Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-09-28

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

CONTENTS

[01] ATHOC responds to Washington Post's criticism over Games' security

[02] Deputy FM arrives in Tehran for two-day visit, heading delegation

[03] DM to visit Cyprus from Monday to Wednesday

[04] Culture minister inaugurates new permanent exhibition of Vergina

[05] Weather Forecast: Mostly sunny on Monday

[01] ATHOC responds to Washington Post's criticism over Games' security

The Athens 2004 Olympic Games Organizing Committee issued a press release stressing that the security of the Games is one of the highest priorities in the overall organizing of the events and that Greece is working hard to organize totally safe Games.

The press release was issued in response to a Washington Post article on the security of Olympic Games, which shone a negative light on the security arrangements, saying that there are many problems at this stage.

''The Athens 2004, through its directorate of security for the Olympic Games, provided security services of Olympic levels in only a number of the athletic events that took place in August,'' the press release said, adding that ''This effort was recognized with very positive comments by the IOC president, in recent statements, by all the Olympic Movement, as well as by the U.S. secretary of state and the U.S. ambassador in Athens''.

''Beyond any fantastic scenarios and hyperbole there is only one reality: Greece is preparing with great effort to organize totally safe Olympic Games in 2004,'' the press release concluded.

[02] Deputy FM arrives in Tehran for two-day visit, heading delegation

TEHRAN (ANA/E. Boukaouri) - Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Loverdos on Sunday began a two-day visit in Iran, heading a delegation of Greek state officials and diplomats for meetings in the framework of the 4th joint inter-ministerial committee of the two countries.

Loverdos opened the session of the committee on Sunday morning and met with Housing Minister Ali Abdol-Alizadeh.

''The insistence of the Iranian side brought us to Teheran for the 4th meeting of the joint inter-ministerial committee, to examine the spectrum of the economic relations, but the climate is not pleasant, since there are outstanding bills of Iran to the company Helliniki Techniki, which concluded a construction project in Iran and due to the war with Iraq in the 1980s, walked out,'' the minister said, in statements to the press.

He added that the Iranian justice system ruled in favor of the Greek company, but the decisions were not implemented, while a similar problem appeared now with the company called Skapaneas.

On Monday Loverdos will meet with his counterpart Ali Ahani.

[03] DM to visit Cyprus from Monday to Wednesday

Defense Minister Yiannos Papantoniou will conduct a three-day visit to Cyprus beginning on Monday, in light of the 43rd anniversary, since the island republic's independence.

Papantoniou will meet with Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos on Wednesday and right after the meeting he was invited to observe the customary military parade. The Greek minister will also meet with members of the island republic's government and leaders of political parties.

[04] Culture minister inaugurates new permanent exhibition of Vergina treasures

Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Sunday inaugurated the permanent completed exhibition of the Treasures of the Royal Tombs of Vergina at its natural site - where they were discovered by professor Manolis Andronikos and his scientific team in November 1977.

The exhibition concerns the total findings from the excavations and which were exhibited until 1997 at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki and since then were transferred gradually to the original site of the excavations.

''The new, great permanent exhibition of Vergina, in my opinion, is the most charming and most important exhibition in Europe at this moment of time,'' Venizelos said.

[05] Weather Forecast: Mostly sunny on Monday

Mostly cloudy in Greece, with possible rain showers in the west, centre and north. Winds variable, light to strong. In the north, temperatures will range from 12C to 26C; and in the rest of the country from 14C to 29C. Temperatures in Athens between 16C and 27C; and in Thessaloniki from 15C to 24C.

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