The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 05-02-27

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

CONTENTS

[01] No Surprises

By Dimitris Alexopoulos

The top of the rankings in A' Division has remained intact after the end of the 20th week for the Championship. Olympiacos did not have a hard time claiming victory over Chalkidona with 3-0, although Dusan Bajevic made several changes in the original lineup in order to rest some of his players after the match against Socheaux for the UEFA Cup. At the same time in Leoforos, Panathinaikos managed to prevail over Kerkyra with Konstantinou's goal, although not performing that well overall. AEK has preserved third place after playing excellent football versus Kallithea on Saturday, while at the classic northern derby, PAOK turned the match versus Aris into a walk in the park and scoring three goals at the first half claimed an easy victory of 1-3.

Key Matches in 21st Week

However, what impressed at the derby of Thessaloniki was that Aris' fans left the stadium when PAOK scored their third goal.

In Crete, Xanthi kept their good performances rolling and claimed victory against Ergotelis, one week after the Cretan team had defeated Olympiacos.

On Saturday, Kalamaria versus Egaleo and Ionikos versus Panionios seemed to be at ease with the single point of draw.

Lastly, Iraklis won three precious points after defeating OFI.

The next round for the Championship includes some really important matches both for the top and the bottom of the rankings.

Olympiacos will travel to Thessaloniki in order to face reborn PAOK, while Panionios will welcome Panathinaikos.

At the same time, AEK will play versus Aris, who are now 13th after their defeat from PAOK.

The next round:

SKODA Xanthi-Egaleo Chalkidona-Ergotelis Kerkyra-Apollon Kalamarias PAOK-Olympiacos Panionios-Panathinaikos มลส-Aris Iraklis-Ionikos OFI-Kallithea

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[02] In-Depth Investigation

By Tina Valaoura

Supreme Court investigation is expanding towards all directions in an effort to clamp down corruption in the field of Justice. The matter in question is the elimination of the extra-judicial network and as per the interview of Supreme Court Public Prosecutor Dimitris Linos in Eleftherotypia, all suspicious judicial rulings will be included in the investigation, while noone will be excluded from this procedure, "nor justices, nor high ranked public prosecutors." Via the newspaper, Mr Linos urged Vavilis to turn himself in, stressing that he will be treated just like all other Greek citizens. In the meantime, new rings are added to the chain of revelations. Anonymous accusations are now under the Supreme Court's microscope, regarding judges who allegedly own important accounts with millions of euros in Swiss banks.

List of Revelations

"We are trying to find the judges pinpointed by these accusations. In which banks were the deposits made and which are these accounts, so that we can move on with the process of opening them. However, we are waiting for new evidence," said Mr Linos.

According to information, the commander of NIS (National Intelligence Service) Ioannis Korandis submitted a top-secret file containing a list of justices having such bank accounts to the Supreme Court. A similar accusation, which is looked into, was filed against the President of First Instance Judges Evangelos Kalousis, who is referred on the question of definitive dismissal.

Noone Will Be Excluded

In the meantime, in his interview Supreme Court Public Prosecutor Dimitris Linos did not wish to refer to certain names on which charges are pending or about which there are suspicions for improper behavior, because for the time being they constitute the object of judicial investigation. However, he did refer to the systematic attempt of competent bodies to track corrupt justices, saying the accurate number of such cases still remains unknown. He also stressed that "these people constitute a minority."

It is noted that six justices have been referred to the Supreme Court's Plenary Session on the question of definitive dismissal, while five more are expected to have the same fate.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[03] Israel Asks for Guarantees Peace Process Freezes

By Viki Keleri

Apart from deaths and injuries, the suicide attack in Tel Aviv also had tragic consequences for the progress of the peace process. The Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, declared, "There will not be any diplomatic progress, I repeat, no diplomatic progress, until the Palestinians take vigorous action to wipe out the terror groups and their infrastructure in the Palestinian Authoritys territory." He also stressed that its leader, Mahmoud Abbas, will have to exterminate the militant groups, prior to another peace agreement. At the same time, the Israeli police are on red alert, fearing new attacks. Ezra Aaron, a senior police official, declared on Israeli radio that police forces are covering major urban centers, markets and all places where thousands of people usually gather.

Syria Also Being Accused

Meanwhile, the Israeli Defence Minister, Shaul Mofaz, openly accused Syria, claiming that it is responsible for the attacks.

