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

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

CONTENTS

[01] Papandreou addresses letter to Japanese PM

[02] Gov't: PM eyes party finances issue

[01] Papandreou addresses letter to Japanese PM

Papandreou mentions in his letter that the summit is dealing with issues with which the Socialist International had preoccupied itself with in the past days at the Athens congress and which "require urgent solutions, bold international leadership and a new framework of democratic governance for the survival of humanity."

He further says that as it has been proved "the market forces cannot protect millions of people from being struck by poverty." He added that the world's current wealth (in raw materials, knowledge, scientific means, technologies, etc) is adequate to meet the feeding and energy needs of over 10 billion people (the planet is currently inhabited by seven billion).

Papandreou underlines that what is lacking is not funds but the political will "for fairer and viable development models to be promoted" and warned that a failure in this respect "will be fatal for the future of the entire planet."

The Socialist International's leader also referred to the issue of climatic changes, stressing that "we only have 10-15 years to reverse the negative developments regarding carbon emissions and to avoid the painful consequences of the planet's overheating."

[02] Gov't: PM eyes party finances issue

Spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos, speaking during a regular press briefing in the Greek capital, said the move proves ruling ND party's commitment to its pre-election positions, while scolding main opposition PASOK for declining to participate in the recent constitutional revision process, as he said.

The development comes amid the ongoing judicial investigation and widespread press scrutiny involving the Siemens subsidiary in Greece, and allegations that the latter provided tens of millions of euros in kickbacks to curry favor for winning state contracts. Recent attention, particularly by the opposition and the press has focused on an alleged "football junket" provided by Siemens to then transport and communications minister Mihalis Liapis in June 2005, today the culture minister.

Moreover, a one million D-mark Siemens "campaign donation" to then ruling PASOK party in late 1999 is the most prominent instance of the German multinational's questionable involvement with the local political world.

Roussopoulos also read out PM Costas Karamanlis' letter to the Parliament president requesting the establishment of such a committee, while calling on the opposition parties to ready their positions on the matter.

In response to another barrage of press questions involving Siemens and Liapis, Roussopoulos, among others, said Greece must operate within national and EU law when asked if the multinational will be "blacklisted" from state tenders, as he referred to a recent decision by a non-EU European country (Norway) to ban Siemens from contracts there.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos.

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