Presidency to be presented to the Plenary Session of the European Parliament. The initiatives the Prime Minister's initiatives within the party are expected to be made known then, while they are expected to take place in early July. There is great intere st in the government's response to the possibility of ND raising an election issue.

According to meteorologists the temperature will rise to 38 degrees Celsius over the next few days, while it will hit 40 on Monday with the heat wave expected.

Specialists advise the aged, children and individual with health problems to consume as much water as possible, take many showers and avoid intense physical activity.

Possible symptoms due to the high temperatures are cramps and exhaustion, thus exposure to the sun especially during midday hours should be avoided.

Meanwhile, the Thessaloniki Fire Department is also on standby in order to respond to possible fires over the summer. The anti-fire period ends on October 31st.

The Director of the Thessaloniki Fire Department, Constantinos Skokas, supported that his men are ready to respond to any incident throughout the summer with fire department vehicles, Canader aircrafts and helicopters.

Mr. Michalopoulos called on cardiologic problems in order to be taken to the prison infirmary. Mr. Michalopoulos denied all charges and his attorney stated that next week they will appeal for his client's release.

Investigations were carried out on the specific case after the publication of a hand written note belonging to 17N victim industrialist D. Aggelopoulos, according to which the publisher was the intermediary that could remove his name from the hit list of

the "17 November" terrorist group.

The Center is already under construction in the area of Thermi, and it will be unique on a European scale, since it will have the largest and most modern digital planetarium on the continent, with a diameter of 30 meters, a virtual reality simulator, a c osmo-theater, a digital cinema with a 400 square meter concave screen, and 6000 square meters worth of exhibition grounds, where an ancient Greek technology exhibit will be hosted.

The construction is taking place on an area of 48,000 square meters, and its structures will cover 14,000 square meters, while it will cost 30 million euro. At the same time it can be used for academic purposes by medical students, who will be given the chance to observe a surgical procedure in every detail in the virtual reality simulator.

His request for early elections was warmly greeted and applauded by the MPs, while Mr. Karamanlis underlined: "I have not asked for early elections, although we would have liked to have held them even yesterday if it were up to us. The interest of Greece , however, demands a clear political scene, with no further delays. Because Greece cannot take another extended pre-election period

The time that Mr. Simitis wants to gain is time that the country will lose. That is the truth.

We do not have the luxury for tired people to proceed with pointless policies. The problems cannot wait for a 9-month pre-election period to end. The solution to the crisis plaguing the government can only be given by the citizens themselves. National in terest necessitates elections now."

Earlier, he had noted that accumulated dead ends, the people's discomfort, the sense of the end bearing near, have created a serious governmental crisis that cannot be confronted with compromises and Summit truces, nor with inter-party blackmails.

In his speech Mr. Karamanlis launched a head on attack against the government in all sectors. He spoke of inadequacy of the government and an inability to govern. The government is not functioning as a single body and the Ministries are functioning as du kedoms, he said.

On ND he stated that it has a complete governmental reform programme and that it is ready to obtain tangible results in its first six months of government. At the same time he called his MPs to constantly be vigilant. He reminded them of an earlier state ment he had made, that the duties each one of the MPs has concerns the period until the elections and it does not forejudge the position they will undertake in the case of an electoral victory.

Mr. Protopapas stated in response to a relevant question, that the strategy followed is specific namely, there is a need for truce and disarmament in the Middle East, and it is outlined in the summit meeting text.

Mr. Protopapas pointed out that this decision is also a success for the interests of the Greek farmers, adding that the interview of Minister of Agriculture Giorgos Drys offers further details on the issue.

Of the stocks trading today, 101 recorded gains and 205 had losses, while the value of 70 stocks remained unchanged.

Mr. Protopapas stated that elections will be held at the end of the government term in the spring of 2004. He said that the Greek government after its recent achievements will proceed with new political initiatives and will meet its commitments toward t he Greek people.

Although some progress has been made since the last presidential elections on March 5, 2003, especially regarding the technical preparations, the pre-election campaign and the media coverage of the pre-electoral campaign, the EU regrets that the overall election process did not meet the international standards in a number of key aspects, whereas the Armenian authorities promised substantive improvements after the Presidential elections of February 19, 2003.

The EU is especially concerned with the reoccurrence of falsification of vote counts, the unbalanced representation in the election commissions, the intimidation of proxies and the lack of transparency in the publishing of the election results.

The EU stresses its readiness to assist the Armenian authorities in re-addressing these shortcomings in the future in cooperation with other relevant international institutions such as the OSCE and the Council of Europe.

The Acceding Countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, the Associated Countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, membe rs of the European Economic Area align themselves with this declaration.

On the court trial of the alleged terrorist group "17 November" members, Mr. Petsalnikos said that the procedures followed so far were impeccable.

On the agreements on extradition and mutual judicial assistance signed by the EU and the US in Washington on Wednesday, Mr. Petsalnikos said that the negotiations were completed during Greece's EU Presidency term and were the fruit of a unanimous decisio n by all 25 EU member states.

Mr. Petsalnikos stated that the agreements signed establish a modern, clear and effective framework for the EU and US cooperation in the efforts against international crime with absolute respect for the institutional characteristics of the European legal

system.

Mr. Petsalnikos underlined the huge importance of the contribution of Greece's children living all over the world.

He said that Greece faces the 21st century with self-confidence and optimism and this is the result of hard work and effort by the Greek people and the Greek communities abroad.

Mr. Petsalnikos referred to the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and stressed that holding flawless Olympic Games is a goal that will be achieved with the contribution and presence of the Greeks living abroad.

country, stated Greek Justice Minister Philippos Petsalnikos responding to a question after delivering a speech in New York. He also underlined that mistakes were made in the way the issue was handled mainly under the pressure of the supporters of "nothi ng".

He said that opportunities were lost in the past, adding that when he was serving as Undersecretary for the Greeks Living Abroad he was visiting Australia with Parliament deputies from all political parties in Greece to persuade the Australian government

to characterize the people of FYROM as Slavomacedonians.

Some years ago instead of seeking their characterization as Slavomacedonians we insisted in saying "nothing", said Mr. Petsalnikos, while other countries recognize them as plain "Macedonia". Therefore, the efforts should continue to avoid the formal adop tion of the name "Republic of Macedonia", said Mr. Petsalnikos, adding that if talks continue a solution is likely with the adoption of a name that will not create confusions.

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