Athens News Agency: News in English, 00-05-14

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

CONTENTS

[01] Sports roundup

[02] Israel-Greece-Stephanopoulos

[03] Weather Forecast-Monday

[04] Peace Committees-Conference

[05] ND leader

[06] Athens 2004 - IOC - Rogge

[01] Sports roundup

Soccer

Olympiakos Piraeus beat OFI Crete 2-0 on Sunday and retained its four-point lead over its arch-rival Panathinaikos Athens with only two games left until the end of the season.

In other matches played Panathinaikos thrashed Panionios Athens 4-0 away, Kalamata downed Trikala 2-0 away, AEK Athens beat Kavala 2-0 away, Paniliakos defeated Xanthi 2-0, Iraklis overpowered Panachaiki 2-1, Proodeftiki subdued Ethnikos Asteras 1-0 and Ionikos Piraeus and Aris Thessaloniki drew 2-2, while on Saturday PAOK Thessaloniki beat Apollon Athens 4-3 away.

Standings after 32 games played: Olympiakos Piraeus 86 points, Panathinaikos Athens 82, OFI Crete 60, AEK Athens 60, PAOK Thessaloniki 49, Aris Thessaloniki 47, Iraklis Thessaloniki 46 and Panionios Athens 44.

Basketball

Panathinaikos beat PAOK 85-58 on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Greek basketball championship finals. Olympiakos also beat AEK 72-56 and took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series for third place in the championship.

AEK and Olympiakos will play again on Tuesday, while PAOK and Panathinaikos on Wednesday.

[02] Israel-Greece-Stephanopoulos

JERUSALEM (ANA - N. Megadoukas) - President Kostis Stephanopoulos arrived in Jerusalem late on Sunday afternoon to start a four-day official visit to Israel and the autonomous Palestinian territory on Monday.

President Stephanopoulos is accompanied by Alternate Foreign Minister Elizabeth Papazoi, Deputy National Economy Minister Yiannis Zapheiropoulos and a group of Greek businessmen.

Monday morning, President Stephanopoulos will meet Israeli President Ezer Weizman, visit the Knesset later and afterwards participate in an economic forum of Greek and Israeli businessmen. Monday's programme also includes meetings with Prime Minister Ehud Barak and the mayor of Jerusalem.

The official visit to Israel will continue on Tuesday, while on Wednesday President Stephanopoulos will visit Bethlehem, cathedrals and monasteries and then the Palestinian territory where he will meet the President of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat.

President Stephanopoulos' visit to Israel is aimed at building mutual trust and closer relations between Greece and Israel, both sides stressed.

In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, President Stephanopoulos said a "climate of mutual confidence" should exist and that relations with Israel constitute an "essential element of our policy in the region."

He appealed for "the building of structures of collective security and development" which "should be based on respect for international law, peaceful means of resolving differences and respect for human rights and the environment."

The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that "the visit, which constitutes the heightening of a process for closer relations between Greece and Israel, should constitute the cornerstone for the continuation of the development of a dense network of ties."

[03] Weather Forecast-Monday

Light cloud and variable weather is forecast throughout the country for Monday, turning to showers or storms in the north, west, central Greece and the Peloponnese from late afternoon.

Winds northerly, light to moderate in the west, moderate to strong in the east and very strong locally.

Temperatures on the mainland will range from 14C to 27C and in the islands from 16C to 25C.

Sunshine turning to scattered cloud in Athens with temperatures between 17C and 25c.

Cloud and then probably rain or storms in Thessaloniki, with temperatures from 16C to 22C.

[04] Peace Committees-Conference

The World Council of Peace Committees, attended by 200 representatives from 44 countries, came to a close in Athens on Sunday with the ratification of a resolution and the election of an Executive Committee.

By decision of the Executive Committee, the headquarters of the World Peace Council will be transferred to Athens from Paris.

A proclamation ratified under the title "Global action against the new world order for a 21st century of peace, security and growth" lists the conference's views on the "eradication of nuclear weapons and substantive disarmament, the struggle to overturn the new world order, the struggle against NATO and military blocs and foreign bases all over the world".

[05] ND leader

Main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis said on Sunday his party needed to acquire new form, in tune with the modern requirements of political consensus, and promised relentless opposition to the government.

"We need to transit to a new form of party which will be responsive to the needs of society and the dictates of the times... The labels of the past have no place in the new era, the problems of people around us are colourless. We remain steafastly adherent to the concept of the middle ground," he told a party meeting in Thessaloniki.

Karamanlis warned that the opposition which New Democracy would exercise would be responsible and creative, but also severe, resolute and relentless.

"We shall shadow them in their every step, we are resolved to put an end to their authoritarian practices," he said.

He forecast especially significant developments in national issues, particularly in view of the upcoming crucial round of talks on the Cyprus issue, but also because Ankara appeared to refuse to comply with what was agreed at the EU Helsinki summit in December.

[06] Athens 2004 - IOC - Rogge

The president of the coordinating body of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Jacques Rogge on Saturday said he was happy with the measures adopted by the Greek government last week to speed up preparations for the Olympic Games of 2004.

"The government adopted the right decisions. We were particularly happy to hear that Yianna Angelopoulos- Daskalaki has taken over as president of the Organising Committee ... The government has consented to amend existing legislation to facilitate more flexible schemes and speedier decision making," he said during a press briefing at an Athens seaside hotel.

Rogge denied that IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch's recent reference to a crisis in the organisation of the event reflected an intention to withdraw the body's approval for the Olympiad to be held in Athens.

"We simply expressed our concern. Greece of course is able to organise the Olympic Games".

The budget of 2004 Olympics would amount to $1.76 billion and would be balanced, while the IOC had also made additional provision for $154 million as emergency reserve, Rogge said. Athens's biggest source of revenue would be television rights -about $800 million, he estimated.

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