The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 10-06-27

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

CONTENTS

[01] Samaras:Turn Page-Attack against PASOK

ND party leader Antonis Samaras, in his second speech during the three-day party congress, spoke of the end of a long period and the start of ND big ascend. "Nothing is the same after the three-day congress. We turn page, we change chapter", said Mr. Samaras and thanked all members for their mass and constructive participation, underlining that talks included all issues and big truths came to light. Mr. Samaras launched a new attack against the government's policy, stressing that ND policy is to be relieved of the memorandum. Furthermore he dropped hints at Dora Bakoyianni and George Karatzaferis stand maintaining that they were supporters of PASOK as they said they bore responsibility to vote in favour of the memorandum. Dimitris Abramopoulos, president of the Organizational Committee, also expressed satisfaction at the course of the congress. The works of the congress will conclude with the election of the new Central Committee to be renamed to Political Committee and number 450 members.

Íea Era

ND leader Antonis Samaras spoke of a beginning of a new era for the ND in his second speech during the congress.

"After our congress we turn page, we change chapter, restore our ideas, proceed to the organization of a modern political party and not a loose union of feuds, we attract new people without ignoring old fighters, we are united more than ever. PASOK , which is full of rifts created by its decisions face unity problems. They counted us as finished but they find us in front of them now", Mr. Samaras said.

"As of tomorrow we start the big battle, we speak with people, not with wooden language but with arguments. One who did not vote for ND are not our enemies , we want to listen to them. We will not try to convince only the center, the right or left wing we want to speak with all that want to listen to something different".

New Attack against PASOK-Relief from Memorandum

He launched an attack against PASOK saying that it handed over the keys of the country signing the memorandum that leads to a vicious circle of recession and destruction".

Mr. Samaras stressed that the ND's strategy is relieve the country from the memorandum, underlining: "the country will have to make big sacrifices with poor results for as long as we are committed to the memorandum. The country can exit from the commitments of the memorandum if it stands on its own forces and develops its assest and competition advantages".

Furthermore, he maintained "the memorandum leads to deadlock, we are seeking a sooner exit to implement a different economic policy".

Hints against Bakoyianni & Karatzaferis

Mr. Samaras repeated his accusations about "PASOK crutches" adding: "The war against us and the crutches they recruit show their fear of ND. Ones who signed the memorandum say there was no other option. But why didn't they take milder and effective measures earlier before they handed the country's ruling?

Picturing D. Bakoyianni and G. Karatzaferis he said: " Those who agreed to that policy as PASOK crutches speak of a responsible vote. They did not know what they were voting for as measures for social security and labour relations were included in the memorandum. Politics is not talks and smiles but action of responsibility".

The ND leadersaid that he will announce his party's positions for the country's exit from the financial crisis on July, 7.

Abramopoulos Statement

Dimitris Abramopoulos, president of the Organizational Committee expressed satisfaction at the works of the 8th congress.

"The ND is ahead again with force, unity to express the center right wing, we are the authentic expression of liberalism", said Mr. Abramopoulos underlining that the 8th congress isa landmark in the history of the center-right wing and compass for the party's future.

"A new period begins led by Antonis Samaras. We move ahead to the new post military coup period which will lead to the transformation of the state. Soeciety demands rapid moves. The crisis of the political system has changed the political parties. We are all in the front line", Mr. Abramopoulos concluded.

Sources: ÍÅÔ-ÍÅÔ 105.8-ÁNA/ÌPA

News item: 38015

[02] New Left -wing Party

On Sunday, Fotis Kouvelis and the members of the renewal group who walked out of the SYN party announced the foundation of a new left-wing political party, expected to bear the name "Renewal Democratic Left" and the election of a Political Committee. In his speech, Mr. Kouvelis supported EU political and economic unification and the ecological orientation of his newly founded party. He also stressed that workers should not be the only ones to bear the burden for the mandatory reduction of state debt and state deficit.

Political Invitation to Ecology Party

Fotis Koubelis, in a speech in many parts reminding an ideological declaration, described the characteristics of the new political party "Renewal Democratic Left" which aims to make a come back to the political stage to defend public interests.

Hundreds of senior members of the Renewal Wing, who recently left the SYN party, took part in the National Conference and signed the foundation chart of the new party.

Addressing the members of his party, Fotis Kouvelis said that the party will follow the democratic road towards socialism within the economic, social and political circumstances as they are formulated at the present time and also underlined its ecological orientation.

He stressed that the Left and Ecology could not further function separately as forces of a spherical transformation and expressed the conviction that the two forces together could build a new vision, a policy innovation and conquest for the people and modern societies.

Referring to the economy and the government policy, Mr. Kouvelis spoke of the total failure of the clientelism state built in the last decades and the bankruptcy of the political stereotype of bipartisanship which prevailed in the post military coup period.

He blamed the two large political parties for the present circumstances, citing that large part of the society justifiably condemn them and would have left them in the pages of history if they had alternative options.

According to Mr. Kouvelis, exit from the financial crisis goes along with ignition of production, combat of corruption and tax evasion and control of state expenses.

The target of the new party as Mr. Kouvelis said is to formulate together with the broader social forces a leftist response to the financial crisis. He expressed his strong objection to reforms in labour relations and social security system and invited all progressive and leftist forces to join political life in order to help turn mid-term developments in favour of workers, women, men, creative people and the youth imposing new rules and institutions to replace priviledges and facilitations of the clientelism state.

As he stressed the target of the new party is also "a groundbreaking and courageous left that would not settle for the easy and would not give in neither to leftist populism nor to short -sighted leftism , without previous careful consideration does not defend as a just request any vested right and does not fondle trade unions for the sake of petty partisan expediencies".

Sources: ÍÅÔ 105.8-ÁNA/ÌPA-ÍÅÔ News item: 38011

[03] Investigations in Greece & Abroad

Greek police have extended investigations abroad to locate culprits of the bloody attack against the Citizens' Protection Ministry last Thursday. A similar parcel bomb in the past had been sent to several targets in Italy and Spain. First estimations indicate IRA and ETA bomb techniques.

Links of Greek terrorists with similar groups abroad

The antiterrorist department is carrying out investigations on Greek terrorists' links with same group of people abroad. The parcel bomb- a device never before used in Greece- show that the device was made abroad or the expert travelled to Greece to make the bomb.

Greek authorities have been closely cooperating with Italy, France and Spain since a recent terrorist attack in which another policeman was killed. Greek police are mainly cooperating with Italian authorities since they have two defused parcel bombs sent by Greek terrorists.

Intensive investigations are also being conducted at airports, airway companies and flight tickets as well as names of passengers from countries abroad in an effort to find even suspect foreign nationals who travelled to Greece.

Police analysts, however, extend investigations into printed material confiscated in the past as they have found texts written by foreign terrorist organizations expounding ways of actions. This printed material has been found in the house of one of the defendants in the case of the "Revolutionary Struggle".

Intensive investigations are also being carried out in the broader Kipseli region -where police had located houses used by the "Revolutionary struggle". This time search centers on whether the parcel- bomb was made there and transferred to the post office.

Sources: ÍÅÔ

Related News: Funeral of Top-aide /Intensive Investigations

News item: 38016

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