Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 03-10-07

Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] AN APPEAL FOR RESPONSIBILITY

[02] CHANGES IN THE COUNTRY'S BANKING MAP

[03] DA INTERVENTION IN MARKET

[04] ELECTIONS IN SPRING 2004

[05] GREEK PRESIDENT OF COURT OF EU COMMUNITIES

[06] PAPANTONIOU ADDRESSED A CONFERENCE ON GREEK-US RELATIONS

[07] CONFERENCE AGAINST INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

[08] THE GOV'T SPOKESMAN ON VASILIS SKOURIS

[09] LOSSES IN THE ASE

[10] THE TWO GREEK FISHERMEN WERE RELEASED

[11] UNEMPLOYMENT AT 6% BY END OF 2004

[12] KOUFONTINAS ON 17N TRIAL POLL

[13] THE CV OF V. SKOURIS

[01] AN APPEAL FOR RESPONSIBILITY

There is still tension between the government and employees in various sectors, who consider themselves injured by the budget. An appeal towards employees on strike, for them to assume their responsibilities towards society was addressed by the Secretary General of PASOK's Central Committee Michalis Chrysochoidis, immediately after his meeting with the Prime Minister at the Maximos Mansion. The government has shown abundant sensitivity towards social groups in need, it has listened carefully to all the troubled social groups and the raises given this year were brave, said Mr. Chrysochoidis. Strikes are continuing in secondary schools and hospitals are functioning on security staffs.

[02] CHANGES IN THE COUNTRY'S BANKING MAP

Significant changes are imminent shortly in the money-credit sector after today's announcement that 10% of the National Bank of Greece will be offered to institutional investors in Greece and abroad.

Also, the Bank of Piraeus announced today that it is willing to offer stocks corresponding to 6.7% of its share capital to institutional investors through accelerated book building.

Similar moves are expected soon on behalf of Emporiki Bank as well. Emporiki Bank will offer to investors close to 10% of its share capital, which is owned by the Greek state.

[03] DA INTERVENTION IN MARKET

The intervention of the DA as far as danger to the citizens is concerned, was brought about by the continuing strike of civil agriculturalists and veterinarians, whose ten minute meeting with Minister of Agriculture, Giorgos Drys, bore no results as the two sides' views were completely opposite. A representative of the agriculturalists on strike refuted that they were responsible for the products circulating the market without having been checked.

[04] ELECTIONS IN SPRING 2004

Elections will be held in Spring 2004 because the world wants stability, pointed out Prime Minister Costas Simitis, in speaking to the Presidency of PASOK's Parliamentary Committee, headed by Secretary N. Levogiannis. He appreciated that the economy is going well, while he asked the MPs of the governing party to analyze the government's policies to the Greek people, so that it can be comprehended.

[05] GREEK PRESIDENT OF COURT OF EU COMMUNITIES

Professor of AUTh and Director of the Center for International and European Business Law Vassilis Skouris, was elected President of the Court of European Communities today.

All the Court's justices participated in the election procedure, while Mr. Skouris' office has a three-year duration.

[06] PAPANTONIOU ADDRESSED A CONFERENCE ON GREEK-US RELATIONS

Greek Defense Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, speaking in the 2nd Annual Conference on Greek-US Relations taking place in Washington, referred to the main axes of Greece's foreign and defense policy with an emphasis on the European policy on security and defense and the problems with Turkey.

Mr. Papantoniou attended the Informal Meeting of the EU Defense Ministers three days ago and briefed his American audience on the plans for the development of the Euro-army within the framework of the drawing up of the European Constitution.

Referring to the Greek-Turkish relations, he pointed out that the atmosphere has improved stressing, however, that no progress was made in two crucial issues concerning the region's security and Turkey's relations with Greece. On Cyprus, he said that the Turkish and the Turkish Cypriot sides remain intransigent in spite of the efforts made by the international community as they were expressed by the Annan peace plan.

He also referred to Greece's participation in the efforts against international terrorism and the safety of the Olympic Games to take place in Athens next year.

Mr. Papantoniou is visiting the United States to attend the NATO Defense Ministers Summit that will take place in Colorado on October 8-9.

[07] CONFERENCE AGAINST INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

Justice Ministry General Secretary Ioannis Gavrilis will visit Bulgaria tomorrow to represent Greek Justice Minister Philippos Petsalnikos in the 25th Conference of Council of Europe Justice Ministers.

The conference will open in Sofia tomorrow and will last until October 10. It will deal with issues concerning international terrorism and specifically, international cooperation aimed at combating international terrorism, the implementation of the relevant Council of Europe acts as well as the justice system, both civil and penal, response to terrorism.

