Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 02-12-23

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

CONTENTS

[01] NEW BUDGET APPROVED AMIDST CONFRONTATIONS

[02] MPA TRANSMITS CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS OF THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH

[03] GREEK PRODUCTS EXHIBITED IN SHANGHAI

[04] WORD OF HONOR IN STEAD OF OATH FOR SOLDIERS

[05] ARCHBISHOP ON RELIGION ON ID CARDS

[01] NEW BUDGET APPROVED AMIDST CONFRONTATIONS

The new state budget for 2003 was approved last night, as was expected, with confrontations between the Prime Minister and the political leaders of the Opposition, as is usual, after 5 days of discussions.

One hundred and fifty six MPs voted for (155 from PASOK MPs and 1 independent MP) and 136 MPs of New Democracy, the Greek Communist Party (KKE) and the Coalition of the left, as well as the other independent MPs, voted against it.

Simitis

Prime Minister Kostas Simitis attacked ND, accusing it of a demagogic scare mongering politics.

ND has presented a miserable and dismal image. It's politics are miserable, stressed the Prime Minister, while in reference to what the head of the Opposition said earlier about a virtual reality, he responded by saying: The only thing that is virtual is its interest in the country and reality. It is misleading the Greek people and distorting the truth, he stressed.

The Prime Minister then made mention of a need to retain high growth rates, adding that Greece is moving on and closed by saying that thankfully, for Greece, PASOK is here to stay.

Karamanlis

The President of ND, Kostas Karamanlis, spoke of a tremendous fiscal dead end created by the policies of the Simitis government, while he underlined that Greece is among the top of the 15's misery index, and at the bottom of the prosperity index.

He also underlined the enormous public debt, stressing that despite the government's statements, it is higher than it was in 1996. He then made mention of creative logistics and the effort to deceive the Greek Parliament, while he added that apart from the hidden debts, there is also an unclear amount of hidden unemployment. He continued that the new budget follows the practices of previous budgets, which the government was forced to recognize as factional.

In closing, Mr. Karamanlis expounded on his party's positions on a new financial policy and a new government, characteristically underlining: We know the problems, but we also know the solutions.

Papariga

The Secretary General of the KKE, Aleka Papariga, made mention of a deeply unpopular, antisocial and extremely misleading budget.

It is steadily intent on policies of one sided frugality and oriented towards even greater frugality, accelerating privatizations, and removing workers' rights, stressed Mrs. Papariga.

The Secretary General supported that there are even more barbaric anti-worker measures lined up, such as the pension plan, while it attacked ND, which she said was in a difficult position trying to prove that there are popular policies with better administration on the one-way road to the EMU.

Konstantopoulos

The President of the Coalition, Nikos Konstantopoulos, made mention of an unequal margin in employees' income, while he pointed out that Greece is in last position in the EU's charts on education and unemployment, while it is in first position in unemployment.

We are discussing a budget, he stressed, with the same characteristics and the same image. The government has christened it precise and with a surplus, while the citizens are well aware that it is not representative of the social and financial reality they are living in. The government is chanting the familiar marches of optimism. But there is no social optimism, just social suffering. The people are crying out because they are without, and can take no more. The atmosphere in the market does not respond to the atmosphere of virtual euphoria constructed by the government.

Mr. Konstantopoulos then supported that the 2003 budget shows that government policy is continually losing historic and political time, while acquiring pre-electoral currency in exchange, and after nine years in government, its review is not political but nominal.

[02] MPA TRANSMITS CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS OF THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH

Christmas, New Years and Epiphany services of the Ecumenical Patriarchy will be transmitted live via the Internet by the Macedonian Press Agency, from the Church of St. Georgios in Fanari.

Specifically, the following will be transmitted:

On Wednesday, December 25, at 08:30, the Patriarchic and Synodic Holy Mass for the birth of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

On Tuesday, December 31, at 14:00, the New Year's Eve Vespers Mass, in the presence of the Patriarch and the Synod, with all the Metropolites of the Patriarchal Throne.

