Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-01-13

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greek, Russian PMs discuss natgas issue

[02] Alavanos tables question on gov't response to Gaza crisis

[03] SYN leader meets with Palestinian Organizations in Greece

[04] Education dialogue pending

[05] ASE cap down 65% in 2008

[01] Greek, Russian PMs discuss natgas issue

During the 15-minute discussion, the Russian prime minister outlined to Karamanlis the Russian side's views.

Karamanlis expressed his concern over the problem that has arisen in the supply of Russian natural gas to Europe, and especially to Greece.

The Greek premier also expressed a hope that Putin will do everything possible so that a lasting solution is achieved, on the basis of what was agreed to at Monday's extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers, in which Greece was represented by Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis.

During their discussion, the two prime ministers also reviewed bilateral cooperation, which they ascertained was progressing smoothly, in the energy, economy and tourism sectors, and in general, in all sectors of common interest.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis (R) and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L) during his visit to Athens, on March 15, 2007.

[02] Alavanos tables question on gov't response to Gaza crisis

Alavanos also asks whether the Greek government intends to undertake specific initiatives, on the national and EU level, to persuade Israel to cease military operations in Gaza.

[03] SYN leader meets with Palestinian Organizations in Greece

Tsipras added that "this genocide is not taking place to wipe out the Hamas leadership, as they (Israel) are saying, but in order to wipe out the very idea itself of the existence of a Palestinian state", noting that "we are already in the 60th year of Israel's occupation of Palestine".

The SYN leader called on the Greek government to come out of its "deep slumber" and take initiatives at international level, to recall Greece's ambassador to Israel and annul the military cooperation accord with Israel, "and chiefly to stop all thought of providing facilitation to this military attack via the Greek ports and airports".

Referring to a US Pentagon announcement on Monday that the trans-shipment of ammunition to a US military stockpile in Ashdod, Israel via the Greek port of Astakos "will not take place" due to the fact that the destination port was very close to the combat zone, Tsipras said that "even for such things to be said is out of time and place".

"All provision of such assistance will be postponed and cancelled because the Greek people will not allow it,regardless of what the Greek government does," Tsipras said, adding that "a first response will be given on Thursday in Astakos, where the people of Aetoloakarnania are preparing a block that will send a message to the US and the EU, and chiefly to the Greek government".

"No inch of Greek land, no port, no airport, will be at the disposal of the criminals," Tsipras stressed.

[04] Education dialogue pending

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Spiliotopoulos said that one of the priority topics in the education issue was the process of high school pupils' progression to the "next step, which is the university".

He said that those matters would be the subject of a national dialogue on Education, "a dialogue that, from the first moment, we stated that we are approaching without previously-made decisions".

"We are open, and will be open, in the framework of this dialogue, to all the members of the education community, to all political and social spaces. Therefore, we are going to a dialogue that is tabula rasa from the beginning." he said.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of New Education Minister Aris Spilitopoulos

[05] ASE cap down 65% in 2008

On the other hand, Greek investors were gradually rising their participation in the market's capitalization to 51.1 pct in December 31, up around one percentage point from a month earlier.

The value of transactions in December totaled 2.7 billion euros (down 34.9 pct from November), while the market's capitalization was 69 billion euros (down 5.2 pct from a month earlier). The composite index of the market fell 6.6 pct in the month for a net loss of 65.5 pct in 2008.

December's turnover was 65.7 pct down compared with December 2007, while average daily turnover in December was 128.7 million euros, sharply down from a 414.7 million figure in December 2007.

Active codes totaled 61,639 in December, raising the total number of active codes during the year to 401,889, down 7.3 pct compared with 2007.

The Greek stock market's capitalization totaled 69 billion euros, down 64.9 pct from December 2007. The capitalization of the FTSE-20 index was 46.8 bln euros (down 5.6 pct from the previous month), of the FTSE 40 index was 5.01 billion euros (down 17.5 pct) and of the FTSE 80 index was 4.2 bln euros (up 2.7 pct).

Foreign investors were net sellers in December, with capital outflows totaling 381.6 million euros, while net inflows by Greek investors totaled 289.6 million euros. Foreign investors accounted for 52.3 pct of total trading activity in the Greek stock market.

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