Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-07-31

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

CONTENTS

[01] Fire at Aghioi Theodoroi, Corinth out of control, houses at risk

[02] Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis underlines concern over spread of international terror

[03] Greece concludes presidency of UN Security Council for July

[01] Fire at Aghioi Theodoroi, Corinth out of control, houses at risk

The fire had originally broken out in sparsely forested land alongside the national highway at Aghioi Theodoroi, along the 62nd kilometre of the Athens-Corinth highway. The fire is very near the national highway but has not stopped the flow of traffic, so far.

There are now 45 fire-fighters and 15 vehicles, as well as fire-fighting unit on foot from Attica, battling the blaze on the ground, while reinforcements from the Peloponnese region of 40 men and 13 fire-engines, as well as another 60 firemen on foot, are due to arrive. Six fire-fighting aircraft and three helicopters are assisting fire-fighting efforts from the air.

[02] Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis underlines concern over spread of international terror

"It is with great concern that we see that humanity, instead of moving toward peace and prosperity and correcting the mistakes of the rich toward the poor peoples - in African and South Asia where the biggest wrongs are - is instead moving to an escalation of warfare and other similar losses and actions," he said.

According to Theodorakis the "three major wounds" of the world at present were the Palestinian problem, Iraq and ever-increasing suicide bomb attacks that appeared to be spreading.

"This situation has to end. And in order for it to end, we must go back and look at things all over again, since the end of the World War. We have to see, in fact, that every country must confine itself to its own borders. The strong countries can prevail but using economic means, cultural means, human means but not war. The use of force must once again be forbidden," he stressed.

He said that the United Nations should become more active and take decisions, so as to stop the escalation of violence.

Theodorakis also noted that many ordinary Europeans had been strongly opposed to the war in Iraq when it began but gave up when they found themselves ignored by their leaders.

"America believes that with this terrible power that it has that by imposing violence somewhere it will make humanity quiet and that others will not be able to react. Today there is this reaction with people who commit suicide. Tomorrow it will be something else," the composer said.

Theodorakis also referred to relations between Greece and Turkey, saying that the two neighbours would have decided whether they would live with each other or against each other.

He called for a stop to armaments procurements in both countries, pointing out that these drained resources and kept the two countries back.

"As a Greek, I feel the injustice that is taking place in my country, see that first among the 15 and now the 25 EU states it is last in development. Without arms programmes, my country would be in the top positions," he said.

[03] Greece concludes presidency of UN Security Council for July

The final Security Council session for the month of July was held on Friday, ahead of Japan's formal assumption of the post on Monday for the month of August.

During its last July session, the Security Council, chaired by Greece's permanent ambassador to the UN Adamantios Vassilakis, the Council adopted four resolutions concerning renewal of the mandates for the UN Peacekeeping Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and Georgia (UNOMIG), renewal of the sanctions imposed by Committee 1267 on the Al Qaeda organisation, and extention of the sanctions on the Republic of Congo.

Replying to press questions after the session, and asked about the "importance of reinforcing Committee 1267" -- the Security Council committee established to Resolution 1267 of 1999 "concerning Al Qaeda and the Taliban and associated individuals and entities" -- to enable it to have better access to Al Qaeda and Taliban resources, Vassilakis pointd out that the new decision was the Security Council's unanimity in continuing to confront terrorist actions, adding that the decision would spur the members to cointinue their efforts to combat terrorism.

In a unanimous resolution on Friday (1617/2005), the Security Council renewed the existing sanctions on Al Qaeda, Osama bin-Laden, the Taliban and all other associated individuals and entities for a further 17 months.

The Resolution calls on all the member countries to continue to implement the measures contained in the earlier relevant Security Council resolutions, including a freeze on the assets of the agbove, the tradel ban and the arms embargo.

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