Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-06-27

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

CONTENTS

[01] FM's sideline meetings in Corfu

[02] University deans' conference

[03] Athens Newspaper Headlines

[01] FM's sideline meetings in Corfu

"Problems are solved with dialogue, not with texts that have been drafted and are simply read out," Steinmeier observed in statements to the press after the meeting.

Bakoyannis expressed satisfaction over the fact that most of the OSCE member countries responded to the invitation for the Corfu meeting, noting that her desire was to have "an open and sincere discussion on the issues of security".

Steinmeier congratulated his Greek counterpart on her "courage in organising this meeting" which, however, "is necessary, as there are many open issues", referring indicatively to the NATO-Russia dialogue and also Russia's proposal for a "Europe-wide security architecture".

As for the difficulties in reaching understanding, Steinmeier recalled that "in order to reach Helsinki, 2,500 meetings preceded."

"In the present instance, we are at the second meeting," he added, stressing that the prospect of a security agreement "is very significant".

To a question on the procedure that will be followed for an agreement, Steinmeier said that he has been following the NATO-Russia Council for the past four years and considers it a "very interesting" process, but noted that "it is not easy for solutions to be found, especially when the states come with (prepared) texts, which they read out, and not with a disposition for dialogue".

In other words, he explained, the process is productive when there is a disposition for dialogue, and not prepared texts.

Immediately afterwards, Bakoyannis met with British foreign secretary David Miliband, but no statements were after the meeting.

Caption: Foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis with her German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier. (ANA-MPA/S. Pantzartzi)

[02] University deans' conference

The first concerns the founding of a university criminal sciences and counter-criminal policy department, while the second regards the preparation of a study and pilot implementation of an electronic management system for the distribution of university books to all universities in the country.

Spiliotopoulos said that these proposals are being made while taking into consideration the situation shaped in the country and "the need to handle effectively, realistically and in the longterm, and not only through suppression but through prevention as well, social and institutional problems and the causes contributing to the development of crime and lawlessness into a crucial issue of social relations and social peace in Greece, is understandable."

[03] Athens Newspaper Headlines

The new tax measures announced by the government, the arrest of fugitive Siemens Hellas former CEO Michalis Christoforakos in Germany and Sunday's OSCE conference on Corfu were the main front-page items in Athens' dailies on Saturday.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "Rendezvous in Corfu for security in Europe".

APOGEVMATINI: "(Development minister Costis) Hatzidakis calls for speedy changes".

AVGHI: "They�re 'slaughtering' each other in (ruling party) ND over (the recently-closed Athens daily) Eleftheros Typos".

AVRIANI: "He's talking to the German judicial authorities - Christoforakos launches counter-attack, aimed at averting his extradition to Greece".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Useless tax measures announced, as revenues hit rock bottom".

ESTIA: "Long-standing disgrace with the taxation".

ETHNOS: "Bleeding of the middle incomes - The Tax Bureau opening 'black holes' in the family budgets".

KATHIMERINI: "Intervention for the extradition of Christoforakos (to Greece by the German authorities) - Greek judicial officials to go to Germany".

LOGOS: "Christoforakos threatens revelations of...'donations' to political parties".

RIZOSPASTIS: "Rubber ball grenades (used in crowd control situations) against the people's demonstrations - New stratocratic provocation by government, Sanidas (Greek supreme court prosecutor, who gave the green light for their use in demonstrations)".

TA NEA: "Alogoskoufis (former economy and finance minister) bombs against Karamanlis - Dynamic reappearance of the former 'Czar' (of the economy): We need a leadership and government that governs".

TO VIMA: "In the autumn package of measures: 'Freeze' of salaries in 2010".

VRADYNI: "He's threatening with names - Christoforakos, from inside a German prison, sends 'messages' to Greece.

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