Athens News Agency: News in English, 04-05-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greek public order minister in the U.S. to discuss Olympic Games

[02] Athens mayor in Paris to brief mass media on Olympic Games preparations

[03] Unprecedented rift between Ecumenical Patriarchate and Church of Greece

[04] Weather Forecast: Warm and damp on Monday

[05] Cyprus flag raised as EU leaders welcome accession of new members

[06] Greek PM Karamanlis says Cyprus' EU entry is a 'double joy'

[07] De Soto says 'the ball is exclusively in the court of the Greek

[01] Greek public order minister in the U.S. to discuss Olympic Games security

NEW YORK (ANA/P. Panagiotou) - Greece's Public Order Minister George Voulgarakis will meet New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America Demetrios on Tuesday.

Voulgarakis is currently on an official visit to the United States until May 8, accompanied, among others, by Greek Police chief Fotis Nasiakos.

During his stay, the Greek public order minister will have talks in Washington with senior government officials and Congress members on issues related to the security of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games in the summer, the combatting of terrorism and organised crime, as well as matters concerning bilateral relations.

Voulgarakis will return to New York on Friday afternoon and in the evening will address a Greek-American gathering in Astoria organised by the Federation of Greek Societies of New York.

[02] Athens mayor in Paris to brief mass media on Olympic Games preparations

Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyianni is of Sunday until Wednesday, May 5, in Paris to present to the representatives of the French mass media and to the international foreign correspondents Athens' preparations ahead of the Olympic Games this summer.

On the agenda of Bakoyianni's programme is a press conference at the International Press Centre with the presence of French journalists and foreign correspondents based in the French capital.

The mayor of Athens will also give interviews with the Herald Tribune, the French News Agency (AFP), the satellite TV network LCI which is the news channel of TFI, CNBC Europe, Radio France International, the magazine Le Point and a number of French newspapers and magazines.

The Athens mayor will also greet an event organised by the French Olympic Committee on the occasion of the count-down of 100 days before the start of the Olympic Games in Athens. Present at the event will be French President Jacques Chirac.

Bakoyianni will also hold talks with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier and Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe.

Furthermore, Bakoyianni will take part in the founding conference of the international organisation ''United Cities and Local Governments'', which will be attended by 3,000 local government representatives from 80 countries.

[03] Unprecedented rift between Ecumenical Patriarchate and Church of Greece

ISTANBUL (ANA/A.Kourkoulas) - Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos on Saturday night said that he had no choice but to stop communication with Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos.

''We are in favour of unity, friendship, love and cooperation,'' said Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos, but added:''Despite our desire and support for friendship and cooperation, we reached a unanimous decision yesterday (Friday), more than forty clerics of the Ecumenical throne from America, Europe, Crete, the Dodecanese and Korea to cut off communication with the Archbishop of Athens.''

Vartholomeos said that although Archbishop Christodoulos had talent, was clever and educated, he nevertheless was ''over ambitious'' and harmed the unity of Orthodoxy.

The Greek state is keeping its distance from the clerical clash and hopes that the present unprecedented and shocking rift will be overcome.

[04] Weather Forecast: Warm and damp on Monday

Warm, damp and partly cloudy weather is forecast in all parts of the country on Monday with the possibility of brief showers in Epirus and Macedonia. Winds southerly, moderate, turning strong in the Ionian Sea. Temperatures in Athens from 13C to 25C and in Thessaloniki between 11C and 23C.

[05] Cyprus flag raised as EU leaders welcome accession of new members

DUBLIN (ANA/H. Poulidou/CNA) - The flag of the Republic of Cyprus fluttered in the wind on Satrurday evening as it was hoisted, along with the flags of the other nine new member states of the European Union, in a very special ceremony to mark the accession of ten countries, from central and eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

The ceremony, simple but emotional for many people in Europe

especially the newcomers, took place at the residence of the Irish

President Mary McAleese in the presence of Irish premier Bertie

Ahern, whose country holds the six-monthly rotating EU presidency.

Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos represented the Republic in the

''Day of Welcomes'' ceremony, which took place under unusually clear

Irish skies with every pomp and ceremony.|

Heads of state or government began arriving at the presidential

residence at the prescribed time and were greeted by McAleese and Ahern.

The official accession ceremony, in the courtyard of the presidential

residence, began with brief welcoming addresses by the President and

the Prime Minister of Ireland. The leaders of the 25 EU members were

seated in the courtyard as they listened to their hosts welcoming

them but rose to their feet to hand over to Irish cadets the flags of

their countries to be hoisted along with the EU flag.

Irish poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney read a poem especially

written for this auspicious occasion in which he extended a very warm

welcome to all new members of the European family.

In the poem, Heaney referred to the phoenix, noting the Phoenix Park

was the venue of today's celebrations and saying that this mythical

bird represented renewal.

After the recital of the poem, children from member states living in

Ireland walked up to the leaders and handed them their respective

flags. These were young boys and girls, clad in blue shirts and dark

blue trousers and wearing a tie, representing the future of Europe

and revival in the old continent.

Irish cadets were then ordered to stand opposite the leaders in a

row. The leaders rose to their feet and in turn handed the folded

flags to the cadets who marched to the flag posts and hoisted the 25

flags as an orchestra played the EU anthem, Ode to Joy by Bethoven,

adopted in 1972 as the EU anthem.

In her welcoming address, Mary McAllese said today was a day of

celebration and hope.

''Our strength lies in working together. Today the Union has grown

stronger still,'' she said and expressed delight and honour because

her country was hosting this splendid ceremony of welcome.

''Virtually every member state has a grim memory of generations when

Europe tore itself apart and wasted its potential in violent

conflict. For some that memory is still fresh, for others isfading,'' she said.

She wished the new partners ''great success'' and expressed hope that future generations will enjoy the best Europe ever.

In his address Ahern said Ireland welcomed the new members with pride

and hope and said everybody must remember that the EU created peace

from war, respect from hatred and union from division.

''Today's enlargement is the best testimony to the success that is

the EU,'' he stressed, adding that all nation states are strong

democracies and all had come together freely.

He said the members acted in cooperation and solidarity and worked

together for common ends through structures that are found nowhereelse.

Concluding his remarks, he pledged to build on all that had been

achieved so far together and construct closer partnership, deeper

union and enhanced democracy.

''This is the legacy we leave our children, this is a good and noble

legacy,'' he said.

[06] Greek PM Karamanlis says Cyprus' EU entry is a 'double joy'

DUBLIN (ANA/H. Poulidou) - Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said late Saturday night that "the European Union today celebrates the greatest enlargement in its history. It is the most important landmark in the course of Europe."

The Greek prime minister made the statement after the ceremony in Dublin marking the entry of the ten new countries into the European Union which makes it 25 countries.

Karamanlis said "we are in Dublin to welcome the new members and to honour the efforts they made to cover a long and persistent path. Of course for us Greeks it is a day of double joy given that Cyprus is incorporated in the big European family."

Referring to the pending issues on the European agenda, the Greek prime minister underlined the need for "the immediate adoption of the European constitution," stressing that "our aim is a strong Europe with common principles and values, a Europe which will offer to all citizens the same level of security and prosperity which will proceed with great decisiveness in the direction of its completion."

[07] De Soto says 'the ball is exclusively in the court of the Greek Cypriots'

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Adviser on Cyprus Alvaro de Soto in an exclusive interview with the Athens News Agency on Sunday said that "the United Nations is not preparing any initiative for the Cyprus issue," noting that "the ball is exclusively in the court of the Greek Cypriots."

De Soto, referring to an "analytic" report which he said is expected to be submitted to the UN Security Council no later than two weeks from now, will raise the responsibility and interpret the results of the referenda in Cyprus on acceptance or not of Annan's fifth and final plan for a political settlement of the Cyprus problem.

He questioned whether the model of a bizonal, bicommunal federation "is no longer the objective of the Greek Cypriots."

On the negotiations that took place in Lucerne, Switzerland, the Peruvian diplomat stated that "there was no discussion whatsoever on the territorial issue."

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