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] DEKO bill the greatest reform ever for Greece, finmin says

[02] PPC head resigns

[01] DEKO bill the greatest reform ever for Greece, finmin says

Emerging from a meeting with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, Alogoskoufis said that a new era is dawning for the public sector and the economy.

The minister stressed that the bill concerned the refoundation of the state and the rationalisation of the public sector, which could not continue to enjoy privileges that did not exist in the rest of the economy.

The debate on the draft bill will begin in Parliament next week and it would be voted on before the budget, he added.

[02] PPC head resigns

Yiannis Paleokrassas tendered his verbal resignation in a brief telephone call with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who had reportedly asked him through the development minister to step down if evidence of his allegations of mismanagement and collusion among senior executives was not sent to a public prosecutor by 1800 hours.

According to sources, the premier also turned down Paleokrassas' request for a face-to-face meeting hours after government and opposition officials complained of the absence of documentation for the claims. Among them were Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas and government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos.

The resignation, which is due in writing on Friday, afollowed a meeting with Sioufas, who supervises PPC, about alleged corruption in the large state-run utility, a heavily traded share on the bourse.

"Mr. Paleokrassas has told me that his statement yesterday (Wednesday) did not refer to (current) government officials, and that all of his statements referred to the past, just as the government spokesman said on Monday," Sioufas said.

Asked on Thursday about Paleokrassas' claims, the government spokesman repeated the prime minister's policy of asking for evidence to be sent to judicial authorities in any alleged corruption.

"Therefore, since he (Paleokrassas) says these allegations refer to the present, I am certain that if he had something he would seek recourse in the judicial system," Roussopoulos said.

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