Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-06-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] New arrests in Siemens case

[02] 'I travel in Athens' guide

[03] SYN on Euroelections

[04] ASE opening : Marginal rise

[05] Athens Newspaper Headlines

[01] New arrests in Siemens case

The special examining magistrate investigating the Siemens' kickbacks scandal, Nikos Zagorianos, has also ordered three more arrest warrants for Karavelas' wife and two other daughters.

Karavelas had been summoned before the examining magistrate on Friday to answer charges of bribery and legalising income from illegal activities (money-laundering), but failed to comply, but his lawyer appeared and said that his client was abroad. The charges concern a contract signed between Siemens Hellas and Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) in 1997 to digitalise OTE centres.

Zagorianos later Friday issued an international arrest warrant for Karavelas.

Karavelas is the second suspect in the Siemens scandal in Greece to flee abroad after Siemens Hellas former CEO Mihalis Christoforakos, who has taken refuge in Germany. As a holder of German nationality and a German passport, laws in Germany prevent Christoforakos' automatic extradition to Greece to stand trial.

[02] 'I travel in Athens' guide

The initiative is part of the policy of the Transport ministry to make public transport more attractive, more modern, safer, more ecological and friendlier for the city's inhabitants.

The guide, that will be available at central locations and stops in the capital, is presented in six languages: English, Russian, Albanian, Arabic, Chinese and Greek.

"It is a form of the passengers' Rights Charter that includes, apart from the rights and the obligations, a plethora of useful information for the passenger, such as the various types of tickets that are provided for public transport and the corresponding prices applying to them, as well as the fine incurred by the failure to validate them," Stylianidis said.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Academias street in downtown Athens

[03] SYN on Euroelections

In a press conference, Tsipras stressed that the June 7 elections "are the first to be held after the economic crisis broke out and take place in an atmosphere characterized by fluidity," adding that there are two paths that can be followed "either face the crisis with society standing on its feet or having society leveled to the ground."

Tsipras accused the two major political parties -- ruling New Democracy (ND) and main opposition PASOK -- of engaging in a "desperate effort to divert people's attention from the serious problems faced by the country."

Panagiotis Lafazanis, the spokesman of the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) parliamentary groupof which SYN is the senior partner, accused ND and PASOK of reaching a consensus as regards the Lisbon Treaty.

Lafazanis pointed out that SYRIZA wants the European Central Bank (ECB) to be subjected to political control, the radical reform of the European monetary policy and the immediate and substantive increase of the EU budget as well as its fundamental reorientation to exclusively serve productive investments, employment, social protection and sustainable development.

Caption: Synaspismos leader Alexis Tsipras at a press conference held in Athens on Monday 1 June 2009. ANA-MPA/MARIA MAROYANNI

[04] ASE opening : Marginal rise

Individual sector indices were moving upward, with the biggest gains in Oil and Gas, up 2.69 percent; Industrial Products, up 1.96 percent; and Food and Beverages, up 1.96 percent.

The biggest losses were in Travel and Recreation, down 3.40 percent; Media, down 1.08 percent and Banks, down 0.17 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was up 0.02 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was up 0.72 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was up 0.47 percent.

Of the stocks moved, 88 were up, 39 were down, and 35 were unchanged.

[05] Athens Newspaper Headlines

The arrest of the 22-year-old daughter of former Siemens Hellas executive Christos Karavelas who fled Greece and the Euroelections dominated the headlines on Tuesday in Athens' newspapers.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "15,000 unemployed hired in municipalities".

APOGEVMATINI: Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said in an interview on Alter channel: "I am giving and will give my best; we are going to win the elections".

AVGHI: "Coalition of the Left (Syriza) proposes a social cohesion and full time jobs pact".

AVRIANI: "Main opposition PASOK official and candidate for the European Parliament (party press spokesman George Papaconstantinou, who heads the PASOK Euroelections ticket) gave 147,000,000 euros to SIEMENS via direct assignment".

CHORA: "Revelation: How Siemens channeled the 'black' money".

ELEFTHEROS: "Karamanlis says about the day after the elections: I want to remain in New Democracy's helm but this has to do also with others".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Justice Minister Nikos Dendias and Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis argument on who is responsible for Karavelas' escape".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Police arrested Monday night Karavelas' daughter".

ETHNOS: "Examining magistrate ordered late Monday night arrest warrants for Karavelas family".

KATHIMERINI: "Polarisation around SIEMENS - Major clash between Karamanlis and Papandreou over SIEMENS".

NIKI: "Karamanlis coercing to stay in power - He foresees defeat and posed the next day's dilemma".

RIZOSPASTIS: "Powerful Communist Party (KKE) the message of the Euroelections ballot".

TA NEA::"Justice Minister Nikos Dendias points finger at Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis over the 'great escape'."

TO VIMA: "SIEMENS casts shadow over the euro ballot - The fugitives, the dates, the telegrams and the back stabbings".

VRADYNI: "Clash in the 'quagmire of graft' - SIEMENS case is the parties' battlefield five days before the Euroelections".

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