Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 05-12-14

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

CONTENTS

[01] KYSEA council agrees to deal for 30 F-16 aircraft from the US

[02] ND, Karamanlis hold onto lead in GPO opinion poll

[03] New Jerusalem Patriarch meets with deputy FM Skandalakis

[04] Public justified in reactions against govt policy, main opposition leader says

[05] PASOK's Papandreou meets leadership of Athens journalists' union

[06] Coalition party official criticises government and PASOK over public utilities bill

[07] Police launch internal inquiry into response to Syntagma blast

[08] Gov't denies involvement in kidnappings of Muslims

[09] Greece referred to European Court, receives warning letters from Commission

[10] Turkish interior minister to pay official visit to Athens

[11] Public prosecutor denies that 'November 17' crimes were political

[12] Parliamentary committee approves ANA/MPA merger

[13] Trade unions urge full participation in Wednesday's strike

[14] Municipal officials' protest unjustified, gov't says, KEDKE disagrees

[15] Greece failed to notify EU of working time measures in road transport, Commission finds

[16] Cabinet decides to change hours of work rules for public services

[17] Gov't to beef up competition commission

[18] European Commission steps up food safety checks

[19] Germanos to build two accumulator clusters for Pakistani navy

[20] Athens hotel occupancy rate rises in October

[21] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks drop in pressure on blue chips

[22] Alternate culture minister continuing visit to China

[23] Athens Mayor Bakoyiannis awards students with special needs

[24] FIX underground car park station in Athens begins operating

[25] New painting exhibition by Dimitris Milionis

[26] Italian culture nights in Greece

[27] 'Games without Frontiers' brings Greek and Turkish children together

[28] Cyprus President Papadopoulos: EU-Turkey partnership relation satisfying

[29] Cyprus president says Gambari's letter confirmation of UN positions

[30] Expansionist Turkish ambitions proved, says Spokesman

[01] KYSEA council agrees to deal for 30 F-16 aircraft from the US

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

The deal, which also provides for offset benefits on an operational level that include contracts for the domestic defence industry, was unanimously approved during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

Defence Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos said that the total cost of the programme will come to � 1.625 billion and also cover support needs of 60 aircraft of the same type purchased under a previous programme under a contract signed in 2000.

The minister stressed, meanwhile, that the necessary bank guarantees had been obtained for the first time.

KYSEA's decision on Tuesday ensured the absence of middlemen from the specific contract and reaffirmed the government's commitment to transparency in armed forces' procurements, he added, while noting that the additional aircraft would preserve the balance of forces in the region.

Breaking down the cost of the programme, Spiliotopoulos said that � 1.1 billion represented the cost of the 30 aircraft, while the cost of supporting these and the other 60 aircraft purchased under the previous programme would come to � 525 million.

The new aircraft are due to be delivered in 2009 and will immediately enter full operational use and be equipped with a self-protection system.

Spiliotopoulos said that the cost per aircraft under the current programme was � 36.7 million, whereas the cost per aircraft in updated prices under the previous programme was � 41.4 million.

Additional offset benefits came to 132 pct, compared with 120 pct under the previous programme and would benefit the Greek defence industry, particulary the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (EAB), he said.

The minister also noted that the support programme included spare parts and consumables on each aircraft, which will increase their availability and that a downpayment for the order was due to be paid as soon as the contract was signed.

According to alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros, meanwhile, Greece would not be activating an option to purchase an additional 10 aircraft of the same type that was originally included in the deal.

In response to questions, meanwhile, he told reporters that payments for the aircraft will be recorded in the budget as they occurred.

The spokesman also claimed that Greece was saving a further � 118 million by promptly placing the order for the aircraft before the production line for the specific model was closed.

PASOK official criticises KYSEA decision on F-16 deal: Main opposition PASOK party foreign policy, security and defence sector chief Christos Papoutsis, commenting on Tuesday on the government's decision to purchase 30 F-16 warplanes from the United States, said it was proceeding with "a decision of high economic and political cost".

"The government, with direct awarding without international tendering and in a status of confusion and lack of transparency, is proceeding with a decision of high economic and political cost. And at the same time with its decision it is undermining the ability of the Greek economy, the budgets of the state to finance growth, the social state and social solidarity," Papoutsis said.

"We call on the government to bring this contract to Parliament as soon as possible and we want a full briefing on all political parametres and on the economic parametres," he added.

Purchase of F-16 warplanes not taking place with defence needs as criterion, KKE says: The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) said in an announce-ment on Tuesday that the purchase of F-16 warplanes is not taking place with defence needs as the criterion.

"The government's decision to proceed with the purchase of the F-16s, a purchase which is not taking place with the country's defence needs as the criterion, shows that money exists and indeed plenty of it for NATO armaments, for sending and maintaining occupation troops in Afghanistan, Kosovo, etc,, for tax exemptions and incentives for the plutocracy," the announcement said.

