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Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-10-04
CONTENTS
[01] Papandreou resumes sharp attack on gov't; targets budget,
EU-Turkey talks
[01] Papandreou resumes sharp attack on gov't; targets budget,
EU-Turkey talks
Main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou on Tuesday returned with
the latest in a series of sharp attacks against the government, this
time from Parliament, where he addressed his partyâs Parliamentary
group.
Papandreou, who was foreign minister in the previous Simitis
government, mostly centred his criticism on the recently revealed draft
budget for 2005 and Athensâ response to Turkeyâs European prospects and
the start of EU-Turkey accession negotiations.
The PASOK leader said the 2005 budget was an unfounded document, since
the price of oil, interest rates and government plans for the
securitisation of debt were all ?up in the air?. Along those lines, he
said it was premature to bank on the EU Commission's approval of the
securitisation plan, while again charging that the governmentâs
economic policy benefited the few and harmed the many.
Regarding the last-minute deal on Monday allowing the commencement of
EU-Turkey accession talks on the October 3 starting date, Papandreou
included criticisms of Athensâ role in the negotiation process, or, as
he charged, Greeceâs lack of substantive involvement.
Nevertheless, he defended his governmentâs role in developing the
?Helsinki criteria? applied to Turkeyâs EU prospects, while again
saying PASOK supports the neighboring countryâs European orientation.
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