Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-01-22

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

CONTENTS

[01] Weather Forecast: Cloud, rain on Wednesday

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

[03] ECOFIN approves Greece's updated stability programme

[04] Papantoniou, Blaauw firm on peace in Iraq

[01] Weather Forecast: Cloud, rain on Wednesday

Cloudy weather is forecast in all parts of the country with rain and storms in the Dodecanese and west. Rain is also likely to fall elsewhere, especially in Macedonia, Thrace and the northern and eastern Aegean. Winds south-southwesterly, moderate to very strong. In the north, temperatures will range from 4C to 11C; on the rest of the mainland and in the Ionian from 7C to 16C; and in the Aegean islands from 9C to 17C. Temperatures in Athens between 9C and 15C; and in Thessaloniki from 7C to 10C.

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.073

Pound sterling 0.667

Danish kroner 7.492

Swedish kroner 9.262

Japanese yen 127.5

Swiss franc 1.473

Norwegian kroner 7.401

Cyprus pound 0.582

Canadian dollar 1.649

Australian dollar 1.827

[03] ECOFIN approves Greece's updated stability programme

An ECOFIN meeting in Brussels on Tuesday approved Greece's update stability and development programme for the period 2002-2006.

Commenting the council's decision, Greek Economy and Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis - who chaired the meeting - said that ''everyone acknowledged the very significant progress made in the Greek economy and particularly its high growth rates.''

The Greek minister stressed that ''for this reason, the council insisted that the same policy should be continued in the coming years giving more emphasis to a reduction of public debt, economic grwoth, increased competitiveness and new jobs.''

Christodoulakis said that council's decision was equally significant for the promotion of structural reforms in the economy.

Commenting on a meeting with EU Commission for Regional Policy, Michel Barnier, Christodoulakis said that it was a very good meeting and stressed that Greece would be able to meet its obligations in a Second Community Support Framework sooner than the end of March - the timetable set by the European Commission.

[04] Papantoniou, Blaauw firm on peace in Iraq

A peaceful solution to the Iraq problem is a common stance adopted by both Greeces National Defence Minister Yiannos Papantoniou and Western European Union Assembly President Jan Dirk Blaauw, as announced in statements after the two officials met in Athens on Tuesday afternoon. Issues discussed during the meeting focused on the role played by national parliaments in mapping out European defence policy, as well as on issues relating to the defence industry.

Papantoniou and Blaauw agreed that safe predictions with regard to developments in Iraq could not be made, in expectation of the UN weapons inspectors report on Jan. 27. And the response by UN Security Council standing members.

Papantoniou reiterated that as EU Presidency, Greece will use all of its influence, although limited, to ensure a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Expressing the hope by the WEU 28 members national parliaments for the aversion of war, Blaauw said the cost of a war on Iraq lasting for one week would be much higher than the cost required for the reconstruction of the Balkans, not counting human life.

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