Athens News Agency: News in English, 02-01-23

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

CONTENTS

[01] Gov't announces 2002 incomes policy

[02] Gov't mostly pleased with latest IOC inspection

[03] 113 treasures of Greek antiquity will travel to Berlin

[04] Bulgarians arrested for forging Greek documents

[05] Gov't repeats need for privatisation of Olympic Airways

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

[07] Weather Forecast: Light cloud, some rain on Thursday

[08] Grants available for postgraduate studies in Japan

[09] Buying in blue chips lifts ASE higher

[01] Gov't announces 2002 incomes policy

The government's income policy for 2002 envisages an average weighed increase of 3.2 percent to civil servants and a 4.0 percent to pensioners of the public sector, Deputy Finance Minister George Floridis said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters, during a news conference with ADEDY civil servants' union representatives, Floridis said the government would pay a special benefit of 60,000 drachmas to 120,000 civil servants, a move that would burden the state budget by 62 billion drachmas this year. The benefit will be paid in two equal tranches.

Floridis also announced that the government would start paying a family benefit to both spouses from July 1, 2002.

He said that the government's income policy was aimed to redistribute the national income in favour of employees with more needs and to satisfy their just demands.

Floridis said the government was also seeking to achieve real wage converge with the hard core of the European Union, although he acknowledged that "this was a long road."

Civil servants' union representatives said that the union's stance would be determined on the decisions made by the government over plans to promote a single payroll in the wider public sector, and noted that the government's base pay increases did not meet fully union demands.

[02] Gov't mostly pleased with latest IOC inspection

The government appeared mostly satisfied on Wednesday over the latest International Olympic Committee (IOC) inspection a day earlier, and following comments by IOC vice-president Denis Oswald at a relevant press conference in the Greek capital.

Following a one-hour meeting with Prime Minister Costas Simitis on Wednesday, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos spoke to reporters on the latest IOC observations.

While offering an assessment that 2004 preparations are proceeding within specified time-tables, Oswald on Tuesday nevertheless pointed to the perennially taxing problem of transportation around traffic-congested Athens, along with accommodations, as the two primary ?headaches? ahead of the 2004 Olympic Games.

The IOCs vice-president and head of a commission gauging progress for the Athens Games cited the two ?concerns? during a press conference in Athens, almost two months since the last IOC delegation visited Greece for a wide-ranging tour of worksites, talks with the Greek government and the Athens 2004 organising committee (ATHOC).

On Wednesday, Venizelos centred on three ?objections? aired by Oswald, namely, accommodations, transports and even the rolling stock for Athens envisioned suburban rail line.

Venizelos promised that 2,800 rooms still needed to fully host the extended ?Olympic family? will be found in various public sector facilities; through a contract renewal with local hoteliers guaranteeing up to 90 percent of their rooms for the Games, as well as the building of new hotels in the greater Athens area a particularly thorny issue.

In reply to a press question, the culture minister said no new zoning incentives will be offered for the building of new hotels a sector restricted by the central government in the Greek capital for decades although financial incentives will be offered, as foreseen by a relevant development law. He also promised the government would reduce red tape in the process.

One of Oswalds detailed criticisms was over an alternative plan to use diesel engines on the projected suburban railway. The IOC executive said the former were not as effective as electrically driven locomotives as well as dramatically less environment-friendly.

On his part, Venizelos emphasised that the government wants to use electrically powered engines, although it shouldnt matter to the IOC if in the end ?new technology? diesel engines are used as an alternative.

[03] 113 treasures of Greek antiquity will travel to Berlin

One hundred and thirteen treasures of Greek antiquity will depart for Berlin next March according to a Wednesday decision of the Central Archaeological Council.

The treasures include finds kept in the Acropolis Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the Pella Museum, among others.

In Germany, the antiquities will be presented in an exhibition entitled "The Greek Classical Civilization", which will last from Mar.1 to June 2 and is part of the Cultural Olympiad series of events.

[04] Bulgarians arrested for forging Greek documents

Three Bulgarians who forged Greek documents in Bulgaria and who sold them on the black market in Greece were arrested by Athens police on Wednesday.

The police arrested the mastermind of the network, Panel Dimitrov, 34, Verdzinyia Dimitrova, 34 and her husband Daniel Dimitrov, 34. Another Bulgarian known only as Timoximir who transferred the forged documents from Bulgaria to Greece is still at large.

Found in possession of the three were 55 forged Greek passports, of which 53 were blank, 49 forged Greek driving licenses, 50 forged police identity cards and two forged visas.

[05] Gov't repeats need for privatisation of Olympic Airways

Transport and Communications Minister Christos Verelis repeated on Wednesday that the government had to privatise Olympic Airways as the state was no longer in a position to maintain the ailing national carrier.

Replying to a reporter's question, Verelis said that talks were still underway with Integrated Airline Solutions (IAS) of Australia in an international sale tender for Olympic.

IAS was shortly due to submit data on its financial condition for evaluation, he added.

The sale talks have a deadline one week from now.

Verelis also said that Olympic's managers had reduced the airline's operating costs by about 20 percent.

Credit Suisse First Boston, the government's consultant in the tender, has said that bids should meet the following criteria: