Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-02-11

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM meets Development Min.

[02] Tsipras new SYN leader, new CPC elected

[03] AIA presents 2007 awards

[01] PM meets Development Min.

Earlier, Karamanlis received Archbishop of Albania Anastassios

On Friday, Karamanlis reiterated in Parliament for "Collective interest lies changes and reforms," replying to a question tabled by Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) leader Alekos Alavanos "on the privatisations of public enterprises and organisations, personnel dismissals, etc.", as the latter's question read.

Referring to reactions against privatisations, Karamanlis said everyone was free to choose his own path:

"It is the inalienable right of working people to demand, to strike, to conduct mobilisations; but violence is no one's right, extremes and extreme actions are in on one's interest, and no one can employ undemocratic practices. It is a matter of social responsibility and, ultimately, a matter of democracy," he said.

Karamanlis also accused Alavanos and SYRIZA of "barren rejection to everything, without presenting a proposal and without contributing to the achievement of solutions".

He said privatisations aimed at boosting healthy competition, tackling deficits that burden taxpayers, and taking advantage of Greece's geographical position.

The premier reiterated the government's commitment to "fully ensure, in every instance, the rights of all the working people" at the Thessaloniki and Piraeus port authorities and in Olympic Airways.

"We will not overlook the workers' interests. We will not aid monopolistic situations. But neither will we stop the reforms that are necessary for the country to move forward. We will not forget the taxpayers who are paying. This is our commitment," he said.

Alavanos accused the government of undermining the public sector, and called on the people to back his leftist party's new governmental proposal, "which believes in the development of the public sector", something and was outlined on Thursday at the opening session of his party's 5th congress.

He asked the prime minister whether he would advise a small-scale businessman to sell his profitable enterprise and, if not, then why was he selling all the prime companies of the public sector. He also asked whether the prime minister would advise a businessman to sell his business in the event that he found out that its manager was stealing, referring to the Siemens kickbacks case.

Alavanos further spoke of a "schizophrenic" situation when, on the one hand, increases in the retirement ages are planned in the framework of social security reforms, and on the other, procedures regarding the ports, the rail utility and the stock exchange provided for "voluntary exodus" (voluntary early retirements).

Replying to Alavanos, Karamanlis said SYRIZA could not on the one hand make charges of "morbid phenomena" while on the other oppose every reform that aimed at tackling such instances.

He said that populism did not help the situation, nor did a reactionary behaviour, adding also that there was no validity to claims that privatisations meant a deterioration of services and increase in prices.

Quite the contrary, he added, citing as an example the effects of liberalisation in the telecoms sectors, where prices fell and the quality of services increased, along with the creation of new jobs that ensued.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Greek PM Costas Karamanlis.

[02] Tsipras new SYN leader, new CPC elected

According to the results of the Central Committee election released in the early morning hours of Monday, the current SYN secretary Nikos Hountis topped the ballot with 49.04 percent, followed by MP Panayotis Lafazanis with 48.87 percent and MP Yannis Dragassakis with 48.79 percent, all from the "Left Unity" faction.

"Left Unity" was once again the dominant trend in SYN, electing 76 members to the Central Political Committee.

Second was the "Renovative Wing" faction, which elected 37 members, of which MP Michalis Papayannakis was the top candidate with 34.31 percent and Eurodeputy Dimitris Papadimoulis was second with 32.13 percent.

Third was the "Initiative" faction, which elected four members, of which George Helakis was the leading candidate with 20.08 percent, followed by the Ypervasi (Transcendence) faction with three members, of which Costas Poulakis was the leading candidate with 20.33 percent, one Independent, Dimitris Pafilis, who amassed 19.16 percent, and the "Regional Rally of the Central Political Committee against Mechanisms" also elected one member, Angelos Tombalidis, who received 2.51 percent.

Election of new party leader

Alexis Tsipras, the 34-year-old Political Secretariat member responsible for education and youth affairs, was on Sunday elected the new leader of the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (SYN) party, with an overwhelming majority of 70.41 percent, at the close of the party's 5th Congress.

The second of the two candidates for the party leadership was 60-year-old veteran Left politician and MP Fotis Kouvelis.

Tsipras was elected with 70.41 percent.

Out of a total of 1,196 votes, Tsipras received 841, against 342 votes for Kouvelis, while 11 blank ballots were cast and 3 were invalid.

Main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou telephoned Tsipras on Sunday night to congratulate him on his election.

Earlier, PASOK press spokesman Yannis Ragoussis issued a statement congratulating Tsipras, and expressing hope that he will contribute to the Greek people's struggle against the government of prime minister Costas Karamanlis.

Ruling New Democracy (ND) central committee secretary Lefteris Zagorits on Sunday afternoon sent a message of congratulations to Tsipras, and wished him strength, and success in his endeavors.

Caption: New leader of Synaspismos (Coalition of the Left Movements and Ecology) Alexis Tsipras.ANA-MPA/KATERINA MAVRONA

[03] AIA presents 2007 awards

The Best Performing New Airline Award was awarded to SkyEurope for recording in 2007 the highest passenger traffice numbers among all newcomers that launched scheduled operations to and from AIA during 2006.

The Best of the Top-10 Airlines Awards went to EasyJet as the overall fastest growing airline operating at AIA in 2006, among the 10 airlines that recorded the highest traffic volumes, and to Uzbekistan Airways for achieving the highest percentage annual passenger growth in 2007.

The Fastest Growing Airline Awards per geographical region were awarded to Germanwings for the Western Europe region, Aeroflot-Russian Airlines for the Eastern Europe region (also the 2006 winner for the same category), Qatar Airways for the Middle East region, Olympic Airlines for the America region, Thai Airways for the Asia region (also the 2006 winner for the same category), Egypt Air for the Africa region, and Aegean Arilines for the domestic market (also the 2006 winner in the same category).

Aegean Airlines was also awarded for presenting the highest passenger volumes increase at Athens International Airport in 2007 (also the 2006 winner in the same category).

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Athens International Airport 'Eleftherios Venizelos'.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article