Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-10-04

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK leader attacks PM over teachers' strike

[02] Site for Modern Art Museum earmarked

[03] Russian markets to open for Greek wines

[01] PASOK leader attacks PM over teachers' strike

Papandreou said Karamanlis was responsible for ensuring that schools reopened in such a way that teachers did not feel defeated by the outcome.

PASOK's leader called for dialogue "with common values, common goals and relations of respect and trust" to resolve the problems.

According to Papandreou, the prime minister had swung from a pre-electoral slide into populism to a path of intransigency and autocracy while in power, and from high-flung rhetoric about equality to systematically supporting injustice and favouritism for party cronies and the powerful after the elections.

For New Democracy, the economy had unlimited leeway for its own and the powerful few but none at all for working people, he added.

The teachers' indignation was justified and was a result of their having been led on by the government, while the premier was refusing to meet them, Papandreou said.

During his address to the PASOK parliamentary coordinators, the main opposition leader criticised the government's performance on a broad range of issue, from foreign policy to economics, accusing it of mismanagement and apathy.

(ANA-MPA file photo of Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) leader George Papandreou)

[02] Site for Modern Art Museum earmarked

The minister said the museum will occupy at building at the junction of Ardittou and Markou Mousouri streets, after modification to land use regulations that currently allow only homes and offices in the area.

"By my order, environment ministry services carried out the necessary studies, on the basis of which it was found that the required modifications to the Town Plan were possible so as to allow the Museum of Modern Art to be housed in this building," Souflias said.

The plan had also been approved by the Central Council of Town Planning, Residences and Environment, which had unanimously approved the building's use as a cultural centre provided that there were 74 parking spaces provided.

According to Souflias, 60 parking spaces had been found within the building and another 14 in an adjacent building, so that only the permission of the Athens municipality remained pending in order for the issue to be finalised.

(ANA-MPA file photo of Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister George Souflias)

[03] Russian markets to open for Greek wines

The meeting was also attended by Greek wine makers and officials from the ministries of foreign affairs, economy, development on both sides, as well as representatives of the Hellenic Foreign Trade Board (HEPO).

The meeting was held one day before the arrival of Russian premier Mikhail Fradkov in Athens and sought to assess the results of the work done over the past year, since the visit to Russia by the largest business delegation ever sent by Greece in September 2005, in which 170 Greek businesses were represented.

Greek exports to Russia rose 24 percent in the first half of 2006, officials reported, while tourism from Russia is estimated to have increased 100 percent after the summer, after increasing by 41.8 percent in the first half of 2006. Investments are also increasing rapidly in both Russia and Greece, led by the energy sector and the imminent construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline.

As a first step in the bid to break into the Russian wine market, HEPO announced an event to promote Greek medium and high-quality wines in Moscow on November 28-29, with the participation of 20-25 wine-making companies.

Stylianidis expressed satisfaction with the progress made over the past year to Gordeyev, stressing that Greece and Russia were building up "strong economic cooperation", while the Russian minister noted that the two countries had succeeded in "changing the development of their economic relations in a positive direction" and to build up ever increasing trust in each other.

The meeting between Fradkov and Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Thursday would confirm the excellent climate in their relations and give a new boost for reaching their targets, Stylianidis added.

The Greek minister also expressed conviction that outstanding problems between Greece and Russia would be led to resolution, such as the agreement in April for Russian overdue debts to Greece that would be finally settled during the Russian premier's visit, or the solution of problems faced by Greek companies based in Russia, among them Karelias, Hellascom and Chipita.

Other issues addressed by Stylianidis were plans initiated at the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) organisation to construct a ring road dubbed the 'Road of the Argonauts' that will circle the Black Sea, beginning and end in the northern Greek city of Alexandroupolis - a project proposed by Greece and agreed on at a BSEC transport ministers' meeting with Russia in the chair.

He pointed out that such a road would coincide with an electric power ring described by Russian President Vladimir Putin and, in conjunction with the pipeline network, will create a unified and strong Black Sea market that will boost trade and tourism.

(ANA-MPA file photo of Deputy Foreign Minister Evripidis Stylianidis)

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