Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 05-09-12

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

CONTENTS

[01] SCHOOLS OPEN IN GREECE TODAY

[02] GREECE CAN BECOME MORE ATTRACTIVE TO INVESTORS

[03] THE GREEK FUR WILL BE THE HONORED PRODUCT IN THE 15TH HERMES EXPO

[04] INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN THE ITF

[05] KNOW-HOW TO TURKEY AND SERBIA

[06] KARAMANLIS-MOLYVIATIS MEETING

[07] PRIVATIZATION OR LIQUIDATION FOR THE OA

[08] TERRORIST SCARE IN LARNACA

[01] SCHOOLS OPEN IN GREECE TODAY

It is our duty to implement all necessary reforms and efforts to make our education system more competitive and more up to the mark, stated Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis who attended the customary first day blessing at the Agios Dimitrios 6th Elementary School in Athens.

Yesterday, Minister of Education Marietta Giannakou stated that the new school year opens for an estimated 1.5 million students without shortages in teaching personnel and books.

There are 9,500 substitute teachers ready to cover any shortage, stated Mrs. Giannakou who also added that this year's teacher shortages are at the same levels with last year's while regarding the books she reiterated that there are no shortages after the new printing and distribution procedures adopted.

Main opposition Socialist Party of PASOK leader Giorgos Papandreou attended blessing at Athens' Polish school.

[02] GREECE CAN BECOME MORE ATTRACTIVE TO INVESTORS

Greece can become even more attractive to foreign investors, stated US ambassador to Athens Charles Ries in his brief greeting on the occasion of the American Day reception, within the framework of the 70th Thessaloniki International Trade Fair organized yesterday by the US-Hellenic Chamber, which coincided with the 4th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

We are determined to stop both the free movement and the financing of terrorists, stressed Mr. Ries.

Mr. Ries called on those attending the event to observe a minute of silence in memory of the over 3,000 victims of the foolish and criminal attacks, stressing that terrorism targets the values of the free world and not the United States alone.

People will continue to travel after the attacks in London and Egypt as we have continued to have free trade after the September 11 attacks, stated Mr. Ries who said that Greece was the target of terrorism in the past while he made no direct reference to the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

The US ambassador appeared satisfied with the Greek-US economic cooperation and its presence in ITF adding that he is certain that Greece can become more attractive to foreign investors.

Chamber president Stefanos Kostopoulos expressed satisfaction for the efforts made for the promotion of bilateral cooperation.

[03] THE GREEK FUR WILL BE THE HONORED PRODUCT IN THE 15TH HERMES EXPO

The Greek fur will be the honored product in the 15th Hermes Expo International in Atlantic City, New Jersey to take place on April 1 and 2, 2006.

In a press conference at the Hermes Expo pavilion in the 70th Thessaloniki ITF (participates for a fifth consecutive year) Hermes Expo President Pavlos Kotrotsios stressed that Hermes Expo can contribute in a meaningful way to the promotion of the Greek exports in America, stressing that this is the goal of the organization which for the past 15 years offers great assistance to the efforts aimed at strengthening bilateral relations particularly in the business sector.

Hermes Expo reached the decision to promote the Greek furriers in cooperation with the Greek Fur Center in Kastoria, northwestern Greece. The center will play a leading role in all major events organized by Hermes Expo like the big gala at the Trump Marina and the 2006 Greek export entrepreneurship prizes.

Visits to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and St. Petersburg are also planned to take place by the end of 2005 in cooperation with the Greek-Baltic Commerce and Industry Chamber.

[04] INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN THE ITF

The1st International Business Conference organized to take place within the framework of the Global Exchange action and the 70th Thessaloniki International Trade Fair on September 14-16 aspires to map out the business risks and opportunities as well as the new tendencies in Greece's geographic neighborhood.

The conference is organized by HELEXPO in cooperation with the Organization for the Promotion of Foreign Trade (OPE) under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance and Economy.

Minister of Finance and Economy Giorgos Alogoskoufis will be the main speaker in the formal dinner given on the first day of the conference. Minister of Development Dimitris Sioufas and Ministry of Economy general secretary Giorgos Mergos will address the formal dinners on Thursday and Friday respectively.

The conference will attend representatives of governments and organizations from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovakia, Poland, Armenia, FYROM, Serbia, Turkey and Bulgaria while representatives of 28 countries from the so-called HELEXPO Circle, who are in Thessaloniki on the occasion of the 70th ITF, will also attend the conference under observer status.

The organizers' goal is to make the conference an annual event, stated HELEXPO president Aristotelis Thomopoulos, who clarified that the participating businessmen will visit the 70th ITF grounds in the afternoons after the conference proceedings and attend HELEXPO's Expopartenariat scheduled business meetings.

They will also participate in the BOSS European program organized by the Federation of Industries in Northern Greece, SBBE, with the support of HELEXPO within the framework of which over 1,000 business meetings have been scheduled to take place, according to Mr. Thomopoulos.

[05] KNOW-HOW TO TURKEY AND SERBIA

The activities of the Vocational Education and Training Organization, OEEK, are expanding to Turkey and Serbia after the approval of two know-how transfer programs in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry, stated the organization's vice-president Konstantinos Margaritis.

OEEK branches will soon open at the monastic community of Mount Athos and in correctional facilities as well.

[06] KARAMANLIS-MOLYVIATIS MEETING

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis met with Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis at Maximos Mansion today in view of their trip to New York tomorrow on the occasion of the UN General Assembly.

The Foreign Minister stated that he and Mr. Karamanlis will have many bilateral meetings in New York while when asked if there will be a meeting with US President Bush, Mr. Molyviatis stated that Mr. Bush will give a reception in honor of the state leaders and prime ministers present.

Called to comment on the statement by Metropolitan Bishop Anthimos of Thessaloniki on the name of FYROM according to which, there can be no Macedonia without Greece and no Greece without Macedonia, he reiterated the statement made yesterday by the Prime Minister who stressed that foreign policy is drawn up and exercised by the government and nobody else.

[07] PRIVATIZATION OR LIQUIDATION FOR THE OA

Government spokesman Thodoris Rousopoulos reiterated that no Olympic Airlines jobs will be lost adding that the government examines two options concerning the company for which the Greek taxpayers have already paid over 3 billion euros.

He said that the options are privatization or liquidation while the company is in operation.

In the second case the company will continue to fly because it has an obligation to fly to the islands clarifying that competition is tough. The OA employees will either voluntarily retire or be placed to different posts in the company.

[08] TERRORIST SCARE IN LARNACA

A British private airline aircraft remains grounded since midnight at the Larnaca Airport in Cyprus.

The plane was en route to Manchester and a few minutes after take off passengers asked the plane's captain to cancel the flight because among them were two Muslim passengers they regarded as terrorist suspects.

The British aircraft returned to Larnaca and its 230 passengers were taken to hotels until the investigation is completed, while the two Muslim passengers were questioned by police.

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