On New Year's Day (Wednesday, January 1), at 08:30, the Holy Mass for the circumcision of Christ and Vasilios the Great.

On the Epiphany (Monday, January 6), at 08:30, the matins and the mass of the Grand Benediction of the Waters.

Holy Mass from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, will be transmitted directly from Istanbul, in real time, through the popular hub of the Macedonian Press Agency, http://www.mpa.gr.

[03] GREEK PRODUCTS EXHIBITED IN SHANGHAI

A proposal for an exhibition of Greek products in Shanghai in 2003, was submitted by the Chinese Embassy, giving Greek businessmen a significant opportunity to scout the Chinese market.

The exhibition is expected to be held in May or June 2003 and it is one of the exhibit events incorporated in the portfolio for Shanghai's candidacy for the 2010 EXPO.

According to an announcement made by the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and Industry, members that wish to participate in the 2003 exhibit will have exhibition space available at no charge.

At the same time, the organizers will have already briefed Chinese businesses, so that there can be bilateral meetings to discuss partnership potential during their stay there.

[04] WORD OF HONOR IN STEAD OF OATH FOR SOLDIERS

For the first time, two independent authorities, the Greek Ombudsman and the Hellenic Data Protection Authority, have directly addressed the issue of not recording religious belief of soldiers on official recruiting documents and files.

At the same time, as the Sunday Eleftherotypia reported, all individuals serving their tour of duty or studying at military academies, will be able to call on reasons of conscience with a simple statement, in order to release themselves from the oath-taking ceremony or their participation in formal religious ceremonies.

These developments, which follow what is already in place concerning the ID cards, registries, elementary and high school diplomas, and the teaching of religion at school, are expected to spark a new round of reactions from the church, although religion has not been recorded on military IDs for years.

The findings of the Greek Ombudsman characteristically stated that: First of all, the armed forces do not need to know the religious beliefs of each and every soldier.

In view of specific events of a religious nature (oaths, etc.), which soldiers are called to participate in would there be reason for soldiers to voluntarily disclose their beliefs if they wish to be excused.

However, even in these cases it may not necessarily be a negative statement (I am not an Orthodox Christian), even more so a disclosure of their religion. All that is necessary is the statement of each soldier's wish not to participate in the said event (i.e. instead of taking an oath he would prefer to carry out a non-religious declaration).

On its side, the Hellenic Data Protection Authority has issue two different, and it seems opposing decisions:

On individuals serving their obligatory tour of duty it judged (June 2001) it is necessary for processing reasons for the armed forces to record religion, under the terms that this is carried out exclusively to facilitate personnel administration and command provisions.

In a later decision (August 2002), it issued a statement that it is obvious that the armed forces need not know the beliefs of students in military academies, unless it is necessary in connection to events of a religious nature, in which case the student may simply state that he/she does not wish to participate in the said event.

The Greek Ombudsman observed that this decision means that individuals voluntarily serving in the army are not required to state their beliefs, while those forced to serve are also required to state their religious beliefs, while the opposite would probably be more advisable.

The Ministry of Defense assured recruiting offices that they ought to update their records on the religion of their soldiers regardless of the ID cards, while it considered the fact that every soldier can at any moment state a change of religious belief at any time, self evident.

[05] ARCHBISHOP ON RELIGION ON ID CARDS

The ruling of the European Court for Human Rights, which is against the recording religion on one's ID card, even at the holder's option, was commented on by the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Christodoulos.

We did not appeal to the State Council or the European Court for Human Rights, we appealed to the Greek people, who gave a clear and historic decision, said the Archbishop, referring to the referendum held by the Church on the ID issue.

The Metropolite of Alexandroupoli Anthimos, pointed out that the millions of citizens who signed in favor of recording religion are expecting justice.

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