Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-11-18

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greek cabinet approves 2004 budget

[02] Greek president receives visiting Croatian counterpart

[03] ATHOC chief, education minister tour 'Selete' Olympic press village

[04] \Avsec World 2003 begins in Athens

[05] PM visits center for the rehabilitation of the blind

[06] Parliament to debate budget for 2004 on December 18-22

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates: Wednesday

[08] Greek stocks end lower on Tuesday

[01] Greek cabinet approves 2004 budget

The Greek cabinet on Tuesday approved the government's 2004 budget plan ahead of submitting the budget to parliament later in the day.

Economy and Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis, addressing the cabinet meeting, stressed that next year's budget was a step of a multi-year effort that overturned a ''view'' currently spreading in the country that economic growth would end after the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

The Greek minister noted that investments would not only continue but would probably focus on more productive sectors in the country.

Prime Minister Costas Simitis said that opposition parties would try to create a climate of uncertainty over the economy and the government's budget and noted that the budget would be approved by the parliament.

Simitis, addressing the cabinet meeting, noted that the government would emphasize on the real picture of the economy, highlighting a prevailing positive climate and confidence in the Greek economy.

The 2004 budget, presented to the General Accounts Office by Economy and Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis, envisages a growth rate of 4.2 percent next year from 4.0 percent in 2003, reflecting an expected 7.0 percent rise in investments.

The budget also forecasts increases in exports of goods and services, a drop in the unemployment rate to 8.0 percent (from 9.0 percent currently), a 2.5 percent increase in productivity and a 3.4 percent rise in real wages.

Inflation is forecast to fall to 2.5 percent in 2004 from an expected 3.0 percent rate this year.

[02] Greek president receives visiting Croatian counterpart

President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos on Tuesday expressed Greece's support for Croatia's efforts to accede to the European Union and NATO, in a meeting with visiting Croatian President Stjepan Mesic at the presidential mansion.

Croatia officially applied to join the EU in April, during the Greek EU presidency.

The two presidents reconfirmed the harmonious bilateral relations between their two countries and Stephanopoulos expressed his satisfaction at the European orientation of Croatia and other Balkan states.

The Greek president also referred to efforts to normalise relations between Croatia and Serbia and the countries of the former Yugoslavia, as well as the need to stabilise Bosnia-Herzegovina.

During the meeting, the two men discussed the Ionian Route, which will join eastern Europe and the Balkans with the rest of Europe.

On his part, Mesic thanked Greece for its support of EU enlargement and pledged that his country will continue to make every possible effort to harmonise domestic laws with those of the Community.

[03] ATHOC chief, education minister tour 'Selete' Olympic press village

Athens 2004 Olympic Organising Committee (ATHOC) President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki toured the construction site for one of seven press ?villages? being prepared in the greater Athens area for next years Games, specifically the ?Selete? site that lies close to International Broadcast Center (IBC), the Main Press Center (MPC) and the main Olympic complex (OAKA).

The Selete press village will host some 1,000 media professionals during the 2004 Games. Afterwards, it will house Greeces education ministry.

[04] \Avsec World 2003 begins in Athens

This year's Avsec World 2003 international annual conference on air transport began in Athens on Tuesday, in light of next year's Olympic Games here, hosted by the Athens International Airport and the Olympic Airways.

This joint event produced by a consortium of Airports Council International, European Civil Aviation Conference & IATA Conferences & Exhibitions, in co-operation with ICAO attracts a broadly based audience of senior aviation security professionals from the world's airlines, governments, airport authorities, law enforcement agencies and equipment manufacturers and service providers.

[05] PM visits center for the rehabilitation of the blind

Prime Minister Costas Simitis on Tuesday congratulated the employees of the new center for the rehabilitation of the blind in Kalithea municipality southwest of Athens, during his visit there.

Simitis was briefed on the efforts of the employees to help mainly blind children to be socially incorporated and was given a tour of the facilities.

[06] Parliament to debate budget for 2004 on December 18-22

Parliament is to debate the government's budget for 2004 on December 18-22, parliament officials said on Tuesday.

Discussion of the budget by parliament's standing committee will begin on November 26, the offficials said.

Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis sent the budget to parliament earlier in the day.

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates: Wednesday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.187

Pound sterling 0.702

Danish kroner 7.497

Swedish kroner 9.038

Japanese yen 129.2

Swiss franc 1.569

Norwegian kroner 8.254

Cyprus pound 0.587

Canadian dollar 1.554

Australian dollar 1.654

[08] Greek stocks end lower on Tuesday

Greek stocks ended Tuesday's session slightly lower in the Athens Stock Exchange.

The general index fell 0.05 percent to end at 2,131.47 points, with turnover a heavy 257.1 million euros, of which 159.5 million euros represented block trades.

The Investment, Bank and IT sector suffered the heaviest percentage losses of the day (1.0 percent, 0.75 percent and 0.71 percent, respectively), while the Food-Beverage, Telecommunications and Industrials sectors scored the biggest percentage gains (0.95 percent, 0.32 percent and 0.17 percent, respectively).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks fell 0.12 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index ended 0.22 percent lower and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index eased 0.23 percent. The wider FTSE/ASE 140 index ended 0.15 percent down.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 169 to 125 with another 60 issues unchanged.

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