Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-12-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greek, Bulgarian presidents to inaugurate Friendship Tunnel at new border crossing

[02] Maniatakis takes over as acting DEH president

[03] New Athens Metro line proposal

[04] Chinese interest in cargo transit centre on Crete

[01] Greek, Bulgarian presidents to inaugurate Friendship Tunnel at new border crossing

The two Presidents will meet in the middle of the road tunnel, which has been named the Greek-Bulgarian Friendship Tunnel, for the inauguration ceremony. Earlier in the day, deputy foreign minister Evrypides Stylianidis and his Bulgarian counterpart will sign the relevant inter-state agrement.

The new Ilinden-Exochi border crossing will link Drama with the neigbouring Bulgarian city of Goce Delcev. The construction of the tunnel was necessary in order to protect a rare species of bears, the brown bear or ursus arctos, that lives and reproduces in the area, specifically Rodopi.

Environmental organisations had taken recourse against the initial plans for the construction of a road link, without a tunnel, warning it would have negative repercussions to reproduction in the bear population. The tunnel was added in the revised plan for the link, thus solving the problem. The tunnel was constructed with 10 million euros financing from the European Union.

The initial agreement for the opening of the new border crossing was signed in 1995. It is the first of three new border checkpoints between Greece and Bulgaria provided for in the bilateral agreement, aimed at alleviating congestion at the other busy border posts between the two countries.

The other two future border crossings will connect Komotini with Kurdzhali, and Xanthi with Rudozem.

[02] Maniatakis takes over as acting DEH president

In a morning statement, Maniatakis was reassuring on the course of the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) listed DEH stock, and of the company itself.

[03] New Athens Metro line proposal

The new line, whose studies can be ready in 5-6 years time according to estimates by the Attiko Metro company, will pass from the regions of Kypseli, the Court houses, the University, Kolonaki, Evangelismos, Kesariani, Zografou, Katehaki, Filothei and the Olympic Stadium.

Revenues for the new project will be obtained from the conversion of future revenues into securities from the exploitation of the Attica Motorway.

[04] Chinese interest in cargo transit centre on Crete

"There is intense interest from China and from Chinese companies for the development of a joint investment with Greece and the creation of a new port station in Crete, which would have the size of Piraeus," Kefaloyiannis said. "About one million containers will arrive at the port annually."

Recently, the chairman of the China Shipping Group, Li Ke Lin, wrote to the government after a tour of the southern Aegean island and other Mediterranean and European countries, saying that Crete would make an excellent location for a centre to cover eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Adriatic, due to its location.

"The investment will proceed immediately, and we are studying the possibility of making it through a government-to-government agreement between Greece and China...The port will be in Tymbaki, on the southern coast of Crete," the minister said.

Ke Lin, who headed the nine-member delegation to sound out Crete for a port, is also deputy president of China Shipping Container Line Co Ltd.

"Due to a dizzying rise in the volume of China Shipping's containers, and in the company's services based in the Far East and the Mediterranean, creation of a transit centre in the Mediterranean is an item on our agenda," Ke Lin said in his recent letter to Kefaloyiannis and released by the ministry.

Also taking part in the trip were the chairman of China Shipping Europe (Holding) Co Ltd, Yu Zenggang; the head of the China Shipping Group's Mediterranean office, Zhu Jinze; and executives of the Hongkong International Terminal.

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