Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-02-07

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] FM Molyviatis meets with UN Special Rep in Kosovo

[02] IMF praises growth in Greek economy over recent years, gov't's fiscal audit; cites concerns over public finances, future prospects

[03] Papoulias all but assured of presidential chair during Tuesday vote in Parliament

[01] FM Molyviatis meets with UN Special Rep in Kosovo

After the meeting, Molyviatis expressed Greece's strong interest in Kosovo's future, which constitutes a serious pending issue according to the minister, and emphasised that Greece will continue to work for peace and stability in the region as well as its integration in European structures.

On his part, Petersen said that he takes into account Greece's contribution to help put Kosovo on the EU agenda, and also referred to the role Athens could play as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council during the next two years.

[02] IMF praises growth in Greek economy over recent years, gov't's fiscal audit; cites concerns over public finances, future prospects

However, a press release from the executive board meeting, held over the weekend, noted that "widening economic imbalances threaten future growth prospects. The public finances have deteriorated sharply - only in part because of the Olympics - and the high debt-GDP ratio has fallen very little, with recent data revisions revealing that the fiscal position is much worse than earlier thought," a reference to the recent fiscal audit completed by the government.

Concerning the controversial fiscal audit undertaken by the Karamanlis government and sharply attacked by the main opposition PASOK party, the IMF stressed that "Directors welcomed the initiative by the new government to launch a fiscal audit immediately upon taking office," while adding that the IMF "regretted the significant past understatements of the deficit and public debt."

[03] Papoulias all but assured of presidential chair during Tuesday vote in Parliament

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis nominated Papoulias, a one-time top cadre with the PASOK party, late last year, while main opposition leader and PASOK president George Papandreou immediately voiced his support for the pick.

The maximum number of votes by deputies from ruling New Democracy and main opposition PASOK that Papoulias can receive is 282, more than enough to send him to the presidential mansion as the successor to Kostis Stephanopoulos. Any tally of more than 269 - the number received by Stephanopoulos on Feb. 8, 2000 out of 298 MPs present - will be a record.

Stephanopoulos' second five-year term concludes on March 11, 2005.

Conversely, Parliament's two smaller parties, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Coalition of the Left (Synaspismos), are expected to propose another candidate. Nonetheless, deputies of those two parties are unlikely to vote for Papoulias. Two hundred roll call votes during a first round are necessary to elect a president of the republic.

If successful, Papoulias will be the sixth president of the republic since the restoration of democracy in 1974, having been preceded by Mihalis Stasinopoulos, Constantinos Tsatsos, Constantine Karamanlis, Christos Sartzetakis and Stephanopoulos.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article