Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-12-11

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

CONTENTS

[01] Inflation kept at bay, Development Ministry says

[02] Education top priority for PASOK

[03] Judges guilty of perjury will be punished, minister says

[01] Inflation kept at bay, Development Ministry says

"Another 'wave of price increases' that some have insisted on predicting over the past 20 months did not materialise," Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas and Deputy Minister Yiannis Papathanassiou said in the statement.

According to data from the National Statistics Agency (ESYE), annual inflation stood at 3.5% in November, slightly lower than in October.

Furthermore, according to the same data, the average inflation rate remained at 3.5%, at the lowest levels of the past four years, Sioufas and Papathanassiou noted.

They also point out in their joint statement, that for the first time in four years, prices have increased in line with inflation, despite the significant impact of rising oil prices on the consumer price index.

According to the statistics agency, prices for the majority of goods and services have increased at a rate lower than that of inflation and at a slower pace than corresponding increases in 2004, 2003 and 2002.

The ministers also note that the gap between Greek inflation and inflation in the Eurozone has also narrowed, from a difference of 1.7% in 2002 to 1.1% in November 2005.

[02] Education top priority for PASOK

Education will be the top priority for the main opposition PASOK party when it returns to power, high-ranking PASOK MP Vasso Papandreou said in an interview appearing in the Sunday edition of Eleftherotypia.

In other comments, Papandreou predicted early elections, saying that the government would not be able to avoid them.

"George [Papandreou] will become prime minister much sooner than many think," she said, referring to PASOK's president.

As for the issue of corruption, Papandreou said that ruling New Democracy's tactics against PASOK on this issue "have collapsed and the government will now have to defend itself."

[03] Judges guilty of perjury will be punished, minister says

The process of cleaning up is necessary "for restoring citizens' trust in the judicial system," Papaligouras said, adding that the government is committed to following this one-way street to the end no matter how long it takes.

Asked to comment on heavy penalties imposed on citizens, Papaligouras acknowledged that "certain judges tended to equate their personal integrity with the abuse of strict penalties at the expense of citizens under trial," adding that "I addressed this issue promptly stressing that justice lives up to its name when it is strict with judges who have committed perjury and lenient when dealing with citizens."

As for the mass media playing the role of judge and jury, Papaligouras said that the answer lies in upgrading the judicial system.

"Public opinion will stop resorting to 'self-appointed' prosecutors only when it becomes convinced that it can rely on actual judges," the minister noted.

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