Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 04-09-12

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

CONTENTS

[01] THE GREEK AIR FORCE GENERAL STAFF CHIEF HAS RESIGNED

[02] CONGRATULATIONS BY THE US AMBASSADOR

[03] THE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE IN THESSALONIKI

[04] SALAGOUDIS: NEW TALKS BETWEEN DEPA AND GAZ NATURAL

[05] ANNOUNCEMENTS OF DEVELOPMENT IN THESSALONIKI'S ITF

[06] HELLENISM MOURNS

[01] THE GREEK AIR FORCE GENERAL STAFF CHIEF HAS RESIGNED

The Governmental Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense will meet tomorrow to decide on the replacement of the Air Force General Staff Chief who was asked to tender his resignation to Minister of Defense Spilios Spiliotopoulos this morning.

Earlier, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis in the press conference he gave in Thessaloniki today within the framework of Thessaloniki's 69th International Trade fair had announced that the Minister of Defense had asked for the resignation of the Air Force General Staff Chief because there are responsibilities on behalf of the Greek Air Force on the issue of the Chinook helicopter accident regarding the delay with which the news about the accident came out.

However, the Prime Minister stated that there are no political responsibilities on the issue. He said that the Minister of Defense had submitted his resignation but it was not accepted.

[02] CONGRATULATIONS BY THE US AMBASSADOR

US ambassador to Athens Thomas Miller congratulated Greece for hosting successful Olympic Games in the inauguration of his country's pavilion in Thessaloniki's 69th International Trade Fair. The inauguration of the US pavilion was held in the presence of Greek government ministers and deputy ministers.

Mr. Miller, whose term as the US ambassador to Greece ends in a few months, expressed his love for Greece, stressing that he has many Greek friends and that his term was very productive.

In the US pavilion are being exhibited products and services representing the sectors of technology, education, pharmaceutical products and medical equipment, household items and auto industry products with two impressive participations by Chrysler Jeep and Ford Motor Hellas.

[03] THE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE IN THESSALONIKI

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis gave the assurance that the government will not implement an austerity policy responding to questions by journalists in the press conference he gave today on the occasion of Thessaloniki's 69th International Trade Fair.

He stressed that the country faces a serious fiscal problem but the government will not implement a shock-treatment or adopt tough measures.

Mr. Karamanlis assured that the election campaign pledges will be met within four years given the fact that for the moment the fiscal state of the country does not allow for benefits.

The Prime Minister stated that fiscal deficit hopefully will drop under 3% within a year through the reforms implemented.

Responding to a question on the election of the President of the Hellenic Republic, he said that talk on the issue is premature, adding that it turns attention away from the major problems that need to be faced.

On the corruption phenomena, he said that the government has already promoted measures aimed at dealing with the problem.

Mr. Karamanlis stated that Greece backs Turkey's European prospect and pointed out that the government of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has made significant changes in Turkey but there are still a lot that need to be done.

He said that Greece backs Turkey's European prospect because such a development would be good for everybody. He said that he does not know yet what will be Greece's exact stance in the EU Summit meeting in December when the issue of the date for the opening of the EU-Turkey negotiations will be raised and that he does not associate this issue with the issue of the continental shelf in the Aegean.

The Prime Minister said that there is good cooperation and understanding with the Cypriot government but the Greek government does not dictate to the Cypriot government the foreign policy it should follow.

On the infrastructure projects in Thessaloniki, Mr. Karamanlis said that they will be constructed regardless of whether Thessaloniki becomes the host of EXPO 2008 International Exhibition.

[04] SALAGOUDIS: NEW TALKS BETWEEN DEPA AND GAZ NATURAL

New talks concerning the sale of 35% of the Greek Public Gas Corporation (DEPA) S.A. to the Spanish Gaz Natural will take place by the end of September announced Deputy Minister of Development Giorgos Salagoudis in Thessaloniki today. On the occasion of the meeting with the Spanish company the government will present the new institutional framework on the liberalization of the natural gas market, which will be completed next week.

In the inauguration of the pavilions of DEPA and the Hellenic Petroleum in Thessaloniki's 69th International Trade Fair Mr. Salagoudis reiterated that the new Hellenic Petroleum electricity production unit in Thessaloniki will be in operation by July 2005.

[05] ANNOUNCEMENTS OF DEVELOPMENT IN THESSALONIKI'S ITF

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis spoke in the I. Vellidis Convention Center yesterday within the framework of the Thessaloniki 69th International Trade Fair under the shadow of the tragic Chinook accident.

The formal dinner in honor of the Prime Minister was cancelled because of the accident.

In his speech, Mr. Karamanlis referred to the basic axes of the government policy in 2005 and analyzed the strategic goals in the government's revenue policy aimed at facing the acute fiscal problem, as well as, tax deductions and income increases for the weak social groups.

The Prime Minister said that the economy is in a very bad shape and to change that, reforms will be made, stressing that the government will declare 2005 as the year of competitiveness.

[06] HELLENISM MOURNS

The Greeks around the world are in shock after the tragic loss of Patriarch Petros of Alexandria and All of Africa. A total of 17 people, among them the Patriarch, were killed when their Chinook military helicopter crashed in the sea, en route to the Monastic Community of Mount Athos, in Chalkidiki northern Greece, 5 nautical miles southeast of the Sithonia Peninsula in Chalkidiki.

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis and the Greek political world expressed grief for the tragic death of the Patriarch and other 16 people.

A moment of silence was observed last night before the speech of the Prime Minister in Thessaloniki's 69th International Trade Fair.

The rescue teams have already collected 9 bodies from the sea while the search continues. On Tuesday, an unmanned bathyscaphe is expected to arrive from Crete in the sea region where the accident happened to launch underwater search, while Minister of State and government spokesman Thodoris Rousopoulos stated that an investigation is underway to determine the causes of the accident.

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