Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-04-10

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

CONTENTS

[01] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Thursday

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

[03] SE Europe Cooperation summit: Simitis calls for UN role in post-war

[04] UN Annan to attend EU Athens summit, new members' Accession Act

[01] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Thursday

Scattered cloud is forecast in all parts of the country, with showers in the northwest. It will rain on the mainland from mid-afternoon. Early morning mist is expected. Winds variable, moderate to very strong. In the north, temperatures will range from -4C to 12C; in the Ionian and on the rest of the mainland from 2C to 19C; and in the Aegean islands from 9C to 18C. Temperatures in Athens between 5C and 16C; and in Thessaloniki from 2C to 13C.

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.082

Pound sterling 0.695

Danish kroner 7.485

Swedish kroner 9.210

Japanese yen 129.8

Swiss franc 1.499

Norwegian kroner 7.864

Cyprus pound 0.590

Canadian dollar 1.589

Australian dollar 1.794

[03] SE Europe Cooperation summit: Simitis calls for UN role in post-war Iraq

BELGRADE (ANA - N. Pelpas) - Greece's prime minister Costas Simitis on Wednesday expressed regret that the European Union's efforts for a peaceful settlement of the Iraq crisis had proved fruitless.

Addressing the Sixth Summit of South-East European Cooperation taking place in Belgrade, Simitis, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, at the same time expressed hope that the Iraq war would end soon, and stressed the need for the UN to play a substantial role in the post-war period.

''We must all remain committed to preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iraq and to preserving the regional stability. It is important for me to underline the fundamental role of the UN in preserving international peace and security. The United Nations must continue to have the lead role in the sector of humanitarian aid and must be actively involved in the political, economic and social reconstruction of Iraq,'' Simitis said.

The summit is being attended by the presidents of Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Bulgaria, Albania and FYROM and the prime ministers of Greece and Turkey.

[04] UN Annan to attend EU Athens summit, new members' Accession Act signing

United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan will be attending next week's European Union summit in Athens during which the 10 candidate states approved for membership will sign their Acts of Accession, current EU president Greece announced on Wednesday.

A Greek foreign ministry announcement said that, at the invitation of the Greek EU presidency and Greece's foreign minister George Papandreou, who chairs the EU council of ministers, Annan will attend the signing ceremony of the Acts of Accession by the 10 new EU member states on April 16, the first day of the summit, as well as the summit talks on April 16 and 17 which will be attended by all 15 EU leaders.

Annan's attendance at the EU summit in Athens was confirmed in New York by UN spokesman Fred Eckhard, who announced that the UN chief had cancelled a four-country European tour that was due to begin on Wednesday as he would have the opportunity to hold talks with the head of three of those countries at the summit.

Annan had originally scheduled to embark Wednesday for visits to Britain, Germany, France and Russia, all UN Security Council members, to discuss post-war Iraq, but cancelled the tour as he would have the opportunity to meet with the leaders of EU members Britain, Germany and France at the Athens summit, as well as with the other EU leaders.

Sources said Annan may schedule a separate visit to Moscow for consultations with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

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