Athens News Agency: News in English, 02-12-06

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

CONTENTS

[01] Protopapas: Greece seeking to keep interest in Cyprus issue alive after

[02] Three women honored for their contribution in expatriate Greek

[03] OKANA drug group reports rise in users of 'hard' drugs

[04] Golden Aviation named frontrunner in sale of Olympic Airways (RECASTS)

[05] Weather Forecast: Rain, storms on Saturday

[06] Athens promises int'l vaccination programme via 'Cultural Olympiad'

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates - Monday

[01] Protopapas: Greece seeking to keep interest in Cyprus issue alive after Dec. 12

With the margins for achieving a solution to the Cyprus issue before the Copenhagen summit now impossibly tight, Greece's aim was to keep international interest in the problem alive so that negotiations for a solution would continue after December 12, government spokesman Christos Protopapas said on Friday.

The spokesman was clarifying the proposals made during a recent visit to Ankara by Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou.

An EU decision on this issue is a proposal that could make a positive contribution,'' he added.

He said a German-French proposal regarding an accession date for Turkey was ''positive'' and constituted progress, since it ''created a better basis for talks.''

[02] Three women honored for their contribution in expatriate Greek communities

Three Greek women living abroad were honored on Friday by Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Magriotis during a two-day conference entitled ''The overseas Greek woman''.

The conference was organized by the foreign affairs and interior ministries, the Overseas Hellenism General Secretariat, the Equality General Secretariat and the World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE).

Anastasia Krystallidou, manager of a model school in Johannesburg, Theodosia Antoniadou Tziveli, a businesswoman and member of UNESCO's Italian industrialists' Federation of businesswomen of Europe and Maria Vamvakinou, a deputy of Australia were honored for their contribution to overseas Hellenism and the promotion of Greek culture.

Eleni Bakopanou, a deputy of Canada's federal government, who was aslo nominated, was not able to attend the conference.

''In the persons of these three women we honor the millions of everyday or famous Greek women that contribute everyday to the securing of the Greekness or our expatriate communities,'' Magriotis said.

[03] OKANA drug group reports rise in users of 'hard' drugs

Users of hard drugs and the numbers of teenage and female drug-users had increased in the past five years based on the statistical data gathered by the health services, the Organisation Against Drugs (OKANA) said on Friday.

Reporting on the group's activities in the past five years in Thessaloniki, OKANA president Anna Kokkevi also stressed an increase in the number of drug users that used more than one type of drug and a dramatic rise in users of cocaine and synthetic drugs, such as amphetamines and hallucinogens.

She said teenage drug users had increased 105 per cent in that period and women users by 33 per cent, while cocaine and synthetic drug users had soared by 181 per cent.

[04] Golden Aviation named frontrunner in sale of Olympic Airways (RECASTS)

Golden Aviation, a consortium led by the Restis shipping group, was declared interim winner on Friday of a tender to privatise Olympic Airways.

The government accepted the recommendation for frontrunner from its sale consultants, who ranked Aegean Airlines second among a total of six bidders.

The consultants - National Bank of Greece, Commercial Bank of Greece and Alpha Bank - did not reject any of the remaining offers.

Negotiations for sale of the majority stake in Olympic are to begin immediately with Golden Aviation, which has offered 150 million US dollars for 70 percent of stock.

If the talks break down, then negotiations will start with Aegean Airlines.

[05] Weather Forecast: Rain, storms on Saturday

Rain and storms are forecast in all parts of the country, beginning from the Ionian and the mainland, then spreading east during the day. Winds variable, moderate to very strong, turning gale force at sea. In the north, temperatures will range from 06C to 14C; in the Ionian and on the rest of the mainland from 10C to 17C; and in the Aegean islands from 13C to 18C. Temperatures in Athens between 11C and 16C; and in Thessaloniki from 09C to 14C.

[06] Athens promises int'l vaccination programme via 'Cultural Olympiad'

NEW YORK (ANA) - Greek Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Friday unveiled an initiative to vaccinate some 1.4 million children around the world over the next few years as part of a project emanating from Greeces ambitious ?Cultural Olympiad?.

Commenting from New York City, where he spoke this week before the United Nations, Venizelos stressed that seven million dollars will be trimmed from the ?Cultural Olympiads? budget in order to finance the initiative.

?The Cultural Olympiads message is, therefore, conveyed in the most direct fashion to Africa, Asia and South America,? he said, while noting that the Athens-based organisation will also serve as a major sponsor for Unicef.

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates - Monday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.008

Pound sterling 0.642

Danish kroner 7.485

Swedish kroner 9.124

Japanese yen 126.0

Swiss franc 1.483

Norwegian kroner 7.332

Cyprus pound 0.577

Canadian dollar 1.571

Australian dollar 1.799

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