"Syria continues to give amnesty to terror groups and encourages them to carry out attacks, which endangers the (peace) process with the Palestinians and the stability in the region," he declared.

The Israeli Minister stressed that his country has proof at hand, which directly links Syria to the attack and accused it of steering terrorist groups.

On the other hand, Damascus denies having any involvement in the attack.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[04] As per a New Opinion Poll Positive Evaluation for the Government

By Viki Keleri

As per the latest opinion poll conducted by GPO, on behalf of the newspaper Typos tis Kyriakis, the Government, as well as the Greek Prime Minister, received positive messages concerning their acceptance by the citizens. The survey results gave New Democracy (39.2%) a 5.9% lead over PASOK (33.3%), regarding vote intention, ie "Which party would you vote for if the elections were held tomorrow?" With regard to the question, "Which party do you believe would win if the elections were held tomorrow?" ND is in the lead with 71.5%, as opposed to 15.2% for PASOK. There was also a distinct difference between Kostas Karamanlis and George Papandreou, as far as who is considered most suitable for the position of Prime Minister. The President of ND received 48.1%, as opposed to 28.6% for the leader of PASOK.

Vote of Confidence for the Government

The gap also remained huge, regarding the question "Who would win, if the elections were held at the end of the four-year term?"

ND was considered the dominant party once again, with a percentage of 51.6%, as opposed to 25.2% for PASOK.

Furthermore, 39.4% of those asked considered New Democracys policies over the last year positive or somewhat positive.

The negative or somewhat negative answers gathered 38.5%, while 21.7% of those asked appeared neutral.

At the same time, 42.4% viewed the Oppositions actions from 7 March until today negatively. On the other hand, 25.3% viewed them positively, while 31.8% remained neutral.

With regard to the total assessment of the Prime Ministers policies and image, 54.1% viewed them as positive or somewhat positive, 27.2% viewed them as negative or somewhat negative, while 18.4% appeared neutral.

New Democracy and Kostas Karamanlis also seem to be emerging victorious, compared to PASOK, concerning their tactics in areas outside actual politics. Specifically, the majority of those asked responded that they trusted ND more in the areas of Economy, Public Administration and Health, Justice, Employment, Agriculture, Tourism, Development, Public Safety and Mercantile Marine.

On the other hand, PASOK is trusted more in the areas of Foreign Policy, Public Works and Culture.

GPOs survey was conducted in mid-February all over Greece, on a sample of 2000 voters.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[05] PASOK-ND Clash Over Vavilis' Action

By Tina Valaoura

Sources: NET, NET radio 105.8

Speaking at an event for party members yesterday in Kalamata, the secretary of NDs Central Committee, Vaggelis Meimarakis, pointed out that the government is supporting the initiatives taken by the Church and Archbishop Christodoulos on the matter of self-catharsis. He then added, "We all have to wonder about these events; when did they happen? Who bore the governmental responsibility? Who were the Foreign Minister and the PM who were responsible for all those matters?" wondered Mr Meimarakis, thus indirectly accusing PASOK and Giorgos Papandreou.

"The government resorts to a single enemy in any case. And that enemy is PASOK," answered Opposition spokesperson Nikos Athanasakis. ND has been exposed for revealing its true intentions. Instead of dealing with the matter seriously, it resorts to the method of diversion," he said and went on to add that "we give Vavilis and Giosakis away where they belong."

Speaking on NET radio 105.8, Mr Ioannis Varvitsiotis, head of ND European Parliamentarians, referred to the action of Vavilis. Citing an article of newspaper Paron, according to which Vavilis had traveled to Jerusalem with a diplomatic passport and after the intervention of Giorgos Papandreou's consultant, said that if this piece of information is accurate "then the entire game changes." "Because it would mean that the then government and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, ie Giorgos Papandreou, were aware of the Vavilis story. The issue is huge and can be neither hidden nor silenced. This is a major problem," he stressed.

