Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-09-28

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

CONTENTS

[01] Development minister Sioufas to discuss energy issues on US visit

[02] Int'l conference on poet Yannis Ritsos

[03] Greek business delegation arrives in Moscow

[04] US ambassador in Athens refers to Cyprus issue during Washington event

[01] Development minister Sioufas to discuss energy issues on US visit

Sioufas was due to meet with Council on Competitiveness president Deborah Wince-Smith, followed by talks with deputy secretary of energy Clay Sell.

He will also meet with Senator Paul Sarbanes (Dem-Maryland), who is of Greek descent, deputy assistant secretary for energy Paul Simons, and small business administration director Hector Barreto.

At dawn on Thursday (Greek time) Sioufas was due to leave for Chicago, where he would attend a symposium on Technology and Investment in Greece.

On Friday, Sioufas would fly to New York, for the last stop on his US visit.

[02] Int'l conference on poet Yannis Ritsos

The conference, which opens Wednesday, will run to October 1. Greek and foreign specialists on Ritsos' poetry will be taking part in the conference, which includes readings of his poems.

Ritsos was born in Monemvassia, in the south-eastern Peloponnese, in 1909 and died in Athens in 1990. One of modern Greece's most widely translated poets, Ritsos moved from an early concern with classical themes and style to a more deeply personal lyricism. His writing reflects family tragedies, a stay in a tuberculosis ward, and his political activities with the Greek communist movement that earned him periods of deportation and house arrest.

Yannis Ritsos received the Lenin Order award in 1977.

[03] Greek business delegation arrives in Moscow

The sessions of the 5th Joint Interministerial Committee will begin on Wednesday with addresses by the two presiding delegates, Russian Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordiev and Stylianidis. Addresses by Basiakos and Folias will follow.

A business conference will take place at Moscow's Chamber of Commerce shortly afterwards and statements by the President of the Russian Federation's Chamber of Commerce and Industry Yevgeni Primakov and the Greek deputy foreign minister will follow.

[04] US ambassador in Athens refers to Cyprus issue during Washington event

The round-table discussion was organised by Johns Hopkins University's Washington-based School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Ries also noted that support of Turkey's course towards the European Union has been his country's standing policy for years now, adding that such an incorporation would be beneficial for Turkey itself and the Union, including Greece and Cyprus.

Moreover, he praised Athens' stance vis-a-vis the pending EU-Turkey negotiations, noting that Greek leadership over the recent previous supported Cyprus' objections while at the same time backing the commencement of Ankara's accession talks with the 25-member bloc.

Ries added that both the current Karamanlis government as well as the previous Simitis government made the strategic choice of backing Turkey's EU accession prospect because it serves Greece's national interests. Additionally, he cited what he called the Karamanlis government's "positive stance" regarding the Annan peace plan in March 2004.

Returning to the Cyprus issue, he said efforts towards a resolution must continue to evolve within the United Nations' framework, and not land in the EU's lap. He said the UN has dealt with the Cyprus problem continuously for the past 30 years, has issued resolutions on the matter and includes third parties, such as the United States, active in efforts to find a solution to the island republic's division.

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