Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-01-25

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

CONTENTS

[01] ND foreign policy positions outlined

[02] 'Navigating in the Dark' exhibition at Benaki Museum annex

[03] Gov't on debt scenarios

[04] ASE opening: Decline 

[01] ND foreign policy positions outlined

Specifically, Samaras expressed stern opposition to any thought of "co-exploitation" in the Aegean basin, while rejecting what he called discussions on the Aegean continental shelf issue from "ground zero".(ANA-MPA)

Moreover, the ND leader and early 1990s-era foreign minister called for the establishment of an "exclusive economic zone (EEZ)" in Greece's extended sea regions.(ANA-MPA)

In terms of other foreign policy issues high on Athens' agenda, Samaras warned that his party would oppose any second "Annan peace plan" for Cyprus, while reminding of the previous ND government's success at the 2008 Bucharest NATO summit regarding the "name issue" with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM).(ANA-MPA)

Additionally, he again criticised PM George Papandreou for conducting "secret diplomacy", as he claimed, charging that this "creates more suspicion in the country rather than goodwill with the opposite side".(ANA-MPA)

Referring directly and at length to the EEZ issue, which has generated its share of local press attention of late, he said Cyprus has already concluded such agreements with Israel, Egypt and Lebanon, whereas Greece should immediately do the same with Cyprus, followed by Egypt and Libya.(ANA-MPA)

Samaras said an agreement with Cyprus would also overcome the "non-existent", as he said, issue recently arisen in the press with the Greek isle of Kastellorizo.(ANA-MPA)

Along these lines, he said he will not accept the Aegean Sea's characterisation as a "semi-enclosed" or "enclosed sea", something he said would overturn provisions foreseen in the International Law of the Sea and be considered as a resignation, on Greece's part, of its rights.(ANA-MPA)

In touching on the timely problem of illegal immigration, Samaras called on Papandreou to show increased zeal on the issue of migrants' repatriation via Turkey, which has signed a relevant 2001 bilateral protocol with Greece that it does not fulfill, as he said.(ANA-MPA)

Furthermore, he sharply criticised the government for its agreement with the EU-ECB-IMF "troika", charging that "as a government, with the memorandum it acceded to the inspection (of Greek finances) by international organisations, something that was not done by countries with similar problems and ones that engaged in negotiations over terms, such as Ireland."(ANA-MPA)

"We agree with structural reforms, but we do not dream of any sort of 'global governance' ... No country takes such outdated ideas seriously," he pointedly said.(ANA-MPA)

Finally, he clarified that a souring of relations between Turkey and Israel presents a greater opportunity for closer ties with the latter, without, at the same time, deviating from the standing Greek positions regarding the Palestinian issue.(ANA-MPA)

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[02] 'Navigating in the Dark' exhibition at Benaki Museum annex

In this first solo exhibition by Lemos, the artist presents her new group of sculptures, with large-scale steel works.(ANA-MPA)

Space is transformed into an environment for contemplation formed like a bee-hive. The dynamics created by multiplying and reinforcing the hexagonal honeycomb structure around a nucleus of human heads, function as a mechanism for introspection. The circular circumferential platform with organic sculpted forms functions as an observatory, allowing viewers to incorporate themselves into and enter a direct discourse with the work.(ANA-MPA)

This exhibition constitutes the first stop of a trilogy entitled Navigating in the Dark, which will be held in both indoor and open-air spaces. The two other stops will be the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete and the Ibrahim Khan Mosque in Rethymno (May to August 2011) and the crypt of the church of St. Pancras in London (October - November 2011).(ANA-MPA)

These are three independent exhibitions, which, nevertheless, maintain elements of continuity and links between them. The three stops constitute a co-production of the Benaki Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete.(ANA-MPA)

The exhibition is curated by Maria Maragou, art historian and Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete.(ANA-MPA)

(Photo by ANA-MPA/O. Panagiotou)

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[03] Gov't on debt scenarios

He stressed that talk about debt restructuring was simply talk and that no such decision had been taken.

"Our position and that of the European Union is specific," he said and ruled out the possibility of a restructuring. (ANA-MPA)

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[04] ASE opening: Decline

Individual sector indices were moving mostly downward, with the biggest gains in Commerce, up 2.22 percent; and Mass Media, up 0.68 percent.

The biggest losses were in Oil & Gas, down 1.21 percent; and Food & Beverage, down 1.03 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was down 0.91 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was down 0.05 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was down 0.21 percent.

Of the stocks traded, 35 were up, 40 were down, and 21 were unchanged.

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