"Money does not exist only for the modern needs of those who produce wealth, for the working people and their children. Enough of mockery. The people must counter-attack," it added.

In a similar statement, the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (Synaspismos) party criticised the purchase of the F-16 aircraft from the United States.

"We express our disagreement with the decision taken by the Government Foreign Affairs and Defence Council (KYSEA) to proceed with a direct award with the purchase of the 40 F-16s, imposing an unbearable burden on the Greek economy, without the real needs of our country's defence being served," said the Coalition party's foreign policy chief Panos Trigazis.

[02] ND, Karamanlis hold onto lead in GPO opinion poll

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

According to the GPO poll, conducted by telephone between December 7-9 on a nationwide sampling of 1,000 people, Karamanlis also held a 12.6 percentage point lead over PASOK leader George Papandreou as "the most suited for prime minister", with 45.8 percent of those polled opting for Karamanlis against 33.2 percent opting for Papandreou.

With respect to voter intent, meaning what party the respondent would vote for if elections were held tomorrow, the ruling ND led with 32.3 percentage points, followed by PASOK with 31.0 percent, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) with 7.0 percent, the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) party with 4.7 percent, and the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Progress (SYN) with 4.0 percent, while 12.1 percent of the respondents were "undecided".

Premier Karamanlis remained the government's "strong card", with more than one out of two respondents giving him the thumbs up, as 55.1 percent had a positive view of him.

With respect to a government reshuffle, 55.5 percent of the respondents were in favour, while 36.5 percent were against such a move.

Finally, a majority 52.3 percent of the respondents felt that the financial situation of households would deteriorate in the coming months, while 35.9 percent felt it would remain the same, and just 10 percent felt it would improve.

[03] New Jerusalem Patriarch meets with deputy FM Skandalakis

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

The Patriarch briefed Skandalakis on the problems faced by the Jerusalem Patriarchate and, in statements to waiting reporters after the meeting, said that issues concerning the Patriarchate, with emphasis on its financial situation, were discussed.

He said ways to contribute to the Patriarchate's smooth operation, based on transparency and averting a repetition of past scandals, were also examined.

The new Patriarch of Jerusalem and All Palestine Theophilos III, formerly Archbishop of Tabor, was enthroned on November 11, taking over the Patriarchate in difficult circum-stances following the removal of his predecessor Irineos, by unanimous vote of the Jerusalem Holy Synod in late August, in the wake of a scandal implicating him in the long-term lease and sale of Patriarchate land in the Old City of Jerusalem to Israeli interests.

Theofilos noted that the situation was "paralysed", but expressed confidence that, with the help of God, the problems would be resolved.

Skandalakis assured the new Patriarch that the Greek government would back the Patriarchate financially and in every way so that new foundations would be lain.

He said the dialogue and proposals were part of a common line for the good of Orthodoxy and the Patriarchate.

[04] Public justified in reactions against govt policy, main opposition leader says

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

According to Papandreou, "government policy negatively affects Greek househoulds, small and medium-sized businesses, farmers, workers, the economy and the country itself."

Further, trade unions are protesting the measures taken by the administration of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis because "they create a sense of insecurity, a lack of potential and vision and a lack of transparency in government decision-making."

PASOK, he said, will not allow Greece to reach an impasse.

"We are and we will continue to be by the side of the working people," he said.

[05] PASOK's Papandreou meets leadership of Athens journalists' union

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

ESHEA president Panos Sobolos said the meeting with Papandreou had been "useful" and that it would contribute to a solution of journalists' problems.

According to Sobolos, the main opposition leader had not expressed any complaints about press coverage of his party during the meeting.

He said that ESHEA will take part in nationwide labour action planned by trade unions on Wednesday to protest against government policies of austerity, holding a four-hour work stoppage from 11:00 until 15:00 on that day, while the ESHEA board and journalists will attend the rally that will take place at Pedion tou Areos in Athens.

[06] Coalition party official criticises government and PASOK over public utilities bill

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

"The anti-labour bill on public utilities which the government is hastily ratifying in Parliament obeys one and only doctrine:the total dissolution of labour relations so that what has been left of the public sector can be sold, and indeed with the most degrading of terms, to private interests," Lafazanis said.

The Coalition party official said that the government of the New Democracy party, continuing the practices of the PASOK governments, is attempting with this bill to put a final end to the public sector of the economy, to open new fields of capital expansion and to deliver completely public services and public goods to the most savage profiteering.

"This profiteering will be paid for heavily by the wide working classes with increases in all the public utilities invoices, from communications and transport to water, energy and telecommu-nications. Unfortunately, these antisocial 'antireforms' meet with the substantive consent of the main opposition party," Lafazanis added.

