Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-11-26

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

CONTENTS

[01] IOC president says Olympic Truce draft resolution tabled at UN

[02] CCHBC completes buyout of Cola-Cola operations in Russia

[03] Connection to represent Dolce & Gabbana in Greece

[04] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

[05] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Tuesday

[06] ASE seen stabilising at 2,700 level

[01] IOC president says Olympic Truce draft resolution tabled at UN

GENEVA (ANA - N. Robin) - International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge told the Athens News Agency (ANA) on Monday that a draft resolution on the Olympic Truce has already been tabled at the United Nations and that he hoped it will be ratified on December 11.

Rogge and Foreign Minister George Papandreou spoke to reporters after participating in a meeting of the International Olympic Truce Centre's Executive Committee at the IOC's facilities in Lausanne.

"Mr. Papandreou and the Executive Committee's members had a good discussion on the issues of the Olympic Truce Centre. As you are aware, it is a joint programme by the Greek government and the IOC and we are very happy about this cooperation. We determined the strategy for the coming years, we analysed all measures to promote this idea and we shall have the next meeting next year," Rogge said.

The IOC president thanked Papandreou "for his great devotion to the issue. It expresses the full support of Greece, which invented the idea of the Olympic Truce which in the present era has even greater value than 3,000 years ago, due to the escalating nature of conflicts."

He also congratulated Papandreou for the initiative which resulted in the collection of signatures of support from 14 leading personalities in the Balkans who represent 14 different nations.

"I have absolute confidence in the successful organising of the Olympic Games by Athens. We shall have good Games in Athens without doubt. I received the report from the president of the IOC's inspection delegation, which visited Athens last week, concerning the very great progress of which he was satisfied. However, he reiterated his advice on the request for efforts to continue at the same pace, in which case there shall be an excellent result," Rogge said.

[02] CCHBC completes buyout of Cola-Cola operations in Russia

Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, which is quoted on the Athens bourse, announced on Monday that it had completed the acquisition of all units and operations in Russia belonging to The Coca-Cola Company.

The plants are located in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and central and eastern Russia, the buyer said in a statement.

The Greek firm has also bought The Coca-Cola Company's 40 percent stake in Coca-Cola Molino Beverages Ltd in which it already has 60 percent of stock. The target company owns operations run by CCHBC, the statement said.

The buyout means that CCCHBC will handle all Coca-Cola bottling operations in the region.

By the end of the year, the Greek bottler is expected to complete acquisition negotiations in the Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

The fresh buyout will take CCCHBC into 26 countries serving more than 500 million consumers with around 1.2 billion crate units of non-alchoholic beverages per year.

[03] Connection to represent Dolce & Gabbana in Greece

Connection, which is listed on the Athens bourse, is to become the sole importer and distributor of Dolce & Gabbana Industria SpA of Italy, a quality clothes designer and manufacturer.

Distribution will be effected through a new company named Dolce & Gabbana Accessories-Leisure Time Hellas SA, Connection said in a statement on Monday.

Connection will have a stake in the firm, which will also be a member of the Dolce & Gabbana Group, the statement added.

[04] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

Indicative tourist buying rates

U.S. dollar 383.339

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 543.443

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 045.426

Swedish kroner 036.097

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 309.182

Swiss franc 230.532

Norwegian kroner 042.521

Cyprus pound 589.104

Canadian dollar 239.728

Australian dollar 198.757

[05] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Tuesday

Light cloud is forecast in all parts of the country on Tuesday, possibly turning to showers in the southern Peloponnese, Crete and the Dodecanese islands. Winds southerly, light to strong. In the north, temperatures will range from -3C to 13C; on the rest of the mainland from 0C to 17C; and in the islands from 4C to 18C. Light cloud in Athens with temperatures between 6C and 17C. Same in Thessaloniki, with temperatures from 0C to 12C.

[06] ASE seen stabilising at 2,700 level

Equity prices ended the first trading session of the week moderately higher on Monday reflecting investors' hopes for the market to stabilise around the 2,700 level in the short-term.

Trade was nervous with share prices suffering from ups and downs during the day before closing off their day's highs.

The general index ended 0.41 percent higher at 2,685.93 points, with turnover a low 53.25 billion drachmas or 156.26 million euros.

The Construction and Metals sector scored the biggest percentage gains (up 1.36 percent and 0.97 percent, respectively), while the Textiles and Publication sectors suffered the heaviest losses (0.87 percent and 0.39 percent, respectively).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended 0.25 percent higher, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index rose 0.68 percent and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index ended 0.19 percent higher.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 172 to 150 with another 42 issues unchanged.

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