Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 04-01-29

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

CONTENTS

[01] FAREWELL SIMITIS

[02] DIFFERENCE INCREASED AFTER PORTO CARRAS

[03] THE NEW PASOK ANNOUNCED BY G. PAPANDREOU

[04] TRANSPARENCY IN THE SPOTLIGHT

[05] LOSSES IN THE ASE

[06] THE MAJORITY OF THE GREEKS APPROVE PAPANDREOU'S DECISION ON THE TEN

[07] GREEK-CZECH JOINT BUSINESS COMMITTEE

[08] PAPANDREOU IS CERTAIN THAT PASOK WILL BE THE WINNER

[09] REVIEW OF VARTHOLOMEOS' VISIT TO CUBA

[01] FAREWELL SIMITIS

A warm applause sealed yesterday's pre-agenda discussion in Parliament on public administration, where Costas Simitis announced to the body that this would be the last such meeting he would participate in as Prime Minister. We may have not always agreed, but we did always agree to move forward. I thank you all for helping me become better at my job, said Mr. Simitis.

[02] DIFFERENCE INCREASED AFTER PORTO CARRAS

A difference of 4.3 units in favor of ND against PASOK was recorded by VPRS, published in the Kathimerini newspaper. Today's poll, in relation to the previous one carried out by the same company, shows an increase of the difference between the two major parties, which is appreciated as being the reflection of the Pachtas amendment on Porto Carras. There was also a significant increase in ND's victory probability.

[03] THE NEW PASOK ANNOUNCED BY G. PAPANDREOU

His intention to begin the procedure for PASOK's transgression, was announced by PASOK candidate President Giorgos Papandreou, in a speech for the party youth in Thessaloniki. Mr. Papandreou stressed that politics must return to their ethical basis and appeared certain that he will win the elections. Today he will visit areas in the II Thessaloniki electoral district, and he will make a speech in the municipality of Lagadas at an open meeting, and in the evening he will address repatriated Greeks living abroad in a rally in downtown Thessaloniki.

[04] TRANSPARENCY IN THE SPOTLIGHT

If everyone is dishonest, then who is honest? Since I believe in transparency I fight, but I am also against exaggeration and scandal mongering for one's personal gain, said Prime Minister Costas Simitis in the pre-agenda discussion in Parliament. Mr. Karamanlis attacked the Prime Minister in turn, accusing him of doom saying and of sending messages of division. He supported that his party has always pioneered in all national issues and he added that ND, even to this day, asks for an open and honest discussion, but is getting no reply.

[05] LOSSES IN THE ASE

Losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped to -0.95% at 2391.73 points, while the volume of transactions was at 158 million euros.

Of the stocks trading today, 91 had gains and 218 had losses, while the value of 79 stocks remained unchanged.

[06] THE MAJORITY OF THE GREEKS APPROVE PAPANDREOU'S DECISION ON THE TEN PARLIAMENT DEPUTIES

The majority of the Greek people approve the decision made by governing Socialist Party future President Giorgos Papandreou to remove from the party ticket the names of the Parliament deputies who were involved in the Pachtas amendment case concerning Porto Carras Hotel in Chalkidiki, northern Greece.

Specifically, based on the opinion poll, conducted by the OPINION polling company on behalf of the Athens newspaper Eleftherotypia for the period January 27 and 28, when the amendment case had already taken up huge dimensions, 62.2% of the voters in Athens and Thessaloniki believe that the decision to exclude the ten PASOK Parliament deputies from the party ticket was the right decision compared to 21.8% who believed that the decision was wrong.

[07] GREEK-CZECH JOINT BUSINESS COMMITTEE

Greek Minister of Agriculture Giorgos Dris and his Czech counterpart Jaroslav Palas reached an agreement for the establishment of a joint business committee by Greece and the Czech Republic that will undertake to give a new boost to the already increased trade transactions between the two countries in the farm sector.

The new committee will be formed very soon, as according to a statement made by Mr. Dris, the responsible general secretaries of the Greek and Czech Ministries of Agriculture will undertake to realize this new body within the first half of 2004.

For the record, the Ministers of Agriculture of Greece and the Czech Republic have signed an agreement of cooperation in the sectors of agriculture, food industry, forest and water management, while the new move for the strengthening of bilateral relations is expected to be mutually beneficial in view of the Czech Republic's EU accession.

