Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 04-12-28

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greece dispatches emergency humanitarian assistance to Maldives, Sri Lanka, as death toll from tsunami disaster rises above 20.000

[02] Deputy FMs brief PM Karamanlis on actions taken after earthquake and tsunami hit SE Asia

[03] PM Karamanlis confers with Tourism Development minister Avramopoulos on SE Asia killer quake/tsunami

[04] PM Karamanlis sends condolences to leaders of tsunami-devastated countries

[05] Papandreou issues condolences for tsunami victims

[06] "EU Commissioner for the Environment on southeast Asia tragedy"

[07] Greek Red Cross contributes 50,000 euros to help southeast Asian disaster victims

[08] Travel agencies say Greeks on organized tours to quake-striken Phuket numbered about 300

[09] KKE urges gov't to announce an earthquake protection program

[10] ND Secretary Meimarakis begins tour of Kastoria, Florina

[11] Turkish warplanes violate national air space

[12] OAED launches "Stage" to fight unemployment

[13] ASE closing report: prices end higher

[14] Arrests in northern Greece on heroin possession, trafficking charges

[15] Personal Data Protection Agency approves disclosure of passenger information for US-bound flights

[16] New executive board appointed at ISTAME

[17] Government to bring home Cypriots from SE Asia

[01] Greece dispatches emergency humanitarian assistance to Maldives, Sri Lanka, as death toll from tsunami disaster rises above 20.000

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

According to the announcement, a C-130 aircraft of the Greek military is due to depart on Tuesday morning, for the Maldives and Sri Lanka. The military plane will be transporting emergency humanitarian aid, volunteer doctors and specialized personnel, who will be provide their services to the victims of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit the area on Sunday, following efforts by Deputy Foreign Minister for Developmental Cooperation Evripides Stylianidis.

The Foreign Ministry's International Partnership for Development is coordinating the operation.

The aid would be accompanied by a diplomat from the ministry's International Developmental Cooperation Service (YDAS), as well as members of six Greek non-governmental organizations (NGOs) specializing in such crises.

More specifically, participating in the mission were: the Orthodox Church of Greece's NGO 'Solidarity', which was contributing 5 tons of food aid and clothing; the Doctors of the Heart NGO with aid of one ton of pharmaceutical and medical material and two specialized volunteer doctors; the Doctors of the World NGO with four specialized volunteer doctors and equipment; the European Prospect NGO with two volunteers specialized in crisis management and rehabilitation of stricken sites; the Thessaloniki Rescue Squad with two specialized members and equipment; and the Greek Fire-Squad Reforestation Volunteer Corps with three experienced experts in handling natural disasters, 30 tents with capacity to accommodate 360 people, special equipment to prop up constructions in danger of toppling, other specialized equipment, and first aid material and bandages.

Stylianidis, who launched an overnight campaign to mobilize and coordinate the NGOs and coordinated Monday's dispatch, also announced the foreign ministry's decision to send 150,000 euros in emergency assistance to the government of the Maldives and another 150,000 euros to the government of Sri Lanka.

Foreign Ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos said that contact with Sri Lanka had proven impossible as yet, and consequently there was no information on the situation of the Greek tourists in the area. However, he added, there were no problems with Greek tourists in the Maldives and Malaysia.

Special, Athens-bound OA flight carrying Greek tourists departs from Phuket: Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry Spokesman George Koumoutsakos said later in the day that an Olympic Airlines (OA) plane sent to pick up Greek tourists stranded on tsunami-stricken Phuket in Thailand departed from the island's airport on Monday at 17:30 Greek time with 156 passengers on board. Those flown out included two French nationals, five Cypriots and four Britons, while the remainder were all Greeks.

The Greek authorities were in constant contact with Cyprus and other EU member states so as to accommodate tourists from those countries on the OA flight as well.

The plane was carrying three Greek diplomats and a doctor, as well as food and medicine to cover immediate needs and an ample quantity of passports to replace lost travel documents.

