Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-09-18
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 18/09/1998 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- Talks continue on Albanian visit by CoE
- Kinnock continues Athens visit
- Greek, Turkish PMs likely to meet
- Seven billion drachma upgrade for soccer stadiums
- Olympic medallists conference in Olympia
- Briton arrives to lobby for Parthenon Marbles return
- Weather
- Foreign Exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
Talks continue on Albanian visit by CoE
Council of Europe (CoE) president Greece said on Friday that a decision on
when a CoE visit to Tirana will be held was expected later in the day.
Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas told reporters after an inner cabinet
meeting that negotiations on the details were still being held with
European Union president Austria, Western European Union president Italy
and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe president Poland.
The most likely development is a joint visit by representatives of these
organisations - probably foreign ministers or their deputies - to Albania
in the next few days.
Kinnock continues Athens visit
European Commissioner for Transport Neil Kinnock, in Greece on a two-day
official visit, met on Friday with Alternate Foreign Minister George
Papandreou to discuss European Union transport issues. Kinnock said he was
satisfied at the progress noted in the construction of the new Athens
international airport at Spata. He was also positive about national carrier
Olympic Airways, saying its reform programme was proceeding as normal and
expressing the hope that soon the the airline would be "back on track".
Greek, Turkish PMs likely to meet
Prime Minister Costas Simitis will most likely have a meeting with his
Turkish counterpart Mesut Yilmaz on the sidelines of the Balkan countries
summit in Antalya, Turkey next month, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas
said on Friday. Reppas said that the model of the first Balkan summit on
Crete, where regional leaders had bilateral meetings, would most probably
be followed at the two-day summit at Antalya, on October 12.
Seven billion drachma upgrade for soccer stadiums
Greece plans to spend seven billion drachmas from its budget on improving
facilities at football fields around the country, president of the Greek
Federation of Professional Soccer Teams (EPAE) Costas Alamanos told
reporters on Thursday. Alamanos said Undersecretary for Sports Andreas
Fouras had told him that the funds were to be used to improve and upgrade
facilities at football fields used for national and other categories of
league games. The money will not be used for stadiums slated for inclusion
in Athens 2004 Olympic Games events, such as the Olympic Stadium, and
receiving other forms of financing.
Olympic medallists conference in Olympia
The first international conference of Olympic medal winners begins this
Sunday at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia. Organised by the
Association of Greek Olympics medal winners, SEO, the conference has drawn
the participation of 35 Greek and 120 foreign athletes who have won a total
of 300 Olympic medals. Undersecretary for Sports Andreas Fouras will be
present at an official reception for the participants on Saturday evening
at the Zappeion Hall. The conference ends on September 23.
Briton arrives to lobby for Parthenon Marbles return
The chairman of the British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon
Marbles brought his campaign to "home ground" Friday as he arrived in
Greece for a series of meetings and lectures focusing on the London-based
group's efforts to pursuade the British Museum to repatriate the classical
friezes. "The (Parthenon) marbles will definitely be returned to Greece in
the long-term...and before the 2004 Olympics if the Acropolis Museum is
built to house them," Graham Binns confidently predicted just after a press
conference at the Centre of Acropolis Studies, only a few hundred metres
from the
WEATHER
Cloud and scattered showers will prevail thoughout Greece on today. Winds
southerly, southwesterly, moderate to strong. Athens will be sunny with
increased cloud in the evening and temperatures between 17-29C. Thessaloniki
cloudy and rainy with temperatures from 14-24C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Friday's rates (buying) U.S. dollar 287.174
British pound 484.076 Japanese yen (100) 214.897
French franc 50.800 German mark 170.346
Italian lira (100) 17.240 Irish Punt 426.560
Belgian franc 8.257 Finnish mark 55.969
Dutch guilder 151.062 Danish kr. 44.690
Austrian sch. 24.216 Spanish peseta 2.007
Swedish kr. 36.756 Norwegian kr. 38.351
Swiss franc 206.981 Port. Escudo 1.663
Aus. dollar 168.600 Can. dollar 189.293
Cyprus pound 574.507
(M.P.)
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