Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 06-01-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] NEW PROSPECTS

[02] SIOUFAS: 2006 WILL BE A NATURAL GAS YEAR

[03] WARM RECEPTION TO THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN FLORIDA

[04] INVESTIGATION ON THE RUSSIAN FUGITIVE'S DEATH CONTINUES

[05] COMPENSATION TO FLOOD VICTIMS

[01] NEW PROSPECTS

Efforts continue and intensify for a leap forward in 2006, stated Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis arriving in the annual reception given by the Commerce and Industry Chamber in Athens.

Mr. Karamanlis stressed that society calls for changes adding that this is being done. He said that having faith in the capabilities of the Greeks and confidence in the citizens a new prospect is being formed day by day.

In his New Year statement, the Prime Minister pointed out that the battle to cut deficits in the smoothest way possible is being won. He added that higher growth rates in the EU have been achieved after years of investment stillness and now Greece attracts the interest of foreign investors.

Minister of Finance Giorgos Alogoskoufis commenting on the course of the national economy stated that unemployment is being curbed and economic development is assured.

[02] SIOUFAS: 2006 WILL BE A NATURAL GAS YEAR

Minister of Development Dimitris Sioufas stated that 2006 will be a natural gas year underlining that decisive steps will be made to expand the network in a number of prefectures across the country.

According to official figures, the overall consumption of natural gas increased 17% in the past two years. The most notable increase was recorded in household consumption (100%) and industry (28%), while in 2006 consumption is expected to increase 30%.

Mr. Sioufas also announced that Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis will inaugurate on Saturday the natural gas fuel supply station for the Athens city bus fleet in Anthousa.

The station can refuel with natural gas up to 36 buses per hour and its capacity is 5,000 cubic meters of natural gas per hour. It is the largest natural gas fuel supply station in Europe and the second in operation in the wider Athens region (the first operates in Ano Liosia). A total of 500 buses will refuel in Anthousa and 415 in Ano Liosia.

[03] WARM RECEPTION TO THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN FLORIDA

The Greek Orthodox community in Florida gave a warm reception to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew who is on a five-day historical visit to the Greek village of Tarpon Springs, notable for having the largest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the United States.

The Ecumenical Patriarch will officiate the Epiphany celebrations on January 6 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first blessing of the waters at the picturesque Spring Bayou cove.

The Greek population, coming mainly from the Dodecanese Islands, first arrived to this city during the 1880s, when they were hired to work as divers in the growing sponge harvesting industry.

[04] INVESTIGATION ON THE RUSSIAN FUGITIVE'S DEATH CONTINUES

The tests on the bullets and other evidence recovered from the bodies of the two police officers and their executioner, Russian national Maxim Zhilin, conducted by the responsible agency laboratories in Athens and Thessaloniki have been completed.

According to the Greek Police Headquarters, the bullet found in the head of the 23-year-old Russian fugitive and two of the bullets found in the body of police officer Konstantinos Vlachopanos were fired from the same gun, specifically from the officer's handgun snatched by the Russian, according to conclusions reached by ballistics. The rest of the bullets cannot be examined because they have been severely damaged.

Traces of gunpowder have been found on the Russian's right index finger proving that he had pulled the trigger after pointing the gun to his head, making the suicide version even stronger.

[05] COMPENSATION TO FLOOD VICTIMS

The government is determined to compensate immediately all those affected by the floods as it did in similar instances in the past, stated Minister of Rural Development and Food Evangelos Basiakos in a meeting held in the prefecture of Evros, northeast Greece.

He said that the Ministry of Rural Development and Food in cooperation with other responsible government ministries will proceed with the construction of specific projects in the prefecture of Evros to prevent similar phenomena from occurring again in the future.

Mr. Basiakos was briefed on the situation by Evros Prefect Mr. Zabounidis and visited the flood affected regions at Lavara and Tichero where he was briefed by local mayors.

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