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

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Karamanlis optimistic on deficits decrease, economic growth

[02] Government urges shipowners to invest

[03] Greece acting as bridge between EU, Balkans

[04] Sotheby's to hold 'Greek Sale' auction on May 12

[01] PM Karamanlis optimistic on deficits decrease, economic growth

"We have a double difficult wager to achieve. On the one hand we must go ahead with a substantive reduction of the huge deficits we inherited from the past and to secure a new development policy," the prime minister said.

Karamanlis in essence expressed his intention to go ahead with structural changes and privatisations, stressing that the citizens are demanding changes and reforms everywhere.

He began a cycle of contacts with agency representatives and businessmen earlier in the day and said that the government's natural interlocutors are the agencies, creative forces and the people of production.

Karamanlis also spoke of a new strong economy which will tread on strong foundations and added that this will be achieved.

[02] Government urges shipowners to invest

"The government finds itself before a two-pronged and difficult wager. On the one hand to attain fiscal revitalisation and adaptation to limits set in the stability pact. And on the other hand, to ensure a new growth angle," Sioufas told the Piraeus Shipping Club.

Under study by the government were proposals to introduce legal changes that would favour the introduction of foreign exchange from shipping, he added.

The minister also welcomed the shipping sector's contribution to the economy, with shipping exchange rising by 40% in 2004 against a year earlier.

[03] Greece acting as bridge between EU, Balkans

"The Greek government is determined to transfer its technical knowhow in the market economy, management and education, and to employ development cooperation policy and economic diplomacy," Stylianidis told a meeting of the Union of Balkan Chambers, which Greece is currently chairing.

The minister called on Balkan chambers of commerce to join forces and work with the Greek foreign ministry, in a bid to make the Balkans an inseparable part of the European Union.

Greece is the top investor in Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania, and the second largest in Romania, with investment rising in Serbia-Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina; and it has 3,500 companies and 400 bank branches around the region.

[04] Sotheby's to hold 'Greek Sale' auction on May 12

According to a relevant announcement, a leading role will be played in this year's auction by two important paintings by Nikiforos Lytras.

Works by Lytras rarely appear in auctions and the fact that two splendid works by the painter will be appearing in Sotheby's auction, due to take place in the building in London's Bond Street, is splendid news for art lovers.

One of the two important paintings was recently discovered by Sotheby's experts in a private collection in Scandinavia and was probably sold by Lytras himself in Germany shortly after its creation. The other one was provided by a collector in France.

The 130 paintings to be auctioned also include works by Constantine Parthenis, Yannis Tsarouchis, Nicos Hadjikiriakos Ghika, Nikos Engonopoulos, Alecos Fassianos, Alexis Akrithakis, Pavlos (Dionyssopoulos), Vassilis Germenis, Kostas Tsoclis, Yannis Gaitis, Makis Theofylaktopoulos, Panayotis Tetsis, pavlos Samios, Chronis Botsoglou, Thanos Tsinglos, Spyros Vassiliou Constantinos (Dikos) Vyzantios, Dimitris Mytaras, Nikos Kessanlis, George Gounaropoulos, Dimitris Geros, and others.

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