Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-02-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] Hellenic Telecoms-privatisation

[02] Fla. teenager-Internet-German man arrested

[03] Parliament-No Confidence motion-Rejected

[01] Hellenic Telecoms-privatisation

The Greek government on Friday announced it was extending by the end of March a deadline on a procedure to submit bids in an international tender to sale a 15 percent equity stake in Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation.

Transport and Communication Minister Christos Verelis told reporters, after a meeting with National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, that the two ministries would wait until the end of March for foreign telecommunications companies to express interest in the tender.

Verelis said that other international telecommunications organisation were showing interest in signing a strategic alliance with Hellenic Telecoms besides Spain's Teletouica and Telecom Italia.

He said that telecoms organisation were slow to express their interest because of a negative climate in international stock markets.

[02] Fla. teenager-Internet-German man arrested

A German man who lured a Florida minor to Greece over the Internet was arrested early Friday, police said.

The man, 35-year-old Franz Konstantin Baehring, a German national who has been residing in Thessaloniki for several years, was arrested shortly after midnight Thursday in a home in Pendeli where he purportedly stayed with 15-year-old American runaway Lindsay Erin Shamrock periodically since the girl arrived in Greece in September, sources said.

Police found Shamrock -- who was reported missing on August 28 from her hometown of Mulberry, east of Tampa -- after stakeing out an apartment in Thessaloniki late Wednesday and took her to the local security police offices until procedures for her return to her family were completed. Her mother was tentatively expected to arrive later Friday in Thessaloniki.

[03] Parliament-No Confidence motion-Rejected

Parliament rejected in the early hours of Friday a 'No Confidence' motion against National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou tabled by the main opposition New Democracy (ND) party concerning the Athens Stock Exchange's bad performances.

One hundred and fifty four deputies from the ruling PASOK party voted against the motion, 125 from ND and the Coalition of the Left and Progress (Syn) voted in favour, while 8 deputies from the Communist Party and one independent declared themselves present. Twelve deputies were absent from the 300-member House.

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