When bids are submitted, the government will begin talks with the interim winner of the tender, Credit Suisse First Boston said.

[03] Bogus Passports-Arrests

Two suspects in an operation to steal passports and doctor them for sale were charged in Athens on Saturday following a tip-off to police.

Charged were Ali Ahfoud, 32, of Syria and Sev Boroda, 22, of Russia. An Albanian wanted for questioning is suspected to be the third member of the ring.

Among items confiscated from Ahfoud and Boroda were 36 Greek passports, three from other countries as well as two million drachmas, 2,760 US dollars and 200 German marks in cash. The passports are believed stolen from homes and automobiles, police said.

The two men were arrested on Thursday.

[04] Yugoslavia-Tsohatzopoulos-ND (RECASTS, adding Kaklamanis )

National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said that the initiative in defusing a political crisis that has erupted in Yugoslavia lay in the hands of its president, Vojislav Kostunica.

"The resignation of the federal government has sparked a political crisis. President Kostunica is responsible for moving, within the framework of the constitution, towards a political solution of the problem," Tsohatzopoulos told reporters late on Friday during a tour of the Drama prefecture.

"I believe that he has the support of a large majority of the Yugoslav people, so that he can proceed with a democratic solution," the minister added.

In addition, he charged that financial aid for Yugoslavia from abroad had been delayed.

An acceleration in the dispatch of funds for reconstruction would aid the drive to achieve stability in the country, Tzohatzopoulos said.

On Friday, Zoran Zizic, prime minister of the rump federation of Serbia with Montenegro, resigned in protest at the way Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic allowed the handover of former leader Slobodan Milosevic for trial at the UN war crimes tribunal.

The handover prompted the collapse of the federal government, revealing tensions among ruling reformers in Serbia and creating political instability.

On Saturday, parliament president Apostolos Kaklamanis told reporters that Milosevic's handover was not conducive to stability in the Balkans.

"This counts as a development that fails to aid stability and security in the long-suffering southeast European region. Mr. Milosevic is not, of course, free of blame for what has happened in the region, but the manner in which this affair has proceeded is definitely adding fuel to the fire," he said.

Earlier, Kaklamanis told a contact group preparing for a Euro-Mediterranean meeting of parliament presidents that the European Union should play a more active role in seeking world peace, including southeastern Europe.

Also on Saturday, the spokesman for the main opposition New Democracy party, Thodoris Roussopoulos, issued a statement on the aftermath of Milosevic's handover, saying the move raised questions.

"The matter mainly concerns the citizens of Yugoslavia. However, the maintenance and cohesion of the Yugoslav Federation is a factor for stability in the Balkans, and support for this country is essential for the European Union and for the international community," Roussopoulos said.

"Equally important is that the international penal justice system should always work on the basis of fixed rules and principles," he added.

Nikos Constantopoulos, leader of the Coalition of the Left and Progress, charged that Serbian authorities had been blackmailed by forces in the West, and criticised the European Union for falling in with NATO policy.

Addressing a central committee meeting on preparations for the party's congress in January, Constantopoulos said the alleged blackmail and the way in which Milosevic was handed over had set the tone for global action that was governed by the law of the powerful, with no reference to international law and order.

[05] Toxic Waste-Environmentalists-Blockade

Environmentalists on Saturday blockaded the Athens-Thessaloniki motorway, chaining themselves to trucks they claimed were carrying toxic waste from Athens to Belgium via the northern port of Thessaloniki.

The activists, who belong to the Veria Environmental Group, blocked the five trucks for about half an hour on a stretch of the motorway near Thessaloniki.

The vehicles, which were reportedly carrying 116 tonnes of liquid waste, then proceeded to the port for loading.

The environmentalists claimed that the waste belonged to the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (EAB), which had failed to seek permission from local authorities whose territory the trucks traversed, as legally required.

EAB had yet to make a statement.

[06] Yugoslavia-Tsohatzopoulos-ND (RECASTS, adding Coalition )

National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said that the initiative in defusing a political crisis that has erupted in Yugoslavia lay in the hands of its president, Vojislav Kostunica.

"The resignation of the federal government has sparked a political crisis. President Kostunica is responsible for moving, within the framework of the constitution, towards a political solution of the problem," Tsohatzopoulos told reporters late on Friday during a tour of the Drama prefecture.

"I believe that he has the support of a large majority of the Yugoslav people, so that he can proceed with a democratic solution," the minister added.

In addition, he charged that financial aid for Yugoslavia from abroad had been delayed.

