Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-02-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] Government to propose Factfinding Committee on phone-tapping issue, spokesman says

[02] PASOK on phone-tapping issue

[03] Russian foreign minister in Athens on Monday

[04] Patras launches Carnival with spectacular show

[01] Government to propose Factfinding Committee on phone-tapping issue, spokesman says

Roussopoulos added that the Factfinding Committee will investigate all the aspects of the issue and will formulate its proposals in the consensual climate necessitated by the seriousness of the issue, as regards both shielding the country and protecting individual rights.

The minister of state criticised the main opposition PASOK party for what he said were "repeated irresponsible accusations by many members of PASOK, even by its president, on the phone-tapping issue", saying that "PASOK is attempting to attribute to the government intentions and practices which had branded, for decades, its own options, ultimately rendering it synonymous with unaccountability, intransparency, covering up and the country's international downgrading."

Roussopoulos went on to say that the government has handled and is handling the phone-tapping case with all due seriousness and with the responsibility required.

"The government has moved and is moving exclusively within the institutional framework which guarantees the extensive probing and the full clarification of the case," he added.

Lastly, Roussopoulos stressed that seriousness and responsibility is required of all at the moment, to allow justice to complete its work unimpeded and without obstacles.

Justice minister on wire-tapping affair

Justice Minister Anastasios Papaligouras stated that there was more than one possible scenario concerning the perpetrators of a wire-tapping operation that recorded calls by the prime minister, a number of ministers, security officials and journalists.

In addition, an act of provocation could not be ruled out, Papaligouras told the Sunday Vima newspaper in an interview.

Last week, the government said mobile operator Vodafone had reported in March 2005 that software had illicitly been planted in its system that tracked the calls; and that Vodafone had disabled the intruding software on discovery. Authorities have since been conducting a secret enquiry.

Although declining to speculate on Vodafone's liability in the case, the minister noted: "The judicial process will allocate any blame. In any case, if at the time that we were informed the wire-tapping devices were still 'active', the chances of finding who did the tapping would have been greater."

He also rejected accusations by the main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement that it was not informed at the time whether one of its senior officials was being tapped.

"Total secrecy was essential about a scandal that involved national security," Papaligouras said.

KKE places responsibility on both ND and PASOK for phone-tapping case

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) places responsibility on both the government of the New Democracy party and the main opposition PASOK party for the phone-tapping case that surfaced earlier this week.

"The government is not absolved of its responsibilities in referring the phone-tapping issue to justice. The fact alone that it remained silent for 11 months makes it accountable," said an announcement issued by KKE's Central Committee.

On its part, the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (Synaspismos) on Sunday blasted both the government and mobile phone operator Vodafone in the wake of a wire-tapping scandal in which calls by the prime minister, ministers, security officials and private citizens were monitored through software that the company said had been illegally installed in its system.

"Each passing day increasingly shows the massive political responsibility borne by the government for covering up the phone-tapping affair," party spokesman Panayiotis Lafazanis said in a statement. In addition, Vodafone's operating licence should be withdrawn, and criminal procedings should be brought against the company and its managing director.

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[02] PASOK on phone-tapping issue

Athanassakis added that "it is seriously exposed and it is continuing to be exposed with every new move it makes, only succeeding in aggravating the climate of insecurity that it is creating itself with its options."

The PASOK party spokesman further said that "the fact alone that a few days after the staged performance by three ministers, the government feels the need to return with a latest announcement confirms that it is not interested in essence but in the petty-party management of the whole issue."

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[03] Russian foreign minister in Athens on Monday

The visit comes in the wake of the visit recently made to Moscow by Molyviatis.

A foreign ministry announcement said that the agenda of talks between Molyviatis and Lavrov will include bilateral relations between Greece and Russia, issues of regional interest with emphasis on the Balkans, developments in Kosovo, the issue of Cyprus, relations between the European Union and Russia, the Middle East question and latest developments concerning Iran's nuclear programme.

A joint press conference will follow the talks between the two ministers and then Molyviatis will offer a working luncheon for his Russian counterpart.

FM Petros Molyviatis gives interview to Russian Ria-Novosti news agency

Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis gave an interview to the Russian Ria-Novosti news agency ahead of Monday's visit to Athens by his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Molyviatis said that during Lavrov's visit they will have the opportunity of "making a review of our bilateral relations, our excellent, in any case, bilateral relations, always in view of their further strengthening and deepening. We will also be preoccupied, of course, with issues of wider interest as well, such as developments in the Balkans, relations between Russia and the European Union, the Middle East question and our cooperation in the Black Sea region. It is logical, anyway, that developments on the issue of Cyprus and prospects on the issue of the future status quo of Kosovo will be issues to which we will devote a considerable part of our discussions, since the particular interest of our two countries in these issues is known."

Referring to the issue of Kosovo, Molyviatis said "the positions of Greece are already known. It is stressed that whatever solution must constitute the product of negotiating and not imposing, ruling out the use of force and unilateral actions. The creation through dialogue of a democratic, multinational society is a substantive precondition for the future of Kosovo."

On the question of Iran, the foreign minister said that Greece believes that the diplomatic path is a basic priority for achieving a mutually acceptable solution and it is expedient to support every initiative in this direction.

As regards the energy sector, Molyviatis said that the construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupoli oil pipeline is a project of particular significance for all the sides participating in it. The strong will of the two countries for its implementation was reconfirmed with the Protocol of the 5th Joint Interministerial Committee held in Moscow on September 27-30, 2005. At the same time, in the framework of Greek-Russian energy dialogue, the particular interest presented by bilateral cooperation in the sectors of natural gas and electric power is worth stressing."

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[04] Patras launches Carnival with spectacular show

At the opening of the season's traditionally largest and most flamboyant festivity in Greece, actor Dimitris Piatas embodied the Spirit of the Carnival on Saturday, re-living the event's colourful history before teeming crowds.

Based on "The Carnival of Patras" by writer Nikos Politis, the performance recalled the event's highlights from the liberation of Patras in 1829 until the present; and in an accompanying musical drama, more than 100 dancers brought out the spirit of each epoch.

Visitors and inhabitants of the western port city were treated to an array of concerts, and the sight of a giant figure of Leonardo da Vinci, whose machines are featured in an interactive exhibition.

Patras Mayor Andreas Karavolas launched the Carnival, whose opening ceremony ended with a giant firework display and open-air party.

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