Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-01-08

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Simitis in letter to Annan pledges Greece's commitment for Cyprus

[02] Papandreou, chairman of EU foreign ministers, to tour 7 Middle East

[03] EU Commission approves Greece's updated stability programme

[04] 113 ships raise the Greek flag in 2002, among them 40 tankers

[05] Ocalan trial for illegal entry into Greece indefinitely postponed

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

[07] Weather Forecast: Cloud expected on Thursday

[08] Greek stocks plunge to March 1998 lows

[01] PM Simitis in letter to Annan pledges Greece's commitment for Cyprus solution

Greece has called on the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot side to engage in the negotiating process more constructively and with good faith if there is to be a solution to the Cyprus problem by February 28, 2003.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on January 2, Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis also pledges Greece's commitment in reaching a comprehensive agreement to the Cyprus problem, on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions the soonest possible and states its willingness to engage in talks with Turkey and the UN to negotiate the terms of its future commitment to Cyprus.

However, Simitis notes the Turkish side has twice refused to engage

in talks with Greece on security issues.

Replying to Annan's letter of December 18 2002, Simitis assures the

Secretary-General of Greece's ''strong commitment in reaching a

comprehensive, lasting and functional settlement of the Cyprus

problem, on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions

the soonest possible.''

Simitis refers to Greece's firm support to the successive UN efforts, ''aiming at the achievement of a just and viable settlement of the Cyprus problem, all over the years which followed the Turkish invasion of 1974.''

For this reason, he says, upon receiving Annan's first document on

November 11, 2002, ''we have clearly stated that we can accept it as a

basis for further constructive negotiations,'' pointing out that the

Republic of Cyprus has the ''main responsibility and competence'' to

engage in talks on the different issues and technical details of

Annan's proposals.

Noting that Greece, in its capacity of guarantor power, has the

responsibility to negotiate the terms of its future commitment in

Cyprus ''has already stated its willingness and readiness to engage in

talks on this issue with Turkey and the UN. However, as you are well

aware of, the Turkish side has twice refused to engage in talks with

us on security issues,'' the prime minister adds.

Stressing that Greece shares Annan's view that the momentum, which

has been further enhanced by the new development created by the

accession of Cyprus to the EU, must be kept up, Simitis says

''nonetheless, in order to reach an agreement by February 28, we

believe that the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot side have to engage in

the negotiating process more constructively and with good faith.''

[02] Papandreou, chairman of EU foreign ministers, to tour 7 Middle East countries

Greece's foreign minister George Papandreou will make a tour of seven Middle Eastern countries in early February in his capacity as chairman of the EU Council of Ministers, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Foreign ministry sources said that Papandreou would embark on his Middle East tour with a dual goal: to encourage moderate Arab regimes to mediate with the US to avert conflict in Iraq, and also for the European Union to acquire an accurate and complete picture of the stance that each country will take in the event war operations are launched.

The same sources also said that the Greek EU Presidency's target was that a consolidated position be adopted by the three European members of the UN Security Council, Britain, France and Germany; they said that the three countries could agree on the need for a new Security Council referendum prior to any war action.

This would boost the EU's common position in the area of Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which is one of the goals of the Greek EU presidency, the sources said.

Greek EU presidency sources maintained that all hope for a peaceful settlement of the Iraq issue had not been ''exhausted'' and that therefore, the EU would encourage peaceful initiatives up until the last minute.

[03] EU Commission approves Greece's updated stability programme

Greece's update stability and development programme for the period 2002-2006 is realistic and feasible, EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pedro Solbes said on Wednesday.

Commenting on a European Commission's decision to approve the Greek programme, Mr Solbes, however, noted he was cautious over the timetable of achieving fiscal targets in the Greek economy.

The EU commission said that fiscal adjustment in Greece would enhance throughout the stability programme's duration helped by expected high growth rates, ''a feasible target'' as Mr Solbes described.

However, he noted that fiscal adjustment has been delayed significantly in Greece.

Mr Solbes said that following upward revisions by Eurostat, all expected fiscal surpluses in the period 2000-2001 transformed into deficits while Greece's public debt also increased. ''This development,'' he said, ''was delaying significantly the starting point of all all medium-term fiscal projections.''

The EU commission said that according to the updated stability programme, Greece would balance its budget by 2005 while public debt would fall to 87.9 percent of the country's GDP in 2006.

[04] 113 ships raise the Greek flag in 2002, among them 40 tankers

One hundred and thirteen ships raised the Greek flag and joined the Greek Shipping Registry in 2002 most of them newly built, Merchant Marine Minister George Anomeritis announced on Thursday during a press conference.

Of the 113 ships, 40 are tankers of a total of 3,192,451 dwt.

The minister expressed his satisfaction over the significant improvement of the Greek Shipping Registry, which he said would continue within 2003.

[05] Ocalan trial for illegal entry into Greece indefinitely postponed

The trial of rebel Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan for illegal entry into Greece was indefinitely postponed on Wednesday, after his defence lawyers said they had been unable to contact Ocalan in Turkish jails in order to get his signature on documents allowing them to legally represent him.

Ocalan is accused of entering Greece illegally on January 28, 1999 while fleeing from Turkish authorities.

Another 13 people are accused as his accomplices in the same case, including retired Navy captain Antonis Naxakis, writer Voula Damianakou and her daughter Eleni Vasilopoulou and Ocalan's aides.

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.046

Pound sterling 0.654

Danish kroner 7.488

Swedish kroner 9.142

Japanese yen 125.9

Swiss franc 1.470

Norwegian kroner 7.280

Cyprus pound 0.578

Canadian dollar 1.636

Australian dollar 1.827

[07] Weather Forecast: Cloud expected on Thursday

Cloud is forecast for most parts of the country on Thursday, while in the west and north, there may be local rains later in the day. Winds westerly, strong turning very strong. In the north and center, temperatures will range from 5C to 15C; in the west from 7C to 18C; and in the rest of the country from 13C to 19C. Scattered cloud in Athens with temperatures between 10C and 17C. Cloud and rain in Thessaloniki, with temperatures from 07C to 15C.

[08] Greek stocks plunge to March 1998 lows

Greek stocks plunged 2.43 percent on Wednesday to end at the lowest levels since March 18, 1998, a few days before the drachma's depreciation, in the Athens Stock Exchange.

Market sources said that a negative climate in international bourses combined with a government decision to issue special savings state securities, depressed sentiment in the Greek market. Analysts expect a flight of capital from bank deposits to state securities to undermine bank stocks.

The general index dropped 2.43 percent to end at 1,726.33 points, with turnover a low 68.7 million euros.

The Textile, Food-Beverage, Wholesale and Holding sectors suffered the heaviest percentage declines of the day (6.56 percent, 4.67 percent, 4.60 percent and 4.34 percent, respectively).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks dropped 2.35 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index ended 2.57 percent lower, the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index plunged 3.84 percent and the wider FTSE/ASE 140 index fell 2.54 percent.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 330 to 14 with another 10 issues unchanged.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article