Mr Athanasakis, who was called to comment on the article, said that he contacted Giorgos Papandreou's former consultant Alex Rondo, who stressed he had never had nor has any relations with Vavilis and will refer the matter to Justice.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[06] Papandreou's Visit to Belgrade

By Tina Valaoura

Sources: NET

PASOKs President George Papandreou is in Belgrade today, in order to participate in the Convention of the Serbian Democratic Party, as an official guest of the Party and Serbias President, Boris Tadic, while the two men will also participate in a one-to-one meeting. Mr Papandreou will give a speech during the Convention, mainly focusing on stability and security matters in the Balkans.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[07] Ships Docked in Piraeus-Rafina

By Tina Valaoura

Ships bound for the Cyclades, Crete and the Dodecanese have docked at the ports of Piraeus and Rafina due to gales blowing in the seas. For this reason, the Ministry of Mercantile Marine has urged travelers to contact shipping agencies and local Port Authorities prior to traveling. According to the HNMS, the weather will be fickle on Monday with gradual cloud cover and localized rain and storms, while snow will fall in mountainous areas, as well as in Macedonia and Epirus in areas of lower altitude. On Tuesday, the weather will worsen even more with rainfalls and storms mainly in the seas. Snow will fall in mountainous areas, as well as in lower altitude areas of central and northern Greece. The same weather conditions will also prevail on Wednesday. Northern Greece will experience local cloud cover with rain, localized storms mostly in the seas and snow will fall in mountainous and lower altitude areas of central Greece. However, extreme weather conditions will quickly die away. Temperature is expected to drop significantly.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[08] Speedy Victory

By Vasilis Kalpinos

With seriousness and leaving behind their victory against Socheaux, Olympiacos did not have a hard time against Paraschos' team and defeated them with 3-0. In fact, Dusan Bajevic used several young players in the lineup including Philipakos, while Rivaldo and Djordjevic were out. To cut a long story short, the Reds maintained their two-point difference from Panathinaikos and their three-point difference from AEK. Stoltidis (6', 11') and Anatolakis (47') scored the three goals.

Easy Match

Within eleven minutes, Olympiacos scored twice and the match ended there and then since Chalkidona seemed unable to react. Stoltidis received the ball and opened the score with a long kick, while five minutes later he doubled the goals in an identical way. Olympiacos continued to apply pressure with Philipakos missing out on some important scoring chances and the score remained as thus at the first half. The rerun commenced with a goal straight up. Djordjevic was awarded a foul and passed the ball to Anatolakis who scored the third goal with a header. From then onwards the home team preserved their superiority but D'Akol did not make it at the 65' and 75'. As for Chalkidona, the only attempt worth mentioning was in the 52', when Zacharopoulos' kick in front of Nikopolidis' post went wide.

Referee: Styliaras

Yellow Cards: Pappas, Sotirchos, Dimos, Dagas

OLYMPIACOS: Nikopolidis, Pantos, Anatolakis, Georgatos, Kostoulas, Stoltidis, Kafes, Philipakos (46' Djordjevic), Maric, Giovanni (80' Rezic), Okkas (51' D' Akol).

CHALKIDONA: Ebede, Dimos, Geladaris, Dagas (76' Iliopoulos), Korakakis (81' Al Jaher), Simos, Pappas, Sotirchos, Koutsis, Zacharopoulos, Moyo (29' Koutsokostas).

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[09] Signed by Konstantinou

By Vasilis Kalpinos

Tiredness, stress and many absences. These were Panathinaikos features in the match against Kerkyra. Especially the absences of Gonzalez (injured), Basinas (injured) and Munch (rest), and of course the bitterness of non qualifying to the next round of the UEFA Cup, led Malesanis players to perform badly in the first half. However, the rerun was completely different, as the doublers lost many scoring chances and finally redemption came from Michalis Konstantinou in the 74.

Influenced

Without exaggerating, in the first half Panathinaikos had a single scoring chance and that was it. From the beginning the home team imposed their own pace, as Kerkyra was defense-orientated and did not go after the goal.

However, things were more or less the same for Panathinaikos who resorted to a midfield play for fourty minutes. The only good attempt came in the 42'. Sapanis' long shot hit on the post, Gekas penetrated Kerkyra's defense but his header went wide.

Spectacular Change

In the rerun, Pantahinaikos created made good opportunities but kept losing one scoring chance after the other. Wooter made the home team quicker and more offensive, but it was Kerkyra who lost the most important opportunity in the 58'. N'Diaye came in from the right, but Goumas' last-minute intervention saved the day.

From then onwards, Malesani's players started hammering Gitkos' post. In the 67' they missed out on a double chance to open the score, as Kerkyra's goalkeeper cleared Gekas' crashing shot and then Charalambidis' kick.

As it appeared, the islander goalkeeper was having a good day, as he managed to block the ball several more times, although Gekas and Konstantinou were very persistent.

