Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-08-04

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

CONTENTS

[01] August holiday exodus peaks on Saturday, ferries and airplanes booked solid

[02] Prime minister's meetings with gov't officials

[03] SYN leader visits Crete

[01] August holiday exodus peaks on Saturday, ferries and airplanes booked solid

The traffic police have taken extraordinary measures on the national highways to facilitate the holidaymakers, as more than 120,000 cars passed through the toll post at Elefsis and another 60,000 through the toll post at Afidness.

A total of 64 ships were scheduled to leave the port of Piraeus over the weekend, heading for the islands of the Aegean and Crete, most of them booked to full capacity, while another 24 routes were scheduled from the port of Rafina to the Cyclades islands.

Flights leaving Athens from the Eleftherios Venizelos international airport were also booked solid.

According to Port Authority figures, some two million passengers travelled by ferry in the month of July alone.

Flights from Athens' international airport were booked solid, while the OSE railways also added more cars to its inter-city trains to facilitate the increased demand.

[02] Prime minister's meetings with gov't officials

After his meeting Friday with the prime minister, 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.

[03] SYN leader visits Crete

Speaking at a press conference during a visit to Heraklion, Alavanos said that both his party and the other political forces comprising the Coalition of the Radical Left had decided, at his own proposal, that the candidacy of the parliamentary group's president and head of the electoral effort would not be in one of the 'secure' districts of Athens, Piraeus, Attica or Thessaloniki.

The goal, he said, was not another marginal presence in parliament of the Coalition of the Radical Left -- which he said would amount to a political failure -- but, rather, to achieve such a parliamentary strength that would correspond to the protagonistic role those political forces have had through the years.

"For me, personally, my candidacy in districts in which the election of an MP requires nearly the doubling of our strength, means that I am shouldering my responsibility in advance, in relation to a positive turn on the Coalition of the Radical Left's course and a more general change in the role of the Left in the country's political map," Alavanos said.

Thus, he continued, it was with joy and honour that he accepted the proposal by the party's prefectural committee and by the other forces the coalition to be a candidate from Heraklion prefecture in the coming elections.

Alavanos noted that he felt at home on Crete, not only because of the island's world-renowned hospitality and his own long-standing bonds, but also because Crete, throughout its history, has been a land of liberty, political activity and revolutionary changes. Crete was, and will be, the harbinger of and springboard for the major political changes that the country needs, he added.

Alavanos also announced that the second electoral district in which the party parliamentary group's president will be a candidate from will be in northern Greece, while the specific prefecture will be announced in the next few days.

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