An acceleration in the dispatch of funds for reconstruction would aid the drive to achieve stability in the country, Tzohatzopoulos said.

On Friday, Zoran Zizic, prime minister of the rump federation of Serbia with Montenegro, resigned in protest at the way Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic allowed the handover of former leader Slobodan Milosevic for trial at the UN war crimes tribunal.

The handover prompted the collapse of the federal government, revealing tensions among ruling reformers in Serbia and creating political instability.

On Saturday, the spokesman for the main opposition New Democracy party, Thodoris Roussopoulos, issued a statement on the aftermath of Milosevic's handover, saying the move raised questions.

"The matter mainly concerns the citizens of Yugoslavia. However, the maintenance and cohesion of the Yugoslav Federation is a factor for stability in the Balkans, and support for this country is essential for the European Union and for the international community," Roussopoulos said.

"Equally important is that the international penal justice system should always work on the basis of fixed rules and principles," he added.

Also on Saturday, Nikos Constantopoulos, leader of the Coalition of the Left and Progress, charged that Serbian authorities had been blackmailed by forces in the West, and criticised the European Union for falling in with NATO policy.

Addressing a central committee meeting on preparations for the party's congress in January, Constantopoulos said the alleged blackmail and the way in which Milosevic was handed over had set the tone for global action that was governed by the law of the powerful, with no reference to international law and order.

[07] Yugoslavia-Tsohatzopoulos-New Democracy

National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said that the initiative in defusing a political crisis that has erupted in Yugoslavia lay in the hands of its president, Vojislav Kostunica.

"The resignation of the federal government has sparked a political crisis. President Kostunica is responsible for moving, within the framework of the constitution, towards a political solution of the problem," Tsohatzopoulos told reporters late on Friday during a tour of the Drama prefecture.

"I believe that he has the support of a large majority of the Yugoslav people, so that he can proceed with a democratic solution," the minister added.

In addition, he charged that financial aid for Yugoslavia from abroad had been delayed.

An acceleration in the dispatch of funds for reconstruction would aid the drive to achieve stability in the country, Tzohatzopoulos said.

On Friday, Zoran Zizic, prime minister of the rump federation of Serbia with Montenegro, resigned in protest at the way Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic allowed the handover of former leader Slobodan Milosevic for trial at the UN war crimes tribunal.

The handover prompted the collapse of the federal government, revealing tensions among ruling reformers in Serbia and creating political instability.

On Saturday, the spokesman for the main opposition New Democracy party, Thodoris Roussopoulos, issued a statement on the aftermath of Milosevic's handover, saying the move raised questions.

"The matter mainly concerns the citizens of Yugoslavia. However, the maintenance and cohesion of the Yugoslav Federation is a factor for stability in the Balkans, and support for this country is essential for the European Union and for the international community," Roussopoulos said.

"Equally important is that the international penal justice system should always work on the basis of fixed rules and principles," he added.

[08] Firebombs-Culture Ministry-Hand Grenade

Firebombs were thrown at the culture ministry in the centre of Athens early on Saturday, causing minor damage. No injuries were reported, police said.

The building's entrance was slightly damaged when three of the seven firebombs exploded.

Police are seeking the unidentified perpetrators of the attack.

In a separate incident, a hand grenade was hurled at a home in the northern suburb of Aghia Paraskevi early on Saturday, damaging the building's garage door and a parked car.

[09] Foreign Exchange Rates- Monday

Buying rates until Monday

U.S. dollar 398.631

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 560.481

Irish punt 429.202

Belgian franc 008.379

Luxembourg franc 008.379

Dutch guilder 153.389

Italian lira (100) 017.457

Austrian schilling 024.565

Danish kroner 45.406

Swedish kroner 36.691

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 320.796

Swiss franc 221.972

Norwegian kroner 042.861

Cyprus pound 588.606

Canadian dollar 261.491

Australian dollar 201.985

[10] Weather Forecast: Mostly sunny on Sunday

Sunshine is forecast in most parts of the country on Sunday, with some scattered cloud on the northern mainland and in the centre that may turn to isolated storms mainly in the north from evening. Winds northerly, light to strong, turning very strong in parts of the Aegean. In the north, temperatures will range from 17C to 33C; on the rest of the mainland from 19C to 35C; and in the Aegean islands from 21C to 31C. Sunny in Athens, with temperatures between 21C and 34C. Sunshine in Thessaloniki, with temperatures from 19C to 32C. A shower or storm is likely in the evening.

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