Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-07-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM meets education minister, DISY leader

[02] Bakoyannis in London for talks on Thursday

[03] Pollutants feared as landfill fire burns on

[01] PM meets education minister, DISY leader

Yannakou told reporters after the meeting that she briefed the prime minister on the actions taken in the sector of education and the visits she and her associates were making to different parts of the country, adding that the approximately 40 million school books for the new scholastic year are ready and teaching personnel appointments and transfers have been made this year earlier than any other time.

Yannakou also referred to the Technological Education Institutions (TEI) issue created after the decision to change entry criteria and adopt a passing grade of 10/20 in entrance examinations, stressing that the TEI professors are in favor of the evaluation and upgrading of the education process.

On the education draft law debate, Giannakou stated that dialogue will continue and will be exhaustive, underlining that public consultation is the only way to have composition of views.

Prime minister meets with Cyprus DISY party leader

Karamanlis met Thursday with Cyprus main opposition Democratic Rally (DISY) party leader Nicos Anastasiades, with whom he discussed the latest developments in the Cyprus issue.

Anastasiades, who is holding a series of meetings with government and political party leaders in Athens, told reporters after the meeting that he had explained his thoughts and concerns on the development of the Cyprus issue to Karamanlis, adding that the prime minister "always listens to the views with understanding and, adhering to a policy of suuport for the positions of the Greek Cypriot side, does everything that can possibly be done".

The DISY leader warned that, as time went by, the faits accomplis were being consolidated and rendered irreversible, with repercussions on the security of the Cypriot Hellenism.

Asked whether the Annan plan should be reactivated, or whether some parts of it should be utilised, Anastasiades said that there were important elements that could be taken advantage of in the proposals put forward at various times by the United Nations, adding that those proposals, regardless of what some sides thought, would always remain "on the table" and comprise the basis for negotiation.

Asked to comment on a recent statement by Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on "political equality", Anastasiades reminded that the Greek Cypriot side has accepted this principle since 1990-91, and did not comprise a "demand" by Erdogan.

He clarified that "when we speak of political equality, we are always speaking on the basis of a federation".

The DISY leader, who met separately on Wednesday with foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis and Greek main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou, is due to be received on Friday by President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias.

[02] Bakoyannis in London for talks on Thursday

Bakoyannis was due to meet separately with British minister for Europe Geoff Hoon, to discuss EU enlargement, Turkey's EU course and the Cyprus issue, followed by a working lunch at Lancaster House with her British counterpart, foreign secretary Margaret Beckett, for talks on European affairs, the Cyprus issue, and mainly the situation in the Middle Est.

Bakoyannis will outline Greece's positions and the role that the country can play in various areas of confronting the crisis in Leganon.

The Greek foreign minister is accompanied by her deputy minister in charge of European affairs Yannis Valynakis, foreign ministry European affairs department chief T. Stamatopoulos, ambassador V. Pispinis, who is to take on the helm of the Greek embassy in London, ruling New Democracy party MP Costas Kiltidis, who chairs parliament's inter-party committee on narcotics, and the directors of Bakoyannis' and Valynakis' political offices.

Bakoyannis, Valynakis and their delegation attended a dinner in their honour hosted Tuesday night by outgoing Greek ambassador to Britain Anastasios Skopelitis.

[03] Pollutants feared as landfill fire burns on

"The samples we are collecting will be sent to 'Democritus' (research facility) and, once the results are back, we will be able to assess the situation. In the meantime, we are advising all sheep and cattle farmers and the owners of poultry-farming units to avoid free-range grazing, to confine animals in enclosed spaces, to avoid using free-range animals to supply dairy products and to use animal feed originating outside the affected area," the head of the Thessaloniki Prefecture Animal Hygiene department Evangelos Trelopoulos said.

The prefecture was also making arrangements with the agricultural compensation fund ELGA for farmers whose produce was deemed unfit for consumption, officials added, while the Central Macedonia Region Authority had been asked to contribute funds to deal with the crisis caused by the fire.

This included the cost of removing topsoil contaminated by leachate in the Aghia Paraskevi area near the landfill, they said.

Meanwhile, earthworks to cover the refuse and put out the fire in the landfill were continuing. Experts explained that the only way to extinguish the blaze was to cover it with soil so that no oxygen could get through.

"We have united the roads from the east and west flanks of the fire and now the machinery is working intensively, the president of the Greater Thessaloniki Local Authority Organisation Association Yiannis Zournas said, noting that the fire was now down to one third of its original size.

He said the fire should be completely out by Sunday, except in a lake of leachate that was 20 metres deep and presented additional difficulties.

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