Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-12-01

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

CONTENTS

[01] ASE chief elected to FESE board

[02] COPD deaths double in Greece

[03] Kosovo a major challenge for the Balkans

[04] Event in memory of Yasser Arafat

[01] ASE chief elected to FESE board

It is the first time that Greece has joined the nine-member board.

"This is recognition of the endeavour being made to modernise the Greek bourse, and the role that the Athens market can play in the growth of capital markets in southeastern Europe," Kapralos told reporters.

[02] COPD deaths double in Greece

COPD, a lung disease in which the lung is damaged, causing respiratory difficulties, due to partial obstruction of the airways, is the fourth leading cause of death in the world, and presents a dramatic rise in frequency and mortality, she said.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics, more than 340 million people suffer from COPD worldwide, while by 2020 it is expected to become the third larges health problem.

In the United States, COPD cases have jumped by 165 percent.

According to Kakoura, COPD affects about 6-8 percent of the population, and almost exclusively appears in middle-aged smokers (40-45 years old and up). In previous decades, the majority of COPD patients were men, but an increasing proportion of women is now developing COPD -- which is not a contagious disease -- given the increasing number of women smokers.

It is estimated that 15-20 percent of smokers will develop COPD, and there is no reliable method of predicting which smokers will be affected, Kakoura said.

She said the diseases develops very slowly, and it is usually too late to do anything when its symptoms appear, given that many patients, but also doctors, cannot easily recognise the early stages of the problem.

COPD is a different disease than asthma, but it is difficult to distinguish it from chronic asthma, she explained.

Kakoura said that if a person is a smoker or former smoker, is over 40 years old, has a cough or difficulty in breathing after climging stairs, an uphill or lifting some weight (i.e. shopping bags) or walking at a brisk pace, then he/she may possibly have COPD.

She said the condition was even more severe when difficulty in breathing developed only after less strenuous activity, such as getting dressed, washing, tying shoelaces and other forms of light exertion. Frequent colds and infections, and wheezing, were also warning bells, while swelling of the ankles that did not recede when the limbs were rested were also possible signs that the heart, too, has been affected.

Kakoura advised that when a smoker developed one or more of the above symptoms, he/she needed to see a lung specialist for specialised testing and the prescribing of medication for treatment.

Unfortunately, she said, there was no known cure for COPD, and treatment could only diminish the inensity of the symptons. Therefore prevention was of utmost importance, Kakoura said, adding that COPD was very rare among non-smokers.

[03] Kosovo a major challenge for the Balkans

"As Socialist International, we took the initiative for all progressive forces in the region to come together, important figures that will undoubtedly play a role in the final resolution of the Kosovo issue," Papandreou said.

Papandreou expressed optimism that negotiations under Martin Ahtisaari will prove productive adding that the negotiating process proves that "the Balkans' progressive forces , the Balkans' socialists, can have a common voice in front of the international community; attempting, finally to solve our problems ourselves."

The two-day session will conclude on Thursday.

[04] Event in memory of Yasser Arafat

The discussion was coordinated by the managing director of the Athens News Agency (ANA) Nicolas Voulelis and the main speaker was former Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology party leader Nikos Constantopoulos, while representatives of all the Parliamentary parties were also present.

Voulelis appealed to the two communities to promote the forces that believe that they can coexist as two independent states through mutual compromises and the United States to show that it desires a solution by exercising pressure on Israel for more concessions.

Palestinian Diplomatic Mission Charge d' affaires Ismat Sabri said some people considered Arafat as the main obstacle to peace. "Arafat died but days of prosperity have not dawned," Sabri said.

Ruling New Democracy party representative, Deputy Yiannis Yiannelis praised the personality of the historic leader who inspired the vision of the regaining of the lost motherland for all peoples.

Main opposition PASOK party representative, Deputy Christos Papoutsis termed Arafat "a great friend of PASOK and of Andreas Papandreou (the party's founder)."

On the part of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Ilias Lengeris expressed his party's solidarity for the Palestinian people which has been repeatedly shown in practice.

Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (Synaspismos) party representative Panos Trigazis said Arafat was a leader of an international calibre, he had great capabilities and rendered Intifada synonymous to resistance.

Constantopoulos accused the international community of hypocrisy and referred to crimes against humanity taking place in secret prisons, without anyone knowing the conditions of detention, as well as to the Palestinian issue which is still bleeding while it should have already been resolved. He said Arafat combined realism with vision, but did not have time to see his targets materialise.

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