Athens News Agency: News in English, 04-04-29

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

CONTENTS

[01] Foreign Exchange Rates: Thursday

[02] Weather Forecast: Mostly sunny on Thursday

[03] Coreper reaches agreement on regulation governing 'Green Line' status

[04] Industrial accidents show decline in Greece

[01] Foreign Exchange Rates: Thursday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.200

Pound sterling 0.671

Danish kroner 7.500

Swedish kroner 9.189

Japanese yen 131.2

Swiss franc 1.561

Norwegian kroner 8.268

Cyprus pound 0.591

Canadian dollar 1.628

Australian dollar 1.643

[02] Weather Forecast: Mostly sunny on Thursday

Mostly sunny weather is forecast in all parts of the country, with some cloud building up from evening in the west and north. Winds variable, light to moderate. It will be warmer. Temperatures in Athens from 12C to 22C and in Thessaloniki between 11C and 20C.

[03] Coreper reaches agreement on regulation governing 'Green Line' status in Cyprus

BRUSSELS (ANA/Y. Zitouniati) - The Council of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) reached a substantive agreement on the regulation governing the status of the ''Green Line'' in Cyprus, following a marathon meeting on Wednesday, which fully satisfies the Greek and Greek Cypriot sides.

The agreement, termed a ''positive development'' by foreign ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos, confirms that the ''Green Line'' cannot become an external border of the European Union, while it consolidates the central role of the Republic of Cyprus in all of the EU's transactions with the Turkish Cypriots and sets its approval and agreement as a precondition.

The climate prevailing was a ''working'' and consensual one, without tensions, but negotiating was particularly difficult since Britain insisted, through procedural or technical issues, on the taking of measures which would sidestep the Republic of Cyprus and develop such relations with the Turkish Cypriots which were tantamount to a substantive lifting of the embargo.

As a result of the ratification of the regulation (expected on Thursday after the lifting of a formal reservation raised by the British) and the beginning of its implementation as of May 1, the products of the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus will be able to be made available in the European Union's internal market, but they will also have to be approved by the European Commission in agreement with the Republic of Cyprus.

[04] Industrial accidents show decline in Greece

BRUSSELS (ANA/B.Demiris) - Industrial accidents in Greece have declined in recent years, falling below the European Union average, Eurostat said in a report released on Wednesday.

In 2001, fatal industrial accidents per 1,000 workers totalled 78 based on an index of 100 for 1998 against an EU average of 79, the report said.

Serious industrial accidents in Greece per 1,000 workers in the same year came to 86 against the 15-nation bloc's average of 94.

In the EU overall, serious accidents at work resulting in more than 3 days of absence and fatal accidents at work have decreased steadily, according to Eurostat.

Between 1994 and 2001, serious accidents decreased by 15% in the EU, and fatal accidents by 31%.

In 2001 in the EU, there were about 4.7 million serious accidents at work.

Male workers were more likely to have accidents at work than female workers; around three times more likely to have a serious accident and eleven times to have a fatal accident.

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