The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 09-05-18

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

CONTENTS

[01] First Suspected H1N1 Case in Greece

The Health Minister rest everybody assured that all precautionary measures dictated by the international and EU rules have been taken and that the suspected case is under control and that public health runs no risk.

"This information arrived to us exactly the time when the world is weighing upon this important matter," said Avramopoulos, hoping that the second lab tests will come out negative.

Source: ANA, NET 105.8

News item: 22476

[02] Gloomy Forecast by BoG Governor

Governor of the Bank of Greece Giorgos Provopoulos forecast Monday that the number of households and businesses that will fail to pay off their loans due to the financial crisis will increase. Provopoulos also predicted the growth rate of the Greek economy will slow down.

He noted, however, that economy in the eurozone has started demonstrated some signs of recovery.

He added, though, that the expected stabilization of the EU economy is really slow. Therefore, it will take some more time before the economies of the member states fully recover.

According to the BoG Governor, the crisis is double, both financial and economical. Therefore, he reiterated the answer to the crisis should be of double nature.

All measures feasible to support the financial recovery should be stepped up in the short term. At the same time, he highlighted the need for an effective framework that will allow the monitoring of the financial sector at EU level.

News item: 22472

[03] Papandreou Launches Attacks against the Government

As PASOK president said the result of the governmental policy was suffering of local societies and downgrading of emigrants' lives as well as hardship on the Harbor Corps employees. He stressed that "a serious government should have done six things which have not been done and stressed:

"Today our country is lacking serious guarding of the borders as well as on the policy that defines who political refugee is and not. There is not a clear policy on how we incorporate legal immigrants on the society and economy.

In addition, he said that "there is not a clear political boost and guarding of ports so as to send the message for the return of all illegal immigrants coming to Greece via Turkey which, Papandreou said, PASOK had implemented when it was in government.

On reference to the creation and operation of camps, he stressed that the government is looking for excuses per as far as camps are concerned that is getting worse and do not solve the problem.

And concluded: "The problem can be resolved by a serious government and with the help of the European Union".

Response by Interior Minister

"Delivering a speech on migration policy and the camp issue, George Papandreou yet again demonstrated his political irresponsibility and complete lack of migration policy," underlined Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos, in response to PASOK leader's claims.

"Mr Papandreou should think each time he touches on matters pertaining to the migration policy, because he was a leading minister during the Socialist rule in Greece, serving, in fact as a Foreign Minister when Greece was absent from international fora and lacked any migration policy. Instead, he has a say now that Greece has a leading role in the international fora, forgetting that the Immigration Pact signed in Paris by the EU member states came to being thanks to the Greek initiatives, as well. He also seems to have forgotten Karamanlis' initiative with regard to the guarding of borders. He seems to have forgotten the most important thing: that the Immigration Pact associates the border of the EU with the border of its member states, in other words with the Greek border, upon Greece's initiative."

Source: NET, NET 105.8, ANA/MPA

News item: 22461

[04] OASE Forum: Solutions on Emigration

"Instead of introversion and phobia reactions it is necessary more than ever to continue the policies that converge to the tackling of the problems that keep rising regarding the environment or emigration", Mrs. Bakoyiannis said expressing her satisfaction for the meaningful exchange of opinions that proceeded in the first part of the Forum taking place in Vienna but also the aspiration that agreements will be reached for a sequence of substantial recommendations that will pave the way to the continuation of initiatives in the sector of emigration".

The minister stressed that emigrants express special interest on Greece due to its geographical location and wished to contribute to the efforts for the development of a more complete approach exploring ways to include all interested parties to a meaningful dialogue.

News item: 22458

[05] Priority in Businesses and Energy

Support to Middle-sized Businesses

Mr. Hatzidakis briefed the Prime-minister on the Development Ministry's priorities mainly on the energy and market sectors. The Prime-minister stressed that the Guarantee Fund has allocated 3.2 billion euros for the financing of 27 thousand middle-sized businesses while another 50 thousand businesses will be financed through TEMPE during the second stage of the program. Mr. Karamanlis stressed that the government places priority on consumers protection with the upgrading of the competition committee as well as interventions in the dairy and fuel market.

