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Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-10-29Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] 1st 'European Left' party Congress begins in AthensThe growth and organised joint action of the European Left is at the centre of concern of the 1st Congress of the "European Left" party which is being hosted by the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (Synaspismos) party at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Athens. The Congress' sessions began on Saturday morning and will conclude on Sunday afternoon. In a greeting to the congress, world renowned Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis underlined that "the Left lost the war in Europe without giving a fight."Wanting to stress the problems currently faced by the left-wing forces in Europe, he underlined:"The Left abandoned the masses of working people, thought and culture to the mercy of the policy of its political rivals, believing that through denouncements, the wheel of history would stop. In essence, it went out of life, believing that through its passive stance it would stop life." Theodorakis said said that the task of the congress is very difficult, noting that "he who will succeed will be the one who analyses and contributes to the modern world which is running at an electronic pace." In his introductory speech, President of the European Left Party Fausto Bertinoti said:"There is an historic need which is becoming all the more apparent:the need for the creation of an alternative society." He added:"The movements are very intensely aware of this and have expressed it with the slogan 'Another world is feasible'." Bertinoti said:"In view of this, a new historic need arises for an alternative society. Europe is called upon to play a protagonist role in this effort. Not the current Europe, but another one. A Europe which bases democracy in its role in the world and on its different economic and social system." Opening the sessions of the congress, Synaspismos leader Alekos Alavanos recognised the difficulties, underlining that "exactly because the difficulties are great, because we have not reached Athens walking quietely in a peacful meadow, but we passed and are passing through inaccessible and remote landscapes, with seismic realignments in the global Left movement, with many times internal differences, friction and quests, our undertaking is great, it is pioneering, it is valuable." According to Alavanos, the Left is re-emerging dynamically in the limelight, propping a new political object, that of the European Left Party, "to convincingly and affectively answer, with alternative and radical proposals in the modern challenges of globalisation." [02] PM Karamanlis holds talks with ministers Sioufas and PavlopoulosDevelopment Minister Dimitris Sioufas and Internal Affairs, Public Administration and Decentralisation Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos had successive meetings with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis at the Maximos Mansion in Athens on Saturday for talks on current issues and matters concerning their ministries. In the coming days, Sioufas will travel to Italy to sign the agreement for the under-sea natural gas pipeline which will link the two countries. On Monday, a meeting will be held in Parliament on foreign policy.[03] KKE Secretary Papariga says party's strategy for youth 'is of utmost importance'Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Secretary Aleka Papariga, opening the sessions on Saturday of the party's two-day Panhellenic Conference on the theme "The action of the Party on the problems of youth. KNE's support", said that the KKE's strategy for youth "is a decisively important factor for the promotion of the Party's strategy." Papariga said that that the KKE "must work with planning, for the rejuvenation of the party's lines and agencies with new blood from the working class and the other popular strata."She noted that "in order to respond to the obligation to act" for the youth, "we must readjust, taking into account the long experience which the Party has and mainly that there are developments and new problems in approaching the youth." She added that "the same applies for the ideological and political guidance and help to KNE (the KKE's youth organisation)." The conference, which is being hjeld at the party's headquarters in the Athens district of Perissos, comes to a close on Sunday. [04] Police seize 82 kilos of cannabis in northern GreeceEighty-two kilos of processed cannabis in 79 packages were found and confiscated by the Edessa Anti-Drugs Squad, following a search they conducted of a truck with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) number plates, which was impounded. As announced by the Pella Police Department in northern Greece, at 00:30 at dawn Saturday, two foreigners were arrested at the Mavrovounio junction of the Thessaloniki-Edessa highway. They were transporting 81.995 kilos of processed cannabis in 79 packages in a crypt of the FYROM number plate truck.A third foreigner was arrested in Thessaloniki who was an accomplice of the other two men. The culprits will be led before the public prosecutor. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |