIZOSPASTIS: They are establishing a front to destroy all labour rights

TA NEA: The fatal blackmail

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