Phuket was one of many southeast Asian islands and coastal areas that were devastated by huge tsunamis on Sunday. The OA plane was the first aircraft from an EU country to arrive in the disaster-struck region in order to pick up tourists wishing to return home. The plane is expected to arrive at Athens international airport early on Tuesday morning.

The Greek foreign ministry also said that a Finnish woman married to a Greek man, who had been holidaying on Phuket with her husband and son - now being treated in a Thai hospital for minor injuries - had not yet been in touch with the authorities or her family.

[02] Deputy FMs brief PM Karamanlis on actions taken after earthquake and tsunami hit SE Asia

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

Valinakis said after the meeting that an Olympic Airlines plane dispatched to bring back all Greek tourists in the area who wished to return home had arrived at Phuket, while Skandalakis said that 150 Greeks were at the airport and had stated they desired to return home.

The two deputy ministers did not give any further details, noting that statements would be made later in the day by the foreign ministry spokesman.

According to sources, several Greek tourists did not wish to return immediately.

Hot line set up: The Foreign ministry of Greece on Monday announced that a "hot line" has been set up for foreign nationals at the foreign ministry of Thailand following the devastating earthquake and resulting tsunami tidal wave that hit SE Asia.

The hot line number is: 00662 2417450-62

[03] PM Karamanlis confers with Tourism Development minister Avramopoulos on SE Asia killer quake/tsunami

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

Avramopoulos expressed his grief over the tragedy, adding that the Greek tourists in the region were being closely monitored and expressing his belief that their misadventure would end soon.

Avramopoulos told reporters after the meeting that a crisis management committee had been set up at the foreign ministry, with the participation of the tourism development ministry, on the issue.

Questioned on the number of Greek tourists who were in the area on holiday, Avramopoulos said that 150 Greeks were in Phuket, adding that communication with them had been fully restored.

He also said it was not possible to give a precise number of the Greeks who were currently in the stricken area, given that many had visited the area individually, without going through travel agencies.

Avramopoulos explained that Greeks were also being sought in other parts of the region, and asked that all Greeks who were there and all those who wished to visit the area remain in open contact with the Greek diplomatic services and travel bureaus.

Meanwhile, Greek travel agents estimate that some 100 Greek holidaymakers would be returning early from the region, noting that even on Phuket, there was a large number of Greek tourists who have said they will remain there. The travel agents said that those who went to the area via travel agencies were fully accounted for, and only one group wished to return to Greece.

[04] PM Karamanlis sends condolences to leaders of tsunami-devastated countries

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

Specifically, the Greek premier sent condolences to the President of the Sri Lanka, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga; the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yodhoyono; the Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Chinnawatra; the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi; the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh and the President of the Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

[05] Papandreou issues condolences for tsunami victims

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

Papandreou addressed his condolences to the leaders of the stricken countries.

According to a press release, the PASOK leader is also being briefed on the fate of Greek tourists in the region.

[06] "EU Commissioner for the Environment on southeast Asia tragedy"

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

Dimas expressed his sorrow over the tragedy that befell southeast Asia and stressed the support the European Union is providing to the affected region.

Specifically, Dimas said that the EU took action immediately. "It came into contact with the relevant authorities of member-states and of the UN and sent a group of experts to Sri Lanka and Thailand immediately, in order to assess the damage and to see what needs to be done next. Three million euros were provided in order to deal with immediate needs. We have information from various countries with which we are in contact, including Greece, which was one of the first countries to send humanitarian aid by sending an additional 17 doctors and medical personnel to the region," Dimas said.

Asked if the EU has issued any directive to European citizens to leave the region, Dimas replied: "It's up to the member-states. The EU wants to help member-states in the efforts they're making to bring back their citizens who are in the affected region, safely. Of course, Greek citizens can also direct their inquiries to other embassies in the event that the Greek state is not represented in a certain city or country where they may be. I hope everyone will return safely. The EU and the member-states will help those suffering from this tragic event."

