Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-09-21

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

CONTENTS

[01] Gov't to exhaust all margins for dialogue, minister says after briefing PM

[02] Parliament delegation lays wreath at 'Ground Zero'

[03] Hellenic Olympic Com't head to speak at IOC

[01] Gov't to exhaust all margins for dialogue, minister says after briefing PM

Yiannakou also noted that the government was prepared to make changes to reform proposals, although she warned that dialogue could not serve as pretext or excuse, given that many of the sides involved who were invited to Parliament to state their views refused to do so.

"We won't stand for discounts on the quality issue," she stressed, adding that many of the institutional demands of the Primary School Teachers' Federation (DOE) have been satisfied.

Regarding the union's pay demands, Yiannakou said the government had committed itself to the gradual introduction of a 103 euros bonus -- which the ruling New Democracy party (ND) had promised when it was the main opposition party -- beginning on Jan. 1, 2007.

Nevertheless, she said the rest of the union's pay demands were way beyond the government's fiscal policy.

Asked to comment on calls for her resignation (issued mostly by the union's leadership and opposition parties) as well as that of Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras, following violence during Wednesday's teachers' rally outside the education ministry, Yiannakou said, "I don't doubt that some people want me to resign, but the government functions institutionally and in a uniform way".

Regarding the reforms in higher education, Yiannakou said all margins for dialogue would be exhausted.

She noted, however, that some of the proposals put to the government have been accepted, while declining to give a timetable for completion of any such dialogue and the tabling of the relevant draft bill in Parliament.

Caption: PM Costas Karamanlis is shown here in a file photo with Education Minister Marietta Yiannakou. ANA-MPA / M. Marogianni.

[02] Parliament delegation lays wreath at 'Ground Zero'

The 15-member delegation's visit coincides with Greece's assumption of the United Nations Security Council's rotating presidency and the 61st UN General Assembly.

Speaking after a brief but emotional ceremony at the site, the chairman of the Greek Parliament's foreign affairs and defence committee, ruling New Democracy MP Panos Kammenos, said the unanimous decision by committee members to lay a wreath at the site aims to honor the thousands of victims of the villainous attack, including 24 ethnic Greeks.

"We hope and pray that they are the last victims of terrorism in the world," he said.

On his part, MP and former PASOK deputy foreign minister Andreas Loverdos noted that as a "member of the Greek national delegation I feel touched and shaken to be here. I just want to add my voice, in speaking for PASOK's parliamentary group, against international violence; against violence from wherever it may come from."

Caption: A file photo shows a Greek Orthodox memorial service at the 'Ground Zero' site in December 2003. ANA-MPA.

[03] Hellenic Olympic Com't head to speak at IOC

Kyriakou will be representing the Association of National Olympic Committees, which has 213 members, and in his address will refer to the issue of "Relations with the public authorities and governmental agencies - Assessment and analysis of issues and dangers of interventions".

The seminar will be chaired by IOC President Jacques Rogge.

Other speakers include the president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, the president of the Association of Olympic Committees of Africa, the president of the British Olympic Committee and several IOC members.

Caption: A file photo of Hellenic Olympic Committee (EOE) President Minos Kyriakou. ANA-MPA.

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