[08] THE GOV'T SPOKESMAN ON VASILIS SKOURIS

Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas expressed the Greek government's satisfaction for the appointment of Professor Vasilis Skouris to the post of the European Court President.

Mr. Protopapas stated that this development reflects the prestige and acceptance enjoyed by Greece and distinguished Greeks in the international community.

[09] LOSSES IN THE ASE

Losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped to -1.74% at 2.093,57 points, while the volume of transactions was relatively high at 167.5 million euros.

Of the stocks trading today, the overwhelming majority of 287 recorded losses and 40 had gains, while the value of 57 stocks remained unchanged.

[10] THE TWO GREEK FISHERMEN WERE RELEASED

The two Greek fishermen arrested by the Turkish authorities yesterday under the accusation that they had entered the Turkish territorial waters illegally have been released.

Pluton Magdalinidis and his teenage son had gone fishing with friends at the region of Poros in Ferres, Evros northeastern Greece. The young fisherman got lost and ended up at the Turkish bank of Evros River. His father rushed to help him return to the Greek bank but the Turkish military patrol spotted them and they were arrested.

[11] UNEMPLOYMENT AT 6% BY END OF 2004

By the end of 2004 unemployment will have dropped to 6%, underlined Prime Minister Costas Simitis, in the speech he made during his visit to the Employment Promotion Center of the Organization for the Occupation of the Workforce (OAED).

The Prime Minister visited the Center accompanied by deputy Minister of the Press and director of the Prime Minister's press office Tilemachos Chytiris, and during his arrival at the center he was welcomed by Minister of Labor and Social Security Dimitris Reppas and deputy Minister of Labor Lefteris Tziolas, as well as OAED Director Giannis Nikolaou.

Mr. Simitis was fully briefed by the political leadership of the Ministry of Labor on the entire procedure being followed as far as personalized approach and support of the unemployed towards accession or re-accession to the job market, as well as the work being carried out by those entrusted to the job consultants.

Following his briefing, the Prime Minister stated that unemployment dropped during the past year. "It has dropped below 9% and we hope that by the end of 2008 we will have reached an unemployment level of 6%, much lower than the present level."

[12] KOUFONTINAS ON 17N TRIAL POLL

The poll published in the Eleftherotypia newspaper on the 17N case was commented on by suspected member of the 17 November terrorist organization Dimitris Koufontinas, during the break of the 19 suspected members' trial.

Your poll is very serious and I would like to refer you to a previous one carried out by MRB which was mentioned here in court and said that there was a serious social current which defines a social area that includes young people, the unemployed, the poor, and politically those who do not vote, or vote for the left, or drop a blank or cancelled ballot, who clearly support 17N, as a revolutionary current, a revolutionary view, mentioned Dimitris Koufontinas.

Now the other conclusions drawn by this poll are that despite the unprecedented misinformation campaign, the slander of the controlled media, is that less than 3% is satisfied or very satisfied with the coverage of the trial of the 17N case. Nevertheless, only one out of two people within society believes that this is a fair trial. And the majority believes that it is a political case, supported the defendant.

The main conclusions of the poll include: Dissatisfaction with the trial's coverage with 58.3%, certainty of the defendant's guilt, 54% stated they were definitely guilty and 24.1% that they were probably guilty, low interest in the trial, 65%, concern on the political nature of the trial (46.5% believe that the crimes committed by 17N are probably penal, while 33.3% that they are probably political), the characterization of the trial as fair by 55% and unfair by 22.9%, and the hesitation in branding Alexandros Giotopoulos the leader of 17N (44% that he is probably the leader, 17.9% that he is probably not).

[13] THE CV OF V. SKOURIS

Professor of AUTh and Director of the Center for International and European Business Law Vassilis Skouris, was elected President of the Court of European Communities today.

All the Court's justices participated in the election procedure, while Mr. Skouris' office has a three-year duration.

Vassilis Skouris was born in Thessaloniki in 1948 where he went to primary and secondary school. He then studied Law at the Free University of Berlin (1965-1972) and proceeded to his post graduate studies at the University of Hamburg. In 1973 he received his PhD and in 1978 lector of Constitutional and Administrative Law at Hamburg's Law School, where he served from 1972-1977.

He was a Professor of Public Law at the Law School of the Dimokritio University of Thrace (1977-1980) and at the Law School of Biefeld University in Germany (1980-1982). He has served as a Professor at the Law Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki since 1982.

Professor Skouris served as Minister of the Interior in the Ioannis Grivas government for the elections of November 5, 1989 and Minister of the Interior for the Simitis government for the elections of September 22, 1996.

He has been the a Greek Judge at the Court of European Communities (Luxembourg), while on September 7, 2003, he was elected President of the Court of European Communities.

Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article