Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-06-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] Karamanlis to meet Moldovan counterpart

[02] Bicyclists demonstration

[01] Karamanlis to meet Moldovan counterpart

On Friday, Prime Minister Karamanlis was strongly critical on statements made by the leadership of the left-wing parties, the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), concerning the crisis in universities.

"The government initiated the educational reform by placing priority on improving tertiary state education, culminating in the framework law [for education], with the clear goal of making universities truly self-regulating, to connect them with the social and professional success of their graduates and allow them to play a leading role on an equal footing within the European sphere," he stressed.

The opposition, by contrast, had made no proposals, suggested no measures and taken no action to improve state universities, the premier stressed.

Replying to questions tabled during the premier's hour by the head of SYRIZA Alekos Alavanos and KKE General Secretary Aleka Papariga, Karamanlis accused both but particularly Alavanos of inaccuracies, distorting the truth and inflammatory statements that fuelled the few extremists that were causing the upheaval within state universities.

While critical of KKE's opposition to the introduction of assessment for universities, he singled out SYRIZA and its leader for much tougher criticism, intimating that the party's statements had given a green light to phenomena of violence on Greek campuses.

He also blasted SYRIZA for distorting events, and its "indirect advance announcement of inflammatory situations in universities and the attempt to attribute these, in advance, to government statements".

[02] Bicyclists demonstration

Thessaloniki residents of all ages staged a demonstration with bicycles on Sunday throughout the city's streets, in demand of bicycle lanes and facilitation for pedestrians and along the northern Greek capital's car-jammed roads.

The demonstration, organised by the Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki, the 'Podilatis' bicyclists' association and the Union for Pedestrians' Rights, joined by other similar movements, demand commuter rights for bicyclists, pedestrians and people with mobiility difficulties.

Thessaloniki prefectural councillor and Ecological Movement member Michalis Tremopoulos, who took part in the demonstration, said that the number of people using bicycles as a means of transportation was growing constantly.

According to the organisers, the mobilisation marked the 25th anniversary of the first bicycle demonstration organised in Greece by the Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki, on June 1, 1983 during which 13 bicyclists were arrested on charges of blocking traffic.

Caption: Bicyclists demonstrate in Thessaloniki on Sunday 1 June 2008 ANA-MPA/GIORGOS FOTIADIS

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