The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 01-01-04

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From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <www.ert.gr/>

CONTENTS

4/1/2001 11:50:14 рм

[01] Greece is now in the euro zone

The president of the republic Konstantinos Stefanopoulos, prime minister Kostas Simitis, politicians, diplomats, and businessmen attended the event.

On his way to the Chamber, Prime Minister Simitis said Greece's entry in the euro zone secured trading stability and rapid development in the Greek economy.

Greater development, Mr Simitis said, means greater prosperity. He added that greater efforts were required to achieve real convergence and a more just society.

Speaking in the same event, national economy minister Yannos Papantoniou appeared optimistic regarding the achievement of real convergence.

On the contrary, the New Democracy party leader Kostas Karamanlis said Greece entered in European Monetary Union (EMU) unprepared, with great delay and without the necessary structural changes.

For his part, the honorary president of the New Democracy party Konstantinos Mitsotakis said the government should apply everything it had pledged and that the state should stop being a drag on the economy.

Finally, the leader of the Coalition of the Left Wing and Progress party Nikos Konstantopoulos asked for the just re- allocation of wealth and boosting of employment.

The ''accounting'' application of the euro - the official Greek currency now in Greece - was carried out yesterday without particular problems, while Banks completed the implementation of the so-called Eurosystem - the Banking transactions in euro and drachmas.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Economic and Industrial Research (IEIR) yesterday released its three-monthly report on the economy, stating that Greece had now joined the euro zone with strong development prospects, which however, become weaker to a large extent by the aggravating climate in the business world.

The institute report is basically proposing liberalization of the markets through speedier privatizations, more effective operation of the state through a more efficient public administration, reforms in the fiscal policy by holding down inflation and speeding up development, reforms in the social security system and embody quickly new software technologies in the Greek economy.

[02] Cabinet meeting

[03] Greek stand on Balkan syndrome

Health authorities in many European countries - including Finland and Turkey, whose soldiers had served in Kosovo - are alerted by the death of 13 soldiers in Italy, Belgium, Spain and Portugal.

The North Atlantic Council and NATO's Political Committee will discuss at Italy's request on January 9th, the issue that has been raised from the use of weapons with depleted uranium in the Balkans.

The Greek national defense undersecretary Dimitris Apostolakis stated from Urosevac - the base of the Greek contingent in Kosovo - that Greek soldiers had not shown any symptoms and that following tests, it was ascertained that the amount of radioactivity in the region where the Greek force is based, is within normal levels.

The Greek parliament will hold a debate on the issue following a motion carried by Coalition deputy Panagiotis Lafazanis.

[04] Crime - Mexico

Konstantinos Yannitsis, 27, was a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was on holiday in Mexico when the three youngsters stabbed him during a robbery while taking photographs near a church in the colonial town of Taxco, about 185 kms southwest of Mexico city. He died in a local clinic shortly afterwards.

Yesterday, the authorities of the state of Guerrero arrested the three underage boys who - according to reports - have a heavy criminal record.

The attorney's General Office stated that their punishment would be exemplary, while according to the Greek embassy in Guerrero, the body of Konstantinos Yannitsis will arrive in Athens on Friday morning.

[05] Differences of views in ND party

Lately, Mrs Bakogianni was repeatedly expressing different views from the party leadership on many issues and rejected the relative proposal of the president of the organising committee Tzannis Tzannetakis.

[06] Fuel prices

Specifically, diesel will be by 0.8 drs more expensive per litre, while on the contrary, gas will be sold by 0.5 drs less and heating oil by 1.7 drs.

[07] Winter Sales

[08] Drug trafficking

[09] New era in the Athens bourse

On the Athens stock exchange, the general share price index dropped by 0.84%, closing at 3,360.51 points, while the volume of transactions was 70.3 million euros.

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