Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-10-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] No bird flu in Greek samples sent to UK; EU experts arrive on Oinousses

[02] PM: Greece wants to boost investment, business

[03] Sioufas stresses investment opportunities in Greece

[04] Greek MEP barred entry into Turkey without visa

[05] Greece wants to up aid spending, ministers say

[01] No bird flu in Greek samples sent to UK; EU experts arrive on Oinousses

An announcement by the Greek agriculture ministry said that the Weybridge lab had failed to find evidence of the H5 virus using the rapid RT-PCR test but was continuing tests on the samples and would release its final results within a few days.

This was confirmed by a European Commission spokesman in Brussels, who said that EU services had asked for more samples to be sent from Greece. The spokesman also noted, in response to questions, that the EU was generally satisfied with the level of cooperation with Greek authorities on this issue.

The tests are expected to show whether the turkey in question was infected with the mutated and highly deadly H5N1 virus, which can also be transmitted to humans, or less dangerous strains of bird flu.

Meanwhile, the three experts sent from the EU Veterinary and Foods Service made their way to Oinousses after spending the morning on the island of Chios - where Oinousses belongs administratively - in a lengthy meeting with the head of the Chios prefecture veterinary service Yiannis Karydas and veterinarian Panagiotis Triantafyllou, from the Greek agriculture ministry.

Arriving on Oinousses at 15:00 in the afternoon, they immediately visited the free-range turkey farm where the bird suspected of a bird flu infection to begin an on-the-spot examination. This was concluded after about 20 minutes, while no samples were taken from any of the birds.

Leaving the farm, one of the veterinary experts said that their job was simply to find out how local authorities had handled the case, while noting that he could make no comment.

The three inspectors are due to depart from Chios for Athens on Thursday evening.

A two-day meeting of EU health ministers will begin at the Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire on Thursday to discuss the EU's response to a possible avian flu pandemic. Greece will be represented by Deputy Health Minister George Constantopoulos.

There will also be a press conference on Thursday evening by European Commissioner for health Markos Kyprianou and British Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt.

[02] PM: Greece wants to boost investment, business

In a written message to an Economist conference held in Athens, the Greek PM stressed the government was exploiting its advantages to the full, fully aware of the opportunities ahead and steering the Greek economy into a new course.

"Greece has crossed the threshold of an era of opportunity. As thousands of visitors witnessed first-hand last summer, Greece is moving in a totally new direction. More confident than ever, our nation has hosted, for the first time in more than a century, the Olympic Games, which were considered by all participants as a great success. The Games' success is having repercussions that largely exceed the mere event. Greece has a new face in the world and the whole world has witnessed Greece's new image. Along with it, a new environment for tourism, a new environment for investment, a new environment for growth has emerged," Karamanlis said.

The Greek Premier, in his message, reiterated the government's goals of implementing a policy of gradual fiscal adjustment aimed to contain budget deficits and secure long-term fiscal stability. "With the tax reform law that we passed in December, we have introduced major cuts on corporate taxes that aim to spur private investment," he noted.

Karamanlis also stressed that a new investment incentives law offered generous subsidies to private investment programmes, while at the same time the government was eliminating various barriers to private investment and has established a new privatisations agenda aimed to maximize revenue for the state and encourage competition. The government has also legislated a new framework for Public-Primate Partnerships, "which lays the foundations for the more efficient provision of public goods and services and the active development of state-owned real estate through partnerships with the private sector".

The Greek PM noted that the economy was responding to the reforms. "Despite high oil prices and sub-par economic performance in Eurozone, the rate of growth will remain one of the highest in Europe, reaching 3.6 pct for this year. Solid private consumption, higher exports by 7.3 pct as compared to the first two quarters of last year and a double-digit increase in foreign visitors are driving the economy. The unemployment rate has fallen to 9.6 pct. The fiscal deficit will fall from 6.6 pct in 2004 to 3.6 pct of GDP this year, in line with our commitments to the European Union. In 2006, we expect the deficit to fall below the 3.0 pct ceiling, to 2.8 pct of GDP," Karamanlis said.

"For Greece this is the beginning of a new era. An era for macroeconomic stability, a competitive tax regime, more flexibility in labour, capital and product markets, more investment in education and training, more balance growth. Greece embraces this new era of growth and prosperity," he said.

