Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-09-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] Simitis unveils social package worth 1.7 bln euros

[02] ATHOC chief sums up results from August's 'test events'

[03] FM receives US Congresswoman, discusses western Balkans

[04] New Zealand police delegation in Athens, discuss Olympic Games security

[05] Civil aviation workers to strike Thursday over new Olympic Airways

[06] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Wednesday

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

[08] Greek stocks suffer heavy losses on Tuesday

[01] Simitis unveils social package worth 1.7 bln euros

Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis on Tuesday unveiled a ''social package'' of measures, worth 1.7 billion euros, aimed to support Greek families, farmers and small- and medium- sized enterprises.

''With this social package we are exceeding the EU's average social spending and achieving real convergence without burdening the Greek economy,'' the Greek premier said.

Simitis stressed that the government was able to adopt a social spending programme because of the country's high growth rates and the government's fiscal policy.

The government's ''social package'' include measures to reduce fuel costs for farmers, raising farmers' base pension by 30 euros to 200 euros per month, and abolishing a tax on agricultural land's transfer.

Also, offering an annual subsidy of 1,000 euros for every child studying in other cities, reducing a tax for buying new cars by 20 percent, raising a supplementary pension and creating 25,000 part-time jobs in the public sector. The package also includes measures to reduce fuel costs for enterprises.

The prime minister stressed that the package would accelerate the country's incomes convergence with the rest of the EU.

[02] ATHOC chief sums up results from August's 'test events'

The head of the Athens 2004 organising committee (ATHOC) on Tuesday reiterated that her organisation retains the wholehearted support of Greek political parties and the countrys citizens, speaking to reporters a week after the last of seven Olympic ?test events? concluded in and around the Greek capital.

During a scheduled press conference at ATHOCs Nea Ionia headquarters on Tuesday, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki said ?Athens has the ability to host magical Olympic Games, and it is working in the best way possible to achieve that goal,? before noting her satisfaction with the holding of the ?test events?.

The high-profile ATHOC chief also reiterated, as did the IOCs leadership on several occasions, that such sports events are held to bring problems to the forefront before the actual Olympics are held.

Angelopoulos-Daskalaki said a comprehensive assessment of how the events were hosted will take place this month, while simply noting that ''no one is irreplaceable ... everyone will be evaluated. Whoever is not properly doing their job will be removed. If changes are necessary, I will make them.'' she said.

[03] FM receives US Congresswoman, discusses western Balkans

Foreign Minister George Papandreou on Tuesday met with US Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), with diplomatic sources saying the two officials exchanged views on conditions in the western Balkans.

Sanchez is currently touring southeastern Europe.

Papandreou and the US congresswoman discussed issues concerning the combating of terrorism and the course of US-Greek relations.

Following the meeting, Papandreou received a delegation of the world inter-parliamentary union of expatriate Greek politicians, with talks focusing on the contribution of overseas Greeks towards the holding of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and the ''Olympic Truce'' initiative.

[04] New Zealand police delegation in Athens, discuss Olympic Games security

Public Order Minister George Floridis and Greek Police Chief Fotis Nasiakos on Tuesday met a delegation of police from New Zealand, headed by the country's Chief of Police, Robert Robinson.

Discussed at the meeting, which was also attended by high-ranking Greek police officers, was the issue of the security of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

On Wednesday, the New Zealand delegation will visit Olympic installations and the headquarters of the security department of the Olympic Games.

[05] Civil aviation workers to strike Thursday over new Olympic Airways

The Federation of Civil Aviation Unions on Tuesday voted to stage a 24-hour strike this weekto protest against the content of a government bill that will allow creation of a new airline from Olympic Airways.

The stoppage on Thursday is timed to coincide with a vote on the bill in parliament.

The federation said in a statement that the government had backtracked on pledges including the status of employees after the corporate overhaul.

[06] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Wednesday

Scattered cloud is forecast in all parts of the country, with isolated storms in Epirus, Macedonia, Thrace and the northern Ionian, later spreading to the rest of the mainland and northern Aegean. Winds northerly, moderate to strong. In the north and west, temperatures will range from 18C to 30C; on the rest of the mainland from 19C to 33C; and in the Aegean islands from 21C to 31C. Temperatures in Athens between 22C and 33C; and in Thessaloniki from 20C to 29C.

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.093

Pound sterling 0.697

Danish kroner 7.485

Swedish kroner 9.254

Japanese yen 127.9

Swiss franc 1.548

Norwegian kroner 8.290

Cyprus pound 0.588

Canadian dollar 1.519

Australian dollar 1.705

[08] Greek stocks suffer heavy losses on Tuesday

Greek stocks fell for the fourth consecutive session in the Athens Stock Exchange on Tuesday, ignoring a positive trend in other European bourses.

The general index ended 2.11 percent lower at 2,150.48 points, off the day's lows of 2,135 points, with turnover a heavy 209.1 million euros.

All sector indices suffered losses with the Insurance (5.49 percent), IT Solutions (4.68 percent), Publications (4.41 percent) and Base Metal (4.18 percent) sectors recording the heaviest percentage losses of the day.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks fell 2.35 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index ended 2.07 percent down and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index dropped 3.12 percent.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 309 to 39 with another 18 issues unchanged.

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