Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-08-03

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Karamanlis confers with interior, justice ministers, ND secretary

[02] PASOK: government will be forced into elections

[01] PM Karamanlis confers with interior, justice ministers, ND secretary

After the meeting, Pavlopoulos told reporters that the draft law on the management of the 4th Community Support Framework (CSF) funds, the most important part of which is that concerning public administration, was tabled in parliament on Thursday.

Pavlopoulos pointed out that the current phase concerns the public administration structure, decentralization and procedure simplification, adding that before the end of August and in view of Thessaloniki�s International Trade Fair the PM will meet with the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece, KEDKE, and the Greek National Union of Prefectural Local Authorities, ENAE, boards to discuss the country�s administrative structure.

Pavlopoulos also pointed out that the government has no time to waste and was moving ahead with the implementation of long overdue reforms, adding that main opposition party PASOK lef the 3rd CSF go by without special planning on public administration.

On the reduction of the number of administrative regions in the country, Pavlopoulos stated that the issue will be discussed in the meetings the PM will have with KEDKE and ENAE.

Regarding the law amendment concerning contract workers and the criticism launched by PASOK, he accused the main opposition of displaying no sense of responsibility.

Meeting with justice minister

Justice minister Anastasis Papaligouras, told reporters after his meeting with the premier that they discussed two important legislative initiatives aimed at accelerating the administrative trial procedures and at upgrading the Judiciary Academy in Thessaloniki, adding that the bills would be tabled during the summer recess sessions of parliament.

To a question on the recent drug-related deaths of inmates in prisons, Papaligouras replied that every death of an inmate was mourned by the correctional system.

He added that the state was trying to tackle the problem of narcotics, which he said plagued both society and the prisons, noting, however, that these efforts were not always successful. Papaligouras also noted that some 45 percent of the inmates in Greece's prisons have been sentenced on violations of the drug laws.

The minister conceded that the situation was difficult, but stressed that, with significant interventions, an effort was underway to alter the situation, particularly given that the KETHEA (Therapy Centre for Dependent Individuals) was now "in the prisons" (by virtue of detox consulting programmes following a relevant agreement between the government and the Centre), while the first and second stage of detoxification has also been expanded not only in the 14 prisons in which such programmes were currently running, but would be extended to all prisons throughout the country, following the accord with KETHEA.

Papaligouras further explained that it was particularly difficult to keep control of inmates returning to prison from their leaves, noting that they frequently devised unbelievable ways of smuggling narcotics into the jails.

Questioned on the timing of the next general elections, Papaligouras said that he was planning his programme on a four-year horizon, adding that "I will not go on holiday because I must proceed with the legislative initiatives I spoke about earlier".

ND secretary

Ruling New Democracy Central Committee Secretary Lefteris Zagoritis was received by Prime Minister and President of the party at the Maximos Mansion.

Responding, after the meeting, to questions on the timing of elections, Zagoritis told reporters that the specific question has been answered repeatedly in the past and that the prime minister himself has also commented on the issue.

[02] PASOK: government will be forced into elections

"He will be forced to come to elections, choosing the date of his defeat," Efthymiou stressed while commenting on press reports predicting that the elections will probably take place in September.

Asked if PASOK was ready for elections, the spokesman pointed out that PASOK has been asking for elections since February 2 and considers them necessary in order for the country to make any progress.

In response to another question, which referred to differences of opinion among government ministers about when elections should take place, Efthymiou said the "shambles of the government was an indication of the shambles in the country".

"Never, in any country of the world, is there the phenomenon of a public ministerial council, with every minister having his own opinion about the elections but the prime minister absent," the spokesman added.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photograph of PASOK spokesman Petros Efthymiou.

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