Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-07-15

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greece slams Gruevski letter

[02] 'Beijing 2008' concert on Tuesday

[03] Photovoltaic power for 15 schools

[01] Greece slams Gruevski letter

Commenting on an official letter sent to Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis by his FYROM counterpart Nikola Gruevski, government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said the latter "repeated the well-known and unacceptable statements regarding non-existent minorities etc., while he (Gruevski) also attempted to raise new obstacles to the ongoing negotiating process on the 'name dispute', taking place in the framework of the United Nations".

The letter was yet another in a series of eyebrow-raising statements made by top FYROM officials that are unacceptable in their tone and content, Roussopoulos stressed, adding that the obstructive, delaying tactics being employed by Skopje's leadership are being exposed on a daily basis for what they are.

"Instead of engaging in this kind of provocative activity and maneuvering, one that leads lengthy negotiating efforts to a deadlock, (the government of) Skopje ought to be trying to convince, through their actions, that they desire to resolve the problem and build good-neighbourly ties with Greece, a neighbouring country that is a member of the European Union and NATO, two institutions that FYROM hopes to join," he added.

The Greek government spokesman underlined that Athens would not be drawn into or participate in any attempt to "divert negotiations from their objective, which is none other than to find a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue."

The prime minister will send a reply to Gruevski's letter within a week, he concluded.

PASOK response

On his part, a spokesman for the main opposition PASOK party called the Gruevski letter to Greece's prime minister as "unworthy of comment", while charging that the Skopje government is merely continuing its pre-election delirium.

Spokesman George Papaconstantinou said the Greek side, including PASOK, had hoped that for a more productive stance by the neighbouring country so that negotiations on the only outstanding issue, namely, the "name dispute", would continue.

Concluding he said Greece should remain adamant over the position of a name with a geographic determinant for all uses.

Caption: ANA-MPA photo of government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos.

[02] 'Beijing 2008' concert on Tuesday

The event is co-sponsored by the Chinese embassy in Greece, part of continuing initiatives ahead of the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and efforts to "celebrate Olympic ties with Greece".

Last week, a branch from a 2,500-year-old olive tree in the village of Vouves, Chania prefecture on the island of Crete, was presented to China to crown the Marathon Race winner of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The mayor of Kolymvari, to which the village belongs administratively, Polychronis Polychronidis, said during the relevant ceremony that the existence of the specific olive tree from which the branch was taken has been traced back to the era that the Olympic Games were established in antiquity.

Caption: Chairman of the Coordination Commission at the International Olympic Committee for the 2008 Beijing Olympics Hein Verbruggen (L), Chinese National People's Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo (C), who recently visited Athens, and Beijing Olympic Games chief Liu Qi raise their arms after unveiling the official emblem for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on August 3. (EPA PHOTO/AP POOL/GREG BAKER)

[03] Photovoltaic power for 15 schools

Kaklamanis commended Development minister Christos Folias, Mousouroulis and their associates for their efforts to create a cleaner, more citizen-friendly environment.

The mayor referred to the protocol of cooperation signed by the Ministry of Development and the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece (KEDKE) concerning the ?iSave? programme, the aim of which is to encourage municipal organizations to conserve energy.

He noted that, with the support of the Centre for Renewable Energy Resources, 15 City of Athens schools will operate on photovoltaic power starting this school year, as part of the municipalityâs endeavour to make Athens greener, more environmentally-friendly and pleasanter for citizens and visitors alike.

Caption: Athens mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis (R) visits the development ministry's mobile exhibition on Renewable Energy Sources. (ANA-MPA)

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