Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-01-09

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM sets up Economic Policy committee

[02] Papandreou addresses rally in Serres

[03] Complications in police officer Mantzounis' health

[04] ASE opening: Rise

[05] Athens Newspaper Headlines

[01] PM sets up Economic Policy committee

The prime minister himself will be heading the committee, which also comprises economy and finance minister Yiannis Papathanassiou, development minister Costis Hatzigakis, and environment, town planning and public works minister George Souflias.

The new Committee will hold its first meeting at 11:00 on Friday morning at the Maximos Mansion (government headquarters), which will also be attended by George Provopoulos, governor of the Bank of Greece, the country's central bank.

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

[02] Papandreou addresses rally in Serres

Papandreou also referred to the "greatly increased provocative activity of Turkey in the Aegean", that he denounced in the most categorical way, adding that the President of the Republic provided the best response with his presence on Agathonissi and pointing out that "we reply to Turkey, and to whatever other party interested, very simply and directly that nobody can dispute the sovereign rights of Greece, we shall not allow it."

The PASOK leader said that what is necessary is a foreign policy that will fully safeguard the country's interests, that will provide Greece with the necessary prestige and leverage and will not permit audacity from Turkey or from anyone else, while noting that the PASOK goverments showed the right path in the past and stressing that "we shall prove it again for the Greek people, and indeed very soon."

Papandreou also focused on the country's domestic issues and said that preoccupying oneself with a reshuffle over a period of three months is not policy and underlined that a reshuffle without a serious plan and without a route plan for the country is "like changing rowers but using the same defective compass."

Lastly, he stressed "and this requires a change in course, a firm and safe compass-plan and a reliable helm."

Caption: Main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou addresses rally in Serres city, northeastern Greece on Thursday 8 January 2009. ANA-MPA/MEGA PRESS

[03] Complications in police officer Mantzounis' health

According to attending doctors the young policeman suffered a haemorrhage in the digestive system.

[04] ASE opening: Rise

Individual sector indices were moving mostly upward, with the biggest gains in Health, up 2.08 percent; Financial Services, up 1.98 percent; and Technology, up 1.51 percent.

The biggest losses were in Mass Media, down 2.21 percent; Travel & Recreation, down 1.16 percent; and Food & Beverage, down 0.72 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was up 0.76 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was up 0.73 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was down 0.18 percent.

Of the stocks moved, 54 were up, 25 were down, and 29 were unchanged.

[05] Athens Newspaper Headlines

The change of guard in the Cabinet and the prime minister's recommendations, and the international outcry over the ongoing Israeli offense in Gaza were the main front-page items in Friday's dailies.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "Few words, much work - The prime minister reiterated his instructions to his ministers" at the first meeting of the new Cabinet on Thursday after it was sworn in, following the sweeping government reshuffle announced the previous day.

APOGEVMATINI: "PM tightens the belts of the ministers - Karamanlis' strict orders for scissoring excessive spending".

AVGHI: "Education-wide rally on Friday, at the Propylae at 12:30 noon".

AVRIANI; "Turkey preparing 'takeover' of Greek rocky islet - Red alert in the Armed Forces".

CHORA: "Ten 'commandments' for the course in the desert - Karamanlis repeats strict guidelines to all his ministers".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "SOS plan for (state) revenues, expenditures - Turnaround in the economy with Papathanassiou (new economy and finance minister), Hatzidakis (new development minister) and Provopoulos (governor of the Bank of Greece, the country's central bank)".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Commencement with...reverse gear - Karamanlis: 9 'commandments' that rehash the same instructions given by the premier to his first Cabinet in 2004".

ESTIA: "Optimism for the economy should be Papathanassiou's (new economy and finance minister) first priority".

ETHNOS: "New barbs and stale homily".

KATHIMERINI: "Emergency 'troika' for the Greek economy", referring to the prime minister's establishment late Thursday night of an Interministerial Committee on Economic Policy, comprising economy and finance minister Yiannis Papathanassiou, development minister Costis Hatzigakis, and environment, town planning and public works minister George Souflias, and headed by Karamanlis himself.

LOGOS: "Yes to substance, no to impressions - The prime minister gave the guidelines of his intentions" to his new Cabinet.

NIKI: "We've seen the same play before - Theatrical performance by Karamanlis and ministers, without substance".

PARASKEVI+13 (weekly): "My wager is the citizen - Government with a new face".

RIZOSPASTIS: "The Palestinians have the right to resistance and to struggle for a homeland of their own".

SFINA (weekly): "11 critical days for the 'national damage' in the Aegean - Caution..." over the Turkish provocations, saying that Turkey appeared to be planning a new Imia incident with Farmakonissi and adding that, before the assumption of the US presidency by Obama, the outgoing Bush administration appeared to want to 'teach a lesson' to the Greek government for daring to develop relations with Russia.

TA NEA: "Souflias (environment, town planning and public works minister) 'lid' on the new 'czar' (of the economy, referring to the post of economy and finance minister) - Papathanassiou under tutelage", referring to the prime miniser's 'surprise move' in setting up an ad hoc inter-ministerial committee that will henceforth draft economic policy, adding that the establishment of such a committee was proposed to the PM by Souflias himself, who will participate in the committee.

TA NEA: "Directorate on the economy comprising Karamanlis, Souflias, Papathanassiou, Hatzidakis".

VRADYNI: "10 'commandments' to the ministers - The wager of the changes, and the challenges for the new government composition".

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