Source: ΝΕΤ - ΝΕΤ 105.8

News item: 22450

[06] Sri Lanka: Tamil Leader Killed

A Sri Lanka's army spokesman said that the leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels Velupillai Prabhakaran, who along with 200 rebels was encircled by Sri Lankan troops in a small patch of jungle in the NE part of the country, is dead. Earlier, the army said it had found the body of Prabhakaran's 24 years old son during a cleaning operation.The latest developments came a day after the rebels declared a ceasefire, saying the battle had "reached its bitter end". Thousands of people celebrated the end of the civil war, numbering 26 years, taking to the streets in the capital city Colombo. The Tigers have been fighting for a separate state for Tamils in the north and east of Sri Lanka since the 1970s. As estimated 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict and thousands displaced.

Incidents outside the British High Commission in Colombo

The Tamil chief and two close aides were ambushed and shot dead while trying to flee the area in an ambulance, according to a Defense Ministry official. Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the Tigers' chief of international relations, said in a statement on the pro-rebel TamilNet website that the LTTE was "prepared to silence its guns if that is what needed by the international community to save the life and dignity of the Tamil people". In the meantime more than 1,000 Sri Lankans protested outside the British High Commission in the capital, Colombo, accusing Britain of siding with the Tigers. Some of them threw stones and burnt an effigy of UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband. David Miliband is particularly critical over Sri Lanka stand in the war and had backed appeals for investigation on war crimes.

News item: 22446

[07] Obama- Netanyahu Meeting in Washington

Diverging Approaches on Iran-Palestinian Issues

Israel is highly concerned over the US administration new approach fearing that such efforts could lead to greater tolerance for Iran's nuclear ambitions and close dialogue channels. The Obama administration is trying to promote dialogue with Iran and Syria, Israel's arch foes. Israel fears such efforts could lead to greater tolerance for Iran's nuclear ambitions. Benjamin Netanyahu regards Iran as the greatest threat to Israel, ranking it ahead of the Palestinian issue, bringing a new approach for peace procedure. He has also expressed willingness to resume talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas this week. But Israel and the U.S. dismiss Iran's claims that its nuclear program is designed to produce energy rather than weapons. Netanyahu regards Tehran as the greatest threat to Israel -- a fear magnified by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated references to Israel's annihilation. The US, however, wants the Israeli part to do more such as halting of settlement policy in the occupied territories putting into effect the Road Map on ME peace.

News item: 22444

[08] In View of European Elections

Tensions are running high among political parties in view of the European Elections. New Democracy (Conservatives) and PASOK's (Panhellenic Socialist Movement) list of candidates are expected to be announced by the end of the week. The agenda of the ruling party New Democracy focuses on the tackling of every day problems while PASOK is interested in leading. At the same time as elections are close the tones of the political debate rise. The governmental representative launched accusations against opposition party PASOKcommenting that Mr. Papandreou says no to everything because he is afraid of undertaking any responsibility. Other parties launch accusations against both New Democracy and PASOK.

More specifically governmental representative Mr. Antonaros said that the opposition party leader is still trapped in ideologies and issues that interest only himself and his leading team.

PASOK president Mr. Giorgos Papandreou said: "We haven't won in the elections since 94. A PASOK electoral victory would be a political overthrow and a sign that the opposition party will win the national elections.

On reference to Mr. Karamanlis and Mr. Papandreou speeches in Arta and Patra the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) stresses in its announcement:

"The people listened to Mr. Karamanlis and Mr. Papandreou speeches but did not hear anything about working wages, salaries, stable working conditions, and social insurance. And what is there to say as both for parties for example have agreed with the proposals of the latest EU summit that adopt measures such as 4 hour of employment and give employers the chance to raise their profits.

Coalition of the radical left (SYRIZA) president Alexis Tsipras asked people to condemn partisanship so as to overturn the aged political scenery.

SOURCE: ΝΕΤ-ΝΕΤ 105,8-ΑNA/ΜNA

News item: 22465

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