Athens News Agency: News in English, 02-04-08

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

CONTENTS

[01] President Stephanopoulos calls for end to Mideast bloodshed

[02] Foreign ministry senior officials to visit Mideast capitals on Tuesday

[03] Early Cycladic bronze era exhibition in New York

[04] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Tuesday

[05] Silence over Mideast crisis not an option, Athens says

[06] Greek FM welcomes Washington activity over Mideast

[07] Parl't speaker protests at Israeli treatment of Cypriot MPs

[08] Greek stocks plunge 1.86 percent on Monday

[01] President Stephanopoulos calls for end to Mideast bloodshed

BRATISLAVA (ANA - N. Megadoukas) - President Kostis Stephanopoulos made a dramatic appeal for an end to bloodshed against the Palestinian people, in statements here on Monday following talks with Slovakian President Rudolf Schuster, in the framework of his three-day official visit to Slovakia.

Developments in the Middle East were examined during official Greek-Slovakian talks and both President Stephanopoulos and President Schuster expressed the two sides' concern over the trend of events and hope for ''an end to all the terrible things taking place'', a cease-fire and the start to negotiations for a viable solution to be found to the problem.

President Stephanopoulos spoke of difficulties existing on the part of international organisations to intervene effectively and reminded that Greece, ''as much as it could'', made every possible effort with the foreign minister's visit to Egypt and in the framework of the European Union to enable a decision to be taken which will be as effective as possible.

On his part, President Schuster called for the EU's active intervention and added that bloodshed should stop before it takes uncontrollable dimensions.

[02] Foreign ministry senior officials to visit Mideast capitals on Tuesday

Deputy foreign ministers and senior foreign ministry officials will begin visits to Middle East capitals on Tuesday withinin the framework of Greek initiatives concerning the political, diplomatic and humanistic aspect of the Middle East problem.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Magriotis begins a two-day visit on Tuesday to Morocco and Algeria, while Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Loverdos - who is accompanying President Kostis Stephanopoulos on his visit to Slovakia - will depart for Tehran, Iran, from Bratislava.

The head of the foreign ministry's International Development Coopeation Department, Alex Rondos, and the head of the ministry's Middle East Department, ambassador Panayiotis Vlassopoulos, were due to leave for Jersusalem on Monday night.

According to competent sources, Rondos will have a series of contacts with Palestinians and Israelis and meet with the Patriarch of Jerusalem with the objective of sending Greek humanitarian aid to the region amounting to 560,000 euros.

Ambassador Vlassopoulos will have discussions with Palestinian and Israeli officials on developments in the crisis in order for Athens to get a clearer picture on the situation in the region.

[03] Early Cycladic bronze era exhibition in New York

An exhibition of works from the early Cycladic bronze era will be inaugurated at the Onasseion Cultural Centre in Manhattan on Tuesday.

The exhibition, presented exclusively in New York, displays about 50 items, statuettes, urns and artifacts of early Cycladic art, while 19 works included in the exhibition have never been displayed outside Greece.

The exhibition contains representative samples of Cycladic collections from the Getty Museum, the archaeological musuems of Paros and Naxos, the Cycladic Art Museum in Athens and the Fine Arts Museum of the State of Virginia.

It will last until June 15, 2002, at the Olympic Tower (645, 5th avenue in New York).

[04] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Tuesday

Light cloud is forecast with brief showers mainly in the west. Winds variable, moderate to strong. On the northern mainland, temperatures will range from 2C to 15C; in the Ionian and on the rest of the mainland from 7C to 20C; and in the Aegean islands from 10C to 19C. Scattered cloud in Athens with temperatures between 9C and 19C. Light rain in Thessaloniki, with temperatures from 2C to 15C.

[05] Silence over Mideast crisis not an option, Athens says

Silence was not an option as long as the cycle of violence in the Mideast continued, government spokesman Christos Protopapas said on Monday and he urged the international community to intervene for an end to the crisis, while adding that Greece would contribute.

The spokesman also referred reporters to the statements of Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou regarding the responsibility of the American side and asked for the implementation of United Nations resolutions on this issue.

Meanwhile, the Greek government was continuing protests over the damage to religious monuments and the continued siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem by Israeli occupation troops, Protopapas said, while he called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian territories.

[06] Greek FM welcomes Washington activity over Mideast

BEIJING (ANA - A. Poulidou) - Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou on Monday noted an encouraging activity with respect to the Mideast crisis in Washington in the past few days, speaking from Beijing where he is currently on an official visit.

''This is something that will allow a common approach to be formulated on an international level. Everyone is now demanding the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian regions, a ceasefire and negotiations for a solution to the problem,'' he said.

Later on Monday, Papandreou is to meet Chinese Vice-President Jintao Hu for the signing of a statement declaring China's support for the Olympic Truce.

[07] Parl't speaker protests at Israeli treatment of Cypriot MPs

Parliament Speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis on Monday strongly condemned the Israeli government for its ''insulting treatment'' of five Cypriot MPs and other European officials visiting Tel Aviv, in an announcement issued after talks with his Cypriot counterpart Dimitris Christofias.

''This was essentially a deportation of the MPs in question and an insult against ... European parliaments and the people they represent in particular - one that violates all the rules respected by democratic governments.

Kaklamanis also referred to Israel's snub of European Union High Representative Javier Solana, saying it showed "blatant contempt" for the European Union and its institutions.

Solana and Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique were barred from visiting Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, while in Israel last week to press for a Middle East ceasefire.

[08] Greek stocks plunge 1.86 percent on Monday

Greek stocks ended the first trading session of the week sharply lower on the Athens Stock Exchange, hit by a negative climate in international markets and persistent very thin liquidity in the market.

The general index fell below the 2,200 level to end 1.86 percent lower to 2,187.29 points. Turnover hit a new record-low for the year at 61.1 million euros.

All sector indices ended lower. The Retail, Publication, Wholesale, Insurance and Banks sectors suffered the heaviest percentage losses of the day (3.49 percent, 3.46 percent, 3.01 percent, 2.93 percent and 2.63 percent, respectively).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended 2.01 percent down, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index dropped 2.02 percent and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index fell 2.58 percent.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 290 to 44 with another 22 issues unchanged.

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