Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-11-29

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM inaugurates new general hospital in Thiva

[02] FM attends EU foreign ministers meeting in Naples

[01] PM inaugurates new general hospital in Thiva

Prime Minister Costas Simitis on Friday inaugurated Thiva's new General Hospital in a ceremony attended by Health Minister Costas Stefanis and other members of the government, officials from Viotia regional authorities and the PASOK party and local MPs.

The hospital was built at a cost of 10 million euros and has 100 beds, while 50 per cent of the funds were spent on buying equipment, Stefanis said during the ceremony.

During his address, Simitis noted that Greece had almost doubled spending on health since 1995 and today invested more than 8 per cent of the budget in order to double health-sector infrastructure in the country by 2006.

''Our commitment to the National Health System (ESY) is unwavering and not negotiable. Privatisation is not the solution,'' the premier stressed.

He said the government's aim was to increase funding for state health systems from 2.7 per cent of GDP to 4 per cent of GDP by 2008 and to increase nursing staff in state hospitals by at least 10,000.

Simitis stressed that the coming four years would be a ''high-risk'' period, during which the fate of major goals for Greek foreign and social policy would be decided in a fluid and uncertain international environment. Among these he listed the Cyprus problem, relations with Turkey and the 'social charter' announced by the government and said that progress in Greece required that ''all progressive and modernist forces be united behind common programme goals''.

[02] FM attends EU foreign ministers meeting in Naples

NAPLES (ANA - C. Poulidou) - Greece's main pursuits regarding a more democratic Europe having a more federal structure, greater solidarity at social level and a greater feeling of security for its citizens appear to be nearing in the development of the Intergovernmental Conference.

The ascertainment was made by Foreign Minister George Papandreou, while summing up Friday morning's discussion between European Union foreign ministers at the ''conclave'' being convened here.

''Considerable steps have been taken in this direction,'' Papandreou said, mentioning consent enjoyed by proposals on the enactment of the ''social clause'', the incorporation of the Fundamental Rights Charter in the European constitution, the enactment of the institution of the European public prosecutor, the institutionalisation of the ''solidarity'' clause (for natural disasters or terrorist attacks) and the ''mutual assistance'' clause in the event that a member-state sustains an attack on its territory.

Papandreou also referred to two predictions of particular Greek interest concerning tourism (for which supportive action is anticipated) and the islands (for which facilities are anticipated to handle permanent disadvantages characterising insular regions).

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