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Tuesday, 26 November 2024
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Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-12-08Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Strauss-Kahn speaks in Greek parliamentAna-Mpa/International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, briefing the Greek Parliament's Economy Committee on Tuesday, considered the possibility of the extension of the loan's repayment time without new terms as being a foregone conclusion, but in parallel stressed the need for structural reforms with salary and pension cuts since, as he said, there is no other way for productivity to be balanced.ana-mpaStrauss-Kahn pointed out that although achieving the target of fiscal restructuring is diffucult, however there are many sectors in which expenditure cutbacks can take place and appeared convinced that if the measures proposed by the IMF are implemented without deviations then the programme will be crowned with success, calling on all the parties to support it.ana-mpa He claimed that Greece had no other choice since, as he said, "in May when it resorted to the IMF it was on the cliff's edge" and stressed that the success of the programme is linked "with the degree of justice that it will inspire in the people and commenting on the protests against the measures noted that "if I were a Greek I might also be in the streets." He further said that "all must realise the situation and each to assume his own share of responsibility," adding that "you must show that in this national effort all are participating." More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form [02] PM to meet with Mahmoud AbbasANA-MPA/Prime Minister George Papandreou will meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the Maximos Mansion on Wednesday morning. The meeting will be followed by statements.Moreover, the prime minister will be having a meeting at noon with the Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania Anastasios at the Maximos Mansion. A day earlier, Papandreou chaired a meeting in Parliament focusing on the state of public utilities and labour relations.ana-mpa According to reports, Employment Minister Louka Katseli is in constant contact with the Troika member Servaas Deroose in an effort to shape the relevant text concerning labour relations. According to the same reports, the discussion is focused on finding points of contact on the issue of collective labour contracts, as well as the shaping of the operating framework of business contracts. More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form [03] Opposition on Strauss-Kahn's visitANA-MPaCommunist Party of Greece (KKE) Secretary General Aleka Papariga commenting Tuesday on International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn's visit to Athens called for a "frontal counter-attack against the policies of the government and the troika," because it is still possible to overturn things.ana-mpa/On his part, Radical Left Coalition (Syriza) parliamentary group leader Alexis Tsipras said "the IMF and all those who represent it are responsible for the misery of millions of people all over the planet, since with their political options are driving peoples into bankruptcy, social impoverishment and social exclusion." More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form [04] Terror suspects remanded in custodyANA-MPa/An examining magistrate on Tuesday ordered that two of six suspects arrested as members of an unspecified terror group be remanded in custody.The two were Alexandros Mitrousias and Costas Sakkas, who told reporters that they intend to contest their arrest and detention on the grounds that they were prevented from fully exercising their rights to mount a defence and denied unobstructed access to their defence lawyer.ana-mpa They also note that the constant addition of new evidence to the file and new charges against them was making it impossible to mount an effective defence. The suspects Giorgos Karagiannidis, Stella Antoniou, Christos Politis and Dimitris Mihail have been giv More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form [05] Samaras meets IMF chiefANA-MPA/Main opposition New Democracy (ND) party leader Antonis Samaras met in his office in Parliament on Tuesday evening with visiting International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, to whom he outlined his position on the memorandum that Greece has signed with the troika of EU/ECB/IMF.Samaras explained why the memorandum, apart from socially unfair, is also economically ineffective. He said that it does not lead to results and insisted on the need for a change in course with recovery and growth because if these do not exist greater deadlocks will result which neither society nor the economy can stand. The ND leader further said that these deadlocks cannot be prevented by the extension of the repayment of the loan alone. ND agrees with the extension provided that it includes the entire amount of the loan of 110 bilion euros and not contains new burdensome measures.ana/mpa The meeting with Strauss-Kahn was attended by ND vice president Stavros Dimas, the relevant economy sector chiefs Christos Staikouras and Mitarakis, ND spokesman Panos Panayiotopoulos, and the director of his office Constantine Arvanitopoulos. More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form [06] Garbage collection issueANA-MPA/Interior Minister Yiannis Ragoussis on Tuesday lashed out at outgoing Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis after meeting with newly elected mayor Giorgos Kaminis to discuss the issue of short-term municipal contract workers, and more importantly, the pressing problem of garbage collection throughout the greater Athens area during the Christmas holidays.Tons of uncollected garbage is piling up in greater Athens after several days of work-to-rule action by staff at a landfill in extreme northwest Athens, which has slowed garbage collection in the region. Protesters demand the renewal of short-term work contracts for roughly 100 employees.ANA-MPA Ragoussis stressed that the municipal authority should "announce new hirings immediately or it could face the prosecutor". More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form [07] �thens Newspaper HeadlinesThe Wednesday edition of Athens' dailies at a glanceReactions over International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn's visit to Greece and the development's in labour relations, dominated the headlines on Wednesday in Athens' newspapers. ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn 'Super prime minister'." AVGHI: "In the jungle of individual work contracts'. AVRIANI: "Strauss-Kahn a professional socialist - Without shame he gave us lessons in parliament". ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Strauss-Kahn's seven recipes". ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "The...Boss has spoken!". ESTIA: "We are denying reality". ETHNOS: "Tax card to offer bonuses to users". IMERISSIA: "Strauss-Kahn's recipe: Consensus, reforms and growth". KATHIMERINI: "Strauss-Kahn: Consensus for the difficult stuff". NAFTEMPORIKI: "IMF: Solution does not exist without sound development". NIKI: "Greeks, surrender to the ...'doctor' (Strauss-Kahn)". RIZOSPASTIS: "Head on counterattack against government and troika". TA NEA: "40 percent income cuts in Public Utilities and Organisations (DEKO)". VRADYNI: "Extension of loan repayment with predatory interest rates". More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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