Athens News Agency: News in English, 04-04-14

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

CONTENTS

[01] Prime minister will announce decisions on Annan plan on Thursday

[02] Coalition party leader agrees with postponement of Cyprus referenda

[03] Petralia responds to press reports on Olympic preparations

[04] PM and Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos hold telephone conversation

[05] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks nose down

[06] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Thursday

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates: Thursday

[08] PM Karamanlis confers separately with US, Cyprus ambassadors

[01] Prime minister will announce decisions on Annan plan on Thursday

Government spokesman and Minister of State Theodoros Roussopoulos said on Wednesday Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis will be announcing his decisions on the Annan plan for Cyprus on Thursday ''based on the criterion of national interest.''

Roussopoulos was speaking after an inner cabinet meeting at which the issue of Cyprus was discussed.

The spokesman said Karamanlis will announce his decisions after previously listenting, as he had committed himself in Parliament, to the views of all on the Annan plan.

According to reports, Karamanlis did not announce his finalised position during the meeting, but a discussion was held among the senior ministers on the positive points contained in the plan, as well as on difficulties existing concerning issues of workability and after a briefing was made by Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis on latest developments.

[02] Coalition party leader agrees with postponement of Cyprus referenda

Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology party leader Nikos Constantopoulos, addressing the party's Central Committee on Wednesday, proposed the adoption of the proposal made by the Cypriot left-wing party AKEL regarding the postponement of the referenda due to take place in Cyprus on April 24.

Constantopoulos placed responsibility on both Greece's former PASOK party government and on Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos for their moves during negotiations, but believes that the Annan plan ''despite problems, secures a solution based on the prospect of coexistence between the communities and the peaceful integration of the Cypriot bizonal and bicommunal federation.''

The Coalition party leader further said ''the position of the Left must be categorically opposed to the prospect of partitioning. Our position is in favour of the reunification of the island and the coexistence of the two communities and we believe that coexistence can very quickly promote social and class criteria to becoming dominant ones.''

[03] Petralia responds to press reports on Olympic preparations

''We should neither blow various press reports out of proportion nor should we panic because of them,'' Alternate Culture Minister Fani Palli-Petralia said in a statement made on Wednesday in response to various articles in foreign newspapers regarding Olympic Games preparations.

According to Palli-Petralia Greece will provide the best response in the end, which will be in the form of a successful staging of the Games.

In reference to the related foreign press reports, the Alternate Culture Minister said that, ''unfortunately, no clear-cut strategy was either drawn nor implemented over recent years regarding this issue. Just 120 days before the Games the government is formulating a specific plan.''

[04] PM and Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos hold telephone conversation

Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Tuesday night, government sources in Athens revealed on Wednesday night.

The sources said President Papadopoulos thanked the prime minister for the assistance he is providing for the issue of Cyprus.

[05] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks nose down

The Athens bourse finished lower on Wednesday, given the negative climate prevailing in the international stock exchanges, traders said.

The general share index shed 1.41 per cent to end at 2,440.64 points. Turnover was 96 million euros.

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks ended 1.43 per cent down; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium capitalisation paper 1.28 per cent lower; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap equities fell 1.64 per cent.

Of stocks traded, declines led advances at 266 to 41 with 44 issues remaining unchanged.

[06] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Thursday

Scattered cloud is forecast in the east and north, while the weather in the rest of the country will be generally fair. Winds northerly, moderate to strong. Temperatures in Athens from 10C to 17C and in Thessaloniki between 9C and 16C.

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates: Thursday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.201

Pound sterling 0.667

Danish kroner 7.503

Swedish kroner 9.248

Japanese yen 129.4

Swiss franc 1.560

Norwegian kroner 8.372

Cyprus pound 0.590

Canadian dollar 1.609

Australian dollar 1.619

[08] PM Karamanlis confers separately with US, Cyprus ambassadors

Prime minister Costas Karamanlis had separate meetings Wednesday with US ambassador in Athens Thomas Miller and Cyprus ambassador Leonidas Pantelides for talks on Cyprus developments.

After his meeting with the premier, Miller told reporters the discussion had focused on the Cyprus issue and his upcoming visit to the US (slated for May 20).

Regarding UN secretary general Kofi Annan's plan for a Cyprus settlement, Miller said that the "overall evaluation of the (US) State Department us that the Annan plan is very, very, good", but refrained from replying to a question as to whether the plan was the last opportunity for resolving the Cyprus problem.

The Cypriot ambassador made no comments to the press after his own meeting with Karamanlis.

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