Athens News Agency: News in English, 04-02-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK leader addresses rally in Irakleio, says time has come for great

[02] Papandreou says a new PASOK gov't will protect jobs from globalisation

[03] Poll shows ND's lead over PASOK decreasing to 2.7 pc

[04] Athens airport gradually back to normal after bad weather

[05] PM visits Galatsi Olympic Centre, hails 'Olympic endeavour'

[06] Weather Forecast: Snow on Tuesday

[07] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks nose up in bid to consolidate

[08] Bond Market Close: Sellers match buyers on Monday

[09] Foreign Exchange Rates: Tuesday

[01] PASOK leader addresses rally in Irakleio, says time has come for great change

PASOK party leader George Papandreou, addressing an outdoor rally in Irakleio, Crete, on Monday night, said the time for ''great change has come again'' and expressed confidence the party will win the March 7 elections.

Papandreou referred to reforms and changes he intends to do as prime minister and also announced measures to relieve farmers whose produce was harmed by recent bad weather conditions.

Among measures he announced for farmers was an immediate assessment of damage, while 50 percent of compensation will be paid before Easter and the remaining 50 percent by the end of May.

Papandreou also said farmers' debts to the Agricultural Bank of Greece will be frozen until the first instalment of compensation is paid.

The PASOK leader announced that in 2006, regional councils will be elected during the local elections which will have the first say in shaping and implementing development programmes.

Papandreou also referred to non-state universities, promising that if elected prime minister he will bring in a legal framework allowing their operation.

He also focused on the late Greek statesman Eleftherios Venizelos and the Liberal Party, as well as to his grandfather George Papandreou on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Centre Union's election victory with what he said was the ''stunning 53 percent''.

Papandreou said PASOK ''must hoist the flag of hope against fear and conservatism'' and accused the main opposition New Democracy party of having ''a permanent fatalistic attitude''.

Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson also attended the rally and addressed the crowds, praising Papandreou and calling on the Greeks to vote for him.

[02] Papandreou says a new PASOK gov't will protect jobs from globalisation

Visiting the Elefsina Shipyards on Monday, new PASOK leader George Papandreou pledged that ruling PASOK will take steps to protect jobs and the security of workers against the vicissitudes of globalisation if it were elected into government on March 7.

He said the ruling party was determined not to allow the creation of new class of non-privileged due to globalisation and participated in efforts to ''give globalisation a human face''.

He also stressed, however, that Greece could not simply wait around for justice and solidarity to prevail throughout the world or sit back complaining about change.

''We have to get beyond complaints and misery and see how we can best use this new age,'' he stressed.

PASOK's leader said that his government after the elections will protect the weak, with emphasis on education and training as the means that will help increase employment.

In addition, he promised radical reforms within public administration that will free resources for local government, so as to reduce problems and friction with the public and liberate the business world in order to bring in new investments.

[03] Poll shows ND's lead over PASOK decreasing to 2.7 pc

An opinion poll carried out by the Metron Analysis company for the Antenna private television channel shows the main opposition New Democracy party 2.7 percentage points ahead of the ruling PASOK party.

The poll gives ND 39 percent, PASOK 36.3, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) 5.5, the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology 3.3, the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) 1.8 and the Democratic Social Movement (DHKKI) 1.1, while the undecided vote amounts to 13 percent.

The gap between the two parties in the company's last poll in early February was 3.7 percentage points in ND's favour and on January 20 2.2 points.

[04] Athens airport gradually back to normal after bad weather

Flight schedules were gradually returning to normal after the disruption caused by a recent bout of bad weather, Athens airport officials said on Monday.

An airport announcement said flights were being carried out normally, with 248 arrivals and 233 departures scheduled for Monday.

There had been 211 arrivals and 220 departures on Sunday.

The announcement said that the problems experienced by the airport after the weather deteriorated on Thursday night were commonplace during extremely bad weather conditions and did not reflect badly on the overall quality of the airport's services.

It quoted London Heathrow and Frankfurt airports as two other major international airports that had been forced to shut down for lengthy periods of time in similar conditions.

The airport also said that passengers were regularly updated on changes in the flight schedule and lastly, expressed regret at the inconvenience experienced by the public using the airport.

[05] PM visits Galatsi Olympic Centre, hails 'Olympic endeavour'

Prime Minister Costas Simitis on Monday paid a visit to the Galatsi Olympic Centre, where the Olympic ping-pong and rhythmic gymnastics events will be held in the summer.

During his tour of the facilities, Simitis said the Olympic Games were a great opportunity for Greece to achieve progress and also a huge responsibility in terms of their success.

''It is our responsibility not to miss this opportunity to promote, highlight and change the country. It is our responsibility to make use of this new infrastructure and the knowhow we have acquired to further develop our economy. We are not progressing into a future of ease and automatic changes. We have before us the choice of either taking our future into our own hands, steadily and more effectively, or to neglect our new abilities, letting them fade and waste away. This will not happen,'' the premier said in a brief address.

[06] Weather Forecast: Snow on Tuesday

Snow is forecast in many parts of the country, especially in the centre and south, with storms at sea. Winds northerly, strong to very strong. Temperatures in Athens 2C to 7C and in Thessaloniki from 1C to 3C. Snow will fall on high ground in Attica, and in low-lying regions of the prefecture's north and east, easing off from late afternoon. Sleet and possibly snow are forecast in the centre of the Greek capital.

[07] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks nose up in bid to consolidate

The Athens bourse finished slightly higher on Monday in a move to consolidate, traders said.

The general share index gained 0.05 percent to end at 2,463.69 points. Turnover was 116.7 million euros.

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks ended 0.14 per cent up; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium capitalisation paper 0.78 per cent lower; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap equities finished with gains of 0.48 percent.

Of stocks traded, declines led advances at 204 to 86 with 61 issues remaining unchanged.

[08] Bond Market Close: Sellers match buyers on Monday

Greek Benchmark 10-Year Bond