[07] Greek Red Cross contributes 50,000 euros to help southeast Asian disaster victims

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

The Greek Red Cross has so far contributed 50,000 euros to the joint effort and has offered to supply emergency humanitarian aid such as tents, beds, blankets and medication worth roughly one million euros, to be sent wherever it is deemed necessary.

According to an announcement, the international Red Cross has decided to immediately give aid to some 500,000 people in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries in the region.

[08] Travel agencies say Greeks on organized tours to quake-striken Phuket numbered about 300

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

HATTA said that it is cooperating with every Greek and foreign service, to secure the return of all those who wish to do so, but also for the continuation of trips by tourists to other areas which have not been affected. All those who were due to travel to areas which were affected by the earthquake can, in cooperation with their travel agent, choose another holiday destination, if they wish.

The Greek travel agents' association HATTA on Monday ruled out the possibility of compensation for Greek tourists that were forced to cut short their holidays and return to Greece as a result of Sunday's massive earthquake and the destructive tsunamis that struck numerous southeast Asian holiday resorts.

HATTA stressed that the obligations of travel agents were limited to ensuring that Greek tourists returned home and that the law did not provide for compensation given that the disaster could not have been predicted.

Regarding Greeks who have booked holidays in the area and decide to cancel from Greece, HATTA said that they would be reimbursed only for those areas that the Greek foreign ministry decided to designate as unsafe to visit.

[09] KKE urges gov't to announce an earthquake protection program

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

According to the statement, issued by the KKE Central Committee Press Office, this tragedy provokes feelings of grief for the loss of thousands of people, but at the same time raises concern for the non-existence of earthquake protection in Greece, which is particularly seismogenic.

[10] ND Secretary Meimarakis begins tour of Kastoria, Florina

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

On Monday, Meimarakis will meet with the Regional General Secretary for western Macedonia, the Kastoria mayor, prefect and Metropolitan, as well as with representatives of the local producer agencies and ND cadres.

On Tuesday, Meimarakis will meet with the mayor of Florina, the city's Metropolitan, representatives of local producer agencies, and visit the Niki border post.

[11] Turkish warplanes violate national air space

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

According to press reports, nine formations of Turkish warplanes entered the Aegean on Monday without submitting flight plans and in ten cases violated the national air space.

In all cases the 18 Turkish aircraft were recognized and intercepted by corresponding Greek fighter jets.

It was reported that three of the Turkish aircraft were armed.

[12] OAED launches "Stage" to fight unemployment

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

The program will help 5,000 unemployed individuals under the age of 30 find employment and gain work experience. Businesses participating in the program will benefit, since all costs associated with taking on interns will be covered by OAED for the first six months. Companies hiring interns as employees after the six-month period, will receive subsidies from OAED for the following 18 months. Additionally, OAED will offer bonuses to those companies that in the past years have increased their workforce above the market average.

The program will cost � 51.3 million.

[13] ASE closing report: prices end higher

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

Turnover, however, remained low as investors stayed on the sidelines after Christmas and ahead of the New Year's holidays. Turnover totaled 117.2 million euros.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip stocks rose 1.18 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 20 index ended 1.29 percent higher and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index rose 0.78 percent.

The Textile and Food-Beverage sectors were the only ones to suffer losses (1.23 pct and 0.04 pct respectively), while the IT (+1.98 pct), Holdings (+1.80 pct) and Bank (+1.45 pct) sectors recorded the biggest percentage gains of the day.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 183 to 105 with another 60 issues unchanged.

ADEX closing report: Futures contract prices rose at the Athens Derivatives Exchange on Monday, with turnover also rising to 109.032 million euros.

The December contract on the FTSE 20 index was traded at a premium of 1.11 percent, while the December contract on the FTSE 40 index was traded at a premium of 1.42 percent.

The FTSE 20 January contract ended at 1,553.50 points with a volume of 10,017 contracts worth 76.39 million euros.

The FTSE 40 January contract ended at 2,337.47 points with a volume of 612 contracts worth 7.0 million euros.