[03] Sioufas stresses investment opportunities in Greece

Addressing an Economist conference on a government initiative to promote closer cooperation between the public and private sectors, Sioufas said the Greek government's initiatives would bring positive results very soon.

The Greek minister said there were significant opportunities for joint cooperation in Olympic Games', tourism and port real estate assets. Sioufas said five international tenders were already under way by Olympic Real Estate Enterprise and another eight tenders by Tourist Development Enterprise, while other public organisations were drafting their own studies for the commercial use of their assets. The government is expected next week to submit to parliament a draft law on deregulating electricity and natural gas markets in the country, paving the way for large-scale investments in the country. Sioufas said a founding agreement on an energy community -including 14 countries from Southeastern Europe and Mediterranean- would be signed in Greece on October 25. Sioufas said he government was also taking measures to facilitate licensing and installation of manufacturing enterprises in the country, along with efforts to draft a national town planning programme by summer 2006.

The use of private capital, in addition to public funds, could help in implementing the necessary investments in infrastructure and services in the country, L. Korres, secretary-general for Joint Ventures between the Public and Private Sectors, told the Economist conference.

"Conditions for mobilising private capital are ripe," Korres said adding the Greek society was ready to accept closer cooperation between the public and private sectors.

EFG Eurobank Ergasias' chief executive, Nikos Nanopoulos, noted that if a new legislation was properly used it could become a significant catalyst of growth by supporting investment initiatives and new business activities in Greece. The Greek banker said bank would have a strategic and long-term role in this effort since they could offer consultancy services and full financial support to such projects.

Nanopoulos, however, stressed that certain main preconditions should be met to ensure the success of joint ventures between the public and private sectors, such as a clear political will and commitment to support the programme, along with a very well trained and expert group of public servants to evaluate such projects. Nanopoulos also urged for full transparency and competition in public tenders.

[04] Greek MEP barred entry into Turkey without visa

The incident was exacerbated by the fact that Euro-MP Ioannis Varvitsiotis, a veteran member of Greece's ruling New Democracy party and a one-time defence minister, was part of a European People's Party (EPP) Euro-parliament group delegation arriving in Turkey for the 9th Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the EPP.

"... I don't know whether this (type of incident) has previously occurred, nevertheless, it happened to me. I sat there (airport) for three and a half hours, waiting and protesting constantly, and only after protests by the Greek embassy, the European People's Party and the European Parliament was I allowed to leave, and after I paid for a visa, of course, on a diplomatic passport -- astonishing," Varvitsiotis told an Athens radio station.

According to reports, upon his arrival from Brussels, Varvitsiotis was told by Turkish customs officials that his European Parliament passport did not constitute a valid travel document as far as they are concerned.

Varvitsiotis noted that the entire incident was incompatible with Turkey's efforts to join the great European family, adding that such actions blemish the neighbouring country's image.

Gov't reaction

In Athens, a foreign ministry spokesman said if the incident was reported accurately, then "such behaviour does not benefit Turkey's image and the sincere efforts needed to achieve its (Turkey) European goals".

Finally, government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos noted that Varvitsiotis did not have his Greek passport with him; rather he carried a "laisser-passer" during his arrival at Istanbul's airport.

"The issue was resolved thanks to the assistance offered Mr. Varvitsiotis by our consular services, thereby ending his inconvenience," the spokesman said.

[05] Greece wants to up aid spending, ministers say

Molyviatis said that Greece spent �465 million on reconstruction programmes and humanitarian aid actions in the previous year.

"The government, the foreign ministry and the International Developmental Cooperation Service will continue the effort to respond to humanitarian crises and developmental needs around the world with transparency and efficiency," the minister added.

Deputy Foreign Minister Evripides Stylianidis, who had organised Thursday's event, pointed to the pledge made by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis toward the European Commission, in which the premier had underlined Greece's determination to meet European targets to increase state aid to 0.56 per cent of GDP by the year 2010, in spite of Greece's shaky public finances. Karamanlis made the pledge in a letter to Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, in which he outlined Greece's position at the UN General Assembly for the Millenium targets against world poverty.

The deputy minister also stressed the need to highlight Greece's humanitarian contribution both at home and abroad, so that Greeks knew what their money was being spent on and in order to promote Greece worldwide as a "humane world power" that served the values of modern civilisation and democracy.

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