During his meeting with Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou yesterday, Mr. Weston set a very strict schedule on resolving the Cyprus issue. Mr. Weston characterized the resolving of the Cyprus issue prior to the Copenhagen Summit imperative. He also stre ssed that if Cyprus becomes a member of the EU without having resolved the Cyprus issue, the EU will have to deal with very complicated problems.

He also spoke in favor of the Annan plan, while he added that the US support that there are no ultimatums.

Mr. Papandreou expressed his hope to start negotiations based on the plan of the UN Secretary General, he stressed, however, that we are not yet before the solution of the Cyprus issue.

During the weekend, President Cleridis will be in Athens on a formal working visit drawing on the Cyprus issue developments. Tomorrow morning, Mr. Cleridis will meet with his Greek counterpart, Mr. Stefanopoulos, Greek PM Kostas Simitis, and the Presiden t of New Democracy, Kostas Karamanlis. He will then hold a press conference.

In the afternoon he will attend a luncheon organized in his honor by the PM, while he will then have consecutive meetings with the Secretary General of the Greek Communist Party, Aleka Papariga, the President of the Coalition of the Left, Nikos Konstanto poulos, and Thomas Weston.

On Sunday, Mr. Cleridis will meet with honorary President of ND, Kostantinos Mitsotakis, and then with the President of the Federation of Cypriot Organizations of Greece, Giorgos Syllouris.

The meetings concerning Cyprus will continue on Monday, when Mr. Erdogan arrives in Athens, in order to meet with Mr. Simitis in the Maximos Mansion.

Tomorrow, Mr. Erdogan will visit the occupied territories and will have a meeting with the Turkish Cypriot Leader Rauf Denktash, who has hurriedly returned from New York.

Apart from discussions and meetings with parties directly involved in the Cyprus issue, Mr. Papandreou has also sent a letter to the Foreign Ministers of EU member states.

The Foreign Minister asked his counterparts to offer their personal support during the course towards Copenhagen, so that a solution compatible with European acquis can be found.

The letter was also sent to the President of the European Commission Romano Prodi, and the High Representative on Joint Foreign Policy and Defense of the EU, Xavier Solana.

Mr. Papandreou will have meetings with National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and his US counterpart Collin Powel, with whom he will discuss international developments and the Cyprus issue.

the gates with a tank, began today.

In the facilities of the Polytechnic School, various events are being hosted once more this year, such as photography and document exhibitions. The building's gates open at 8:30am and close at 9pm, while on Sunday they will close at 2pm, in order to hold

speeches, reading the names of the dead students, and to begin the protest march.

Extreme security measures have been taken in order to avoid incidents. Approximately 5000 police officers will be guarding the events, as this year's celebration is taking place a few months after the developments in the "November 17" terrorism case.

In the meanwhile, police measures will also be increased in Thessaloniki. On November 17 the customary march will at Aristotelous Square in the afternoon, move to the US Consulate and end at the Polytechnic School.

The contacts made by Mr. Karamanlis are aimed at securing that Cyprus' accession into the European Union will mean a European solution to the Cyprus issue for the Cypriot citizens to enjoy, as EU members, the same rights and freedoms with the rest Europe an citizens.

Of the stocks trading today, 280 recorded gains and 47 had losses, while the value of 46 stocks remained unchanged.

The countries that signed the memorandum undertook the obligation to modernize and develop their electricity networks and markets by 2005 based on the EU models for the whole region to be included in the EU internal electricity market.

Within the framework of the regional market, investments in the energy sector as well as electricity exchange between countries will become easier.

was expressed by Minister of Defense Yiannos Papantoniou. Mr. Papantoniou clarified, however, that this moment is still far away and more effort is needed.

Mr. Papantoniou also made it clear that Cyprus' accession into the EU will proceed regardless of whether a solution will be reached in Cyprus.

"We are damaging the case if we come to conclusions quickly, in general, concerning the whole issue", he stressed, during a Press Conference he held in Warsaw, where he was participating in the two day Meeting of the European Socialist Party.

"The leading role in this issue is being played by Cyprus. It is the Cypriots who will decide on the issue, because it concerns them. Therefore, before we in Greece enter to discussions, lets let the issue form and be discussed in the framework set by th e Cypriot leadership. And we will contribute as they asked", he stressed.

Mr. Simitis repeated that the accession of Cyprus does not depend on the resolving of the Cyprus issue.

The Annan plan opens up prospects of resolving the Cyprus issue stated Minister of Development Akis Tsochatzopoulos, who was accompanying the Prime Minister in Warsaw.

"It is an obligation for us all to explore the possibilities, secure this prospect, of course the proposal has its difficulties, there are points that must change, but that is why we have a dialogue", he underlined.

On the other hand, there are opposite opinions on the Annan plan within Greece. The Secretary General of the Greek Communist Party stated that the government is beautifying the Annan plan.

"The Greek government is lifting a great weight of historic responsibility, because at this crucial moment it is beautifying and idealizing the Annan plan, and thus weakening the front of resistance, pressure, and negotiation", she pointed out.

Mr. Simitis stressed that the future of social-democracy is firmly linked with the future of Europe and underlined that the European Socialist Party has a unique opportunity to contribute to the reform of the European Union making it bigger, better, and stronger.

At this point, the Prime Minister outlined the three basic priorities of the European Socialist Party in the EU, namely to have its own Constitution, enrich its goals mission and policies, and make its institutions more democratic and effective.

The common foreign policy and the policy of defense should be strengthened turning it gradually into a system of collective solidarity in order to make Europe a factor of peace, stability and cooperation, said the Greek Prime Minister. He also stressed t hat there is a need to have a new system of global government that will reflect the social democratic values and the reality of the global village.

Mr. Simitis, who is in Warsaw to attend the European Socialist Party first council, had a telephone communication with Mr. Bush. The US President raised the issue of the opening of the Turkey-EU negotiations and applauded Greece's view according to which , it is in principle advisable for the EU doors to remain open for Ankara.

The Greek Prime Minister pointed out that any positive development in Turkey's course toward the EU depends on Ankara itself. He said that it would be fair for Turkey to accept the Annan plan as a basis for negotiation for the solution of the political p roblem in Cyprus and also, accept the Brussels Summit agreement on the issue of the Euro-army. Mr. Simitis characterized as positive the telephone communication he had with the US President.

Mr. Simitis also met with Turkish opposition leader Deniz Baykal with whom he discussed the issue concerning the setting of a date for the opening of Turkey's EU accession negotiations.

The Cypriot President stated that he is in the Greek capital after consultations with Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis to study the Annan plan and added that the conclusions reached will be discussed in the National Council of Cyprus on Monday.

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