Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-04-03

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

CONTENTS

[01] Elder Bush - Athens address - Europe

[02] Balkan Stability Pact-FYROM

[03] Saunders-Memorial plaque-British embassy-Athens

[04] Shipping-Register-March

[05] Peres - Greece - Visit

[06] ASE-close

[07] Solana - defence minister - meeting

[01] Elder Bush - Athens address - Europe

Former US president George Bush dismissed any notion of ?disinterest? in European affairs on the part of the new administration in Washington and by his son personally, during a speech here Tuesday evening before an audience that included numerous SE European political and business leaders.

The elder Bush, accompanied by his wife Barbara, arrived in the Greek capital as the guest of honour and keynote speaker for a three-day ?leadership roundtable? organised by the London-based ?Economist? group.

During a mostly light-hearted speech peppered with anecdotes from his term as president, subsequent retirement and in the aftermath of George W. Bushs election as the 43rd president of the United States, the elder Bush did emphasise that ?reports of strained US-Europe relations are overstated ... that (notion) is simply not true, perception here is often times divorced from reality.?

[02] Balkan Stability Pact-FYROM

A company executive from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) said on Tuesday that the country had yet to see any funds from the Balkan Stability Pact.

The general director of FYROM's Pivara Skopje Brewery, S. Yanevski, told a Balkan forum in the northern port city of Thessaloniki that despite the promise of monies, none had arrived.

Foreign investments in eastern Europe were tenfold those in southeastern Europe, Yanevski said.

At the same time, the industrial sector in FYROM was shrinking steadily, he added.

[03] Saunders-Memorial plaque-British embassy-Athens

A plaque in memory of Brigadier Stephen Saunders, a British military attache who was murdered in Athens last summer while on his way to work by the terrorist group 'November 17', was fixed outside the main entrance of the British Embassy in Athens and was unveiled on Tuesday.

The plaque was unveiled by his daughters Nicola and Catherine, at a ceremony attended by his widow Heather Saunders, the British Ambassador, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis, Deputy Defence Minister Dimitris Apostolakis, main opposition New Democracy (ND) deputy Dora Bakoyianni (who also lost her husband to a terrorist attack by 'November 17'), and the U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns.

The plaque was paid for by contributions from friends and colleagues of the Saunders family within the Greek and British communities.

[04] Shipping-Register-March

The Greek shipping register in March gained 10 vessels, losing eight, the merchant marine ministry said on Tuesday.

The register gained 345,567 gross registered tonnes and lost 162,053 gross registered tonnes, the ministry said in a statement.

A net gain of 183,514 gross registered tonnes was posted, the statement added.

[05] Peres - Greece - Visit

Israeli Foreign Minister and former premier Shimon Peres will arrive in Athens on Wednesday, with the latest developments in the Mideast as well as Greek-Israeli relations expected to be discussed in meetings with Greek leadership.

Specifically, Greeces president, prime minister, as well as the foreign and defence ministers will receive the Israeli official.

He will also deliver a keynote speech at an 'Economist' magazine-sponsored reception on Wednesday evening in Athens.

[06] ASE-close

Equity prices plunged 2.16 percent on Tuesday pushing the general index below the 3,000 psychologically-critical support level for the first time since late 1999 on the Athens Stock Exchange.

Traders said a volatility in international markets, an official inquest over "bubble stocks" in Athens, worries over the course of the government's budget and macroeconomic figures and lack buying interest by institutional investors combined in creating a very negative climate on the Greek bourse, pushing the market to its lowest levels in 26 months.

The general index ended 2.16 percent lower at 2,966.65 points, off 12.46 percent this year. Turnover was a low 118.4 million euros, or 40.3 billion drachmas.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended 1.40 percent lower at 1,717,21 points, and the FTSE/ASE 40 index dropped 3.07 percent to 357.35 points.

The parallel market index for smaller capitalisation stocks ended at 318.31 points, off 3.37 percent.

[07] Solana - defence minister - meeting

EU High Commissioner Javier Solana, in charge of coordinating Europe's common foreign and defence policy, met with Greek Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos in Athens on Tuesday to prepare for an upcoming EU defence ministers' meeting.

Solana is in Athens to attend an international conference on "Leadership Strategy At The Dawn Of the 21st Century" being organised by the 'Economist' magazine.

The EU meeting will deal with issues related to the creation of a European army and securing funds for this purpose. The two men said they had also discussed the crisis in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM and the efforts being made to resolve the situation.

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