Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-05-27

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

CONTENTS

[01] Alternate Citizen Protection Min Toskas: Democracy is always strict with vigilantes

[02] ND leader Mitsotakis: We want a strong popular mandate

[03] FM: Greece has long and systematically supported a just and viable solution to Cyprus issue

[04] FinMin Tsakalotos optimistic over a better agreement

[01] Alternate Citizen Protection Min Toskas: Democracy is always strict with vigilantes

Toskas was accompanied by the chief of Hellenic Police Constantinos Tsouvalas.

Papademos, his driver and one other man in his security were injured in a suspected letter bomb blast that occurred while the three were riding in the former Greek premier's armoured car on Thursday evening in downtown Athens.

Meanwhile, it was confirmed that the booby trapped envelope had undergone security screening at the parliament and the sender has been identified.

Asked if there was a security gap, the minister replied: "We will fill any (security) gaps that may have existed."

"The government and the police are working systematically to bring to justice the perpetrators of the terrorist attack," Toskas underlined.

[02] ND leader Mitsotakis: We want a strong popular mandate

"I instist on modesty and low profiles. We have not yet won the elections. We will win the elections, but we are not yet government," he said.

Mitsotakis levelled against the SYRIZA-ANEL government because it signed a forth memorandum and extended the austerity which mainly hurts the low income households.

"The fourth memorandum, as voted by (Prime Minister Alexis) Tsipras and (junior coalition partner Pannos) Kammenos in Parliament, a few days ago, sentenced the country with long-term austerity without any real benefits to the citizens. Tsipras, who came to power as the defender of the rights of the weak, punishes the weakest through his political choices," he stated.

Concluding, Mitsotakis stressed the need for a strong popular mandate so that he can proceed with great changes.

[03] FM: Greece has long and systematically supported a just and viable solution to Cyprus issue

"Greece has long and systematically supported the finding of a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem based on the resolutions of the United Nations. This is why, in a timely manner – starting a year and a half ago – it underscored to all sides, including the United Nations, the importance of thorough and timely negotiation of the issues of guarantees and security, so that the process for resolving the Cyprus problem would not end in failure.

Now, however, once again, Ankara – for reasons of serving its geopolitical interests – and Mr. Akıncı are leading the UN-backed negotiation process to an impasse, invoking reasons pertaining to methodology and trying to terminate the negotiations because they are unwilling to discuss the core of the Cyprus problem, which is the issues of guarantees and security.

But these issues are inextricably linked to the nature of the Cyprus problem, which is by definition an issue of the illegal invasion and occupation of Cyprus by the Turkish army.

We ask ourselves: What does Turkey believe? That the fact that it is illegally occupying Cyprus should not be the subject and essence of the external aspect of the Cyprus problem?

Everything else Turkey is saying is mere pretext".

[04] FinMin Tsakalotos optimistic over a better agreement

Tsakalotos, who is visiting Preveza, stated at the local website �PrevezaBest�:

"It seems that our decision not to accept the agreement was a correct one and we hope for a better agreement with good terms."

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