Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-10-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greek FinMin unveils 2004 budget draft plan

[02] Defence ministry to spend 2.7 bln euros on social, growth policy

[03] Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling completes Polish acquisition

[04] 38 migrants intercepted off eastern Aegean island

[05] IOC president glad with Olympic Truce draft resolution at UN Security

[06] Greek, Turkish foreign ministry general secretaries meet in Ankara

[07] Fresh stake for sale in Public Power Corporation

[08] Foreign Exchange Rates: Friday

[09] Weather Forecast: Sunny on Friday

[10] Greek stocks jump 2.02 pct on Thursday

[01] Greek FinMin unveils 2004 budget draft plan

Greece's 2004 budget envisages a 6.2 percent increase in revenues and a 6.9 percent rise in public spending compared with 2003, Economy and Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters, presenting the new budget's main figures after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Costas Simitis, Mr Christodoulakis said the budget envisaged a reduction of the general government's deficit to 1.2 percent of Gross Domestic Product in 2004 from 1.4 percent this year and a high growth rate for the Greek economy.

Greece's GDP is forecast to rise by 4.2 percent next year, from 4.0 percent in 2003, annual inflation to drop to 3.0 percent from 3.5 percent and unemployment to ease to 8.0 percent from 9.0 percent over the same period. Real wages are expected to rise by 3.4 percent, up from 2.4 percent in 2003.

[02] Defence ministry to spend 2.7 bln euros on social, growth policy

National Defence Minister Yiannos Papantoniou said on Thursday that funds totalling 2.7 billion euros will be released by the ministry for social and growth spending on an annual basis starting in 2004.

Papantoniou was speaking to reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Costas Simitis after release of the government's draft budget for 2004.

Defence spending next year is to drop by 1.7 percent as a percentage of gross domestsic product (GDP), representing 2.7 billion euros in comparison with 2000 when defence expenditure totalled 4.91 percent of GDP.

[03] Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling completes Polish acquisition

Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling on Thursday announced it has completed the acquisition of Multivita sp.z o.o., a mineral water bottling company based in Poland for an undisclosed sum.

A company announcement said that Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling and The Coca-Cola Company jointly purchased 100 percent of Multivita's equity capital from Maspex sp.z o.o. The acquisition covers the company's facilities at Tylicz along with all trademarks.

Mr Doros Konstantinou, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling's chief executive, said that Poland was a basic developing market for the company and that the purchase confirmed its long-term commitment to the specific market.

[04] 38 migrants intercepted off eastern Aegean island

The coast guard intercepted a total of 38 illegal migrants late Wednesday night off the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos.

The group -- 33 men, four women and a child -- were attempting to reach Greek territory aboard a seven-metre vessel after first disembarking from the opposite Turkish coast. According to reports, 13 Somalis, 12 Pakistanis, five Iraqis, seven Afghans and a Moroccan national comprised the group. All of the above were detained.

[05] IOC president glad with Olympic Truce draft resolution at UN Security Council

LAUSANNE (ANA - F. Karaviti) - International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge on Thursday expressed satisfaction over the tabling of a draft resolution at the UN Security Council on the issue of the Olympic Truce, as well as certainty that it will be ratified.

Rogge was speaking here at the end of a board meeting of the International Olympic Truce Foundation.

Rogge also hailed the recent ratification of the Ottawa Treaty (on the abolition of the use of personnel mines) by Greece and Turkey and referred to an ''excellent effort on the part of Greek Foreign Minister Mr. George Papandreou.''

The IOC president, who will attend an upcoming Security Council session to promote the resolution on the Truce, further said ''it is very easy for one to speak of a truce. However, it is extremely difficult for us to have tangible results. Now, however, with the resolution to be ratified by the UN, we also have the results in practice.''

Rogge also supported the idea of directly linking the Olympic Torch Procession with the dissemination of the idea of the Truce.

''The flame will also carry the idea of the truce to the embattled regions from where it will pass,'' he said.

Papandreou, Deputy President of the International Olympic Truce Foundation, said ''from a general idea we have now created an international centre with widespread acceptance by personalities of culture, politics and arts, with serious possibilities of it developing into an extremely powerful tool in the hands of those desiring to promote peace in the world.''

[06] Greek, Turkish foreign ministry general secretaries meet in Ankara

Foreign Ministry General Secretary Anastasios Skopelitis on Thursday met in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart Ugur Ziyal for the 15th round of exploratory talks between Greece and Turkey, according to a statement by foreign ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis.

[07] Fresh stake for sale in Public Power Corporation

A maximum 15.7 percent stake in Athens-quoted Public Power Corporation SA is to be sold in a domestic public offer for retail and institutional investors, a private placement to institutionals abroad, and a private placement to staff.

The finance ministry said in a statement on Thursday that retail investors and employees were likely to receive free shares as an incentive to holding the stock.

The coordinated offer, which is due towards the end of October 2003, is likely to total a maximum of 36.5 million shares, representing 15.7 percent of stock.

Handling the offer will be Alpha Finance, Deutsche Bank, EFG Telesis Finance, National Bank of Greece and Morgan Stanley.

[08] Foreign Exchange Rates: Friday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.178

Pound sterling 0.707

Danish kroner 7.487

Swedish kroner 9.059

Japanese yen 130.7

Swiss franc 1.553

Norwegian kroner 8.246

Cyprus pound 0.589

Canadian dollar 1.591

Australian dollar 1.726

[09] Weather Forecast: Sunny on Friday

All parts of the country will see sunshine. Winds northerly, light to moderate, turning strong in parts of the Aegean. In the north, temperatures will range from 12C to 28C; on the rest of the mainland from 15C to 30C; and in the Aegean islands from 19C to 27C. Temperatures in Athens between 16C and 30C; and in Thessaloniki from 13C to 28C.

[10] Greek stocks jump 2.02 pct on Thursday

Greek stocks surged on Thursday as a positive climate in international markets encouraged sentiment in the Athens Stock Exchange.

The general index ended 2.02 percent higher at 2,052.86 points with turnover an improved 131.4 million euros.

All sector indices ended higher with the Publication (4.38 percent), Textile (4.15 percent) and Wholesale (3.54 percent) sectors scoring the biggest percentage gains of the day.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks jumped 1.98 percent higher, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index rose 2.23 percent and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index soared 3.50 percent.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 325 to 22 with another 15 issues unchanged.

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