Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-05-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] 'Quality Islets 2001'-Awards

[02] Greece-Turkey-Energy-Deal

[03] Schroder-Greek Inflation-Forecast

[04] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

[05] Greece - Turkey - Heli-transport rejected

[06] Keranis-Italy-Imports

[07] Weather Forecast-Tuesday

[08] ASE-close

[01] 'Quality Islets 2001'-Awards

President Kostis Stephanopoulos on Monday delivered the "Quality Islets 2001" collective action awards at a ceremony organised by the Citizens Movement for an Open Society in cooperation with the Greek Girl Guides organisation.

The ceremony was attended by scores of representatives from volunteer groups which participated in the competition proclaimed by the Citizens Movement on the occasion of International Volunteers Year this year.

The groups receiving awards included the Special Children's Centre "Zoodochos Pigi", the movement for a different way of life and the Greek Island and Sea friends.

The purpose of the Citizens Movement and the competition, as stressed during the ceremony, is to select initiatives and groups which are not yet known to the wider public, and deserve greater promotion, providing at the same time creative models in society.

[02] Greece-Turkey-Energy-Deal

ENKA of Turkey, which is owned by entrepreneur Sarik Tara, and Hellenic Energy and Development SA (HE&D) of Greece have forged a strategic alliance in the energy sector to carry out major infrastructure works, the two firms said in a statement on Monday.

Among works the two firms intend to undertake are the construction and operation of large-scale electricity production plants and infrastructure projects for the transportation and storage of natural gas in Greece, Turkey and other Balkan countries.

The first project is expected to be an electricity plant in either eastern Macedonia or Thrace, of which the Greek development ministry has been informed.

HE&D is owned by Intracom, a blue chip telecoms and information technology manufacturer; and by engineering contractors Hellenic Technodomiki and Aktor.

[03] Schroder-Greek Inflation-Forecast

Schroder Salomon Smith Barney on Monday forecast that Greek consumer price inflation would rise to 3.2 percent in April from 3.0 percent a month earlier.

The National Statistics Service of Greece is due to announce April's inflation on Tuesday.

[04] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

Buying rates for Tuesday

U.S. dollar 378.990

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 545.200

Irish punt 429.202

Belgian franc 008.379

Luxembourg franc 008.379

Dutch guilder 153.389

Italian lira (100) 017.457

Austrian schilling 024.565

Danish kroner 45.282

Swedish kroner 37.109

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 312.414

Swiss franc 219.047

Norwegian kroner 41.839

Cyprus pound 584.617

Canadian dollar 246.991

Australian dollar 196.522

[05] Greece - Turkey - Heli-transport rejected

Turkeys military has reportedly rejected the helicopter transport of Greeces naval chief to a Turkish base in the Aegean because the aircraft will land at the Dodecanese island of Rhodes.

Greece's navy chief was originally scheduled to attend a command transfer ceremony at the Turkish naval base of Axaz.

According to reports, Turkish authorities verbally informed Greeces naval attache in Ankara last week that Turkey ?did not accept? the helicopters landing on the well-known holiday isle for refueling, part of the neighbouring countrys long-standing claim that the Greeces Dodecanese island chain, across from the densely populated Asia Minor littoral, is ?de-militarised?.

At the ceremony, a Greek navy officer will transfer command of NATOs Mediterranean anti-mine warfare force (FORMED) to a Turkish counterpart.

Countries participating in the force on a permanent basis are Germany, Greece, Italy, Turkey and Spain. Periodical participants are Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United States.

The incident comes amid ever-improving ties between the two neighbours, although certain 'core differences' directly related to Turkey's unilateral claims in the Aegean remain. Athens has for decades patiently pointed to International Law, maritime and shipping pacts, as well as a handful of internationally recognised treaties as negating all of Ankara's claims.

The only outstanding issue recognised by Athens is that of the Aegean's continental shelf, which it maintains should be referred to the International Court of Justice at The Hague -- something Turkey has steadfastly refused to accept.

[06] Keranis-Italy-Imports

Keranis, which belongs to listed Keranis Holding SA, is to start importing and distributing cigarettes on May 14 as part of an alliance with ETI of Italy, company officials told a news conference in Athens on Monday.

In the first phase, Keranis will handle MS Full Flavour, MS Lights and MS Club Slim, which rank second in Italy, holding 30 percent of the market, the officials said.

ETI is a former state cigarette and salt monopoly.

[07] Weather Forecast-Tuesday

Unsettled weather is forecast in most parts of the country on Tuesday, with cloud likely to turn to rain or storms. The weather will improve from the west in the evening. Winds westerly, light to very strong, turning gale force in the south. Temperatures on the northern mainland will range from 10C to 20C; on the rest of the mainland and in the Ionian from 13C to 25C; and in the Aegean from 15C to 23C. Unsettled in Athens, with temperatures between 15C and 24C. Same in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 14C to 20C.

[08] ASE-close

Equity prices ended sharply lower on Monday hit by uncertainty over the implementation of a margin account system in the market and by low turnover.

Traders said the regulatory framework for the operation of a margin account system could lead to a significant reduction of liquidity in the Athens Stock Exchange because it was limiting open-market trading, accounting more than 50 percent of the daily turnover.

Traders also noted that several securities firms and small investors were liquidating positions on smaller capitalisation stocks, a sector likely to be hit by the implementation of a margin account system.

Only 10 stocks attracted buying interest to end slightly higher, with the banks sector resisting pressures because of a 0.05 percent gain in National Bank's shares.

The general index ended 1.50 percent lower at 3,156.14 points, off the day's lows of 3,149.40 points. Turnover was a low 130.31 million euros, or 44.4 billion drachmas.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended 0.91 percent lower at 1,856.71 points, and the FTSE/ASE 40 index dropped 2.63 percent to 358.01 points.

The parallel market index for smaller capitalisation stocks ended at 308.85 points, off 2.77 percent.

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