Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-06-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] A time for 'brave decisions', President says in World Environment Day message

[02] Seven in 10 agree with measures regarding offshore firms, poll shows

[03] Albania should 'respect accurate facts of history', foreign ministry says

[04] ND's Staikouras to ANA-MPA: 'Gov't is voting for everything'

[05] A time for 'brave decisions', President says in World Environment Day message

[01] A time for 'brave decisions', President says in World Environment Day message

"An immediate response, through honest and coordinated global cooperation, is our minimal obligation, especially for the generations to come," Pavlopoulos said. Any negligence, he added, activated two disastrous results, among many others: First, it endangered the living conditions and by extension the survival of humanity on the planet, putting its future at risk; and secondly, it inevitably led to increasing the already huge inequality between states and people, bringing the degradation of people and resulting, among others, in uncontrolled and for this reason extremely dangerous migration flows.

"The last phenomenon is already more than visible," Pavlopoulos noted, adding that, in the light of these facts, "World Environment Day cannot have the character of an anniversary. It must be the starting point for thought, of understanding our responsibilities and taking the imperative, brave decisions."

[02] Seven in 10 agree with measures regarding offshore firms, poll shows

Based on its results, 67 pct of New Democracy voters agree with the government measure and only 28 pct are opposed. Another seven in 10 Greeks disagrees with ND's decision to walk out of the debate in Parliament on the measure, while this number falls to 52 pct of ND voters, with 38 pct of ND voters expressing agreement with the decision.

Among all respondents, 61 pct said that ND's Parliamentary group walked out of Parliament in order to protect party members and political figures that participate in offshore firms, while this number drops to three in 10 of ND voters. Only 9 pct of Greeks said they were convinced by ND's argument that the measure is unconstitutional.

The same poll found that six in 10 Greeks disagree with ND's demand for early elections, especially after the government concluded the first review of the programme. Just 36 pct of Greeks wants elections, which are also rejected by four in 10 ND voters.

The Palmos Analysis poll was conducted nationwide on June 3-4 using a sample of 1,014 voters with proportional distribution among the country's prefectures, based on those registered on the electoral rolls.

[03] Albania should 'respect accurate facts of history', foreign ministry says

"Albania needs to realize that its European course depends on the faithful implementation of the European Union's five principles, among which is respect for justice and rule of law. This presupposes that it will respect court rulings, especially when they concern war crimes, and, instead of raising non-existent issues, implement the prerequisites and its commitments with regard to protection of the rights of the indigenous Greek National Minority," the announcement said.

It also urged "seriousness" and "respect for the accurate facts of history" and "a vision for relations based on building...a future that ensures substantial progress in bilateral relations and contributes to security and stability in the wider region."

Rama and Bushati have both referred to the existence of a "Cham issue" in statements made in recent days, ahead of a visit by Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias to Tirana, despite warnings from the Greek foreign ministry that the issue "does not exist" for Athens.

Foreign ministry sources, talking a few weeks earlier, had noted that the Chams, who had collaborated with Axis forces during the German occupation of Greece, had then departed from Epirus on their own initiative, permanently and as a group, following the retreating enemy forces.

[04] ND's Staikouras to ANA-MPA: 'Gov't is voting for everything'

He pointed out that the government was only due to get 7.5 billion euros in exchange for the very tough measures it had taken, whereas the original agreement had been for the disbursement of 15 billion euros when the review was concluded. "This is not what one would call success," he quipped.

Staikouras also criticised the strategy adopted by the government, saying it had deprived the Greek economy of liquidity, and openly accused the prime minister of deceiving the Greek people, while noting that the road map for settling the debt remained "vague".

Commenting on ND's call for early elections, Staikouras said that ND and its leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis considered that "the cost of this government remaining is greater than the cost of its removal," and that this cost was not confined to the economy alone. He referred to problematic actions and statements by members of the government over the entire spectrum of public life, especially the efforts for structural reform and privatisations.

[05] A time for 'brave decisions', President says in World Environment Day message

"An immediate response, through honest and coordinated global cooperation, is our minimal obligation, especially for the generations to come," Pavlopoulos said. Any negligence, he added, activated two disastrous results, among many others: First, it endangered the living conditions and by extension the survival of humanity on the planet, putting its future at risk; and secondly, it inevitably led to increasing the already huge inequality between states and people, bringing the degradation of people and resulting, among others, in uncontrolled and for this reason extremely dangerous migration flows.

"The last phenomenon is already more than visible," Pavlopoulos noted, adding that, in the light of these facts, "World Environment Day cannot have the character of an anniversary. It must be the starting point for thought, of understanding our responsibilities and taking the imperative, brave decisions."

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