Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-08-03

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM chairs meeting on economy, tourism

[02] Wildfires in Peloponnese partially containedl, blaze in Kozani under control

[01] PM chairs meeting on economy, tourism

Replying to press questions after the meeting on the prospect of additional measures being taken on the economy, Papathanassiou denied media speculation, stressing that the changes and reforms will found the country's growth "not on loans and consumption, but on investments, on education, and the better operation of the state".

He also clarified that no extraordinary contribution will be imposed on business enterprises.

Regarding the course of execution of the 2009 state budget, Papathanassiou estimated that the situation will be reversed in the second half of the year, when the measures that have been taken by the government will start to produce yield.

The minister, also in reply to a press question, accused main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou of having exceeded all limits in populism and irresponsibility.

"Although he truly acknowledges the serious effects of the (global financial) crisis on the Greek economy, he has not backed a single measure that we have taken," the minister said, adding that "Mr. Papandreou has not submitted a single proposal that could lead to the restructuring of the economy".

"Quite the opposite, Mr. Papandreou has voted against all the reforms the government has brought (to parliament) on the economy," Papathanassiou continued.

He stressed that what the country needed was not "PASOK's and Mr. Papandreou's contradictory statements and platitudes, but a structured plan that will take us out of the crisis with the least possible repercussions", adding that "the government is implementing such a plan".

Markopoulos, in turn, said that the government was dealing with the present and the real prospects, charging that "those who are not occupying themselves with those issues are occupied with elections".

Regarding the tourism sector, the minister noted that the "disaster scenarios" put forward at the beginning of the year "fortunately have not come true", adding that "despite the existing economic conjuncture things are progressing satisfactorily".

Markopoulos further noted that a decline in tourism was anticipated this year in all the Mediterranean countries, adding that Greece was "battling between a single-digit and a two-digit percentage, but in no instance does that which we heard at the beginning of the year hold true".

[02] Wildfires in Peloponnese partially containedl, blaze in Kozani under control

The biggest of the fires broke out on Sunday night in the region of Agios Petros on Mt Mainalos, while the other three blazes are burning in the regions of Raches in Githio, Kria Vrisi in Corinth and Panagitsa in Levidi.

Meanwhile, a fire that broke out on farmland in the municipality of Kamvounia, Kozani Prefecture, in northwestern Greece, has been put under control. The causes of the fire remain unknown. Taking part in the firefighting operation are 22 firemen on foot and 10 fire engines.

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