Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-04-27

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM welcomes opening of partition checkpoints in Cyprus

[02] Weather Forecast: Sunny on Monday

[03] Foreign Exchange Rates - Monday

[01] PM welcomes opening of partition checkpoints in Cyprus

Prime Minister Costas Simitis on Sunday welcomed opening of the ''Green Line'' in Cyprus that has partitioned the island republic and a breakaway Turkish-occupied state in the north for nearly three decades.

''For the first time in 30 years, the Green Line in Cyprus has ceased to be a dividing line. Turkish Cypriots have passed into southern Cyprus and Greek Cypriots have passed into the north,'' Simitis told an Easter celebration by the Greek military.

A nine-nation U.N. peacekeeping force guards the Green Line to deter violence. The line, which stretches for 180 kilometres along the northern part of Cyprus, has four crossing points.

''The regime of (Turkish Cypriot leader) Rauf Denktash was unable to maintain the restrictions established in 1974,'' Simitis said in the Andravida air force unit in Ilia. The northern part of Cyprus is recognised as a state only by Turkey.

The prime minister noted that lifting restrictions at the checkpoints for two-way movement of people just before Orthodox Easter this weekend was no chance event.

''This was the result of a plan our country had, a two-pronged plan of securing Cyprus' entry into the European Union and securing acceptance of Turkey's candidacy to participate in the EU,'' he said.

Cyprus's entry into the bloc had led to pressure from European Union partners for a final resolution of the island's political problem, and for the Turkish Cypriot community to abandon its intransigent policy.

''This did not happen at the Hague finally, but we saw it immediately afterwards, and we saw it a few days ago, that this intransigent stance was not viable, and that there would be developments,'' Simitis said.

''Acceptance of Turkey's candidacy laid out a path for that country, which means it is increasingly obliged to accept EU law and the terms of international law, and to agree to overcome the differences that it created with Greece,'' the prime minister added.

Greece is rotating president of the European Union for the first half of 2003.

[02] Weather Forecast: Sunny on Monday

Sunny weather is forecast in all parts of the country, with cloud likely to build up in the northeast that may turn into showers. Early morning mist is also expected. Winds northwesterly, light. On the mainland, temperatures will range from 7C to 25C; and in the islands from 10C to 23C. Temperatures in Athens between 10C and 25C; and in Thessaloniki from 12C to 24C.

[03] Foreign Exchange Rates - Monday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.109

Pound sterling 0.697

Danish kroner 7.484

Swedish kroner 9.183

Japanese yen 133.0

Swiss franc 1.517

Norwegian kroner 7.893

Cyprus pound 0.592

Canadian dollar 1.624

Australian dollar 1.796

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