Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-08-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] Prime Minister Karamanlis confers with FinMin on economy, NSRF and tax evasion bills

[02] Justice minister on drug-related deaths in prisons

[01] Prime Minister Karamanlis confers with FinMin on economy, NSRF and tax evasion bills

Growth in the first quarter of the year stood at 4.6 percent, Alogoskoufis said, noting that, according to existing data, it was running at the same rate in the second quarter of the year as well, while unemployment had fallen to 8.4 percent.

Alogoskoufis further noted that the draft law on utilisation of the EU funds earmarked for Greece and implementation of the country's National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) covering the period 2007-2013, which was approved by the Inner Cabinet on Wednesday during a meeting chaired by Karamanlis, would be tabled in parliament later Thursday.

He said that the NSRF would boost the country's development, while a bill on tax evasion that was tabled in parliament on Wednesday would result in 'healthy revenues" for the budget.

At the same time, a bill on the National Social Cohesion Fund was also being advanced.

Questioned on the timing of the next general elections, prompted by ongoing rumors that early elections would be called, Alogoskoufis replied: "The government is implementing its programme, and the elections will be held as foreseen under the Constitution".

[02] Justice minister on drug-related deaths in prisons

Papaligouras, currently in Thessaloniki, has called an extraordinary meeting later in the day at the Korydallos prison complex, near Piraeus, to be chaired by ministry secretary general Panayotis Panouris and attended by ministry and penitentiary officials, to investigate the causes and seek ways of prevention of drug-related deaths of prison inmates, prompted Wednesday's death of a Korydallos inmate on Wednesday.

The justice minister on Wendesday night ordered a Sworn Administrative Inquiry (EDE) into the death earlier in the day of a 29-year-old Greek national detained at Korydallos pending trial on narcotics-related charges. The inmate was found comatose in his prison cell from narcotic substances, but died later at the prison's hospital facility despite doctors' efforts to revive him.

Speaking Thursday, Papaligouras said: "We are not turning a blind eye to a problem that exists both inside and outside the prisons. We care about the, unfortunately many, incarcerated fellow human beings whose dependence on narcotics dually denies them their freedom".

"Never before has such a broad and coordinated effort in support of the drug addict inmates has been made," the minister added.

He explained that the Inmates Detox Centre in Elaiona, Thebes, has been reinforced with specialised personnel, while a section of the new prison facility in Trikala has been converted into a detox facility that will be fully operational by the end of the year.

Also, the operation of a detox consulting programmes has been approved, and the programmes will be in operation in all the correctional facilities throughout the country in cooperation with the KETHEA (Therapy Centre for Dependent Individuals), with which the ministry has signed a relevant agreement, Papaligouras said, adding that an improved programme for daily psychological support and detoxification has been introduced at the Korydallos complex, in both the men's and the women's prisons.

Further, he continued, the ministry has also set up the private law legal body Epanodos ('Re-Entry', aimed at the prisoners' social rehabilitation after their release from prison, which operates under the Justice ministry's supervision), whose activities also include theorganisation of support programmes for drug addicted inmates and released inmates, as well as their families, aiming at their ren-entry into society.

"Every death of an addicted inmate in the prisons is mourned by our correctional system, which is making super-human efforts -- although not always successfull -- to block narcotics being brought into the prisons, mainly by addicted inmates returning from leaves, who devise unthinkable methods inside as well. We are not complacent, nor do we resort to facile rhetoric. We are confronting the problem methodically and in substance," Papaligouras said.

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