Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-04-28

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

CONTENTS

[01] Protest - Pope's visit

[02] Defence minister - 'Ta Nea' interview

[03] Nat. Economy minister - US visit

[04] Foreign Exchange Rates - Monday

[01] Protest - Pope's visit

A group of monks, nuns and quasi-religious organisations said they would organise a protest rally against a visit to Greece by Pope John Paul II in Athens on Wednesday, two days before the pontiff's arrival on May 4.

The announcement was made in Litohoro Pieria on Saturday, by monks and nuns who had gathered from all around the country for an all-night vigil at a Mount Olympus monastery, to pray that the Pope's visit would not take place.

The vigil was also attended by members of the clergy and faithful, who wished to express their opposition to the Pope's visit - the first by a Catholic Pope in 1,291 years.

[02] Defence minister - 'Ta Nea' interview

The government approached the social insurance issue in the wrong way, Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos was quoted as saying on Saturday during an interview with the Greek daily "Ta Nea".

According to Tsohatzopoulos, the issue of social insurance could not be equated with efforts to restore economic health and its solution required dialogue and widespread acceptance by society.

"It is a much wider issue and the basic element of a welfare state," he continued. "A welfare state that determines the character and ideology of PASOK, which we have developed over the past 25 years."

It was to the government's credit, however, he said, that it had shown the "necessary sensitivity" and that it that it was not putting the issue on the shelf.

He also denied that defence needs were suffering because of spending on social policy, while he defending the government's pursuit of a policy of rapprochement with Turkey, saying that it allow a Greek-Turkish agreement on confidence-building measures in the Aegean to finally be fully implemented.

[03] Nat. Economy minister - US visit

NEW YORK (ANA) - National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou is due to arrive in the US on Saturday afternoon at the invitation of U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Papantoniou will be meeting O'Neill in Washington and will attend a working dinner in his honour on Capitol hill.

At MIT in Boston, the Greek minister will deliver a lecture on "Globalisation and the future of democracy: lessons from Greece."

On Sunday, Papantoniou will attend an event at the Cretan House in Astoria, while on Monday he is scheduled to have a series of meetings with investors, Wall Street management and Greek-American business people.

[04] Foreign Exchange Rates - Monday

Buying rates until Monday

U.S. dollar 374.615

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 540.495

Irish punt 429.202

Belgian franc 008.379

Luxembourg franc 008.379

Dutch guilder 153.389

Italian lira (100) 017.457

Austrian schilling 024.565

Danish kroner 45.284

Swedish kroner 37.066

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 301.789

Swiss franc 219.810

Norwegian kroner 41.449

Cyprus pound 584.306

Canadian dollar 242.682

Australian dollar 191.723

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