Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-02-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] Weather Forecast: Rainy, stormy on Wednesday

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

[03] PM says ND identified with far-right with its opposition tactic

[04] Main opposition leader criticizes gov't in off the agenda Parliament

[01] Weather Forecast: Rainy, stormy on Wednesday

Rain and storms are forecast in all parts of the country. Snow will fall on high ground and in low-lying areas of Epirus and Macedonia. Winds variable, very strong to gale force. In the north, temperatures will range from 2 to 9C; on the rest of the mainland and Ionian from 6C to 15C; and in the islands from 10C to 17C. Temperatures in Athens between 10C and 14C; and in Thessaloniki from 5C to 9C.

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.090

Pound sterling 0.662

Danish kroner 7.495

Swedish kroner 9.316

Japanese yen 130.9

Swiss franc 1.479

Norwegian kroner 7.546

Cyprus pound 0.584

Canadian dollar 1.654

Australian dollar 1.850

[03] PM says ND identified with far-right with its opposition tactic

Prime Minister Costas Simitis on Tuesday accused the main opposition New Democracy party of identifying itself with the far-right in using this type of opposition tactic.

He also compared phrases currently used by ND with phrases used by military junta dictator George Papadopoulos justifying the dictatorship.

Simitis was criticising ND during a Parliamentary debate called by ND leader Costas Karamanlis on corruption in the public sector.

The prime minister referred to many examples to refute ND's argument that the government is responsible for phenomena of corruption and mismanagement.

He added that ND chose the policy of bravado as a form of confrontation and termed this policy a ''far-right policy.''

Simitis said the people have heard this before. He further said the words bribery, accommodating friends, the corrosion of institutions, squandering, scandals, excesses, offhandedness, decline, etc were words used by Papadopoulos and his satellites to justify their existence.

He said doesn't the neo-right see that it is becoming far-right and submitted in Parliament a pamphlet issued by the junta.

Simitis said that wasn't it the ''ineffective government'' which put the country in the EMU? Which caught the ''November 17'' organisation? Which contributed to the accession of Cyprus? Which won the Olympic Games and is proceeding with their carrying out and Olympic Games projects with the paces of Sydney?

Referring to ND, Simitis said it speaks of re-founding the state and in reality it means reinstating its party friends, even if they have been removed from the public sector by court rulings.

[04] Main opposition leader criticizes gov't in off the agenda Parliament discussion

''The delirium we are watching is a shame and plight for the prime minister of the country. You have no right to criticize the party that re-instituted democracy and took Greece into Europe,'' main opposition New Democracy (ND) party leader Costas Karamanlis said on Tuesday evening.

Speaking during an off the agenda discussion on a question tabled by ND concerning corruption, Karamanlis responded to criticism by Prime Minister Costas Simitis, saying ''it is a shame to bring books by the (former) dictator here. I am accusing you because you have become the government of corruption and vested interests''.

He called on reports drafted by foreign organizations, as well as by Greek agencies, which in his opinion make Simitis' speech ''a version of Alice in Wonderland''.

Karamanlis referred to the report by the ''International Transparency'' organization, which ranked Greece in 44th place, down from the 25th it held in 1997, ''below Chile, Uruguay, Taiwan, Costa Rica, Namibia and Botswana''.

He also spoke of the CRECO group of the Council of Europe, where it was stressed that the ''most common problem are the non-objective tenders for public works''.

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