Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 05-04-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] THE ECONOMY AT THE CENTER OF ATTENTION

[02] PAPOULIAS AND CHRISTODOULOS TO THE POPE'S FUNERAL

[03] PATRIARCH IRENAEUS TO MEET WITH THE ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER

[04] THE ACTING GOV'T SPOKESMAN ON THE UNEMPLOYMENT INCREASE

[05] TWO GREEK COMPANIES INTERESTED IN BUILDING A TIRANA CASINO

[01] THE ECONOMY AT THE CENTER OF ATTENTION

Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis expressed optimism regarding deficit reduction and the growth of the economy. Yesterday, a round of talks got underway between Mr. Karamanlis and representatives of the business world in Greece and according to the Prime Minister, the natural interlocutors of the government are the representatives of the production forces.

Prime Minister Karamanlis stated upon his arrival at the reception given by the Central Association of Chambers in Greece on the occasion of the 25 years since its founding that the country is in urgent need for a new and really strong economy.

The government does not meet the needs of Greece and the Greek people, stated main opposition Socialist Party of PASOK President Giorgos Papandreou.

Meanwhile, Minister of Finance Giorgos Alogoskoufis has announced a new generation of privatizations based on the cooperation of the public and private sectors for the construction of infrastructures, which the public sector cannot finance and manage by itself.

The European Commission has predicted that deficit in Greece will reach 4.5%.

[02] PAPOULIAS AND CHRISTODOULOS TO THE POPE'S FUNERAL

Hellenic Republic President Karolos Papoulias will represent Greece in the funeral of Pope John Paul B' on Friday, while Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece will represent the Greek Orthodox Church, accompanied by Metropolitan Bishop Dorotheos of Siros, Metropolitan Bishop Ignatios of Dimitriada, Metropolitan Bishop Nektarios of Corfu and Archimandrite Ignatios Sotiriadis.

The scheduled for Friday meeting of President Papoulias with his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Parvanov in Thessaloniki has been postponed.

[03] PATRIARCH IRENAEUS TO MEET WITH THE ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER

Patriarch Irenaeus of Jerusalem will meet with Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon in Tel Aviv to discuss the issues that have arisen on the occasion of the leashing of Patriarchate real estate to Israelis.

Patriarch Irenaeus has already met with the government of Jordan and the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority and according to information this has displeased the Israelis.

[04] THE ACTING GOV'T SPOKESMAN ON THE UNEMPLOYMENT INCREASE

Acting government spokesman Vangelis Antonaros stated that the estimates made public by the European Commission come from Brussels and often there are different from the individual state estimates. He made the statement in response to a question by a reporter on the spring estimates issued by the European Commission and specifically, the predicted growth rate of 2.9%.

Mr. Antonaros added, however, that the economic predictions by the European Commission include an increase of private investments and an increase of the economic activity in the years 2005 and 2006 higher than the average increase in the EU while it is also mentioned that the package of taxation measures announced recently by the Greek government was no taken under consideration.

Mr. Antonaros refused to comment on the figures included in the Bank of Greece Report on a high increase of the number of the unemployed, while responding to a question by a reporter regarding unemployment, he stated that the government is certain that the result of a very favorable investment climate in the country will be new job positions.

[05] TWO GREEK COMPANIES INTERESTED IN BUILDING A TIRANA CASINO

The joint venture of the Greek company Club Hotel Loutraki SA and the Austrian Casinos Austria International, on one hand, and Hyatt Regency Hotel & Tourism Hellas SA, on the other, have entered the second phase of an international tender for a license to operate a casino in Tirana.

Club Hotel Loutraki SA General Director Antonis Stergiotis stated that the casino will be built at the center of Tirana near Tirana International Hotel and will cover a space of 1,280 square meters while it is estimated to create about 300 jobs. Initially, the investment will reach 19,5 million euros out of a total of 25 million euros, which will be the direct investment of Club Hotel Loutraki SA in Tirana.

According to the Albanian mass media, the Hyatt Regency Hotel & Tourism Hellas SA bid provides for the construction of a casino in Tirana's Rinia region near the Taiwan Bar.

A decision on which of the two contenders will receive the license will be issued by the responsible Offers Assessment Commission of the Albanian Ministry of Finance.

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