[07] Police launch internal inquiry into response to Syntagma blast

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

An anonymous caller had made two warning calls about the bomb to the newspaper prior to the explosion that injured two people.

Closer inspection showed that the officer taking the call had not recorded full details in the incident card, so that the officers in charge of cordoning off the area did not give the right instructions.

Police said they were also nonplussed concerning the bombers intent to cause injuries, since the second call received by the newspaper said the bomb was at the Finance ministry on Filellinon street, instead of the economy ministry on Nikis street, and the bomb exploded about seven minutes earlier than expected.

Investigating officers said their findings concerning the modus operandi of the culprits and the detonating device used in the Syntagma Square hit pointed to the terror group "Revolutionary Struggle", which has been responsible for five terrorist strikes since it first appeared in 2003.

Government on police response: Asked whether the government continued to believe that police had acted promptly in response to the bomb attack following the new evidence that led to the internal inquiry, alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said that police had arrived promptly on the scene.

"The police acted in accordance to the rules and were at the scene of the explosion on time," he said, while noting that the area was a "difficult environment" because it was both very busy and surrounded by dangerous buildings.

[08] Gov't denies involvement in kidnappings of Muslims

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

Antonaros said that Greek security forces have not been involved in any such matter nor has the public order ministry received any official claim regarding kidnappings.

According to the public order ministry, the prosecutor's office has ordered an investigation into allegations of whether the kidnappings occurred or not.

[09] Greece referred to European Court, receives warning letters from Commission

BRUSSELS, 14/12/2005 (ANA/M. Aroni/V. Demiris)

Greece is being referred to the Court over its failure to shut down two illegal landfill sites on the island of Crete.

According to the Commission, the Court had previously ruled against Greece in October 2003 over the same two landfills - Kouroupitos and Mesomouri.

At the time, Greece had admitted that it had not checked the 1,125 landfill sites in the country.

However, according to the Commission, the number of illegal landfill sites operating in Greece has increased, totalling 1,458 as of May 2005.

Regarding the current situation, the Commission notes that the soil used to fill the Kouroupitos site has been washed away by rains, while waste incineration continues to be carried out which may result in toxic emissions.

As for Mesomouri, where waste is being stored over a long period of time until proper waste management facilities are built, high levels of methane have been found, while liquids leaking from the stored waste run into the sea via a gorge.

The Commission concludes that Greek authorities have not taken any measures to significantly improve the cleaning up of the two landfill sites and therefore refers Greece to the European Court for violating waste management-related EU legislation.

Furthermore, the Commission sent Greece two warning letters regarding the protection of wild birds and water policy.

According to the Commission, Greece has violated EU directive 1979/409 which calls for the creation of protection zones for wild birds and has been slow in adopting directive 2000/60 regarding the creation of a framework on water policy.

[10] Turkish interior minister to pay official visit to Athens

ISTANBUL, 14/12/2005 (ANA/A. Kourkoulas)

The Turkish minister will participate in a meeting on "Illegal immigration and combatting illegal human trafficking."

The meeting will begin on Wednesday and will continue until December 16.

[11] Public prosecutor denies that 'November 17' crimes were political

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

She asked the Five-Member Appeals Court to dismiss a defence motion declaring it not qualified to try the case.

According to Koutzamani, only crimes seeking to overturn a repressive state and establishment could be considered political but not crimes against a Parliamentary democracy, which provided alternative means to struggle for changes in society.

The appeals trial before the five-member panel of judges began on December 2, with members of the urban guerrilla band seeking the reversal of multiple life sentences handed out in the first-instance trial in convictions for more than 2.500 crimes. Also on trial are defendants like Yiannis Serifis and Angeliki Sotiropoulou that were acquitted in the first trial, after the initial ruling was appealed by a public prosecutor.

[12] Parliamentary committee approves ANA/MPA merger

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

According to Government Spokesman Theodoros Rousso-poulos, merging the two agencies will reinforce the national news agency.

The main opposition also expressed its agreement regarding the merger during the committee discussion.

Ruling New Democracy rapporteur Sofia Voultepsi said that the merging of the two agencies "will undoubtedly facilitate functionality and will benefit the news dissemination process."

[13] Trade unions urge full participation in Wednesday's strike

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

A separate rally has also been organised by the trade union grouping PAME, which is affiliated to the Communist Party of Greece, at the Athens Town Hall Square at 11:00.

The strike has been called to protest against austerity measures in the new budget and to demand higher wages, curbs on high prices, increased social spending and lower taxes for wage earners.

Trade unions are also seeking the reversal of recent laws that they feel undermines the institution of an eight-hour day and overtime pay.

Also bitterly opposed is the recent draft bill for the reform of Greece's state-run public utility companies, known as DEKO.

Workers in DEKO and public transport have extended Wednesday's strike to 48 hours to demand that the bill be withdrawn, while they plan a protest rally at 18:00 on Thursday outside Parliament against the bill.

