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Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-10-10
CONTENTS
[01] PM chairs inner Cabinet meeting on action priorities
[02] Archbishop Christodoulos leaves ICU
[01] PM chairs inner Cabinet meeting on action priorities
Prime minister Costas Karamanlis on Wednesday chaired an inner Cabinet
meeting focusing on the government's work priorities. Environment,
Town Planning and Public Works Minister George Souflias commented
afterwards that among the issues discussed was the implementation of
the government policy statement, while a wide spectrum of
ministry-related issues were also examined. Leaving the meeting,
Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis responded negatively to a question by
reporters on whether developments in main opposition party PASOK affect
the government's work and expressed the wish that the crisis faced by
the opposition will be overcome. Government spokesman Theodoros
Roussopoulos later confirmed that the meeting had focused on action
priorities and coordinating efforts to carry out the actions announced
in the government's policy statement. Asked whether the major issues
would be settled by next Easter, the spokesman said the government's
aim was to press ahead with all the pledges made in the pre-election
period, adding that he will announce which bills had first priority and
would be completed by the end of December. Regarding social insurance
reform, he stressed that the government's previous statements regarding
this issue still applied: "A process of dialogue has begun. We are not
prepared to push the time for such major issues," he underlined. He
also clarified that the inner cabinet had not discussed planned changes
to election law, adding that this was an issue that would be discussed
in the next one or two months since other issues took precedence.
Caption: ANA-MPA file photograph of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis
chairing a meeting of the inner cabinet of the previous New Democracy
government.
[02] Archbishop Christodoulos leaves ICU
Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece was transferred from
the ICU at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami to a room in a regular
hospital ward on Wednesday. According to Dr. Andreas Tzakis, who is
treating him, the Archbishop was making satisfactory progress in his
recovery after his operation. Archbishop Christodoulos, 68, was
diagnosed with colonic and liver cancer in June and flew to Miami in
August to wait for a compatible liver donor. He went into surgery for
the transplant operation on Monday but this was finally aborted after
doctors found his cancer had spread to the abdomen. In statements made
earlier to the press, Dr. Tzakis defended the transplant option,
stressing that it had been "the only proper and suitable choice" at
that time, while adding that "such decisions are not easy". Dr. Tzakis
stated that the Archbishop will be presented with possible treatment
options as soon as the lab tests are completed and biopsy results are
ready, while it will be his own decision to either remain in the United
States or return to Greece. Spyridon, the former Archbishop of
America, sent a letter to ailing Archbishop Christodoulos wishing him a
speedy recovery, pointing out that the head of the Greek Orthodox
Church is an example of a true fighter who gets his strength from the
Christian faith. Commenting on the succession scenarios in Athens, the
former Archbishop of America stressed that Archbishop Christodoulos can
fight his ailment while at the same time exercising his Church and
administrative duties until he recovers. There are no terminal
illnesses and often what seems impossible for the people is possible
for God, he stressed. Caption: ANA-MPA file photo dated July 20, 2007
of Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece as he left
Aretaion Hospital in Athens, where he had been hospitalised and treated
for 42 days.
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