the OASE convention, which will take place in Bucharest on December 3, were also discussed.

In statements after the meeting, Mr. Papandreou pointed out that Greece supports Romania's accession to NATO and the EU.

Mr. Miller was informed on the struggle to promote the Olympic cease-fire as well as on the developments on the Cyprus issue by Mr. Papandreou.

The US Ambassador expressed his complete satisfaction with the level of cooperation, with the Greek government, in the framework of the antiterrorism coalition, while, when reporters asked about Al-Quaeda members having connections in Greece, he stated h e knew nothing on the matter.

The event was attended by Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, Minister of National Defense Giannos Papantoniou, and the honorary President of New Democracy, Kostantinos Mitsotakis.

In a discussion the Prime Minister had with the political and military leadership of the Ministry of Defense, he asked for measures against illegal immigration and called the Coast Guard and the Navy to have better cooperation in order to stop the flow o f illegal immigrants.

Mr. Karamanlis characterized their discussion, during which they talked about issues of common interest, as very interesting.

He stressed that bilateral relations are at a very good level, underlining that it is very important that Greece and Romania send a message of stability to the broader region of Southeastern Europe with its well known problems, with their cooperation.

In statements after the meeting, Mr. Konstantopoulos stressed that Greece and Romania can and must be strategic partners in a common course for a social, peaceful and democratic model for a unified Europe of peoples and societies.

He appreciated that relations between our countries are good, and that they should constantly get better, and he expressed his wish that bonds the of friendship and cooperation between our two countries are strengthened by the visit of Mr. Iliesku, an ol d friend, as he noted, so that all levels, cultural, financial, social and political, may develop common initiatives with positive results.

Avramopoulos.

This morning Mr. Iliesku will place a wreath at the monument of the Unknown Soldier, while a short time later he will meet with Apostolos Kaklamanis in the Parliament, where he will receive the gold Medal of the Greek Parliament.

At noon he will go to the "Maximos" Mansion to meet with the Prime Minister. Later, Mr. Simitis will hold a reception in honor of Mr. Iliesku.

The Romanian President will continue his meetings in the afternoon. He will meet with the Mayor of Athens Dimitris Avramopoulosand will receive the Gold Medal of the city. Tomorrow, Mr. Iliesku will visit Crete.

According to a pan-hellenic survey performed by "Metron Analysis", which was executed for the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, 200,000 abortions take place in Greece every year, a number double that of the births.

Specifically, 1 out of 4 women stated that she has had an unwanted pregnancy. In fact according to the survey, only 2% of Greek women use contraceptive pills, while in Western Europe the number reaches 40%.

Based on the information above the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, is taking up a campaign all over the country on informing young people on issues of contraception and sex education.

Mr. Beglitis pointed out the Greek government's satisfaction concerning the recent developments in the neighboring country and commented that they will affect stability and peace in the region in a positive way.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis in statements he made to reporters clarified that Mr. Papandreou's visit has a symbolic character and will be held to witness himself the conditions under which she is being held. Mr. Beglitis added that the gove rnment respects the independence of the Greek Justice which has taken over the case.

He stated that there are reactions in the British mass media that have given extensive coverage to the issue and added that Mr. Papandreou as a Foreign Minister has the responsibility to safeguard the country's international image.

Mr. Beglitis also stressed that no demarche has been made on behalf of Britain regarding the arrest of the British woman and clarified that both the British embassy in Athens and the British deputy Foreign Minister, who met with Mr. Papandreou on the sid elines of the EU Foreign Ministers Council, requested to be briefed on the events that led to her arrest.

Mr. Beglitis stated that no such reactions were made by the Dutch government, adding that Mr. Papandreou intends to visit the Dutch nationals as well, who are being held in the Nafplion Prison.

For the record, the British woman and other 11 Britons together with 2 Dutch nationals were arrested while taking pictures of a restricted military area in Kalamata.

Mr. Iliescu expressed his thanks for the reception he had in Greece and for the assistance offered by Greece to Romania's efforts to become part of the European "family".

They discussed the political developments in Romania, while it was established that bilateral relations are at a good level and the two state parliaments have a satisfactory cooperation both at bilateral, regional and European level.

Mr. Simitis stated that Romania and Bulgaria are among the countries that will be included in the second wave of EU enlargement and added that Greece backs the economic support of those countries by the EU in order to be able to cover the distance that s eparates them from the rest EU countries.

On bilateral relations, Mr. Simitis and Mr. Iliescu praised the very good level of political cooperation between the two countries and examined the fields that need to be emphasized more such as, tourism, small-medium sized businesses and bureaucracy. On

the economic cooperation it was pointed out that it can be further developed to exceed the US$1 billion mark by 2003. Mr. Simitis stated that a total of 1.900 Greek businesses are active in Romania and backed the further improvement of the economic and t rade cooperation.

On the issue of the abolition of the visa requirement, Mr. Simitis stated that a joint effort must be made to limit illegal immigration, combat organized crime and consolidate a feeling of security in the Balkans On the situation in the Balkans, the Gree k Prime Minister and the Romanian President agreed that there is a need for a continuous presence of the US and the EU for the region to maintain its importance.

Of the stocks trading today, 189 recorded gains and 150 had losses, while the value of 24 stocks remained unchanged.

Alpha Bank, which has merged recently with the National Bank of Greece creating the National Bank of Greece SA, was the only bank in Greece that offered a complete line of VISA, Mastercard and American Express products.

The Euro MP pointed out that language is not just a tool for communication, but a means of expression of a culture. The cultural and linguistic multiformity of Europe is part of its power and wealth. Survival of all languages is not just a matter of nati onal pride of each people, but the essence of European consummation.

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