Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 01-08-18

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Premier back in Athens on Monday

[02] Highest administrative court rules for continuation of Athens 2004 rowing center

[03] Labor minister denies reports on pension age limits

[04] FYROM's premier reportedly on holiday in Crete

[05] Greek Church to announce results of ID petition drive

[06] Greece offers hospitality to orphans from former Yugoslavia

[07] A peace movement calls on gov't not to send Greek troops to FYROM

[08] Greek stocks end lower on ASE

[09] Small decrease in road fatalities noted in first 7 months of 2001

[10] Police break up drug ring, arrest two Albanians

[11] Madrid seminar to focus on Parthenon

[12] Music, theater and poetry in Thessaloniki's ancient Odeon in August, September

[13] US says continues to back UN efforts to achieve comprehensive settlement on Cyprus

[14] Kasoulides says investigation into fate of missing persons will be continuous and persistent

[01] Premier back in Athens on Monday

The country�s top political leadership is expected to resume work following brief a August holiday as of Monday, with Prime Minister Costas Simitis returning from his Sifnos island vacation on Friday to head for his summer residence west of Athens, where he will stay the weekend.

Meanwhile, main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis also returns from his vacation on the sunny Cyclades island of Ios to Athens on Sunday evening.

On Monday, Simitis is due to meet with ruling PASOK party�s secretary at his office, before receiving a delegation from the Federation of Northern Greece Industries (SBBE) the next day. On Wednesday, the budget is on the premier�s agenda as a series of meetings with relevant ministers are planned.

Karamanlis is expected to focus this week on his visit and address at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) early next month, whereas he will receive a SBBE delegation on Monday.

[02] Highest administrative court rules for continuation of Athens 2004 rowing center

The Council of State (CoS), Greece's highest administrative court, on Friday turned down a petition tabled by the Greek Archaeological Society and three ecology organizations to place on hold a governmental decision approving the environmental study for the construction site of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games rowing center.

The petition requested that a joint decision of the environment town planning and public works ministry, the culture ministry, the transport ministry and the agriculture ministry allowing the construction at a site near the ancient battlefield where the Athenians defeated the forces of the Persian empire in the 5th century AD.

The Archaeological society and the ecology organizations claimed in their petition that the graves discovered near the site, during the construction of the fence for the rowing center, was of great archaeological value.

The committee of the CoS ruled that as there were no antiquities in the immediate area of the construction for the rowing center and as the construction has already progressed markedly - per statement of the culture ministry and the Athens 2004 Olympic Games Organizing Committee.

The committee of the CoS also based its ruling on the fact that the area of the rowing center was not declared as a possible site of archaeological significance, while the site of the ancient grave site was of limited significance and will be preserved as part of the architectural design of the rowing center.

[03] Labor minister denies reports on pension age limits

Labor Minister Tassos Yiannitsis on Friday denied claims that appeared in the press regarding changes in pension age limits, which would have resulted by the equalization of age limits between men and women.

Speaking to the state run NET television station he said that the government was steadfast in its position that no changes would affect the average citizen.

The press reports noted that changes may occur as European Union directives could force women to retire later as now age limits for men and women are different.

The minister noted that the EU directive was aimed at special professional groups, which do not exist in Greece, thus there will not be changes in the Greek social security system as a result of the new directive.

[04] FYROM's premier reportedly on holiday in Crete

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, arrived on Thursday in Crete's holiday resort of Elounda Bay, according to reports.

He may meet with Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, who is also on holiday in Crete, the same reports noted.

The FYROM prime minister is staying at the "Elounda Bay" hotel since Thursday, the reports said.

His wife has been on holiday there for almost a week and they are expected to stay in Greece until Sunday.

Due to developments in FYROM, it is probable that Georgievski will meet with Papandreou, the reports concluded.

