Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-01-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM and NATO chief: UN inspections in Iraq must continue unhindered

[02] Greek FM and UN envoy de Soto discuss developments in Cyprus issue

[03] ND leader says party wants a Europe not raising new walls

[04] Preliminary selection of justices for 'N17' case completed

[05] Agrotica 2003 to be held January 29-February 2

[06] Greece restates EU right to call feta cheese a national product

[07] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Friday

[08] Foreign Exchange Rates - Friday

[09] Greek stocks gain more ground on Thursday

[01] PM and NATO chief: UN inspections in Iraq must continue unhindered

United Nations inspectors in Iraq must continue their work unhindered until full disarmament has been achieved, NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, head of the rotating EU presidency, said in a joint statement on Thursday in Athens.

Robertson was in the city for the customary visit by NATO chiefs to countries taking over the EU presidency.

The Alliance chief said that NATO had not yet decided how it would assist Washington in the Iraq issue but stressed that Iraq had to fully comply with UN resolution 1441.

Simitis assured Robertson that the Greek presidency was in constant talks and making every effort to avoid a war and allow inspections to continue unhindered in Iraq.

He also stressed that all means for arriving at peace and implementing UN decisions had to be used but refused to discuss the details in public.

Responding to reporters, Robertson said there would be no need for a military operation if Iraq complied with the decisions of the international community.

[02] Greek FM and UN envoy de Soto discuss developments in Cyprus issue

Foreign Minister George Papandreou on Thursday met with the UN Secretary General's special envoy for the Cyprus issue Alvaro de Soto and discussed with him the latest developments in light of the resumption of direct talks between Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot community leader Rauf Denktash.

Papandreou thanked de Soto for ''continuing his work with patience and persistence'', adding that he has the full support of the European Union, in accordance with decisions taken at the Copenhagen summit.

The Greek minister also said that he discussed the latest developments in the Cyprus issue with de Soto and he will brief his EU counterparts on the issue.

On his part, de Soto expressed his satisfaction, adding that he was in Athens for talks with the Greek government concerning continuing negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus issue and that he was in Turkey last week where he held talks with the government.

Speaking of his contacts in Turkey, de Soto said that he departed with the clear impression that the Turkish side supports efforts for the resolution of the Cyprus problem before the end of February.

The UN envoy also said that he returned to Cyprus on Monday, where Clerides and Denktash met for the first time in a long while on Wednesday, adding that during that meeting the two men decided to continue the intercommunal talks on Friday.

[03] ND leader says party wants a Europe not raising new walls

Main opposition New Democracy party leader Costas Karamanlis, addressing a conference organised by his party on the European constitution on Thursday, said ND desires a Europe that will not raise new walls in the world and will support the European orientation of neighbouring countries.

We envisage a Europe that will be more democratic and will safeguard our equal participation in the new institutional system and we do not desire the creation of a union of the few and powerful, he said.

Karamanlis further said ND's vision for Greece is unbreakably linked with the common European vision, which requires continuous struggles.

We want a Europe of social solidarity and humanity and a Europe that will not level but will promote the traditions and cultural elements of all peoples, he added.

Karamanlis said the European Union should overcome the democratic deficit and centrifugal trends being observed and added that two key words in the future European constitution should be decentralisation and participation.

The PASOK party's representative Paraskevas Avgerinos, commenting on the proposal for a Council president and a Commission president elected by the European Parliament said it means double-headed authority, adding that ''until today I knew that monsters have two heads.''

Coalition of the Left and Progress leader Nikos Constantopoulos referred to the need for a single expression of foreign policy in the EU, also in light of developments in Iraq, and stressed that the United States does not desire a single position by the European Commission that will be different from its own view.

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) was represented by Antonis Skyllakos, who expressed disagreement with a possible war in Iraq and presented his party's positions on the constitutional assembly.

[04] Preliminary selection of justices for 'N17' case completed

The Appeals Justices Council and the Appeals Public Prosecutors Council on Thursday elected the 40 justices and 10 prosecutors that will participate in a lottery to choose the panel of judges that will try the sensational ''November 17'' case.

With 201 of the 215 judges on Appeals justices councils present, the council accepted a proposal to choose the justices on the basis of seniority.

Specifically, the choice of 10 chief justices was made from the youngest going up and that of appeals judge from the oldest down.

Those up for retirement this summer, those facing health problems, appeals court administrative staff, the president and general secretary of the Union of Judges and Prosecutors, examining magistrates and any other justice involved in the case at an earlier stage were exempt.

The final selection will be made by lottery and be comprised of two public prosecutors, two chief justices and four court members that will make up the panel of the Three-Member Criminal Appeals Court and their replacements.

[05] Agrotica 2003 to be held January 29-February 2

Greek agriculture in 2010 will be the theme of this year's 19th International Agriculture Trade Fair Agrotica 2003 to be held, January 29-February 2, at the Thessaloniki International Trade Centre.

Agrotica 2003, an agricultural machines-equipment and supplies trade fair, plans to present a vision of Greek agriculture in 2010 following changes expected to be made with the implementation of a Third Community Support Framework and European Union's expansion.

The trade fair, organised by Helexpo, will also hold a seminar on Balkan agriculture in view of an expanded European Union, and will present - in cooperation with the Hellenic External Trade Organisation - ''Agriculture Stock Exchange'', a new way of transactions and trade both in the domestic and in foreign markets.

Helexpo officials said that Turkey would have a very strong presence in this year's fair.

[06] Greece restates EU right to call feta cheese a national product

The government on Thursday restated its right under a ruling by the European Union's executive Commission to treat feta cheese as exclusive to Greece.

''Today, no one can doubt the Greekness of feta. This ongoing trade was expected. We are fully prepared to enter this battle,'' Deputy Agriculture Minister Fotis Hatzimihalis said.

The Commission has granted the product geographical protection status, in a move that Denmark, Germany and French dairies are challenging in court.

The country has been producing feta, which is made of sheep and goats milk, for over 6,000 years.

The government has stepped up checks at feta production, transport and sale units to ensure that specifications are being met; and has launched a publicity campaign at home and abroad for the product, Hatzimihalis said.

[07] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Friday

Most of the country will see scattered cloud that may turn to rain in the evening, mainly in the west. Winds variable, light to strong. In the north, temperatures will range from 1C to 12C; in the west from 3C to 16C; and in the rest of the country from 4C to 15C. Temperatures in Athens between 5C and 15C; and in Thessaloniki from 5C to 11C.

[08] Foreign Exchange Rates - Friday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.064

Pound sterling 0.663

Danish kroner 7.491

Swedish kroner 9.253

Japanese yen 125.7

Swiss franc 1.474

Norwegian kroner 7.324

Cyprus pound 0.582

Canadian dollar 1.633

Australian dollar 1.817

[09] Greek stocks gain more ground on Thursday

Greek stocks rose moderately on Thursday in the Athens Stock Exchange helped by a wave of selective buying, particularly of blue chips, in the last hour of trading.

The general index rose 0.35 percent end at 1,726.76 points, after spening much of the day in negative territory, while turnover was a low 74.5 million euros.

The Holding, Construction, IT Solutions and Textile sectors scored the biggest percentage gains of the day (2.02 percent, 1.79 percent, 1.41 percent and 1.36 percent, respectively), while the Retail and Investment sectors suffered losses (0.40 percent and 0.18 percent, respectively).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended 0.70 percent higher, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index rose 0.21 percent, the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index ended 0.93 percent and the wider FTSE/ASE 140 index rose 0.64 percent.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 169 to 114 with another 68 issues unchanged.

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