Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-12-09

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

CONTENTS

[01] Government has lost people's confidence

[02] Ministers examine compensation for destroyed business premises

[03] There is an outlet, through struggles

[04] Athens Stock Exchange : Rise

[01] Government has lost people's confidence

The PASOK leader said that the government has lost the confidence of the Greek people, adding that he told Karamanlis that the citizens were suffering a multiple crisis, "an economic crisis, a social crisis, a crisis of the institutions, a crisis of values", which the government was unable to confront.

PASOK, he said, as the main opposition party today and as the future government, guaranteed a just state that would protect the rights of the Greek people.

Everyone shared the young generation's indignation and rage over the death of 15-year-old Alexandros, Papandreou said, but added that this rage was not identified with the scenes of violence of the past few days, "which we condemn".

Papandreou called for a joint campaign against violence, for a humane society.

"In every democracy, there are no dead-ends. The people will give the solution," he added.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou

[02] Ministers examine compensation for destroyed business premises

[03] There is an outlet, through struggles

Papariga was briefed by the premier in the aftermath of three nights of rioting in Athens and other cities across the country that erupted after the shooting death of a 15-year-old pupil by police on Saturday night in the Athens district of Exarhia. Karamanlis earlier briefed the President of the Republic on the situation, and was holding similar briefings with political party leaders and parliament president Dimitris Sioufas throughout the day.

Papariga said a big storm was ahead due to the (global financial) crisis and, on the pretext of the crisis, in pensions, social security and workers' rights.

That, Papariga said, was the answer to what was taking place today: a mass, guarded movement that has no need of the "supposed protection by the Security Corps".

The KKE secretary general said that her party does not "identify the justifed rage and indignation over the death of the young pupil with the hard-core of the hooded individuals", noting that the nucleus of the hooded individuals has emerged from within the state authority and was useful for slandering and breaking the popular movement. "I don't know if they've become something like the Taliban, in other words are out of control," she added.

On a KKE-organized protest rally over the teen's death on Monday night, Papariga said that an attempt was made of involvement with the hooded individuals "but they did not succeed", referring to an attempted attack against the Thessaloniki offices of the KKE parlaimentary group in the city center by a group of hooded anti-establishment youths who had broken off from the main demonstration, but were averted from entering the premises by party members and friends who were guarding the building.

Papariga also called on the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) parliamentary alliance leadership to stop "caressing the ears of the hooded inviduals", looking ahead to "elections, cushions or chairs (positions)", but clarified that she does not identify the SYRIZA leadership with the hooded individuals.

Questioned on the prospect of early general elections, Papariga said that if and when elections were held, they should result from a rise in the class struggle because "if they take place under conditions of violence and suppression, not much will come out of them".

She further warned that many times a chance incident could be exploited by "various circles", referring to the 15-year-old's death, and clarified that the killing had not been premeditated, but also noting that "the training of the police forces is not at all incidental".

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Communist Party of Greece leader Aleka Papariga

[04] Athens Stock Exchange : Rise

Individual sector indices were moving mostly upward, with the biggest gains in Food & Beverage, up 1.52 percent; Travel and Recreation, up 1.22 percent; and Telecoms, up 1.14 percent.

The biggest losses were in Insurance, down 2.09 percent; Industrial Products, down 0.90 percent; and Oil and Gas, down 0.86 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was up 0.35 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was up 0.02 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was down 0.66 percent.

Of the stocks moved, 67 were up, 56 were down, and 38 were unchanged.

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