Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-07-30

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

CONTENTS

[01] Paradox must eclipse, Greece warns after Turkey signs extension of customs union with EU but refuses to recognise of Republic of Cyprus

[02] Number of new cars down in N. Greece

[03] Gas station owners welcome blanket tax on fuel

[04] Gov't working to spur marine tourism

[01] Paradox must eclipse, Greece warns after Turkey signs extension of customs union with EU but refuses to recognise of Republic of Cyprus

The EU and the international community recognise the Greek Cypriot government of the Republic of Cyprus as the sole legitimate authority on the divided Mediterranean island, the northern part of which is under Turkish occupation.

"With its unilateral statement -- which it unfortunately deemed it needed to make -- Turkey appears to persist in the dead-end proliferation of a political and legal paradox. It persists, in other words, on its non-recognition of a European Union member state, at a time indeed when the commencement of negotiations was awaited for the purpose of its own accesssion to the EU. This paradox must eclipse. The sooner the better. The signing of the Protocol must comprise a substantive step towards normalisation of Turkey's relations with the Republic of Cyprus," Greece's foreign ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos said in a statement released in Athens on Saturday.

The British EU presidency statement noted that the Union recognised only the Republic of Cyprus as a subject of international law, and said that the Council of the European Union "will examine the terms of the Turkish declaration in due course with a view to agreeing any further EU response".

In Nicosia, the government of the Republic of Cyprus expressed "deep regret" over Turkey's unilateral declaration issued in tandem with its signing of the Protocol, in a statement issued by government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides, and called on Turkey to abide by the principles on which the EU is founded.

Greek foreign ministry spokesman's statement

"With the signing of the 'Ankara Agreement Protocol', Turkey proceeded to typical fulfillment of the obligation it undertook last December towards the European Union as a whole, and each member state separately -- and consequently towards the Republic of Cyprus, with whatever that entails," Koumoutsakos said in his statement.

"At the same time, however, with its unilateral declaration -- which it unfortunately deemed it should make -- Turkey appears to persist in the dead-end policy of a political and legal paradox. It persists, in other words, on non-recognition of a member state of the European Union, at a time indeed when the commencement of negotiations is awaited for the purpose of its own accesssion to the EU," the Greek foreign ministry spokesman's statement said.

"This paradox must eclipse. The sooner the better. The signing of the Protocol must comprise a substantive step towards normalisation of Turkey's relations with the Republic of Cyprus," the statement continued.

"As always, we (the Greek government) are in constant contact and cooperation with the government of Cyprus," Koumoutsakos' statement said, adding that "the Foreign Ministry is examining with due circumspection all the aspects of the Turkish declaration. The Greek position will be put forward in the framework of the (EU) Council of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) that is being convened for this purpose towards the end of August, and which will unanimously take its relevant decisions".

[02] Number of new cars down in N. Greece

The number of cars going into circulation for the first time during this five-month period totalled 23,880 compared to 26,305 in the corresponding period last year. The greatest decrease was recorded in the months of January (-16.1 pc) and April (-16.9 pc), while an upward trend was only registered in February (1 pc).

The decrease is mainly attributed to the downward trend recorded in the prefecture of Thessaloniki, where the number of new cars going into circulation totalled 11,175 as against 12,503 in the corresponding period in 2004.

[03] Gas station owners welcome blanket tax on fuel

"Normalisation of the petroleum product market, which has a great impact on the economy and growth, is imperative for cooperation in the sector and no-one should be allowed to exploit it," the trade group said in a statement.

Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis said on Thursday that fuel consumption taxes would be merged after a register of consumers was compiled in the drive to curb racketeering.

Under the new measure, end-users will pay no extra cost. Under attack will be tax evasion, adulteration of fuel, and racketeering, especially in sales and distribution, Alogoskoufis said.

The plan will be implemented in two phases.

From October 15, 2005 to April 30, 2006, the government will collate data on heating fuel sales from sales companies and gas stations; and from consumers including private individuals, farmers and apartment block managers. Heating oil will still carry a 21-euro tax per 1,000 litres.

In the second phase starting in May 2006 when heating fuel and diesel oil taxes are merged, consumers will again pay the lower rate for heating oil, but shop using a government-endorsed personalised electronic card containing a record of previous purchases and the holder's tax number and address.

The card will be inserted into portable computers at the time of purchase and the data cross-checked in ministry archives.

Wrongdoers will be fined and also face criminal proceedings, with fake invoices incurring criminal charges and withdrawal of a company's operating licence.

[04] Gov't working to spur marine tourism

The specialised form of travel should be natural to Greece and carried a wide margin for growth, Liaskos told an awards ceremony for the Aegean yachting rally.

An infrastructure for marine tourism and new products were being evolved, and a new development law offered incentives for the creation of marinas and improvement of existing facilities, he noted.

Marine sports including the Aegean rally acted to publicise the sector, Liaskos added.

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