Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-01-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM chairs informal cabinet meeting

[02] Ecumenical Patriarch meets with Alevi leaders

[03] Ecumenical Patriarch comdemns Hania synagogue attack

[04] Alt. DM at OSCE forum

[01] PM chairs informal cabinet meeting

The prime minister called for the "collective definition" of the government's major priorities, saying in parallel that the Greek people are showing special maturity and realise that the big changes will take place now or never.

He also urged the members of the government to proceed with their work with self-confidence, commitment and without panic.

A special meeting was held on the farmers issue after the informal cabinet meeting, with the prime minister pointing out that the farmers problem concerns all of society and underlining the government's intention and efforts for deep changes on this issue.

As regards the farmers demands, Papandreou said that most of them are more or less institutional and will be promoted through the dialogue that the government has called for. And which, as it was stressed, is open if the farmers themselves desire this.

The prime minister also said that there is no reason for mobilisations and in parallel for this image of the country to be given abroad, since in addition there is a new government that contains these changes in its programme.

He further said that it is an opportunity for farmers to utilise the new of the government and its intention for changes.

In another development, Papandreou held a telephone conversation with his Bulgarian counterpart Boiko Borisov, who mentioned to him that apart from the general turmoil the small producers and stockbreeders of Bulgaria are burdened daily with the cost of three million euros.

The Greek prime minister replied that an effort will be made through dialogue to end the blocking of road axes.

[02] Ecumenical Patriarch meets with Alevi leaders

In a visit to the Ecumenical Patriarch, the chairman of the Ehli Beyt Association, Fermani Altun, said that "we do not see any of our problems having been solved, for years. They treat us as if we are third-class citizens. In social and political life, on issues of freedom of faith and implementation, they treat us worse than non-Muslim minorities."

Altun declared his full support for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and particularly for the reopening of the Halki school of Theology.

"I do not understand why they do not allow the reopening of the school of theology, also, why they do not give legal status to our places of worship, the cem evi," he said.

[03] Ecumenical Patriarch comdemns Hania synagogue attack

In a letter sent Wednesday to the president of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS), Moses Constantinis, Bartholomew condemned the attack "as well as every act of violence and terrorism, especially against places of worship."

[04] Alt. DM at OSCE forum

He emphasised that the Corfu Process and the OSCE foreign ministers' council held in Athens in December had given the Forum a primary role in promoting dialogue on European security issues. Implementing the decisions of the ministerial council was both a duty and a challenge, he added, while the goal was to improve the quality of dialogue on security by concentrating on key issues.

The Greek minister noted that, based on the decisions in Athens, the Forum's weekly meetings in Vienna will also discuss confidence-building measures and security in relation to small arms and light weapons, codes of behaviour and OSCE mechanisms for crisis management.

He stressed the fact that in more than 30 years, the OSCE had proved the only forum for promoting political dialogue, mutual understanding, bridging differences and enhancing cooperation.

Greece took over the chair of the OSCE Forum on Security Cooperation for four months on Jan. 1, 2010.

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