Athens News Agency: News in English, 00-10-29

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

CONTENTS

[01] Rhodes-Interpol-Assembly

[02] Catholic Jubilee-Stephanopoulos

[03] Government bodies-Simitis

[01] Rhodes-Interpol-Assembly

Interpol's annual general assembly begins on the island of Rhodes on Monday and will focus primarily on combatting organised crime. Six major issues which will also be examined are funding for the struggle against terrorism, crimes in the Internet, drug trafficking, economic crimes, money laundering and illegal immigration.

[02] Catholic Jubilee-Stephanopoulos

Greek Catholics celebrated the Golden Jubilee of 2000 at the Areios Pagos Hill at the Acropolis on Sunday evening in the presence of President Kostis Stephanopoulos.

The Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Greece Nicholaos officiated at a service and later gave President Stephanopoulos the Jubilee's memento, a golden disk.

The Areios Pagos Hill is the place where Saint Paul first preached the Christian faith in Athens.

Referring to the modern world in an address to the faithful, the Archbishop said that through many problems "it is often seeking God on a mistaken path" and without the responsibility of the Christian world being negligible.

Giving an example, he referred to "the idols of the consumer society" which one sees in shop windows and advertisements. Terming the modern-day environment as "neoidolatric", he stressed the need for unity and for consistency between words and actions by all.

[03] Government bodies-Simitis

The new state budget for 2001 due to be tabled in Parliament on November 1, will be examined by the inner cabinet on Tuesday and a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, both chaired by Prime Minister Costas Simitis, an announcement by Simitis' press office said on Sunday.

The announcement also said that the budget's main characteristic would be its social aspect, combined with overall economic policy.

Another issue linked to the government's economic policy is that of labour relations, due to be handled with "innovative reforms of their traditional status" with the purpose of combatting unemployment, the announcement added.

The flexibility of labour relations as related to the challenges of the new era will be examined at a ruling PASOK party's Theme Conference taking place at the Peace and Friendship stadium on November 3-4.

Simitis, who will inaugurate the conference, is expected to announce his government intentions aimed at combatting unemployment.

The budget's development character will also be projected by the prime minister during a visit to Ioannina, northern Greece, on Saturday.

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