Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-12-28

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

CONTENTS

[01] Development minister briefs PM over policy issues

[02] FM Molyviatis: 2005 was a good year for Greece

[03] Macedonia-Thrace, Aegean ministries to stay

[04] PM interviewed by literary magazine 'Diavazo'

[01] Development minister briefs PM over policy issues

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Wednesday met with Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas and was briefed over the ministry's initiatives in 2006.

Speaking to reporters, after the meeting, Sioufas said he presented the ministry's plans to promote large investment projects in the natural gas sector, the signing of a contract to build a natural gas pipeline between the cities of Komotini and Alexandroupoli in Northern Greece and a draft legislation envisaging the creation of an Energy Strategy National Council to be tabled to parliament soon.

The Greek minister briefed the PM over a tender for the supply of 900MW of power in the country by three new private electricity power stations. Sioufas said the tender would be placed for public debate to ensure full transparency and safeguarding the public interest.

Sioufas said the government was publishing, today, a law on deregulating the domestic natural gas market and told reporters he briefed the PM over plans to reform the industrial web in the country through the creation of new industrial zones and supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The Greek minister said ministry and regional authorities were systematically inspecting domestic markets to ensure their smooth operations during the Christmas and New Year season and stressed that the Greek Premier showed particular interest for a series of innovative projects promoted in regional Greece.

[02] FM Molyviatis: 2005 was a good year for Greece

"The year that is coming to a close was a good year for our country. We achieved our (foreign policy) targets, and the country's international position was strengthened. Consequently, in the coming year, we may look forward to a safe and smooth course for Greece on the international scene," Molyviatis said.

Asked whether he would remain in the foreign ministry in the event that a rumoured government reshuffle actually takes place, Molyviatis said "I am not concerned by the reshuffle issue".

Questioned whether he was prepared to leave the ministry if the prime minister requested him to, Molyviatis reiterated that he was not concerned with the reshuffle issue, adding that "everyone accepts the prime minister's decisions".

[03] Macedonia-Thrace, Aegean ministries to stay

"There is no such issue, given that these two ministries received the largest increase (in funding) from all the others in this year's budget," the minister said, adding that statements concerning the upgrading of the Macedonia-Thrace ministry were valid, and portended the course of the two ministries.

Asked whether he would remain at the Macedonia-Thrace ministry after the reshuffle or would find himself in a different post, Tsiartsonis said that this was the exclusive prerogative of prime minister Costas Karamanlis.

Tsiartsonis visited the Hippocration hospital in Thessaloniki on Wednesday morning, where he met with the hospital administration and visited patients, to whom he presented gifts and wished them seasons greetings and a speedy recovery.

He later visited the city's central market, where he met with Thessaloniki mayor Vassilis Papageorgopouos, and exchanges holiday greetings with and hear complaints by consumers and merchants.

Tsiartsionis said the complaints were heard every year, adding that he acknowledged that the difficulties remain, but stressed that the government had a specific policy on tackling high prices on the market, noting that "it is not something that can be corrected with a magic wand", but adding that there was a common effort to achieve the best.

[04] PM interviewed by literary magazine 'Diavazo'

Excerpts from the interview, which is due to appear in the next few days, that were released by the magazine to the Athens News Agency reveal that Karamanlis was brought up on a literary diet of Jules Verne, Greek author Penelope Delta and comic books.

As a student, the Greek prime minister said that he made a great effort to read the major left-wing and revolutionary writers, such as Karl Marx and Che Guevara, even though he did not espouse their philosophy.

Admitting that Marx's "Capital" was tough going, Karamanlis unreservedly recommends it for its valuable insights into social problems of that time, even if not for its conclusions:

"Marx was the first political thinker that applied such sensitivity and great analytical acuity to the major problem of the degradation of the workers of his time. History may have proved that he made a mistake concerning the regulatory, at least, part of his theory. But careful study of his descriptions of the conditions of life of proletariats, and of the roads that a society can take that does not in practice care for its less privileged members is, I believe, necessary reading for all those who, regardless of their ideological starting point, see people at the centre of political action."'

During the interview, the premier also answers questions regarding the government's policies for libraries in schools and local communities, an area that is greatly underdeveloped in Greece, promising an additional 300 school libraries by the end of the year 2006.

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