Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 04-01-09

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From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

CONTENTS

[01] PAPANDREOU INSTEAD OF SIMITIS

[02] KARMANLIS PROPOSES A CHANGE IN POLICY

[03] C. POWELL: "THE GREEK PEOPLES' DECISION"

[04] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH TO HAVANA

[05] NEW HIGH SPEED RAILWAY

[06] TRAIN AT 250 KM/H

[07] CASTRO INVITES VARTHOLOMEOS TO HAVANA

[08] TURKISH PROPOSALS ON THE ANNAN PLAN

[09] TURKISH POSITIONS ON ANNAN PROPOSAL

[01] PAPANDREOU INSTEAD OF SIMITIS

With G. Papandreou as the only candidate, PASOK is moving to the convention that will elect the successor to C. Simitis, who formally submitted his resignation from the party's presidency to the Central Committee. Mr. Papandreou spoke of a new beginning in announcing his candidacy. On February 8, with a vote in all PASOK organizations, the new President will be elected, while Parliament will disband two days earlier than planned. Parliamentary elections will be held on March 7. There is no issue of dual leadership said Mr. Simitis, while Mr. Papandreou has the full support of PASOK officials and there is increased consolidation in the governing party. Mr. Simitis will be a candidate in the Piraeus I electoral district, while Mr. Papanreou will begin in Achaia.

[02] KARMANLIS PROPOSES A CHANGE IN POLICY

His appreciation that the change in the governing party's leadership is essentially a continuation of the same policies, was expressed by President of ND Costas Karamanlis, in an interview to ALPHA television, while at the same time he expressed the belief that Greece needs an urgent change in policy. Furthermore he asked that several televised debates be carried out between him and Mr. Papandreou, whom he characterized as respectable, while he pointed out that PASOK followed ND's foreign policy. D. Bakoyanni and A. Spiliotopoulos will be in ND's electoral committee.

[03] C. POWELL: "THE GREEK PEOPLES' DECISION"

It is up to the Greek people to decide which party they want to govern them and who the next Prime Minister will be, stated US Secretary of State Colin Powell, commenting on the political developments in Greece, while concerning the candidacy of Foreign Minister G. Papandreou for the Presidency of PASOK, he noted: Giorgos Papandreou is a very good friend of mine. We have done a lot together over the past few years. I would like to congratulate him on the announcement he made on contending for his party's leadership, and wish him the best of luck.

[04] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH TO HAVANA

Ecumenical Patriach Vartholomeos will hold the inauguration of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Nikolaos in Havana, on January 25, 2004, in the presence of Cuban President Fidel Castro, who will hand him the key to the church. This is the first Orthodox church to be constructed in Cuba after approximately 50 years and, in fact, at the expense of the Cuban government, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Metropolite of Panama and Central America Athinagoras, with the full support of the Greek Ambassador to Havana, Mr. Costoulas.

The visit of the Ecumenical Patriarch, from January 22 to January 26, follows Fidel Castro's invitation, while the Cuban President has expressed a great interest in the work of the Orthodox Church and his admiration for Mr. Vartholomeos' work. In a letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch, Castro characteristically mentioned: This church is a gift from the people of Cuba to the Greek Orthodox Church and to your Holiness.

The historic visit of the Ecumenical Patriarch to Cuba, is expected to concentrate global interest, while many Greeks living in the US, Canada and Latin America will travel to Havana during the days of his visit.

Among the guests will be former king Constantinos. According to information the former king has not received a personal invitation from the Cuban leader, but he will attend the formal reception Castro will hold in Mr. Vartholomeos' honor, which has a guest list of only 15 people.

It should be noted that for the erection of the church, the Cuban government granted a plot of land in the old Havana harbor (which UNESCO has recognized as a site of global cultural heritage), while the Greek Foreign Ministry responded from the very first moment and supported the effort, and has already disposed 0,000 for the purchase and transfer of the church's interior decorations.