Finally, the Cypriot forward provided the solution in the 74'. Wooter and Gekas failed to defeat Gitkos, but Konstantinou who had just entered the area received the ball and sent it right in, thus opening the score.

Nothing changed until the end at Panathinaikos claimed their ninth victory on home grounds for the season.

Referee: Kembaridis (Serres)

Yellow Cards: Koltzos, Maric, Syros, Goumas

PANATHINAIKOS: Galinovic, Vintra, Roubakis (50' Wooter), Morris, Goumas, Maric, Sapanis, Skacel, Haralabides (69' Olisadebe), Konstantinou, Gekas (80' Kotsios).

KERKYRA: Gitkas, Amanatidis, Syros, Georgiou, Koltzos, Braqa (31' Petras), Boughanem, N'Diaye (80' Demba), Garozis, Panopoulos (80' Niniadis), Fofonka.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[10] Victorious Breath for Iraklis

By Dimitris Alexopoulos

Playing behind closed doors, after the penalty imposed by the sports judge for the fans' behaviour at the match versus PAOK, Iraklis claimed victory against OFI and three precious points, which allow them to catch their breath. Without Nwafor, Stavrakakis, Davidson, Moschogiannis, Triantafyllou, Dejanov, Dentsas and Koutsoupias, the Cretan team fought hard for the draw point, the ball hit twice on the post, and after Kounenakis was sent off at the 71' things got even worse for OFI, who submitted to the superiority of the home team and Lagos' goal in the 85'.

OFI, the Posts, Lagos and the Goal

The home team entered the pitch with confidence and took control of the match, without however managing to violate Sifakis' nets. Drougas' shot in the 11', which went slightly wide, and Papapostolou's kick, which was saved by OFI's goalkeeper, at the 18' were Iraklis' good moments during the first half.

After the first thirty minutes, OFI balanced the match and in fact almost scored in the 35' with Belevonis' crashing shot, which however hit Ambaris' crossbar. The first half ended with a blank draw, since at the 38' Ambaris deprived the Cretans from another goal.

The rerun was more or less a repetition, with Iraklis controlling the pace but not being particularly threatening, except for Lagos' kick in the 47' which went wide. On the other hand, the guests had a second final attempt ending on the post in the 58 with Pissos, but at the 71' Kounenakis was sent off for hitting Ioannou and the team was left with ten players.

The home team took advantage of their numerical superiority, applied pressure on their opponents and finally scored at the 85'. Keita passed to Lagos and with a crashing kick he defeated Sifakis, thus awarding his team with three precious points.

Referee: Tapatzas (Thrace)

Yellow Cards: Kounenakis, Pitsos, Arvanitis

Red Cards: Kounenakis (71')

IRAKLIS: Abaris, Seghiri, Papazacharias (84' Diamantidis), Keita, Lagos (90' Stefanis), Drougas, Ioannou, Poursanidis, Papapostolou (64' Kapetanos K), Katsabis, Fortuzi. OFI: Sifakis, Arvanitis, Kolitsidakis, Belevonis, Adamos, Kounenakis, Hadjiadrian, Pitsos, Tomach, Machlas, Kazantzis (74' Koutsoures).

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[11] Karamanlis' Tour of the Balkans

By Tina Valaoura

On Wednesday and Thursday, 2 and 3 March, Greek PM Kostas Karamanlis will embark on a tour of Balkan capitals. His agenda includes bilateral relations issues, as well as the developments in the area, in view of the recent discussions in NATO and the EU. His first stop will be Zagreb, followed by Belgrade. On Thursday he will arrive in Pristina, while he will return to Athens in the afternoon of the same day.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[12] European Value

By Vasilis Kalpinos

Ergotelis was coming from a great victory against Olympiacos. Xanthi, however, felt otherwise as this year they have proved they can get what they are after. Finally, Skoda Xanthi had it their way and proved once more they rightly hold fourth place in the Championship, prevailing over Ergotelis, playing on home grounds, with 0-2. On the other hand, Myron Sifakis team had many opportunities to score before the first goal, but luck was not on their side. Luciano de Souza at the 28 and Cleber at the 68 scored the two goals for Giannis Matzourakis team.

They Have Their Own Way

Moving full steam ahead after the victory against Olympiacos, Ergotelis entered the pitch with confidence. Just at the 6' Ando missed out on a great chance to open the score from a very good spot, while Pizanowski at the 13' cleared off Ogunsoto's crashing kick from a very good spot.

