Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-07-15

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

CONTENTS

[01] 2004 Olympics-Progess Report

[02] France-WWII-Greek Veterans

[03] Police Patrol-Crash-Murder Charge

[04] Skandalidis-Newspaper Interview

[05] Papoutsis-Newspaper Interview

[06] Crete-Port-Blockade-ANEK

[07] PM-Olympics-Moscow

[08] Weather Forecast: Sunshine on Monday

[09] Foreign Exchange Rates-Monday

[01] 2004 Olympics-Progess Report

The Athens organisers of the 2004 Olympics have made good progress in preparations for the event, rectifying earlier shortcomings, the committee's president, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, told the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Moscow on Sunday.

"Our team assumed its task a year ago, and our progress so far has been successful. Whatever had gone off course is now on the right track. We are overcoming the delays of the past ... We are gaining ground continually and nearing our target," Daskalaki said.

Laying emphasis on sound results from the Athens committee's marketing and licensing drive, she also pointed out that the sites for 34 Olympics venues had been decided, with construction launched for six of the projects, along with that of the Olympic Village.

In addition, the organisers had received 20,000 applications for volunteer work at the Games.

Asked by a reporter to comment on elections to be held in Moscow on Monday for a new IOC president, Daskalaki said: "We are ready to work closely with whoever is elected."

[02] France-WWII-Greek Veterans

France has honoured Greece for joining allied forces in the Normandy landing 57 years ago, the operation that signalled liberation from the Nazis and the end of World War II.

On behalf of his country, French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert on Saturday received nine Greek veterans and the relatives of dead seamen who took part in the landing in a ceremony timed to coincide with France's national day on July 14.

"Without the men of June 6, 1944 I would not be here tonight. We owe peace to those men. I am saying thank you to Greece - France will never forget you," Ripert told the ceremony held in the grounds of the French School of Archaeology in Athens.

In a message, French President Jacques Chirac welcomed Greece's contribution to the final victory against fascism.

Among dignitaries present at the ceremony was National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos, who said that Greece had refused to fatalistically accept the Nazi yoke and had played its part in the war.

Ripert added that Greek Cypriots should also be honoured for their action in World War II.

In a message, Greek President Kostis Stephanopoulos noted that it was the first time France had bestowed a special honour on Greece's Normandy veterans.

On D-day, three Greek warships - the Tombazis, Kriezis and St. Spyridon - took part in the landing by the allied forces. Hundreds of Greek soldiers and four commandeered merchant ships joined the forces of 17 other nations in the Normandy landing to liberate France.

[03] Police Patrol-Crash-Murder Charge

A public prosecutor on Sunday brought murder charges against a policeman after two youths on a motorcycle were fatally injured in a collision with the patrol car he was driving.

The charge was based on evidence from witnesses who claimed that the patrol car had jumped a red traffic light before crashing into the motorcyle in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The witnesses also claimed that the patrol car was not engaged in pursuit when it ignored the red light and entered oncoming traffic.

An investigating magistrate issued a warrant for the arrest of the policeman, identified as Astrinos Lyronis, who has been treated in hospital for shock since the accident.

Lyronis was also charged with breach of the highway code.

The dead youths were identified as Dimitris Papadimitriou, 18, and Evangelos Gortsas, 21.

[04] Skandalidis-Newspaper Interview

A congress to be held by the ruling PASOK party in October will be critical to the party's future as the stakes are victory or defeat, the secretary of its central committee, Kostas Skandalidis, said in an interview published on Sunday.

"We will risk everything - victory or a definitive defeat," Skandalidis told the Sunday Kathimerini newspaper.

At the same time, the veteran PASOK official said he was hopeful that the outcome would be favourable as the party displayed healthy reflexes when faced by a major dilemma.

Another critical time for the party would be the beginning of September, when Prime Minister Costas Simitis makes his annual economic policy speech, signalling the way after the autumn congress.

Skandalidis, who will not stand for re-election as secretary, also charged that Simitis' model of government was outmoded and that structural changes were needed in the government coupled with radical changes in personnel.

At the same time, he pledged to back Simitis, the party's president, at the congress, "not as a hostage of PASOK but as the leader of the party in the new era."

"It would be catastrophic and suicidal to change a party president that has a public mandate to rule for another three years," he added.

Skandalidis said he would propose at the congress that the party president should be chosen by PASOK's rank and file.

Finally, he commented that recent opinion polls that showed PASOK in an adverse light were indicators of "a diseased climate and a poor image of PASOK."

[05] Papoutsis-Newspaper Interview

The majority of members of the ruling PASOK party want to see a change in policy direction, Merchant Marine Minister Christos Papoutsis said in an interview published on Sunday.

"The great majority of PASOK people are asking for a change of tack ... but they also want to see unity everywhere, in the government and in the party," Papoutsis, also a member of PASOK's executive bureau, told the Sunday Ethnos newspaper.

"A reorientation of our policy is needed in areas where negligence and poor handling have emerged," he said.

Referring to the call for a policy change in PASOK, Papoutsis urged responsible members to attend the party's congress in October:

"Staying away from the congress would reinforce our bad side," he said.

Among factors contributing to an adverse image for the government were a poor performance by the Athens Stock Exchange and tense relations with the Church, the minister added.

[06] Crete-Port-Blockade-ANEK

Truck owners in the Cretan town of Rethymno on Sunday blockaded its port to protest against the temporary suspension of a sea link to Piraeus, disrupting ferry services in the holiday season.

A ship from Piraeus carrying 665 passengers was forced to reroute from Rethymno to the port of Souda, near Hania.

The truck owners also occupied the office of Cretan passenger shipper ANEK, which owns both the suspended ferry - the Arkadi - and the Preveli, which was diverted to Souda.

ANEK arranged for buses to transport passengers to and from Souda, as the protesters also barred the ferry's entry into Rethymno to begin the return trip to Piraeus.

ANEK is quoted on the Athens Stock Exchange.

[07] PM-Olympics-Moscow

Prime Minister Costas Simits leaves for Moscow on Sunday where he will meet the new head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The IOC will elect a new president on Monday when Juan Antonio Samaranch retires after 21 years in the post.

On Tuesday Simitis is due to meet Putin, who is expected to ask for Greece's support in Moscow's bid to host the 2012 Olympics.

Athens has been chosen for the 2004 Games, with Beijing elected by the IOC in Moscow last week to host the event in 2008.

Accompanying the prime minister to Moscow are Foreign Minister George Papandreou and Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos.

[08] Weather Forecast: Sunshine on Monday

Sunny weather is forecast throughout the country on Monday, with scattered cloud on the northern mainland from late afternoon. Winds variable, light to strong, turning very strong in parts of the Aegean. On the mainland and in the Ionian, temperatures will range from 21C to 37C; and in the Aegean islands from 24C to 34C. Sunshine in Athens with temperatures between 26C and 37C. Same in Thessaloniki, with temperatures from 23C to 36C.

[09] Foreign Exchange Rates-Monday

Indicative buying rates until Monday afternoon

U.S. dollar 395.852

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 554.958

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 45.421

Swedish kroner 36.614

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 318.517

Swiss franc 223.589

Norwegian kroner 042.483

Cyprus pound 588.636

Canadian dollar 258.163

Australian dollar 200.949

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