Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-03-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] Papandreou to chair party meeting on Tuesday

[02] Need for commitment on social convergence

[03] Promoting Athens as tourist destination

[01] Papandreou to chair party meeting on Tuesday

The meeting follows an intensive party activity over the weekend on the preparation of the movement's programme, which culminated in a rally on Sunday addressed by Papandreou.

In his address, Papandreou repeated his heated criticism of the government and appeared confident of election victory in the next poll, while at the same time warning of "major interests" attempting to manipulate and control the party, interests he said want PASOK to "compromise".

In fact, Papandreou's address swayed back-and-forth from detailing PASOK's positions on a variety of issues to airing charges against the government.

He echoed other top PASOK officials' accusations over the past week over the government's culpability in the mismanagement of pension funds' assets, while referring to "shadowy games" between riot police and masked self-styled anarchists that often infiltrate protests through central Athens before engaging in vandalism and clashes with authorities.

"You cannot identify the younger generation with masked troublemakers, slackers and the apathetic," he said in reference to the government, noting that education issues should not be handled by the public order ministry, an indirect rebuke over the role of police during protests.

In turning to one of the three "axes" of PASOK's programme, as he said, Papandreou touched on the "green" aspect of economic development, while at the same time charging that the government is only interested in selling-off forestlands and coastal areas, as seen from its intent to revise Article 24 of the Constitution.

Regarding foreign policy, he said the government is falling back on mere "public relations tours", accusing it of being absent from international developments.

In playing up the party's social agenda, Papandreou said the government has proceeded with an "unrestrained redistribution of wealth", saying the maxim is now to "catch the little guy and be lenient to the powerful".

On the social front, he said PASOK will promote a "new contract for employment", boost the number of preschools, all-day elementary schools, improve hospitals and institute at at-home support programmes.

"Eradicating poverty is, for PASOK, a political choice. We must end with poverty in our country," he said.

He promised that if elected to government PASOK will institute a fairer tax system, one able to restore social justice "with a redistribution of wealth in favour of the weak via taxation".

Moreover, he promised the hiring of 3,000 staff every year in the health care system, which he said the ND government has abandoned.

Papandreou also launched into an attack on recent opinion polls, saying the issue is one of quality of democracy, objectivity and transparent financial dealings of the firms involved.

Gov't reaction

In commenting on Papandreou's address, Minister of State and government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos noted that "PASOK's president today (Sunday) promised the heavens with the stars, while hiding the fact that he will need to aggressively tax the Greek people ... the banner reading 'down with Karamanlis' junta', which was raised at today's (Sunday's) event, also demonstrates how many decades back this 'new political ethos' that Mr. Papandreou is advocating is taking the country".

Finance and Economy Minister George Alogoskoufis, commenting on Sunday on the address made by main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou at a rally earlier in the day, said that "he appears to be pursuing polarisation and tension, something that the Greek people clearly do not want."

[02] Need for commitment on social convergence

The Council focused on the preparation of conclusions of the summit to be held on March 8-9, and which will be examining the progress of the Lisbon Strategy, Bakoyannis said after the Council's session.

"The main concern of European leaders is the handling of the daily problems preoccupying European citizens and these concern, among other things, climatic changes, energy safety and improving economic and social living conditions," the foreign minister said.

Bakoyannis said on the issue of employment that Greece, having the continuous upgrading of the working people's position as a goal, supported at the Council the need for a political commitment on strengthening social convergence which, according to the Greek minister, can be achieved with "the fair reward for labour and by determining a minum social denominator."

In the energy sector, Greece maintained that energy from renewable sources must reach 20 percent of the EU's total energy consumption, while energy from biofuel must amount to 10 percent by the year 2020.

Bakoyannis also stressed that Greece is determined to succeed in this effort much earlier than 2020, while at the same time preserving the competitiveness of Greek industrial production, regardless of whether these goals will be binding or not for member-states.

On the question of the EU's relations with third countries producing energy, primarily with Russia, Bakoyannis said that Europe must safeguard its energy safety and the diversification of energy sources, while noting that Russia remains a "reliable supplier of energy of major importance."

Moreover, the Greek minister termed the handling of climatic changes a "need of the future" and pointed out that Europe cannot remain indifferent. For this reason, Bakoyannis expressed the conviction that the EU's member-states will reach an agreement as to the binding character or not of goals on climatic changes.

Lastly, Iran and the situation in the Middle East were the issues examined by the EU's foreign ministers during the working luncheon. As regards Iran, Bakoyannis said that the position of the EU's member-states is a common one and is focused on a double approach:a new message by the UN Security Council and the continuation of negotiations with Iran on the question of its nuclear programme.

[03] Promoting Athens as tourist destination

To this end, the minister announced a programming contract agreement between the ministry and the municipality of Athens aimed at city tourism and the highlighting of Athens as an international tourist destination. In this framework, the conference on City Breaks will be hosted at the Tae Kwon Do facility in Faliro between June 11-13.

Referring to the programme for reshaping the coastal zone with the creation of a bicycle and pedestrians road, Petralia said that this plan is proceeding normally, stressing that with the unified sea front, the city will be transformed into a coastal one.

Petralia will be leaving for Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday to attend the official inauguration of the ITB exhibition, one of the biggest exhibitions of the tourist industry in the world, while she will also be inaugurating the Greek pavilion on Wednesday. The ITB exhibition hosts over 10,000 exhibitors from 180 countries in a total space of 150,000 square metres.

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