Athens News Agency: News in English, 00-05-29

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

CONTENTS

[01] Stephanopoulos-Canada-Visit - reopens

[02] Irakleio-Bush-Visit

[03] Onassis Foundation - contests - new requirements

[04] Kosovo - Businessmen

[05] Foreign Exchange Rates-Tuesday

[06] Onassis Awards - 2000 recipients

[07] Greek-Turkish Journalists-Rhodes

[08] Weather Forecast-Tuesday

[09] Sarandis-1st quarter results

[10] Greece-energy-measures

[11] Sarandopoulos-1st quarter results

[12] ADEX-close

[13] ASE-close

[14] Patriarch - Halki - IDs

[01] Stephanopoulos-Canada-Visit - reopens

OTTAWA (ANA - N. Voulelis/I. Frangouli) - President Kostis Stephanopoulos, currently on an official visit to Canada, raised Greek concern over the possible establishment of a nuclear plant in Akuyu, Turkey, with Canadian technology during his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Cretienne on Monday.

President Stephanopoulos and Cretienne discussed bilateral relations and the prospect of their development, as he said, in the political, economic and cultural sectors.

However, the issue of Canada selling nuclear technology to Turkey preoccupied the two leaders and Cretienne said afterwards that the Greek president expressed Greece's concerns to him.

[02] Irakleio-Bush-Visit

Former U.S. president George Bush arrived on the island of Crete on Monday morning, continuing his cruise of Aegean islands. The yacht belonging to shipowner Yiannis Latsis, carrying Bush, his wife Barbara and friends and relatives of the couple anchored in the Gulf of Anissara.

Bush and the members of his entourage went to a hotel where, speaking to reporters, expressed satisfaction over being in Crete for the third time, adding that on the previous occasions he had visited western Crete thanks to former prime minister Costas Mitsotakis.

Replying to questions from the press on whether the children of politicians do better than their parents, Bush said that both his son who is running for president and his younger son, who is governor of Florida, make his family proud since they are doing well in politics.

[03] Onassis Foundation - contests - new requirements

Alexander S. Onassis Foundation ?Theater play awards? competition solicited 540 entries complying with the new regulations, set forth, while the ?dance and music? awards competition solicited 46 works, Foundation President Stelios Papadimitiriou said on Monday.

During a press conference on Monday Papadimitriou announced this years Foundation awards to former French president Valery Giscard dEstaing, internationally acclaimed Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis and Nebraska professor and environmental researcher John W. Doran.

He noted that requirements changed since the first competition for theatrical works as ?the level of quality of entries was unfair to the Foundation,? adding that this year the basic requirement was that at least one of the playwrights works to have been on stage.

[04] Kosovo - Businessmen

A 46-member delegation of Kosovar businessmen is expected here on a three-day visit on June 4, in reciprocity to a visit of Greek businessmen to Pristina in January, organized by the Association of Northern Greek Industrialists and the Hellenic- American Chamber of Commerce.

The foreign guests, mostly traders, are interested in Greek products suitable for the Kosovo market and in representing Greek firms in the tenders of international organizations promoting the work of reconstruction.

[05] Foreign Exchange Rates-Tuesday

Following are indicative foreign exchange rates for commercial banks released by the central bank for the next working day.

Tuesdays rates (buying)

Euro 334.453

U.S. dollar 361.038

[06] Onassis Awards - 2000 recipients

Former French president Valery Giscard dEstaing, internationally acclaimed Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis and Nebraska professor and environmental researcher John W. Doran will be this years recipients of the Alexander S. Onassis Foundations awards, the organisations board announced on Monday.

Each of the recipients will also be awarded a $250,000 cash prize.

A relevant ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 7 in Athens.

The Foundation opted against awarding prizes for 1999, citing the conflicts in the Balkans.

[07] Greek-Turkish Journalists-Rhodes

Smiles and good-natured speeches were again on the agenda at the latest gathering of Greeks and Turks over the weekend on Rhodes, although one of the organisers at a meeting of journalists and mayors cautiously reminded participants ?how Turkish reporters and a Greek mayor? almost brought the two countries to the brink of conflict in January 1996.

While the Imia crisis that Greek state radio network director Yiannis Tzannetakos was referring to now ranks as only a distinct reminder of how much Greek-Turkish relations have improved over the past year, it emphasised what many delegates cited as an innate weakness by mass media in both countries to often separate objective reporting from state propaganda.

