Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-02-04

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM briefed by Transport Minister

[02] Kouvelis' press conference

[03] PM, FM receive Eur. Jewish Con.

[04] Antiquity smuggling arrests

[01] PM briefed by Transport Minister

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Hatzidakis said that the establishment of a coordinating inter-ministerial committee, chaired by himself, and the hiring of a privatisation advisor for OA, would be announced within the week.

The target, he said, was to find a viable solution by the end of the year, adding that "we all want the circles (the OA emblem representing the continents of the world) and the name (Olympic), but we don't want the debts".

He said he further briefed the prime minister on the planned expansions in the public transport routes in the major cities, and chiefly Athens.

Hatzigakis said that the tram's extension to Piraeus would be completed by 2010, while the expansion of the suburban railway (proastiakos) to Keratea and Lavrio would be completed by 2012, and the ISAP train's expansion from the Kifissia terminal to the National Highway would be completed by 2014.

Regarding the pilot extension of the Athens Metro's running hours to 2:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, Hatzidakis said that the government insisted on a two-month trial period. He noted that the government had held dialogue with the relevant unions, adding that the measure had been appliced with success during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, "and there's no reason why it shouldn't be applied again".

The Minister called on the unions to participate in the committee that will appraise the pilot application of the extended hours, warning that it would be a mistake for them to isolate themselves from the social whole.

In every democratic country, it is the government that decides, Hatzigakis continued, referring to the expanded Metro hours.

The Minister said that he further briefed karamanlis on the so-called "green transports" (introduction of bio-fuels, hybrid taxis, etc.).

On the prospect of offering incentives for the withdrawal of old-technology cars from circulation, Hatzigakis said that the issue was currently under discussion and examination, and also concerned the environment and finance ministries, but added that there was no such prospect for the next few months.

Caption:ANA-MPA file photo of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis

[02] Kouvelis' press conference

Kouvelis said that corruption undermined politics and rendered it vulnerable to manipulation "guardianship", while it also harms the cohesion of society, which is also burdened by the problems accumulated from the government's neo-liberal policy.

Corruption, he continued, has become a structural element of the political system, and therefore its confrontation must be primarily political.

He said that the Siemens scandal has been added to the Zachopoulos affair, calling for political confrontation of both the issues, adding that political confrontation could not be substituted by judicial confrontation "which the government invokes in order to justify its refusal to accept the establishment of a fact-finding comission or parliamentary investigation by parliament's institutions and transparency committee".

Turning to his candidacy for the SYN leadership and the policy that needed to be followed by the party, Kouvelis said that SYN needed to proceed immediately to policy renewal. A modern radical and renovative Left must be a protagonist, through a strengthening of its presence, in the formulation of a new social and political majority, he said.

It did not suffice for SYN to criticise the New Democracy and PASOK governments. Rather, SYN must propose central policy priorities for the country, he said.

It was of central importance that SYN take advantage of its rising popularity, as manifested in the last general elections and was continuing, Kouvelis said, adding that the citizens demanded a reply to the country's political problem, and the answer was a progressive alternative solution removed from the bipartisanism and neo-liberalism.

Caption: Synaspismos leadership candidate Fotis Kouvelis on Mon. 4 Feb. during a press conference held in Athens. ANA-MPA/PANTELIS SAITAS

[03] PM, FM receive Eur. Jewish Con.

Afterwards, the EJC delegation met with Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis.

In the evening, Bakoyannis is scheduled to address an event marking the National Day of Remembrance of the Greek Jews who perished during the Holocaust. The event will be held at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron).

Bakoyannis will represent the Greek government, while President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias will also be attending.

The event is organised jointly by the Athens prefecture, the Central Jewish Council of Greece and the Jewish communities of Athens and Thessaloniki.

Caption: Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyiannis (3L) meets the President of European Jewish Congress Moshe Kantar (2L) the general secretary Serge Cwajgenbaum (L) and the President of Central Israeli Committee of Greece Moses Constantini (R) on Mon.4 Feb.2008 at the Foreign Ministry.ANA-MPA/SYMELA PANTZARTZI

[04] Antiquity smuggling arrests

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