Continuing, Xanthi proved why they can play the system of counterattacks better than anyone else this season. In fact, they opened the score with their permanent kicker, Luciano. Garpozis fed the Brazilian who defeated Chaniotakis with a close-range shot. The first half ended at 1-0, since Ogunsoto's goal in the 37' was disallowed as an offside kick.

In the rerun, the home team played well but still failed to tie the match. In the 67' Xanthi struck again. Cleber came in as a substitute, scored the second goal for his team and literally cleared the match. The Brazilian quickly broke away and took advantage of Maghradze's square pass to seal victory. Nothing changed from then onwards and Xanthi claimed victory, leaving Ergotelis hanging by a thread to stay in A' Division.

Referee: Mazarakis (Cephalonia)

Yellow Cards: Argyrakis, Maghradze, Labriakos, Melissas

The Teams: ERGOTELIS: Chaniotakis, Argyrakis, Oikonomakis, Philekovic, Spyridakis, Masibuko, Schliechting, Sylla, Lambrakis (65' Voskaridis), Ando, Ogusnoto

XANTHI: Pizanowski, Papadimitriou, Zapropoulos, Kontodimos (82' Vozabal), Labriakos, Maghradze, Melissas, Kourak (61' Cleber), Garpozis, Luciano (86' Dimitriadis), Baykara

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[13] Greek Lawyers Take to the Polls

By Tina Valaoura

The polls in the 63 Bar Associations throughout Greece opened this morning to welcome the 35,500 members, who will vote to elect new presidents and boards of directors. At the Athens Bar Association (ABA), the voting will also continue tomorrow, while it is very likely that a second round of elections will take place next Sunday and Monday, 6 and 7 March. The voting process is developing as per normal, while up until now, approximately 3000 of the 18,346 members have turned up to vote. The Speaker of Parliament, Anna Psarouda-Benaki, and MPs Evangelos Meimarakis (ND) and Fotis Kouvelis (SYN), along with former Minister Alexandros Maggakis and former Athens Mayor Dimitris Beis, have also proceeded to vote.

Comments on the Justice Scandals

The matter concerning the scandals in the area of Justice dominated in the reporters questions to the presidential candidates. Current ABA president and candidate Dimitris Paxanis (partly supported by ND) invited all his colleagues to fulfill their duties, in an effort to create a strong Bar Association. "You are all aware these are very difficult times and I think the new administration has a tough job ahead," he noted. Asked to comment on lawyers who are allegedly involved in scandals, he answered that an investigation is underway and anyone involved will be removed from the force.

The Associations current secretary and presidential candidate, D. Vervesos (partly supported by PASOK), stressed that in these elections, "The lawyers are called to decide whether they will get divorced from the past. [] I think at this time, the demand to turn a new leaf has matured and we are heading towards a new direction: to reach a bit higher."

Presidential candidate Emmanouil Kokkinakis (supported by KKE) declared that today the Association is given the opportunity to support Democracy and the social rights of the citizens. Asked to comment on the scandals, he said, "Any solution attempted to be found at this time concerning a clean-up of the system is doomed to fail."

Presidential candidate for SYN, Theodoros Schinas, declared that the ABA has to regain its lost voice, especially in view of the structural crisis in the area of Justice. "To resist to the judicial underworld and regain its lost credibility in society and the lawyers," he noted.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[14] Family Tragedy in Patras

By Tina Valaoura

Sources: NET - ANA

A tragic incident, involving a 30-year-old man who attempted to burn his mother before eventually committing suicide, has rocked the Greek city of Patras. The mentally disturbed man lived with his 54-year-old mother in a block of workers flats, in the area Taraboura, close to Zarouchleika, Patras. Last night, he attacked his mother and after showering her with rubbing alcohol, he set her on fire. The neighbours, who were alerted after hearing the womans screams and seeing smoke coming out of the 3rd-floor apartment, immediately called the police. Whilst the police officers were arriving at the scene, the 30-year-old fell from his home balcony, trying to put an end to his life. Mother and son were transferred to the University Hospital in Rio. The man died today, while the condition of the 54-year-old woman, who is suffering from severe burns, was deemed critical, and thus she was transferred to the Burns Unit of the Georgios Gennimatas Hospital in Athens, where she is being hospitalized.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

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