Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-12-24

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greece to give developmental aid to Balkans, Middle East

[02] ASE announces agreement with Belgrade bourse

[03] Christmas spirit lifts ASE higher

[01] Greece to give developmental aid to Balkans, Middle East

Greece, represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Zafiropoulos, has signed bilateral agreements giving 12.63 million euros in developmental aid to Yugoslavia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Albania, Romania and the Palestinian Authority, according to a foreign ministry announcement on Monday.

The money is for the implementation of specific programmes in these countries to set up social and financial infrastructure, services and institutional frameworks.

More specifically, Yugoslavia is to receive 1.8 million euros for modernising an electronic system for the Belgrade bourse - by installing the system used by the Athens bourse - and 2.0 million euros for repairs to school buildings in Serbia and modernising the education system.

FYROM is to receive 2.0 million euros for the construction of a sewage treatment plant, which will help prevent pollution of the Axios River running through Greece.

Some 2.5 million euros are to be spent on building a national theatre in Albania's capital Tirana, while an additional 1.5 million euros will be spent on small-scale projects that will help develop southern Albanian areas near the border with Greece.

The money given to Romania (1.33 million euros) is destined for a final study and the purchase of equipment for a wing at the Bucharest hospital for emergency treatment.

In the Palestinian areas, 1.5 million euros will be spent on a centre in Ramallah that will help deal with a form of anaemia that is an acute problem for the area.

[02] ASE announces agreement with Belgrade bourse

The Athens Stock Exchange on Monday announced a successful completion of negotiations and the immediate beginning of partnership agreement with the Belgrade Stock Exchange aimed to develop the Serbian capital market.

During the first phase of the agreement, the Athens Stock Exchange will install its OASHS electronic trading system in the Belgrade market while the Serbian bourse will also adopt a regulatory framework aiming to create a modern environment of stock trading and settlement in Belgrade.

The agreement will benefit both markets, an ASE statement said, expanding the Greek market's activities in the Serbian market as part of a strategic plan to expand in southeastern Europe.

Negotiations between the two markets begun in late 2000. ASE aims to expand this agreement to include markets from other neighbouring countries in an effort to consolidate liquidity in Balkan markets.

ASE said that negotiations continued with the Istanbul Stock Exchange to complete a partnership agreement by 2002, envisaging real-time monitoring and share transactions between the two markets.

The dealis expected to be completed by end February 2002.

[03] Christmas spirit lifts ASE higher

Strong buying interest for blue chip stocks in the construction and IT sectors lifted the Athens Stock Exchange to a higher close on Christmas eve.

The general index ended 0.73 percent higher at 2,583.03 points, with turnover an improved Dr 67.2 billion or 197 million euros.

The Minerals and Cement, Construction and IT Solutions sectors scored the biggest percentage gains (2.42 percent, 2.41 percent and 1.49 percent, respectively).

On the other hand, the Insurance, Investment and Food sectors suffered the heaviest losses (0.95 percent, 0.42 percent and 0.40 percent, respectively).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended 0.66 percent higher, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index ended 0.88 percent higher and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index jumped 1.29 percent.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 195 to 111 with another 51 issues unchanged.

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