Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-07-06

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

CONTENTS

[01] FM meets Iraqi counterpart, stresses respect of Iraq's existing borders

[02] Tang Dynasty exhibition in Athens

[03] Praise for Austrian EU presidency

[04] Papoulias on official visit to Iceland

[01] FM meets Iraqi counterpart, stresses respect of Iraq's existing borders

Bakoyannis also underlined the need for non-intervention in Iraq's domestic affairs by neighbouring countries, in order to build good neighbourly relations.

She said that Iraq could become an important trading and strategic partner for Greece, which wants to enhance its business presence within Iraq by supporting the efforts of the Iraqi people.

Talks between the Greek and Iraqi delegations at the foreign ministry in Athens were conducted in a warm and friendly atmosphere, while in joint statements by the two ministers afterward, Bakoyannis expressed conviction that the road to democracy would bring about national unity and reconciliation within the country.

She congratulated Iraq's "constitutionally elected government for its efforts to rebuild modern institutions and its determination", while expressing hope that the current security problem in the country will be solved when the peace and prosperity of its citizens was fully restored.

Bakoyannis also categorically condemned all terrorist actions seeking to prevent efforts for Iraq's reconstruction, while stressing that the country's borders must be respected by all and insisting that all countries must avoid intervention in Iraq's internal affairs.

Zebari expressed appreciation for Athens' role and its support and said that talks between the two sides had examined cooperation in tourism, education and trade.

The Iraqi foreign minister told reporters that, in talks with government officials in Athens and during an earlier meeting with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, he had tried to present a clear and objective picture of the situation in Iraq.

He noted that the present Iraqi government was a legally elected national unity government in which all the Iraqi people were represented and which had a reconciliation plan that took all into account, including those dissenters.

According to Zebari, his government's priority was to establish stability, internal security and calm, while noting that Greece could provide indispensable help in this goal as a member-state of the European Union and by increasing its transactions with Iraq while boosting its trade presence in the region.

Asked about the activities of Kurd rebels from Turkey in northern Iraq, Zebari reiterated that Iraq's sovereignty must be respected, that no one should intervene in the domestic affairs of another country.

The Iraqi foreign minister, who arrived in Athens after a visit to the Turkish capital Ankara, also noted that there had not been any operations in northern Iraq up until now but stressed that Iraq's attitude would be different if something like this happened in the future.

Caption: Greek FM Bakoyannis, right, with her Iraqi counterpart Zebari in Athens on Thursday, July 6, 2006. ANA-MPA / O. Panagiotou.

[02] Tang Dynasty exhibition in Athens

Comprised of 120 objects found mainly in graves that are on loan from China's largest museums, the exhibition travelled to Athens from Naples, where it first opened to the public.

It is organised along four basic themes that include: "Palace and Administration", "Toward the West", "Afterlife" and "Buddhism".

The Tang Era was a time of unprecedented growth and development in China, during which it doubled its territory in Asia and reached a cultural and economic peak marked by some important inventions.

At the Byzantine Museum, visitors will also have the opportunity to juxtapose the course of the thriving Chinese empire in the Far East with the parallel fate of Byzantium to the West, which during that time entered a period of decline coinciding with the so-called "Dark Ages" and the start of a "Macedonian renaissance".

Caption: A scene from the exhibition at the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens on Thursday, July 6, 2006. ANA-MPA / A. Beltes.

[03] Praise for Austrian EU presidency

"The successful Austrian presidency acquires even greater significance if we consider the difficulties that arose during the past six-month period in various European Union activities. Austria was able to provide a new dynamic in a number of issues; it played a catalytic role in the search for solutions to demanding problems and it set realistic targets that were met, while at the same time ensuring the collective nature of the European Union," foreign ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos said.

ANA-MPA file photo of Koumoutsakos.

[04] Papoulias on official visit to Iceland

Papoulias arrived in Iceland on Wednesday for a four-day official visit - the first by a Greek head of state - that reciprocates for a visit to Athens by Grimsson in 2001.

The two heads of state said cooperation could be developed further in the telecoms, pharmaceuticals industry and banking, while Grimsson noted the prospects for strategic cooperation between the business sectors of the two countries in central and southern Europe, especially in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.

The Greek president is accompanied on his visit by Deputy Foreign Minister Theodoros Kasimis. On Friday Papoulias will hold talks with Iceland's Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde while on the same day an agreement on avoiding double taxation will be signed.

ANA-MPA file photo of Papoulias.

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