Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-09-08

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

CONTENTS

[01] Premier Karamanlis: 'We're unwavering in implementing reforms policy'

[02] Opposition parties criticise PM's speech

[03] EU official sees Greece meeting fiscal goal

[04] Greek households spend more money on holidays

[01] Premier Karamanlis: 'We're unwavering in implementing reforms policy'

"In a world of insecurity and uncertainty, Greece is safeguarding a new course for stability, development and progress. We are facing, with boldness, the challenges arising around us, with progressive reforms and not with conservatism; with radical changes and not a stagnant management; with responsibility and not with cheap populism," he said from the podium of the TIF convention centre. At the same time, he flatly dismissed opposition criticism of the high-profile reforms.

Moreover, days after a "mini summit" in Athens with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov to finalise the long-delayed construction of an oil pipeline connecting the Black Sea with the Aegean, Karamanlis referred to the creation of an "energy community" in SE Europe, noting that both the oil pipeline project as well as an under-construction natgas pipeline extended from Turkey reinforced regional cooperation and peace.

As far as the former is concerned, Karamanlis said the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project is a "historic decision" that benefits all sides.

Foreign affairs

In touching on foreign policy, Karamanlis reiterated that Athens desires good-neighbourly relations with Turkey and favours the latter's harmonisation with the EU's economic and political acquis, along with the Union's principles and values.

"Its (Turkey) absolute compliance with its commitments towards Europe is necessary, however, as is the case with every candidate-state, in each step of its accession course. The progress, therefore, is dependent on Turkey itself," Karamanlis said.

The premier noted that Greece is decisively promoting its interests, responsibly and seriously, amid an international climate of insecurity, "Greece stands out as a factor of stability in the wider region", he characteristically said.

Turning even farther to the east, Karamanlis referred to Greece's positive role in the recent crisis in Lebanon, before focusing on the long-standing Cyprus issue, where he repeated that the goal is a "truly functional, viable European solution to be found as soon as possible".

Additionally, he repeated standing Greek policy backing the European orientation of all the Balkan states, while referring to the creation of a unified financial, energy and trade zone throughout southeastern Europe.

"That's why we are promoting the creation of a free trade zone that will include all of our northern neighbours. We're also promoting the construction of major road and rail axes," he added.

Thessaloniki, Thrace

Returning to the domestic front and particularly to the area that hosts the TIF every year, Karamanlis outlined a series of ongoing projects and initiatives for the greater Thessaloniki area, following "15 years of unfulfilled promises," as he charged.

Among others, the cited the completion of the entire Egnatia motorway project spanning the breadth of northern Greece by 2008, the Malliakos bypass on the main north-south highway as well as the commencement of two projects for metropolitan Thessaloniki that have been on the drawing boards for a decade and a half: a metro network and an underwater highway off the city's seawall.

"Whatever we said will be done. Thessaloniki has passed from the words of the past to the works of the future," he told an audience in the hall convention centre.

Meanwhile, Karamanlis also devoted a noteworthy part of his address to the development of the border Thrace province in the country's extreme northeast, saying that the government was particularly interested in all of the province's citizens.

"We're developing a model and modern European minority policy; we're demonstrating in practise that Greece is a land of equality for all before the law."

He concluded his address by saying:

"Greece today is ensuring the conditions for a constant and balanced development based on the citizen; it is building an economy of opportunities guaranteeing a personal benefit for each and every citizen..." Karamanlis stressed.

[02] Opposition parties criticise PM's speech

The PASOK spokesman added:"The page which Mr. Karamanlis says has turned, is a page backwards, towards conservatism and backwardness, towards customer logic and the violent redistribution of income in favour of the few and at the expense of the many."

"His supposed reforms are a myth and when today he is compelled to baptise them as supposed progressive reforms, he shows exactly the need to hide his real policy. A policy in favour of the few and those affiliated to him, a policy at the expense of the many, a policy of social injustice, inequality and undermining of social cohesion," said Athanassakis, adding that "PASOK's vision and target for a just society is today a demand for the country and its people."

Government spokesman

Responding to PASOK's criticism, Government Spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said that Thessaloniki, during the PASOK governance, was "only hearing big words while during New Democracy's, it witnesses at last the implementation of the great works."

KKE, Synaspismos

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (Synaspismos) party also criticised the speech made by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis during the inauguration of the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) on Friday night.

"The participation of our country in occupation armies in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Kosovo and elsewhere, and in imperialist plans against peoples in general, for the Greek plutocracy to have a share of the prey is not a policy for peace, as the prime minister claimed, but aggressive and dangerous," KKE said in an announcement.

"The criterion for the projects announced by the prime minister, even for the necessary ones which should have been done years ago, is not popular needs but the profits of capital. Working people will pay for them to be done and they will also pay to use them," it added.

Panayiotis Lafazanis, member of the Coalition's Political Bureau responsible for economic and social policy, said that Karamanlis "with his speech at the inauguration of the TIF applied himself to a tactless effort of misleading, concealing and beautifying an extreme neo-liberal course that supports big business interests at the expense of society."

He added that the prime minister "with great ease, christened Greece of Atlantism and of American priorities, of untransparent NATO armaments and of military missions that reach as far as Afghanistan, a factor of stability and cooperation in the region."

[03] EU official sees Greece meeting fiscal goal

"According to messages I have received from Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis, it seems very likely that correction of the excessive deficit will occur this year," Reuters news agency quoted Almunia as saying after a eurozone ministers' meeting in Helsinki.

At the same time, some of the measures contained in Greece's budget are not structural, he reportedly added.

Asked separately to comment on the commissioner's reference to the temporary measures, Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis said that the matter was up for discussion in October when the 2007 budget would be ready.

"Mr Almunia was apparently referring to this year's budget," the minister noted.

He also stated that he was satisfied with implementation of the 2006 budget on the basis of January-July data.

[04] Greek households spend more money on holidays

The report said that spending on vacations and holiday travels of at least three overnight stays accounted for 2.7 pct of total household budget. The statistics service said 49.6 percent of Greek households have spent money for their holidays, while 18.3 percent of Greek households said they owned a holiday home in 2005, up from 14.5 pct in 1999.

The biggest part of holiday homes was found in the regions of Attica (20 pct), Cyclades (10.3 pct), Chalkidiki (6.3 pct), Korinthia (4.3 pct) and Thessaloniki (3.8 pct). A total of 34.1 pct of Greek households spent their holidays at their relatives or friends holiday homes, the report said.

Greeks preferred their holiday homes for their vacations (25.3 pct), hotels (22.7 pct), rented rooms (14.3 pct), camp (2.2 pct) and rent home (0.7 pct).

Central Macedonia (15 pct), southern Aegean (13.7 pct) and Attica (13 pct) were the main destination for vacations, while Attica (13 pct), Cyclades (10.4 pct), Chalkidiki (8.3 pct), Magnesia (4.2 pct) and Evia (3.8 pct) were the main regions both for vacations and holidays.

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