Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 05-01-03

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

CONTENTS

[01] GREAT RESPONSE IN GREECE

[02] ALOGOSKOUFIS: MODESTY AND MILD ADJUSTMENT

[03] ONE OF THE TWO GREEK C-130 RETURNS TONIGHT

[04] GAINS IN THE ASE

[05] TOMORROW THE FUNERAL OF ACTRESS MARIA ALKEOU

[06] CHOLERA RETURNS

[01] GREAT RESPONSE IN GREECE

The economic contribution by the Greek people to the suffering people in southeast Asia reached 40,000 euros.

UNICEF President in Greece Mr. Lambros Kanellopoulos predicts that the economic contribution of the Greek people will outmatch the economic aid of 400,000 euros offered by the Greek Foreign Ministry.

A total of 400 tons of food, water, tents and medical-pharmaceutical material have already been distributed, while there is a need for milk, rice and canned fish.

Minister of Development Panos Panagiotopoulos stated that the Greeks have a duty to help their fellow human beings at this difficult time.

The members of the non-governmental organizations return to Greece after distributing humanitarian aid and registering the needs.

[02] ALOGOSKOUFIS: MODESTY AND MILD ADJUSTMENT

Minister of Finance Giorgos Alogoskoufis stated after the meeting he had with Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis today that the goals for the government are to preserve the high growth rates after the Olympic Games and face problems like unemployment.

Mr. Alogoskoufis characterized the year 2005 as very crucial for the economy and promised that the government policy will move with determination and modesty on the basis of mild adjustment.

The Minister of Finance added that the good execution of the state budget is crucial to be able to have deficits within the framework predicted by the EU for the first time after many years.

[03] ONE OF THE TWO GREEK C-130 RETURNS TONIGHT

The Greek Foreign Ministry announced that one of the two Greek C-130 transport planes is about to return tonight to the military base in Elefsina, near Athens. The plane carried doctors, rescuers, humanitarian assistance and diplomatic personnel to the countries of southeastern Asia hit by the strong earthquake and the huge tidal wave that followed killing thousands of people and leaving millions homeless.

The C-130 delivered 12 tons of humanitarian assistance to Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangkok. A total of six non-governmental organizations participated in the emergency humanitarian mission.

In a statement issued by the Greek Foreign Ministry it is mentioned that Greece was the first country to send a chartered Olympic Airlines plane to the island of Phuket in Thailand to bring the Greek tourists back, in spite of the fact that Greece had the fewest enclaved tourists there, a move that received positive comments by the international media.

[04] GAINS IN THE ASE

The New Year opened favorably for the Athens Stock Exchange. The general index rose to +1.38% at 2824.67 points today, while the volume of transactions was at 138,8 million euros.

Of the stocks trading, 85 had gains and 203 had losses while the value of 133 stocks remained unchanged.

[05] TOMORROW THE FUNERAL OF ACTRESS MARIA ALKEOU

The funeral of Greek theater and film actress Maria Alkeou, who died on New Year's Eve at the age of 90, will take place tomorrow.

She appeared on stage for the first time at the age of 5 with the theater company of Kiveli and studied at the National Theater Acting School.

[06] CHOLERA RETURNS

The victims of the devastation caused by the tsunami in the countries of southeast Asia, hit by the strong earthquake of December 26, are officially 155,000, while an estimated 1,8 million people need emergency aid to survive.

There is fear that the number of victims will grow because the first cholera incidents have already been reported, while the UN has stated that the full coordination necessary to improve the distribution of humanitarian aid will not be achieved before the end of the week.

A moment of silence will be observed on Wednesday at noon in all EU member states, while flags will fly half-mast in public buildings in a show of respect to the victims.

It is estimated that the economies of the affected countries will need a decade to recover.

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