Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-12-09

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greek and Italian PMs meet in Rome, discuss intergovernmental

[02] Turkish warplanes infringe Athens FIR, violate national airspace

[03] Gov't says no issue of extradition in N17 case

[04] Greece-UNDESA sign deal for export of public admin know-how to Balkans

[05] Greece, FYROM agree to open new consulates

[06] Official Olympics soundtrack to be dedicated to Theodorakis, Minos-EMI

[07] Weather Forecast: Cold, rainy on Wednesday

[08] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks nose up, tracking European markets

[09] Foreign Exchange Rates: Wednesday

[01] Greek and Italian PMs meet in Rome, discuss intergovernmental conference

ROME (ANA) - Prime Minister Costas Simitis held talks with Italian Prime Minister and European Council President Silvio Berlusconi here on Tuesday and in statements afterwards stressed the need for the completion of the work of the intergovernmental conference on the European constitution during the European Union's summit in Brussels on December 12-13.

Simitis said that if the issue is referred to the Irish EU presidency and negotiations are prolonged for a long time there is a serious risk of divisions and confusion, adding that the EU must send a message of a common course and mutual concessions in preparations for the European constitution.

[02] Turkish warplanes infringe Athens FIR, violate national airspace

Four formations of Turkish warplanes infringed the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) four times on Tuesday and on eight occasions they violated Greek national airspace in the northern and central Aegean, press reports said.

In all cases, the 10 Turkish aircraft were recognized and intercepted by Greek jets. It was also reported that one of the Turkish jets was armed.

[03] Gov't says no issue of extradition in N17 case

The government reiterated on Tuesday that there is no issue of extraditing ?November 17? defendants, including the four out of the 19 acquitted on Monday, to third countries.

?The innocent are innocent, and the guilty will serve out their sentences at the Korydallos prison,? government spokesman Christos Protopapas told reporters at his regular press briefing.

Fifteen out of the 19 terror suspects were found guilty by the special three-judge appellate court a day earlier, whereas of the four acquitted, the court cited insufficient evidence to convict two (lone female defendant Aggeliki Sotiropoulou and long-time anti-state activist Yiannis Serifis). Sotiropoulou and Serifis were acquitted in a split decision.

[04] Greece-UNDESA sign deal for export of public admin know-how to Balkans

The Greek government and the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) on Tuesday signed a cooperation memorandum for the export of know-how in reforming public services and public administration to Balkan countries, as well as for the development and preservation of local culture.

The agreement also called for the induction of the UN Information Centre in Athens into the UN International Centre for Public Administration based in Thessaloniki.

[05] Greece, FYROM agree to open new consulates

SKOPJE (ANA) -- Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on Tuesday signed a bilateral agreement for the establishment of new consulates, a deal that allows Athens to open a diplomatic mission in the southern FYROM town of Bitola.

Greeces northern neighbour, meanwhile, will open a consulate in the major northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki.

Greek Deputy FM Andreas Loverdos and his FYROM counterpart Fuad Hasanovic signed the agreement during an official visit here by the former.

[06] Official Olympics soundtrack to be dedicated to Theodorakis, Minos-EMI says

The official soundtrack of the Athens Olympics in 2004 will be dedicated to Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, the head of the recording company Minos-EMI Makis Matsas said on Tuesday during the presentation of a new CD containing re-released work by the composer.

According to Matsas, Theodorakis was the ''only Greek that could convey the message of the Olympic Games'', while he promised that more details will be released soon.

The announcement was made during the presentation of the latest in a series of 13 CDs planned by Minos-EMI that will re-release the entire volume of work recorded by Theodorakis, after it has undergone digital sound processing.

[07] Weather Forecast: Cold, rainy on Wednesday

Chilly weather is forecast throughout the country with a slight rise in temperature in the west. Storms are expected, especially at sea, which will also experience gale force winds. Ice is expected in the morning and at night in the centre and north. Much of the country will be rainy. Winds very strong to gale force. Temperatures low, with a minimum of 5C and maximum of 13C in Athens; and in Thessaloniki, 1C to 7C.

[08] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks nose up, tracking European markets

The Athens bourse finished higher on Tuesday, tracking a positive performance in other European markets.

The general share index gained 0.89 percent to end at 2,198.23 points. Turnover was 150.6 million euros.

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks ended 1.18 percent up; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium capitalisation paper 0.98 percent higher; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap equities finished with gains of 0.07 percent.

Of stocks traded, advances led declines at 169 to 115 with 69 issues remaining unchanged.

[09] Foreign Exchange Rates: Wednesday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.235

Pound sterling 0.708

Danish kroner 7.502

Swedish kroner 9.011

Japanese yen 132.5

Swiss franc 1.559

Norwegian kroner 8.174

Cyprus pound 0.588

Canadian dollar 1.604

Australian dollar 1.665

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