Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 04-01-21

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

CONTENTS

[01] DIALOGUE ON UNEMPLOYMENT

[02] LALIOTIS' RETURN

[03] CYPRUS IS THE TOLL ON TURKEY'S ROAD TO EUROPE

[04] INEQUALITY IN PROMOTION

[05] LALIOTIS IS FIRM TO HIS POSITIONS

[06] GAINS IN THE ASE

[07] TURKEY: ATHENS FIR "PURELY FICTITIOUS"

[08] PASOK WILL HOLD ITS EXTRAORDINARY PARTY CONGRESS ON FEBRUARY 6

[09] KARAMANLIS: PILA IS AN EXAMPLE OF COEXISTENCE IN A REUNITED CYPRUS

[01] DIALOGUE ON UNEMPLOYMENT

The proposal of Giorgos Papandreou for the hiring of young people without deductions for their insurance is at the center of the pre-election policy confrontation since yesterday. ND Political Planning and Programming Secretary Giorgos Souflias characterized Mr. Papandreou's proposals as pre-election exaggerated promises. Mr. Papandreou's words to the young people are just an attempt to pull the wool over their eyes, stated KKE Press Spokesperson Makis Mailis. The Coalition of the Left characterized the proposal as an insult towards the dignity of the unemployed. The number of listed unemployed in the Organization for the Employment of the Work Force lists, which reached 506,914 people in January, is not a safe record on the issue, stated organization Director I. Nikolaou.

[02] LALIOTIS' RETURN

Candidate PASOK President Giorgos Papandreou will meet with former party Central Committee Secretaries Akis Tsochatzopoulos, Costas Scandalidis and Costas Laliotis today. This will essentially be Mr. Laliotis' first contact with the party after his replacement 8 months ago. Mr. Papandreou will also speak at a meeting for working women in Peristeri, while tomorrow he will visit London, where he will meet with Prime Minister Tony Blair and his counterpart Jack Straw regarding developments in the Cyprus issue and the return of the Parthenon Marbles.

[03] CYPRUS IS THE TOLL ON TURKEY'S ROAD TO EUROPE

Turkey's accession to the EU passes through the resolving of the Cyprus issue, stressed President of New Democracy Costas Karamanlis, in a speech at the dinner held in his honor yesterday in Cyprus by the Democratic Alert party. Nobody, neither here, nor in Turkey, can accompany us, on our common European path, if he does not first stop and pay at the 'Cypriot toll', he stressed, adding that Turkey's position on the Cyprus issue will be a decisive factor for changes on the island, as well as for its European ambitions.

[04] INEQUALITY IN PROMOTION

The constitutional order for proportional equality in the promotion of the parties is not being applied in practice, pointed out the board of the JUADN (Journalists' Union of Athens Daily Newspapers) in a protest letter sent to the National Radio-Television Council (NRC). The JUADN underlined that both in public and private radio and television, instead of political positions and proposals being presented with proportionate equality, we have the monopolist promotion of the two major parties and their leaders.

[05] LALIOTIS IS FIRM TO HIS POSITIONS

Kostas Laliotis will be at the frontline of the governing Socialist Party of PASOK election campaign. However, he insists that his speech, delivered after his resignation from the post of the party Central Committee Secretary during the Central Committee meeting last July, is within the framework of his ideas, views and proposals.

Mr. Laliotis will not be a candidate in the B' election district of Piraeus and his name will be at the last and honorary place (12th) in the party's state ballot according to his request, stated Giorgos Papandreou. Mr. Laliotis' role in the election campaign is expected to be clarified soon.

PASOK's former Central Committee Secretary visited the party's central offices today and met with Foreign Minister and future PASOK President Giorgos Papandreou. Mr. Laliotis stated after the meeting that in this turning point for Greece and PASOK he will be, as always, present and at the frontline.

[06] GAINS IN THE ASE

Gains were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index recorded significant gains and rose to +2.16%, while the volume of transactions was at 2489.37 points.

Of the stocks trading today, the overwhelming majority of 248 had gains and 67 had losses, while the value of 62 stocks remained unchanged.

[07] TURKEY: ATHENS FIR "PURELY FICTITIOUS"

Turkey characterized the Athens FIR as non-existent and supported that there are no sea borders and national search and rescue area, according to documents of the Civil Aviation Service and the official map published by the Turkish Government Newspaper, revealed by today's Macedonia newspaper.

According to Turkish NOTAM A2386/03 NOTAMR A2378/03 announced on December 31 2003 and exclusively published today by the Macedonia newspaper, there is no Athens FIR, in fact it was characterized as purely fictitious.

[08] PASOK WILL HOLD ITS EXTRAORDINARY PARTY CONGRESS ON FEBRUARY 6

The governing Socialist Party of PASOK will hold its extraordinary congress on February 6 with the participation of about 4,500 party delegates, according to a decision reached today by the party Executive Bureau.

The delegates will decide on the changes in the party's charter and the election program of the governing party.

On Sunday, February 8 ballot boxes will open across the country for the election of the new PASOK president. In the elections will participate an estimated 150,000 party members, as well as PASOK's friends, who want to vote.

[09] KARAMANLIS: PILA IS AN EXAMPLE OF COEXISTENCE IN A REUNITED CYPRUS

The village of Pila is a good example of coexistence in a reunited and prosperous Cyprus, stated right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy president Kostas Karamanlis during his visit to the mixed village, situated inside the UN controlled buffer zone in Cyprus, where Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots coexist.

Mr. Karamanlis spoke with local residents, who stated that they get along well and have no problems between them.

The ND leader visited the church of St. Georgios and the mosque where the imam briefed him on the coexistence of Muslims and Christians.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Karamanlis stated that in Pila the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots bring the vision of a reunited and free Cyprus closer to its materialization.

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