[08] PAPANDREOU IS CERTAIN THAT PASOK WILL BE THE WINNER

Greek Foreign Minister and governing Socialist Party of PASOK future President Giorgos Papandreou stated that he is certain of his party's victory in the March 7 elections, speaking in the Medicinal Baths Center in Langada, near Thessaloniki today.

He also issued an invitation for a new start that will lead the country to a new era. Beginning on March 7, a new effort will be underway, said Mr. Papandreou, underlining that the farm economy will allow farmers to move on to new kinds of crops, to new economic activities, even to a combination of activities.

[09] REVIEW OF VARTHOLOMEOS' VISIT TO CUBA

A formal invitation will be extended to Cuban leader Fidel Castro to visit Mt. Athos, by Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos, in his letter thanking him for the warm welcome during his historic visit to Cuba, which opened up new horizons for Orthodoxy and Hellenism, both in this island country of the Caribbean, and throughout the American continent.

In a discussion with the press shortly before the landing of the Olympic Airways flight in Istanbul, the Ecumenical Patriarch mentioned the unexpectedly warm welcome he received from the Cuban government and its President Fidel Castro, as well as the pressures of the US.

The Americans cannot be pleased, but we are not a party, we are not an ideology, pointed out the Patriarch, asking those who continue insist on the embargo against Cuba: What did the poor do, what did the children do, so as not to have medicines, asked the Head of Orthodoxy.

Mr. Vartholomeos observed that the role and mission of the Patriarchate place it above ideologies, political confrontations and quarrels.

The welcome in store for the Head of the 300 million Orthodox Christians around the world by the Cuban government, but mainly by the Cuban people was staggering. The President of Cuba met with the Patriarch 7 times, had three private meetings with him, accompanied him to the airport in his car, and expressing views that were unimaginable by outsiders for an unyielding Marxist revolutionary such as Fidel.

It is indicatory that Fidel Castro acted outside protocol and went to the Park Central hotel, where the Patriarch was staying, in person in order to see him off at the airport.

Another characteristic was the warm way in which the Ecumenical Patriarch was received by the Cuban people, in a country which until recently included a mere handful of Greeks and Orthodox Christians. In all of his Holiness' public appearances, hundreds of citizens, some of whom bore small flags with the Patriarchate's symbol, flooded the streets in attempts to shake and kiss his hand, while there were cheers of joy and gratitude for the support of the Patriarchate to Cuba at this difficult turning point in its history.

According to statements of the public, they expect a lot from the Ecumenical Patriarch and Greece, not mere financial aid, but help with ideas, because it seems that Cuba is at the beginning of impressive openings. Evidence of this opening can be found both in the wish expressed by Fidel for books on Mt. Athos and Orthodoxy to be sent to Cuba, in order to be distributed to the country's schools and foundations, and in the invitation for the foundation of Theology School of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Havana, with the expenses to be covered by the Cuban State.

The success of Vartholomeos' visit to Cuba becomes even greater if one takes into account the intense pressure from the US initially to call off the trip, so that moral support is not given to dictator Castro, as was the message from many sides. This was followed by attempts to downplay the trip and finally, on the eve of the inauguration of the St. Nikolaos' church, to implicate the Patriarch as an official invitee of the Cuban government, in an antigovernment event, regardless of the organizers' intentions and the just demands for the release of political prisoners expressed by their relatives and the officials of the Cuban opposition.

During an opening ceremony of a Greek artwork exhibit, the Patriarch stressed that the Cuban people has the right to freely develop relations with all other peoples. Cuba must be allowed to breath freely and develop commercial and cultural relations with all other members of the international community, he added, stressing that the lifting of the embargo this year, when the Olympics are to be carried out in their birthplace, Greece, would be a good symbol.

It should be pointed out however that in his speeches in Cuba, in the presence of Fidel Castro, the Head of the Orthodox Church did not stop repeating the need to respect human rights and religious and civil liberties. His most noteworthy speech was at the opening of the church of St. Nikolaos in Havana, where he underlined that the free expression of religious faith, is a basic human right, which along with all other human rights, must be respected and inviolable, especially by those who have humanism as the basis for their ideology. Further along his speech, with Castro by his side, Mr. Vartholomeos underlined that the church of St. Nikolaos will send a message of respect towards the human face and its rights, its freedom, its dignity, its right to disagree, its inviolable right to life.

The results of this significant visit will soon be seen and we expect impressive moves by Fidel Castro, in the spirit of his discussions with the Ecumenical Patriarch, best of which would be a general amnesty and the release of all political prisoners.

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