Athens News Agency: News in English, 00-06-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] Ecology - Exhibition

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates-Monday

[03] Greek FM - Parthenon - Marbles

[04] Greek PM - Globalisation - Berlin

[05] Weather Forecast-Saturday

[06] European Energy Conference-memorandum

[07] ASE-close

[08] Iaso-ASE listing

[09] Posidonia 2000-Papoutsis

[10] Bank of Piraeus-Macedonia-Thrace Bank-merger

[11] OA-Tender-20 percent stake

[01] Ecology - Exhibition

Envinronment and Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis and Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos on Friday inaugurated the "Ecological Building" exhibition of environmentally friendly construction products and technologies at the Gazi exhibition centre.

The exhibition is to last until June 5, which is World Environment Day.

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates-Monday

Following are indicative foreign exchange rates for commercial banks released by the central bank for the next working day.

Mondays rates (buying)

Euro 334.354

U.S. dollar 357.299

German mark 170.952

[03] Greek FM - Parthenon - Marbles

LONDON (ANA) -- The British Museums leadership has invited Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou to tour a new museum hall on Sunday as well as to ?discuss issues of common interests.?

The invitation by the museums top officials comes a few days before the Greek FMs scheduled testimony to a House of Commons bipartisan committee examining the issue of the Parthenon Marbles.

The London museum has for decades exhibited the exquisite classical friezes in a special wing, touted by many as the spacious British Museums top draw. Museum trustees have also remained steadfastly against any idea of returning the Marbles to Greece despite increasing international pressure of late.

[04] Greek PM - Globalisation - Berlin

BERLIN (ANA) -- One cannot halt globalisation or the markets, and talk about the need to put a rein on globalisation is "outside the realm of reality", Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis said Friday just hours before the beginning of an international summit in the capital of a united Germany.

Simitis also confirmed that he would meet with US President Bill Clinton and other world leaders on the sidelines of an international conference focusing on the ?centre-left? movement and on alternatives to traditional liberal and conservative approaches to government.

"What is being said about the need to put a halt on globalisation is outside the realm of reality, as is talk that a halt can be placed on the markets. There is a network of markets that operates supra-nationally and it is not possible to place it under control," Simitis said during a press conference.

[05] Weather Forecast-Saturday

Sunny weather is forecast in most parts of the country on Saturday, with scattered cloud in the east and south.

[06] European Energy Conference-memorandum

Energy ministers from Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Romania, FYROM and Greece on Friday signed a memorandum aiming to form a competitive regional energy market in southeast Europe.

The memorandum was signed on the last day of a European Energy Conference held in Athens.

Dominique Ristori, the European Commission's general affairs director at the energy and transport directorate, ended the two-day conference presenting its results.

Rising energy needs combined with the liberalisation of the energy market are dramatically changing the environment and the energy structure, Ristori told delegates.

"At this critical point we must be very careful, as a gradual liberalisation of global energy market should not put a brake on relations between states," he noted.

"We are witnessing a rapid increase in oil prices, from April 1999 to March 2000. We must take this fact under serious consideration to predict short-term prospects in natural gas prices," Ristori said.

He urged for an organised dialogure, at a global level, on energy issues and acknowledged the need for the formation of a competitive regional energy market in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region.

The conference also urged for the use of funds to finance projects for the protection of the environment from energy transport risks.

[07] ASE-close

Equity prices ended the week with minor changes on the Athens Stock Exchange on Friday in subdued trade reflecting investors' reluctance to take positions in the market ahead of the weekend.

The general index ended at 4,534.83 points, up 0.02 percent, after moving within the 4,582-4,510 range throughout the session. Turnover was a low 138 billion drachmas.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended 0.16 percent higher at 2,513.53 points and the FTSE/ASE 40 index ended at 663.22 points, off 0.68 percent.

The parallel market index for smaller capitalisation stocks ended at 968.98 points, off 2.17 percent.

[08] Iaso-ASE listing

The Iaso Maternity Centre will make its debut on the Athens Stock Exchange next week when trading is expected to begin on its stock shares.

Its pre-tax profits increased 37 percent in the first quarter of the year exceeding one billion drachmas, with turnover at 4.1 billion, up 15 percent from the same period in 1999.

Iaso expects its full year turnover to reach 17.4 billion drachmas, up from 15.1 billion drachmas last year.

[09] Posidonia 2000-Papoutsis

Greek Merchant Marine Minister, Christos Papoutsis, on Friday called for measures to ensure the European shipping sector's competitiveness

and said that current proposals needed more consideration.

"We should not be afraid of changes. Let's not forget that they move on regardless. We need, though, to prepare ourselves properly to deal with them effectively and transform them into opportunities," Papoutsis said addressing a "Posidonia 2000" conference in Athens on "Regulatory environment in international shipping".

Referring to the Erica tanker accident, he said "the Erica accident unveiled in a dramatic way the need for protecting the sea environment, coasts and for more safety sea transports."

Papoutsis said that all steps towards improving the international shipping sector should be taken cautiously and after close consideration.

He also urged for better training of seamen and for measures to support employment in the sector.

[10] Bank of Piraeus-Macedonia-Thrace Bank-merger

A Macedonia-Thrace Bank's general shareholders' meeting in Thessaloniki approved a one-to-one share swap deal with Bank of Piraeus on Friday, paving the way for a merger between the two banks with Xiosbank by the end of the month.

The new bank's network will total 157 branches with the aim to exceed 185 by the end of 2000. Its assets will total four billion drachmas and it will have a market of 8.0 percent.

[11] OA-Tender-20 percent stake

British Airways' new management does not intend to take up its option to bid for up to a 20 percent stake in Greek national carrier Olympic Airways, and an international tender would be called to find a buyer, national economy and finance minister Yannos Papantoniou said Friday.

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