[05] Greek Church to announce results of ID petition drive

The influential Greek Orthodox Church will reportedly announce the exact number of signatures it has collected nationwide to force a referendum over the contentious ID issue by the end of August, a press release issued by the Church's Holy Synod stated on Friday.

The press release noted that Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos will announce the number of signatures collected on Aug. 28, calling for a referendum on the issue of the listing of religious affiliation on police-issued ID cards.

In June, the Council of State, Greece's highest administrative court, upheld the exclusion of religious affiliation from new IDs -- which effectively rules out an optional listing as well -- ruling that citizens� religious preferences definitely fall under the heading of personal and confidential information.

[06] Greece offers hospitality to orphans from former Yugoslavia

Orphans from regions of former Yugoslavia who were offered hospitality since July 21 by Greek families from various municipalities, will be returning to their homelands on Saturday.

The 300 children, between 7 and 16 years of age, arrived in Greece on July 21 and will depart from the Panathenian Stadium on Saturday morning.

The visit was organized by the Greek Red Cross.

[07] A peace movement calls on gov't not to send Greek troops to FYROM

The Greek Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE) in an announcement on Friday called on the government not to send a Greek military contingent to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and not to allow the transit of NATO troops from the port of Thessaloniki.

The movement said the situation in the neighboring country continues to pose a serious danger and assessed that the presence of NATO forces in FYROM could endanger the Balkan region at large.

Describing the NATO troops as an "occupation force", EEDYE said that it would be "a dangerous mission" for the Greek contingent which participates in the NATO force.

[08] Greek stocks end lower on ASE

Equity prices ended the last trading session of the week moderately on the Athens Stock Exchange, hit by a wave of selling in blue chip stocks, particularly banks and telecoms, following the closing of positions in the Athens Derivatives Exchange.

The Greek bourse was moving cautiously higher during most part of the session, supported by initial gains in National Bank.

The general index ended 0.50 percent lower at 2,693.17 points, off the day's highs of 2,735.46 points. Turnover was a low 115.83 million euros, or 39.47 billion drachmas.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended at 1,499.04 points, off 0.78 percent, the FTSE/ASE 40 index rose 0.14 percent to end at 309.73 points, and the FTSE/ASE SMALLCAP 80 index ended at 899.25 points, off 0.15 percent.

The parallel market index for smaller capitalization stocks ended at 263.90 points, up 0.18 percent. Broadly, decliners led advancers by 198 to 109 with another 47 issues unchanged.

Prices nose up in heavy trade: Bond prices in the domestic secondary market on Friday finished higher in heavy trade.

The Greek benchmark 10-year bond showed a yield of 5.27 percent, and the yield spread over German bunds was 51 basis points.

Turnover through the central bank's electronic system totalled 1.4 billion euros.

Buy orders accounted for the bulk of turnover.

[09] Small decrease in road fatalities noted in first 7 months of 2001

Athens, 18/08/2001 (ANA)

The development was welcome news, as soaring numbers of traffic deaths over the past years have pushed Greece almost to the top, among EU member-states, in the number of road fatalities.

However, on a sobering note, the 1,083 traffic-related deaths between Jan.-June 2001 (as opposed to 1,163 for the same period in 2000) were still an excessive number for the country of around 11 million residents.

Additionally, traffic police reported that the number of sobriety checks on drivers has increased four-fold in 2001.

[10] Police break up drug ring, arrest two Albanians

Athens, 18/08/2001 (ANA)

The two men arrested were Armando Meta, 18, from Vlore, Albania and Eduard Aslanaz, 23, from Fier, Albania. Police also found 469 kilos of raw cannabis concealed in a truck being driven by the pair.

The arrests were made following a tip-off about a major drug haul due to enter Greece over the Albanian border in Kakavia around the time of the August 15 religious holiday.

A vehicle matching the informant's description was spotted going through the border on Tuesday and it was discreetly followed to the Keratsini customs house, where it was left over-night.

