Athens News Agency: News in English, 04-04-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] Foreign Exchange Rates: Wednesday

[02] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Wednesday

[03] Top gov't ministers briefed on Cyprus developments

[04] Greek Deputy FM visits Cyprus for briefings by island's political

[05] Shopping hours to be extended during Athens Olympic Games

[06] Greece asks for special EU fund on road safety

[01] Foreign Exchange Rates: Wednesday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.218

Pound sterling 0.663

Danish kroner 7.505

Swedish kroner 9.275

Japanese yen 129.2

Swiss franc 1.578

Norwegian kroner 8.442

Cyprus pound 0.590

Canadian dollar 1.591

Australian dollar 1.605

[02] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Wednesday

Scattered cloud is forecast in all parts of the country with showers likely in the northern Ionian, Epirus and Macedonia. Winds south-southwesterly, moderate to strong, turning very strong in the Ionian. Temperatures in Athens from 8C to 21C and in Thessaloniki between 6C and 18C.

[03] Top gov't ministers briefed on Cyprus developments

Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis on Tuesday briefed a high-ranking government session over recent developments regarding the Cyprus issues, especially the closely watched UN-backed negotiations late last month in Switzerland.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis chaired the session, essentially a mini Cabinet meeting.

According to Molyviatis, a retired career diplomat, Greece does not retain a role as negotiator; instead, it is providing its cooperation, as requested by UN Chief Kofi Annan.

?It (Greece) neither has the ability or the desire to enforce a solution,? he added.

According to sources, Karamanlis will send a letter to the president of the republic requesting the convening of a political party leaders council, with the date left to the discretion of President Kostis Stephanopoulos.

[04] Greek Deputy FM visits Cyprus for briefings by island's political leadership

NICOSIA (ANA/G. Leonidas) - Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Valinakis, accompanied by New Democracy (ND) party Central Committee Secretary General Vangelis Meimarakis, arrived here early on Tuesday afternoon to be briefed on the views and positions of the political leadership of the Republic of Cyprus, in light of the results of the Cyprus talks in Lucerne last week and in view on the referenda which will take place on April 24 on the acceptance or not of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's final plan for a solution to the Cyprus problem.

Valinakis was briefed by Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos and by former president Glafcos Clerides, while meetings are also scheduled with the leaderships of all the political parties of Cyprus.

Following a meeting he had with President Papadopoulos at the Presidential Mansion, Valinakis told reporters that ''I had the opportunity of meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus Tassos Papandreou and being briefed directly on his thoughts and views following Lucerne on the Annan plan and of course in view of the referenda on April 24. I will continue my briefing meetings with the leaderships of all the political parties of Cyprus. As you know, I have already met with former president Glafcos Clerides. I am certain that the Cypriot people in a calm climate, with sobriety and responsibility, without dramatisations and tensions, will take their decision. Decisions which will be respected by all.''

[05] Shopping hours to be extended during Athens Olympic Games

Minister of Labour and Social Protection Panos Panayiotopoulos discussed the issue of extended shopping hours during the Athens Olympic Games with representatives of the National Confederation of Greek Commerce (ESEE) on Tuesday.

Prior to the meeting with ESEE, Panayiotopoulos had also met with representatives of the General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE) in light of negotiations regarding the Collective Labour Agreement for 2004.

ESEE President Dimitris Armenakis stated that the responsibility for extending shop hours lay with shopowners and businesses, but it should be in accordance with existing legislation and with respect for workers' rights.

During the meeting, Panayiotopoulos also discussed employment issues with merchants, while ESEE representatives emphasised that they did not want any intervention in the negotiating process regarding the collective agreement.

Lastly, Panayiotopoulos asked all concerned parties to accelerate negotiations in light of the upcoming Olympic Games and called for cooperation and understanding among all sides.

[06] Greece asks for special EU fund on road safety

Greek Transport and Communications Minister Mihalis Liapis on Tuesday said that the government was steadfast in implementing an EU strategic action plan to reduce, by 50 percent at least, the number of victims from road accidents by 2010.

Addressing an informal EU council meeting in Dublin, Mr Liapis agreed with his counterparts on drafting a European Charter on Road Safety on the occasion of Wednesday's World Health Day dedicated to road safety.

The Greek minister recommended the creation of a Special European Fund on Road Safety to cover exclusively EU southern states (Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal) and the 10 new EU members, saying that while the population of these countries accounted for 34 percent of total EU-25, human losses from road accidents totalled 54 percent in the EU.

He also urged for establishing a budget to fund exclusively road safety actions. Mr Liapis pledged that Greece would implement a new strategy by 2010 and announced the upgrading of a inter-ministerial committee on road safety.

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