[08] Weather Forecast-Tuesday

Fair weather is forecast in most of the country on Tuesday with cloud and scattered showers or storms in the north. Winds northerly, light to moderate.

[09] Sarandis-1st quarter results

Sarandis Group on Monday reported a 28 percent rise in sales and a 12 percent increase in profits in the first quarter of 2000.

Group sales totalled 10.8 billion drachmas from 8.5 bln in the same period last year, and pre-tax profits rose to 1.2 billion drachmas from 1.08 bln in 1999.

First quarter results did not include figures for K.P.Marinopoulos because the purchase of a 49 percent stake by Sarandis was under approval by the national competition committee.

The company expects its consolidated sales to reach 68 billion drachmas and its pre-tax profits to exceed 7.0 billion drachmas this year.

[10] Greece-energy-measures

Develoment Minister, Nikos Christodoulakis, on Monday announced the creation of a Energy Futures Market in Greece aiming to absorb price volatility, to reduce risks for producers and big consumers, and to develop support services and employment in the Balkans and the southeast Mediterranean region.

The market will be the support mechanism for the operation of Regional Electricity Market, expected to be adopted as a priority at an energy meeting in Athens.

Christodoulakis said that government plans to liberalise the domestic electricity market envisaged: cutting electricity production costs, offering reliable and accessible electricity energy to consumers around the country, and achieving targets for renewable sources of energy, natural gas, environment, new technologies and supply security.

A energy projects' conference will be held in Greece, June 1 and 2, he said.

The conference will discuss ways to promote cooperation in energy issues between European Union, Black Sea and Mediterranean states.

Christodoulakis said that a tender for selecting a strategic investor in Attica's Gas Supply Company would be relaunched with the aim to be completed by fall 2000.

[11] Sarandopoulos-1st quarter results

K.I.Sarandopoulos SA, a listed construction group, on Monday reported a 80 percent jump in its turnover to 6.9 billion drachmas in the first quarter of 2000, compared with the same period last year.

Pre-tax profits rose 60 percent to 540 million drachmas in the period January-March.

A company statement attributed the rise in turnover to a rapid completion of projects undertaken by Sarandopoulos.

Equity capital almost doubled to 23.1 billion drachmas from 11.5 billion the same period last year. The company expects this year's turnover to reach 32 billion drachmas from 22.3 bln in 1999, and profits to exceed 3.3 billion drachmas, from 2.4 bln last year.

[12] ADEX-close

Derivatives prices ended mixed on the Athens Derivatives Exchange on Monday reflecting a similar close in the two benchmark indices, FTSE/ASE 20 and FTSE/ASE 40.

Turnover was a low 6.2 billion drachmas in volume of 1,775 contracts.

A total of 696 futures contracts were traded on the FTSE/ASE 20 index, worth 3.5 billion drachmas. The June expiring contract ended at 2,541.50 points, the July at 2,541.50 and the August at 2,558 points.

A total of 1,079 futures contracts were traded on the FTSE/ASE 40 index, with a turnover of 2.7 billion drachmas. The June expiring contract ended at 648.75 points and the July contract at 641.50 points.

[13] ASE-close

Equity prices ended mixed in subdued trading conditions the first trading session of the week on the Athens Stock Exchange.

Shares in the construction sector were mostly hit, while shares in the banks, miscellaneous and smaller capitalisation sectors ended with gains.

The general index ended at 4,593.95 points, down 0.06 percent, but off the day's highs of 4,648.47 points. Analysts said that the 4,650 level was a short-term resistance level for the market.

Turnover was a low 132 billion drachmas. The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks rose 0.23 percent to 2,553.01 points and the FTSE/ASE 40 index eased 0.25 percent to 664.82 points.

The parallel market index for smaller capitalisation stocks ended at 958.65 points, up 0.29 percent.

[14] Patriarch - Halki - IDs

ISTANBUL (ANA A. Kourkoulas) The Patriarchate clarified on Monday that recent statements by Ecumenical Patriarchate Vartholomeos have absolutely no relation to the on-going identification card furor in Greece, which has brought the government at odds with the Orthodox Churchs hierarchy.

?The Ecumenical Patriarchate does not take a position on the controversial issue of IDs in Greece, because it considers it (the issue) an internal matter of the (Autocephalus Orthodox) Church of Greece,? a statement issued by the secretariat of the Patriarchates Holy Synod read.

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