Police maintained a 24-hour watch on the truck and saw a man approach and drive it away on Thursday afternoon, heading down Lambraki Avenue towards Korydallos, with another man in a private car leading the way.

Squad cars moved in about one kilometer further down and caught both suspects, while a search of the truck revealed the cannabis hidden among a legitimate load.

Two more people are being sought by authorities in connection with the drugs discovered, as is the driver who brought the truck from Kakavia to Keratsini.

The two men caught on Thursday are due to appear before a public prosecutor to be charged.

[11] Madrid seminar to focus on Parthenon

A seminar focusing on the incomparable main temple atop Athens� Acropolis, entitled �The Parthenon as Part of Europe�s Roots�, will take place in Madrid between Aug. 20-24.

Speakers at the seminar will include, among others, the curator of Madrid�s Archaeological Museum, Miguel Angel Elvira; Byzantologist Antonio Bravo; historian Domingo Placido, and University of Barcelona professor Carlos Miralles. On the Greek side, the director of on-going works to restore the Parthenon, Nikos Toganidis, will also participate.

Besides the scientific aspects related to the Classical Era temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, the Parthenon�s presence in art, literature, politics and philosophy will be discussed.

Finally, the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum to Greece will be the main theme of an address by Prof. Rodriguez Adrados, entitled �Lord Elgin and the Spoiling of the Acropolis�.

Adrados is also the director of the seminar, following an initiative by the Greek-Spanish Forum.

The seminar is set to take place at the El Escorial palace.

[12] Music, theater and poetry in Thessaloniki's ancient Odeon in August, September

Athens, 18/08/2001 (ANA)

The events include music and theater performances as well as poetry readings, all scheduled for the Odeon that holds 400 spectators and is located at the east wing of the archaeological site at the center of the city.

[13] US says continues to back UN efforts to achieve comprehensive settlement on Cyprus

The US continues to back UN efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement on Cyprus, US State Department spokes-man Philip Ricker has said, noting that later this month the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan will meet Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, who abandoned the UN-led negotiations last year.

Asked if there are any new developments in the UN Cyprus peace talks, the spokesman replied "we continue to support UN efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement on Cyprus."

"As the UN announced on August 2, the Secretary-General will be meeting Mr. Denktash on August 28 in Salzburg. Shortly after that meeting, Mr. Alvaro de Soto, the Secretary-General's special adviser, plans to go to Cyprus for consultations with both sides," he added.

The spokesman referred journalists to the UN for other questions regarding the Cyprus talks.

The UN-led proximity talks, which started in December 1999, were interrupted last November when Denktash withdrew from them, demanding recognition of his self-styled regime in Turkish occupied Cyprus.

It is widely believed that after the Annan-Denktash meeting, the UN will announce a resumption of talks.

[14] Kasoulides says investigation into fate of missing persons will be continuous and persistent

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said on Friday that the government's efforts in achieving a substantive investigation into the fate of each and every missing person would be continuous and persistent, adding that the measures taken by the Cyprus government on this humanitarian issue have started to bear results.

Speaking from the Larnaca village of Kalavasos, at the ceremony of unveiling a plaque in honor of the 19 year old soldier Pavlos Neocleous, who was killed during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, Kasoulides accused Turkey for not respecting the right of the of the missing persons' relatives to find out about the fate of their beloved ones. Kasoulides said that Turkey considers this issue as a strictly political one and noted that Turkey continues to ignore its international obligations as regards the investigation into the fate of missing persons.

Cypriot authorities have been conducting since 1999 tests on remains in marked and unmarked graves at two cemeteries and so far about 115 remains have been identified, through the DNA method, 30 of whom relate to cases of missing persons, 79 are military and 6 are civilian.

Turkish troops have been occupying 37 per cent of Cyprus territory since 1974 forcibly uprooting 200,000 Cypriots, making one third of the island's population, from their homes and properties. Thousands of people were killed or have been missing since then.

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