Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-06-12

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK leader on immigration policy

[02] FM on elections in Lebanon

[01] PASOK leader on immigration policy

The measures are summed up as follows: zero tolerance for illegal immigration, border guarding must be stepped up, international and bilateral agreements must be implemented, a common European Union humanitarian policy must be formed that will guarantee the equal assumption of burdens regarding political refugees by all European member-states, Greece's policy towards refugees must be clarified, legal immigrants must be assimilated by society, a specific policy must be shaped and implemented to attract workers to sectors where big seasonal or permanent needs exist and a special programme must be prepared on reorganising cities and neighbourhoods.

Papandreou stressed in his statement that "the citizen's security is a primary need for the democratic party," while referring to all that was done by PASOK governments on this issue and stressing that the country is currently being harassed "by lawlessness, impunity, non-transparency, the lack of meritocracy, the lack of policy and the dominance of clientele petty policy that has brought the state to the verge of dissolution."

The PASOK leader also said that "for five years, the policy of the New Democracy (ND) party on immigration, the political refugee and illegal immigration has been nonexistent. ND also presented no policy during the 1990-1993 period as well, with similar problems of lawlessness in the country."

Government response

Responding to the written statement, government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said that "PASOK, the party that had made Greece a 'free-for-all' for 10 years, PASOK that had no organised legislation on immigration policy, PASOK that had not created even one illegal immigrants reception centre and, in particular, PASOK that had been completely absent from the area of Europe when immigration policy was being discussed, is the PASOK that dares to speak about the present government, the New Democracy government which has an organised immigration policy, which is organising with consistency illegal immigrants reception centres and that has a leading role in shaping common European policy on Immigration."

[02] FM on elections in Lebanon

"We congratulate all the political forces and coalitions of Lebanon for their responsible stance and their will for dialogue and national consensus. These factors were decisive for the smooth and transparent outcome of the electoral process," she said.

"The wish of all of us is for the dialogue and constructive attitude observed by the political forces during the election period to continue after the elections as well, so that the people of Lebanon can proceed along the path of peace, unity and stability," Bakoyannis added.

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