This means that public-sector companies and utilities will remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday, while there will be no public transport on either day, except services on the Athens-Piraeus electric railway and the metro between 11:00 and 18:00 on Wednesday to facilitate strikers heading for the rally in central Athens.

Trains will also not be running, except services for "social needs" and many flight cancellations are expected at airports, where there will only be one flight per destination.

Hospitals and the ambulance service will operate with skeleton staff.

[14] Municipal officials' protest unjustified, gov't says, KEDKE disagrees

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

According to the statement, the government has promised that the cost of converting fixed-term contracts to open-ended contracts will be assumed by the state budget.

According to the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece (KEDKE), the issue remains open.

KEDKE notes that Deputy Interior Minister Athanassios Nakos has explained that the reason the cost of the conversion has not been included in the budget is because the exact amount remains unknown.

KEDKE claims that no provision has been made for the conversion in the 2006 budget, which is estimated to stand at � 250 million for the hiring of 10,000 contract municipal employees.

The Union calls on the government to resolve the issue, otherwise it threatens that Thursday's protest will be only the beginning in a long series of labour actions.

[15] Greece failed to notify EU of working time measures in road transport, Commission finds

BRUSSELS, 14/12/2005 (ANA/M. Aroni)

Member states had to transpose Directive 2002/15/EC into their national legislation and inform the Commission of their actions by March 23, 2005.

"Whereas we have since last week an agreement on more socially advanced driving and rest times and stronger controls, I regret that member states still have not implemented rules on working time that date back to 2002," Commission Vice President and Commissioner for Transport Jacques Barrot said.

"The rules on working time include time for driving, loading and unloading, vehicle maintenance and administrative tasks," according to a Commission statement.

"The aim of this legislation is to improve and harmonize social conditions of road transport workers on the European transport market thus contributing to better health and safety of workers, fair competition and enhanced road safety," the statement read.

The other nine member states to receive a reasoned opinion - the last stage before an official complaint is filed with the European Court of Justice - are Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

[16] Cabinet decides to change hours of work rules for public services

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

Emerging from the meeting, Pavlopoulos said the system of summer and winter timetables will be abolished and working hours for public services will henceforth be either from 8:30 until 16:00 or from 9:00 until 16:30 throughout the year.

He clarified that the changes would not affect services where special conditions applied, such as hospitals or schools, nor affect the rights of special categories of employees. The new system will begin to be applied from next July.

Pavlopoulos said that talks with the civil service union ADEDY will continue in order to facilitate the transition for employees and make necessary changes, such as in day-care centres.

The minister stressed that steps will be taken to avoid disruption and ensure continuity in the working hours of public services, while at the same time bringing them closer and enabling cooperation with European Union services.

[17] Gov't to beef up competition commission

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

Jobs at the commission are to almost double to 150 from 80 with new specialised posts to be added in fields including pricing, statistics and law, Papathanasiou told a seminar at the Athens Economics University.

The beneficiaries will be consumers, he added.

[18] European Commission steps up food safety checks

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

Kyprianou said that the Commission will be equally stringent in its checks of imported foodstuffs and feed as with those produced in the EU.

Responding to questions posed by ruling New Democracy MEPs Antonis Trakatellis and Ioannis Glavakis regarding the safety of imported foods, Kyprianou said, "all food must be safe regardless of its origin."

To this end, "the current framework provides for a strict approval procedure of imported foodstuffs," he added.

Furthermore, the EU has increased funding for checks conducted at the borders as well as funding for new development plans and monitoring facilities, according to the Commissioner.

Official checks of imported foodstuffs in all member states are being stepped up through a special credit sytsem, he said.

[19] Germanos to build two accumulator clusters for Pakistani navy

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

Other defence contractors bidding for the Agosta included Seac and Exide, Germanos said in a statement.

The Factory Acceptance Test for the Agosta 90B was held in Xanthi, Greece in November before senior officials of the Pakistani ministry of defense.

Award of the two new projects has established Germanos' Sunlight operation among the largest suppliers in the submarine accumulator replacement market, the statement said.

[20] Athens hotel occupancy rate rises in October

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

Occupancy at five-star hotels was 58.78%, up 18%; at four-star units 57.87%, up 6.4%; three-star hotels, 52.39%, down 6%; and two-star facilities 49.59%, up 9.7%, the union said in a monthly report.

In January-October, the occupancy rate was an average 64.5%, down 1.2% from the same period of 2004, which spanned the Athens Olympics, according to the report.

[21] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks drop in pressure on blue chips

ATHENS, 14/12/2005 (ANA)

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for high capitalisation shares ended 0.22% down; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium cap stocks closed 0.02 lower; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap shares finished 0.25% up.

Of stocks traded, declines led advances at 147 to 125 with 50 remaining unchanged.

Stock Futures: