Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 99-10-24

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 24/10/1999 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• 'Olympic bonds' hopes to raise 250 billion dr
• WEU looks at security in SE Europe in Crete meet
• Mild aftershock recorded in Athens
• New times, upper limits for Athens stocks - paper
• Athens mayor underlines Cyprus problem
• Mediterranean diet offsets prostate cancer
• Greece wants unhindered navigation through straits
• Athens trilateral commission meeting winds up
• Weather
• Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Greece plans to recoup money it would have raised for Athens 2004 Olympic Games projects by holding a lottery by issuing "Olympic Bonds" instead, National Economy and Finance Minister Yannos Papandoniou said on Sunday. "The Olympic Lottery was not a matter of life or death for the government - it was a detail," Papandoniou said in an interview with Sunday Eleftherotypia, commenting on the government's decision last week to drop the lottery. Papandoniou said the new bond issue hoped to raise some 250 billion drachmas a year over the next seven years. Plans for an Olympic Lottery were abruptly dropped by the government mid-week after conservative opposition New Democracy used the lottery as a vehicle to launch an attack on government corruption.

WEU looks at security in SE Europe in Crete meet

The security status of countries in southeast Europe and particularly the vulnerable region of the Balkans - focusing on Yugoslavia - and their repercussions for world peace will be the focus of a three-day conference in Hania, Crete, this week. The conference of the political and defence committees of the Western European Union will be held October 27-29. The meeting hopes to analytically look at those parameters affecting the problems in an integrated defence and security policy for Europe, and particularly in maintaining peace and stability in the Balkans.

Mild aftershock recorded in Athens

The Athens Observatory on Sunday said it registered a mild tremor of 3.9 on the Richter scale at 9.26 a.m. There were no reports of damage or injuries. The Observatory said the epicentre of the quake was the Mt. Parnes area, which gave rise to the September 7 earthquake of 5.9 Richter. It said Sunday's tremor was included in regular aftershock activity.

New times, upper limits for Athens stocks - paper

The government plans to introduce changes to the operation of the Athens Stock Exchange, including increasing the upper price volatility limit, Sunday's Eleftherotypia reported. The newspaper said that the upper price volatility limit would be increased to 12.0 percent in the event a share "locked in" at the limit up of 8.0 percent. The lower price volatility limit of 8.0 percent will stay as is, the newspaper said. Also planned, according to the report, is an extension in trading hours of the Athens bourse of one to two hours, to bring trading hours into line with those of most European bourses.

Athens mayor underlines Cyprus problem

Cyprus remains the key to an improvement in Greek - Turkish relations, which depends on a show of goodwill on Turkey's part, Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos said. "Turkey can make steps on the Cyprus issue... If there is goodwill, it must be shown. Cyprus is the key; a positive development in the Cyprus issue will provide the beginning to a new era," he said in interview to the daily "Hurriyet". Mr. Avramopoulos was the guest of honour at a conference on the August 17 earthquake in Turkey, organised by the Istanbul municipal authority.

Mediterranean diet offsets prostate cancer

The Mediterranean and Asian diets are crucial factors in the prevention of prostate cancer, which kills more men than any other form of the disease worldwide, a conference on urology heard today. Brussels University urology professor Alex Zlotta presented a new method being studied in the research centre of Britain's University of Bristol, which taps the beneficial effects of both diets on prostate cancer prevention.

Greece wants unhindered navigation through straits

Greece, a major maritime force, on Saturday reiterated a call for unhindered navigation through sea straits and for a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation between maritime and coastal nations in any disputes arising. "The application of unilateral provisions is outside the spirit of international legality," said Merchant Marine minister Stavros Soumakis in an international conference on the subject. He further called on vessels to comply with regulations which coastal nations should initiate on the basis of international law.

Athens trilateral commission meeting winds up

The 23rd Trilateral Commission -- a loose trans-national organisation divided into European, N. American and Japanese sections that regularly brings together the world's most influential statesmen, politicians, business leaders and academics for informal contacts and briefings -- concluded in Athens today.

Weather

The forecast for Monday is fine with some local cloud in the east and north of the country. Winds will be mild to moderate and moderate to occasionally strong in the southeast Aegean. Temperatures will range from 10-23 in the north, 13-27 in central Greece and 16-26 on the islands. Athens will be sunny with some local cloud, 16-25C. Thessaloniki will be fine with some morning fog, 14-23C.

Foreign Exchange

U.S. dollar 303.205 Pound sterling 508.896 Japanese yen (100) 288.087 French franc 49.883 German mark 167.301 Italian lira (100) 16.899 Irish Punt 415.472 Belgian franc 8.111 Finnish mark 55.033 Dutch guilder 148.482 Danish kr. 44.019 Austrian sch. 23.779 Spanish peseta 1.966 Swedish kr. 37.363 Norwegian kr. 39.382 Swiss franc 205.056 Port. Escudo 1.632 Can. dollar 204.550 Aus. dollar 197.334 Cyprus pound 566.710 Euro 327.211

(M.P.)

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