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Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-04-01Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Inner Cabinet takes decisions ahead of NATO summitPrime minister Costas Karamanlis chaired a meeting of the Inner Cabinet on Tuesday for discussion of developments in the FYROM name issue and a crucial NATO summit that opens in Bucharest on Wednesday.Speaking to reporters after the meeting, foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis that the Inner Cabinet session was held in preparation of the NATO summit, adding that all the facts were analysed and the final decisions taken. Replying to questions on the Greek positions and prospect of Greece vetoing a NATO invitation for membership to FYROM, Bakoyannis said that Greece's positions were well-known and on record, and had also been stated in parliament and to all the political party leaders. She said that the Greek government "is commencing this difficult process, having the country's political forces, in their entirety, at its side, with the same goals and the same prerequisites". Meanwhile, replying to press questions earlier, environment, town planning and public works minister George Souflias said that the effort for finding a viable and mutually acceptable solution to the FYROM name issue "cannot be one-sided, in other words only by Greece". "Greece, I believe, has done everything possible for a mutually acceptable and viable solution to be found. But there are boundaries that cannot be exceeded," Souflias said, adding that "we have reached the 'red line', and from here on we cannot make any other efforts". In a separate statement, ruling New Democracy (ND) former leader Miltiades Evert stressed that "at the tiime when efforts are being made for finding a compromise solution to the Skopje name issue, the neighboring people of Skopje are provoking in the most unethical way, offending ournational symbol and our country's prime minister with montaged pictures, disregarding Greece's sacrifices and struggles against nazism". With this attitude, he warned, the people of FYROM "reveal that they are not mature (ready) to accede NATO and the European Union". [02] Greek painting exhibitionTourism Development Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos, on a visit to China heading a tourism ministry and a Greek National Tourism Organization, GNTO, delegation, inaugurated a Greek painting exhibition at the Greek House in Beijing featuring 31 paintings by Botsoglou, Testis, Moschos and Roris, among others. Important agreements were reached during the Greek delegation's visit to Shanghai. A memorandum of cooperation was signed by the GNTO and the municipality of Shanghai which was invited to participate in the Philoxenia 2008 tourism exhibition. Moreover, a GNTO office is expected to open in Shanghai in April. Meanwhile, the Chinese airline China Eastern, a competitor of Air China that has undertaken to service the Athens-Beijing route, has expressed interest in the Shanghai-Athens route and airline representatives have been invited to Athens to settle details in a future agreement.[03] Interview: Victoria PM BrumbyThe Australian State of Victoria has set as a goal to at least double its trade relations with Greece over the next decade, Premier John Brumby told ANA-MPA, underlining that his government regards Greece as a "gate to the European Union". "Our relations with Greece are excellent due to the long presence of a large Greek community in Victoria and the common struggles in two World Wars," he said, adding that Information and Communication Technology Minister Theo Theophanous had recently visited Greece heading a business delegation following a visit to Australia by Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis and a large Greek delegation. The Victoria State Premier said that he visited Greece in 1996 as head of the opposition and two years ago with his family, stressing that his personal ties with the Greeks in Victoria are long and strong. Referring to the plans for the rehabilitation of the "Greek neighborhood" at Lonsdale Street in downtown Melbourne, he said that he wants its Greek identity to be accentuated and be the host of events such as the Antipodes Festival in Melbourne, considered the largest celebration of Greek culture outside Greece. <font size="3" face="Verdana">Caption:Victoria State Premier John Brumby Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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