Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 03-08-13

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

CONTENTS

[01] Countdown to Athens Olympic Games begins

[02] US envoy: No information to substantiate al-Qaida presence in Greece

[03] Greek consumers complain over quality and cost of services

[04] Greek stocks end Tuesday's session flat

[05] Second 'test event begins on Fri. at closely watched Schinias venue

[06] Greenpeace: 2004 Games a 'lost opportunity' for local environment

[07] Tourism board chooses new Olympic Games logo

[08] British teenager dies in brawl on Rhodes

[09] Cyprus prepares for legal battle with Turkey

[10] UN plan on Cyprus best way to solve problems faced by Turkish Cypriots

[01] Countdown to Athens Olympic Games begins

Athens, 13/08/2003 (ANA)

ATHOC President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki on Tuesday appeared particularly stern in comments to the organizing committee�s administrative staff.

She noted that �test events� have so far been successful, a fact she said is recognized by all national delegations, including the International Rowing Federation.

However, she stressed that certain unfortunate events, like the high winds during the first two days of the rowing competition at the Schinias Rowing Centre, as well as the food poisoning of members of the German junior rowing team, were merely isolated events, which however, ''should make us learn from our mistakes.''

The ATHOC chief also let it be understood that after the pre-Olympic test events, the work of all ATHOC executives will be assess.

Moreover, other officials also made statements regarding the Aug. 13 date.

In his message, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos said: ''Greece feels confident and proud of the work done in relation to its Olympic preparation.''

�We spent a lot of time debating, exchanging views, trying to overcome non-constructive criticism and reservations �Now everyone witnesses that Games-related projects are going ahead and are near completion. No-one is entitled to have reservations on the result of the Olympic preparation, which has been the most systematic and most ambitious plan of the country's true modernization.''

Finally, Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyianni welcomed the beginning of the last year to the Olympic Games, calling it a year of hard preparation work, for everyone.

�The success of the Olympic Games of 2004 will be a success for Greece, and especially of Athens. It will prove to the entire world and to all the Olympic family that the Games can be re-baptized in the freshness of the ancient Olympic spirit in the country that twice gave birth to them,� Bakoyianni said.

�Athens dared, based not only on its historical laurels, which in any case are amongst the most renowned in the world, but on the will of its citizens and that of all Greeks to transform this historic heritage into a modern success,� she added.

Bakoyianni went on to issue a call to all European and global friends of the Olympic Games to visit Athens or turn their �gaze� to the city, noting that �Athens is preparing for 2004. Athens is placing the foundations for its future, both for the Games and for its further development as a historic, urban centre and a modern large city�.

Costas Kartalis, head of the culture ministry's Olympic works secretariat, said: ''one year before the Games, preparations are progressing smoothly and methodically.''

He added that 2004-related projects were now ''visible'', and that related difficulties, whether minor or major, were being overcome.

''Athens, ancient Olympia and the other Olympic cities (Thessaloniki, Patras, Volos and Iraklion), are being transformed through projects that are providing solutions to long-term problems. Up to 95 per cent of the Olympic projects are to have a vital post-Olympic use, enhancing urban functionality and quality of life,'' he said.

[02] US envoy: No information to substantiate al-Qaida presence in Greece

Athens, 13/08/2003 (ANA)

US Ambassador Thomas Miller made the comment to the ANA, a day after a US State Department spokesman pointed to his bureau�s yearly report, entitled �Patterns on Global Terrorism�, when asked to comment on a recent eyebrow-raising article in the �New York Times� that included a mention of Greece, among other countries.

The Aug. 6 NYT story, headlined �U.S. Is Inspecting Overseas Airports for Missile Threats�, at one point read: �...Al Qaida and its terrorist affiliates have long been known to operate in Greece, Turkey and the Philippines, and American air carriers fly to all three countries.� Even more annoying for the Greek government was the fact that no attribution, even the standard �unnamed sources�, was provided in support of the newspaper's claim.

�...more generally we cooperate very closely with Greece on the al-Qaida threat and with other terrorist threats around the world,� Miller said from his embassy office in Athens on Tuesday.

According to an ANA dispatch from Washington a day earlier, US State Department spokesman Philip Reeker, responding to press question concerning the NYT report on purported al-Qaida activities in Greece, referred directly to the department's �Patterns on Global Terrorism� 2003 report.

A supplementary State Department press release issued a few hours later, stressed that there was no information to substantiate a verifiable al-Qaida presence in Greece.

The unsubstantiated and cursory mention of Greece vis-a-vis the infamous Islamist terror band caused a firestorm of criticism from local politicians and media, as the government, law enforcement agencies and Athens 2004 Olympics organizers (ATHOC) enter the final stages of preparations for next year�s all-important Games.

Security has repeatedly topped the agenda of related 2004 preparations with Greece expected to allocate several hundreds of millions of euros and thousands of personnel for security during the Games.

Additionally, a seven-country �Olympic Advisory Group� � the United States, Britain, Australia, Germany, France, Israel and Spain � was developed by Athens and has repeatedly convened to advise the Greek government over the sensitive issue of security.

Gov�t: Speaking during a radio news program earlier in the day, Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Loverdos stressed that Athens �did not lose its cool with the article, even if it was a front-page (piece) in the New York Times. Conversely, we waited to see the United States� (government) position...

�With a new airport, and the security that it provides, with the capture of �November 17�, with successes against organized crime in relation to drugs; with the weapons we intercepted a while back, things that are entering into Greece from outside our borders ... After three days the State Department confirmed this stance ... that the US government is maintaining an excellent cooperation with our government on the issue of terrorism. This arises from our daily contacts with the United States; our contacts with the US ambassador; the information we have from our embassy in Washington; the relations we have at the highest level: Powell-Papandreou, Bush-Simitis...� Loverdos added.

[03] Greek consumers complain over quality and cost of services

Athens, 13/08/2003 (ANA)

The ministry, in its monthly report, said that Greek consumer filed a total of 4,509 complaints in the period January-July 2003 compared with the same period last year, an increase of 55 percent.

The report said that 3,662 complaints were filed over the quality and cost of services while the remaining 847 complaints referred to the purchase of goods.

[04] Greek stocks end Tuesday's session flat

Athens, 13/08/2003 (ANA)

The general index ended 0.14 percent higher at 2,135.20 points after hitting an intra-day low of 2,113 and an intra-day high of 2,145 points.

Traders said that the market was supported by a limited buying activity in blue chip stocks, particularly telecommunications and banks.

The Textile, Publication and IT Solution sectors suffered the heaviest percentage losses of the day (3.87 percent, 2.34 percent and 2.23 percent, respectively), while the Insurance, Telecommunications and Bank sectors scored the biggest percentage gains (1.07 percent, 0.42 percent and 0.15 percent, respectively).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks rose 0.21 percent, while the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index fell by 0.37 percent and 1.70 percent, respectively.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 259 to 70 with another 70 issues unchanged. Turnover was a low 118.5 million euros.

Derivatives Market Close: Turnover at 77.39 mln euros Tuesday

Equity Index Futures: