Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 01-08-05

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From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

CONTENTS

[01] CEREMONY FOR THE NEW CHIEF OF POLICE

[02] TSOHATZOPOULOS: POLICY CHANGE AT THE CONGRESS

[03] SEARCH FOR PASSARIS CONTINUE

[04] CHANGES IN HEALTH SYSTEMS FROM SEPTEMBER

[05] CHRISTODOULOS IN LAYRA

[06] PATRIARCHICAL MASS IN NISIROS

[01] CEREMONY FOR THE NEW CHIEF OF POLICE

The ceremony for the assumption of duties of the new Chief of Police, Fotis Nasiakos, will take place tomorrow at 12 noon, in the ceremony room of the Ministry of Public Order.

The ceremony will be attended by the political leaders of the Ministry of Public order, high ranking officers serving in the Attica Basin, directors of the various Sectors of the Police Headquarters and directors of directly dependent services or departments.

The main opposition party reacted well to the choice of Fotis Nasiakos as new Chief of Police. The responsible party member for Public Order of New Democracy, Christos Makrogiannakis, wished the new Chief to be able to reinstate the authority and prestige of the Greek Police Force and move to the necessary structural changes.

[02] TSOHATZOPOULOS: POLICY CHANGE AT THE CONGRESS

Change of governmental policy should be what the October congress of PASOK, the governing party, should be all about, stated the Minister of National Defense, Akis Tsohatzopoulos, who also stated that that he will run for president at the congress, but a matter of change in party leadership will only rise in case of an electoral defeat.

In an interview to "Kathimerinin" newspaper, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos stated: "Independent of the circumstances under which the congress was decided, it is a unique opportunity for PASOK to redetermine its political face, structure and function. Based on new data, political challenges, but also ideological quests that are dominant in Europe. But our main goal should be to create - through dialogue and contradictions - our new political proposition. In the framework of a collective democratic leadership, beyond the responsibility of the President and the Prime Minister, there must be discreet roles for the persons that will be appointed from the base of PASOK"

[03] SEARCH FOR PASSARIS CONTINUE

The search for Kostas Passaris continues after the failed attempt by police to capture him. At the same time his Romanian accomplice, Mario Randoukan, whose fingerprints were found in the apartment where the operation for Passaris' capture took place is also wanted. The police is waiting for Passaris' who is thought to be wounded to make some kind of mistake.

[04] CHANGES IN HEALTH SYSTEMS FROM SEPTEMBER

From September onwards changes will be made in the Health sector, as is stressed in "The Sunday Bima" by Minister Papadopoulos.

These changes will include:

The creation of new services such as "patient reception offices", afternoon infirmaries, urban health centers and "passing-through infirmaries."

The organization of primary care and the extension of the Special Center for Immediate Assistance in all of the country. For this purpose 10.000 people will be hired due to lack of personnel.

The staffing of Intensive Therapy Units by 2002 in the Emergency Sector, a fact that will change the present welfare system.

The transfer of doctors belonging to the National Health System, if they are judged inadequate after evaluation.

The discontinuation of functioning of hospitals that are not used in a high capacity (35%). The personnel of those hospitals will be allocated to other hospitals.

The abolition of the legal being of hospitals and their executive board. Managers with a wide range of responsibilities will take over .

The Presidents of Peripheral Health Systems will be made head hospital managers, and will apply a certain program with certain goals.

[05] CHRISTODOULOS IN LAYRA

Athens' Archbisop Christodoulos visited the historical Monastery of St. Layra , for the celebration of the 180 since the Greek Revolution. Mr. Christodoulos was obviously touched and mentioned the importance of the clergy in the struggle for freedom, while he verbally attacked all those who wish to see the church left in the margin.

Mr. Christodoulos spoke of the values of Greek Christian tradition and as he said "they do not collapse, nor will they ever collapse. There may be a hidden desire in some people's minds who are cut off from our tradition, but God will not allow and neither will this nation allow for that segregation to take place."

[06] PATRIARCHICAL MASS IN NISIROS

The Isle of Nisiros was visited for a second time today by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew after the invitation of the Rhodes' Metropolite Apostolos, on occasion of the 600 years since the Founding of the Holy Monastery of the Holy Mother if Pylos.

This morning's Patriarchal Holy Mass took place in the Metropolitan Church of Nisiros, the Holy Mother of Potamos,. It was followed by a litany of the Holy Mother's icon.

In a meeting Mr. Bartholomew had with the Metropolites of the Dodecanese he stated that he would ask for the support of the Greek state on important provincial matters.

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