There are approximately 50 Orthodox Greeks living in Cuba. In the countries that fall under the jurisdiction of the Metropolis of Panama and Central America (Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, the Caribbean, Cuba) there are 25,000 orthodox Christians, of whom 5,000 are Greeks.

[05] NEW HIGH SPEED RAILWAY

The new railroad track from Evaggelismos to Leptokarya, the Axios river bridge and the Tembi tunnels, will begin functioning on Monday morning after being opened by Prime Minister Costas Simitis, accompanied by Minister of Transportation Christos Verelis and the President and Directing Consultant of OSE (Greek Railway Organization) Constantinos Giannakos.

The new Evaggelismos-Leptokarya track, which is 36km long, is two-way, with traffic lights, electromotion infrastructure, and has been constructed according to the latest technology, allowing for speeds of up to 250 km/h.

The construction of the new line with the Axios river bridge, which is 660 meters long, totals 6km. The new tunnels, one in Platamonas (4.3km) and one in Tembi (5.5km) with their additional works (Pinios river bridge, etc.) will be the longest in Greece.

The result of the completion and functioning of the new line, in combination with the tunnels, will be increased speed, high safety standards and a significant deacrease in travel time from Thessaloniki to Domokos to 1 hour and 35 minutes, from 3 hours and 1 minute, which it used to be in 1994. A trip from Athens to Thessaloniki will now take 4 hours and 30 minutes instead of 6 hours and 8 minutes, as it was a decade ago. The entire railway network is being modernized at a rapid pace, and 377 km of the new double line on the Athens-Thessaloniki axis have already been completed.

[06] TRAIN AT 250 KM/H

The new railroad track from Evaggelismos to Leptokarya, the Axios river bridge and the Tembi tunnels, will begin functioning on Monday morning after being opened by Prime Minister Costas Simitis, accompanied by Minister of Transportation Christos Verelis and the President and Directing Consultant of OSE (Greek Railway Organization) Constantinos Giannakos. The new Evaggelismos-Leptokarya track, which is 36km long, is two-way, with traffic lights, electromotion infrastructure, and has been constructed according to the latest technology, allowing for speeds of up to 250 km/h.

[07] CASTRO INVITES VARTHOLOMEOS TO HAVANA

Ecumenical Patriach Vartholomeos will hold the inauguration of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Nikolaos in Havana, on January 25, 2004, in the presence of Cuban President Fidel Castro, who will hand him the key to the church. This is the first Orthodox church to be constructed in Cuba after approximately 50 years and, in fact, at the expense of the Cuban government. This church is a gift from the people of Cuba to the Greek Orthodox Church and to your Holiness, mentioned Castro in a letter to Vartholomeos.

[08] TURKISH PROPOSALS ON THE ANNAN PLAN

The Turkish General Army Staff and Foreign Ministry agreed, according to a Millet newspaper publication, on proposals for the amendment of the Annan plan, amendments which Rauf Dentkash is expected to raise, and which can be surmised in the following three units:

1. The insistence to retain two parts in Cyprus and a decrease in the percentage of Greek Cypriots to move to Northern Cyprus from 21% to 5%. They will ask to obstruct the subversion of the principal of equality by barring Greek Cypriots from participating in the representative bodies of Northern Cyprus.

2. The territories to be given to the Republic of Cyprus will be in a straight line along the borders and not in various parts of the so-called TRNC. In that framework, no part of Carpasia will be given, but part of Morfos and all of the Varosia will.

3. Turkey will continue to be a guarantor power and will ask that the Turkish soldiers to remain in Northern Cyprus be allowed to move freely. At the same time they will ask that UN forces are not given operational potential in North or South Cyprus.

[09] TURKISH POSITIONS ON ANNAN PROPOSAL

The Turkish General Army Staff and Foreign Ministry agreed, according to a Millet newspaper publication, on proposals for the amendment of the Annan plan, amendments which Rauf Dentkash is expected to raise, and which can be surmised in the retaining of two parts in Cyprus, the decrease of the percentage of Greek Cypriots to move to Northern Cyprus from 21% to 5%, to full territorial separation and guarantees to be given by Turkey.

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