Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-03-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] Ministers focus on 'digital strategy' for students; latest poll results unveiled

[02] Gov't comments on PASOK policy statements

[03] Metro extension heads for upscale SE seaside

[01] Ministers focus on 'digital strategy' for students; latest poll results unveiled

The government's "digital strategy" in the education sector was discussed on Friday during a meeting between Economy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis and Education Minister Marietta Yiannakou.

The two ministers also discussed implementation of the education ministry's budget, including education sector expenditures in the coming years, discussions that come amid heated debate in the east Mediterranean nation of 11 million on how to improve all levels of education, especially the voluminous but sluggish university and technological colleges sector.

Poll results

Meanwhile, in the latest opinion poll to see publication this week, ruling New Democracy (ND) holds a 3.2-percentage point lead over rival main opposition PASOK party, 36.3 percent to 33.1 percent.

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) was preferred by 7.7 percent of respondents, followed by the out-of-Parliament Popular Orthodox Rally (LA.OS) with 3.7 percent and the Coalition of the Left (Synaspismos), 3.1 percent. The level of undecided reached 14.8 percent.

Moreover, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis leads PASOK leader George Papandreou by 18.4 points on the question of who is more capable to hold the premier's post, 47.9 percent for the former to Papandreou's 29.5 percent.

The poll, conducted by the firm MRB for a private Athens television station, was held between Feb. 26 and Feb. 28 on a nationwide sample of 1,000 respondents via telephone interview.

Caption: FinMin George Alogoskoufis, left, meets with Education Minister Marietta Yiannakou in Athens on Friday, March 2, 2007. ANA-MPA / M. Kiaou.

[02] Gov't comments on PASOK policy statements

Alogoskoufis said PASOK's platform was "just words" that cannot be translated into deeds, adding that the cost of the pledges made, estimated at 10 billion euros, outmatch revenues from direct taxation.

He added that PASOK did not say, however, where it would find the necessary funds and added that if PASOK goes ahead with its pledges it will have to raise the deficit back to its 2004 levels, at 8 percent of GDP, or resort to imposing higher taxes, thus repeating the practice of its last decade in power.

Alogoskoufis stressed characteristically that the invisible side of Papandreou's proposals is the imposition of unbearable taxation.

Souflias, in a separate statement, characterised PASOK's programme as vague pre-election pledges and rejected PASOK's intention to create an environment ministry, separate from today's environment, town planning and public works ministry.

Souflias underlined that Greece is following a course of development as a result of the major public works which are under construction or in the process of planning and stressed that all necessary measures are being taken for the protection of the environment. He also referred to the E65 national motorway in central Greece, stating characteristically that a total of 100 million euros have been earmarked for the protection of the brown bear in the region. Each bear in Metsovo, northwest Greece, has cost us one million euros, Souflias stated.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of FinMin George Alogoskoufis.

[03] Metro extension heads for upscale SE seaside

A tunnel-boring machine used in the project was named "Ninis" after 17-year-old Panathinaikos Athens FC football player Sotiris Ninis, in the hope, according to Panathinaikos supporter Souflias, that it will display the "same mastery, speed and efficiency" as the young football star.

"Ninis" will be used in the opening of the tunnel from Helliniko to the Aghios Dimitrios station, part of the Line 2 extension to Helliniko, a project expected to be completed in a year and a half.

Souflias said construction of the Line 2 extension to Helliniko was proceeding according to schedule, and that construction work was underway simultaneously at 14 construction sites, with a total of 500 workers employed.

Caption: A view of the tunnel boring machine at the Helliniko worksite in southeast Athens on Friday, March 2, 2007. ANA-MPA / P. Saitas.

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