Volume on stock futures contracts totaled 5,836 contracts, worth 4.672 million euros, with investors' interest focusing on Intracom's contracts (750), followed by Eurobank (329), PPC (55), Hellenic Telecoms (110), Coca Cola (81), National Bank (642) and OPAP (73).

ADEX also reported trading of 91 contracts on stock repos and 92 contracts on reverse stock repos.

Greek bond market closing report: Turnover rose in the Greek state bond market on Monday, totaling 230 million euros.

Trading on the electronic secondary bond market focused on the 10-year benchmark bond, recording a turnover of 65 million euros, and the 15-year bonds (June 2014) with a turnover of 55 million euros.

The yield spread between the 10-year Greek/German state bond was stable at 0.18 percent, with the Greek bond yielding 3.74 percent and the German bond 3.56 percent.

In the interbank market, domestic interest rates showed insignificant changes, with the 24-hour interest rate offered by National Bank unchanged at 2,10 pct. The one-month rate was unchanged at 2.17 pct, while the 12-month rate fell to 2.32 percent from 2.36 percent on Friday.

[14] Arrests in northern Greece on heroin possession, trafficking charges

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

They said a search of a house in Dendropotamos, Thessaloniki, by police drug squad officers turned up 1,300 grams of heroin, and three persons -- two women and a man -- were initially arrested.

Under questioning, the detainees told police that they had procured the heroin from a 31-year-old foreign national, who was arrested later.

According to police, the 31-year-old had 1,600 euros in his possession from drug sales, and the money and his car were confiscated.

Meanwhile, in Veroia, a 40-year-old Albanian was arrested after 1,015 grams of heroin were found in his possession. Police confiscated the drug, and 595 dollars and 134 euro also found in his possession from drug sales.

In a third incident, a 31-year man was arrested in Thessaloniki as he tried to pass a minor quantity of heroin to his 41-year-old girlfriend, who was an inmate at Diavates prison. Police said the man had hidden the drug in a locker during visiting hours, but was spotted by prison employees.

[15] Personal Data Protection Agency approves disclosure of passenger information for US-bound flights

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

A few months ago, the Agency had temporarily allowed disclosure for a three-month period before reaching a final decision. At the time, the European Commission was negotiating the issue with US authorities, reaching an agreement in May 2004. Now, with the Agency's current decision, Greece is in line with the European Agreement, which is required of every EU member-state.

However, passengers must be notified in advance that their personal information will be forwarded to US authorities, how it will be used, and what their rights are in accordance with the European Commission's Directive. Passengers will have to be informed either by the airline they are flying or their travel agent. Once they agree, passengers will have to give their written consent for the disclosure of information.

[16] New executive board appointed at ISTAME

Athens, 28/12/2004 (ANA)

In a letter addressed to ISTAME's members, friends and associates, Souladakis thanked them for their support and contribution and emphasized that ISTAME is the first scientific-political centre founded in Greece along the lines of other such European institutes. Although it is ideologically linked to PASOK, it is independent in its choices and activities as a scientific-political research centre, Souladakis ascertained.

[17] Government to bring home Cypriots from SE Asia

NICOSIA 28/12/2004 (CNA/ANA)

Cyprus Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Sotos Zakhaios told CNA on Monday that most Cypriots were at the tourist resorts of Thailand, Phuket and Koh Samui.

Zakhaios said the Ministry's mission was to take back all Cypriots with an Olympic Airways aircraft sent by the Greek authorities to the devastated region.

He called on the relatives of Cypriots, who are currently in countries hit by the earthquake, to advise them to come in touch with the Greek consulate, to arrange their transportation aboard the Greek plane or planes sent by other European countries.

Zakhaios said that 96 of the Cypriots, have contacted Cyprus and are well, while other 50 persons have not yet communicated with anyone in Cyprus.

The Cypriot official said the Foreign Ministry was in constant touch with the Greek Foreign Ministry, the European emergency service and the EU Dutch Presidency.

He said the Ministry's Director of Consulate Affairs Charalambos Kapsos has already flown to Athens to deal with extraordinary issues that might come up, such as the loss of travel documents.

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