The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 08-04-21

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

CONTENTS

[01] "Resolve Name Dispute"

21 Apr 2008 14:47:00 (Last updated: 21 Apr 2008 18:21:06)

Sources: ÍÅÔ, ÍÅÔ 105.8

Athens is closely monitoring the new initiatives on the FYROM name dispute undertaken by UN envoy Matthew Nimetz. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who is in Skopje to hold talks with the countrys political leaders, clearly urged FYROM to pursue a compromise on the name row. Scheffer stressed that FYROMs accession to the Alliance should have the consent of all the member states, and called on its leaders to fix their look on the future, rather than the past. The top NATO official also met with FYROM President Branko Crvenkovski and with Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

"No" to Accession before Row Is Resolved

Scheffer underlined that a NATO membership requires the consent of all the member states and voiced his wish to see the name dispute between Greece and FYROM resolved by 9 July, when Croatia and Albania are to sign the protocol for their entry to the North Atlantic Alliance.

NATO would like FYROM country to sing the protocol, said Scheffer, also adding that this could not be done, due to the pending name issue.

Scheffer has repeatedly stressed that NATO has no intention of getting involved in the talks, which are under the auspices of the UN and its envoy Matthew Nimetz. It wishes, though, a compromise that would earn FYROM a place in the alliance.

Milososki's Biting Respond to Bakoyannis

In the meantime, Milososki was pretty harsh in his response to Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, who spoke of a financial aid to Skopje through Greeces donation of 57 million euros for the construction of a road network to be connecting the neighbouring country with Greece and the EU and the gradual visa abolition in case a mutually acceptable solution was found.

Milososki said, "Greece can burst with pride with EU funds, but we are not traders, we are and we will remain Macedonians and that fact has nothing to do with financial gains."

Translated by Areti Christou

Related News:

Intransigence Yields no Results

[02] Mix of Heat, Humidity and Dust

21 Apr 2008 11:26:00

By Athina Saloustrou

Sources: ÍÅÔ - ÍÅÔ 105.8

The Saharan dust is back and, combined with the really high temperatures for this time of the year and the high humidity levels, it breeds a rather stuffy atmosphere expected to affect southern Greece and Attica in the next two days. Winds are forecast to grow stronger as of Holy Tuesday, while the weather is to take a turn for the worse with a considerable temperature fall as of Holy Wednesday.

Translated by Areti Christou

[03] The Socialist Leader

21 Apr 2008 12:45:00

Sources: ÍÅÔ - ÍÅÔ 105.8

Socialist leader George Papandreou, who broke a finger and fractured a vertebra in an accident while riding his bicycle on Sunday, will remain in hospital for a couple of days. According to his doctors, after discharged from hospital he will have to stay indoors for a few weeks wearing a special thoracic bandage. His accident postponed the partys Political Council session scheduled for Tuesday in Pyrgos, southern Greece. Giannis Ragoussis, secretary of the partys National Council, and a panel of Socialist lawmakers and party officials will visit Wednesday the Ileia prefecture, meet with local bodies and pay a visit to the areas stricken by the devastating wildfires of last summer.

Translated by Areti Christou

[04] Piracy off Somalia

21 Apr 2008 17:33:00

Sources: ÁNA-French Agency

Spanish government has intensified efforts to free Spanish trawler 26 member crew, among them 13 Spanish nationals, held hostage since Sunday by a group of pirates off Somalia. A Spanish government announcement says that they are all well and nobody has been injured. The Playa de Bakio fishing-boat was attacked while sailing along Somalias coasts. An extraordinary meeting, chaired by vice-president Marias Teresa Fernandez with the participation of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Merchant Marine Ministers was held on Monday.The government has formed a high-level crisis unit to try to secure the release of the boat, and Spanish frigate Mendez Nunez that was already in the region is now headed toward the site of the hijacking. The French News Agency said that Spanish Defence Ministry was in touch with governments with military presence in the area to help find the vessel. Kidnapping and piracy are lucrative businesses in lawless Somalia and most Somalis treat their captives well in anticipation of a good ransom. A similar incident occurred on April, 4 when six Somali pirates seized a French luxury yacht and held its crew hostage for a week. They were arrested by French troops in the Somali desert last week after they handed over their 30 hostages and fled with their ransom. They were flown to France for questioning.

Translated by Chrisanthi Sarantis

[05] Marble Urn Returned to Greece

returned to Greece from Switzerland. The urn is on display at the National Archaeological Museum

Sources: ÁNA-ÌPA

An illegally exported ancient marble urn, dating back to the 4th century BC returned to Greece from Switzerland. Procedures concluded last Thursday while Culture Minister, Mihalis Liapis presented the urn, which is on display at the National Archaeological Museum, to reporters today in the presence of the museums director, N. Kaltsas. The urn will stay for about two months in the museums lab for restoration work.

The urn depicts farewell ceremony to a dead. The urn was on display at an art dealers international exhibition in Maastricht, in 2007. After negotiations the Swiss art dealer unreservedly agreed to hand the piece of antiquity to the Greek state. Mr. Liapis said that antiquities returned to Italy and Greece might be on display at the New Acropolis Museum in autumn.

Translated by Chrisanthi Sarantis

[06] Alogoskoufis- UPA Meeting

21 Apr 2008 15:33:00

Sources: ÍÅÔ 105.8

During his meeting with the board of the Union of Prefecture Administrations, Economics Minister, George Alogoskoufis agreed to allocate an additional 70 million euros for the current year and 120 million euros for 2009. Dimitris Drakos, president of the UPA, expressed satisfaction at the additional sum because it covers a large part of the 175 million euros sum requested by prefects. However, Piraeus Prefect, Yiannis Mihas maintained that the additional sum allocated does not meet the basic obligations of prefectures and warned that market inspections will be suspended while he predicted that prefectures will not be able to pay for school buses.

Translated by Chrisanthi Sarantis

[07] Ministers Meet with Deutsche Telekom Officials

21 Apr 2008 14:49:00

Sources: ÍÅÔ 105.8, ANA

Greek Minister of Finance and Transport, Giorgos Alogoskoufis and Kostas Hatzidakis respectively, met Monday noon with top Deutsche Telekom officials and discussed about OTE (Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation).

The Finance Ministry announced the talks between advisors with a view to striking an agreement of strategic alliance between the Greek state and Deutsche Telekom on OTE continue.

After the meeting, Finance Ministry sources assured that the Greek state is negotiating with the German group only, also adding that talks could go on up until the very last day of the 7 May deadline.

In his interview with Ta Nea daily, Giorgos Alogoskoufid said that the goal is a balanced board for OTE with one of Europes largest telecommunications organisation.

[08] Financial Times Back Obama

British Financial Times have urged Democrats to offer their backing to Barack Obama to secure the Democratic presidential nomination. Terming him as a "spell-binding orator," the paper said he should be the final nominee after the Pennsylvania primaries not just because his lead in elected delegates is already unassailable, "but also because he is, in fact, the better candidate." Political differences between the two Democratic contenders, Obama and Clinton, read the paper, "look small and in reality are even smaller." "Therefore been a contest of character, temperament and identity," stressed the article. "Obama has fought a brilliant campaign, out-organising his opponent, raising more money, and convincing undecided Democrats as well as the country at large that he was more likeable, more straightforward and more worthy of trust," read Financial Times.

In the meantime, as announced Sunday by his campaigners, Obama raised more than 42 million dollars from donations in March.

Read the story on other sources:

Financial Times: Democrats must choose Obama

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