Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-09-24

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

CONTENTS

[01] High-profile event in Athens on Sunday commemorates Int' Day of Peace

[02] FM to meet UN chief on Mon.

[03] Papandreou: Gov't has 'completed its cycle'

[01] High-profile event in Athens on Sunday commemorates Int' Day of Peace

The event was addressed by President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and Defence Minister Evangelos Meimarakis also spoke at the event.

"It is with great joy that I welcome you to tonight's event, which is being held for only one reason: For an anti-war message to be heard loud and clear from a country that has given so many great battles and has given birth to astounding ideas for the issue of peace," Papoulias stressed.

"It is a great honour for all of us, the presence here of activists for peace, such as Manolis Glezos and Mikis Theodorakis; personalities that symbolise the struggles and suffering of the Greek people for a peaceful and just world."

A documentary entitled "Philanthropic Peace", by Maria Hatzimichali-Papaliou and music by Mikis Theodorakis, was also screened at the event.

Caption: President Papoulias, left, shakes hands with Prime Minister Karamanlis on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006, at the Athens Concert Hall. ANA-MPA photo / P. Saitas.

[02] FM to meet UN chief on Mon.

Bakoyannis will meet with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan here on Monday morning, with whom she is expected to discuss the situation in the Middle East (the Palestinian issue, Iraq and Iran's nuclear programme), the future status of Kosovo and the Cyprus issue.

The Greek foreign minister will also have bilateral talks with her counterparts from Lebanon, Guatemala, South Africa, Libya and Nigeria, while she will attend a luncheon given in her honor by the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce.

She will depart for Washingtion in the afternoon (local time).

On Friday, following her speech at the UN General Assembly, Bakoyannis presided at a meeting, within the framework of the Inter-Balkan Cooperation, which was held at the offices of the Greeceās permanent delegation. Also participating at this meeting was UN special mediator in negotiations for final status of Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari, with whom she had a private meeting earlier.

Bakoyannis also met with her counterpart from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Antonio Milososki.

She will meet with the UN secretary general's special envoy for the FYROM name issue, Matthew Nimetz, on Thursday, after returning from Washington.

Caption: FM Bakoyannis is shown addressing the UN General Assembly on Friday, Sept. 22, 2006. ANA-MPA photo / A. Doukas.

[03] Papandreou: Gov't has 'completed its cycle'

Papandreou charged that Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is leading the country backwards and is not capable of honouring the mandate given to him by the voters.

The PASOK leader further cited the things that he would do differently, as he said, from the prime minister, saying he would not attempt to "manipulate" regional mass media or independent authorities. Additionally, he said he would not allow "uncontrolled oligopolies and cartels in the market."

Referring to the political developments of the past few days, Papandreou said corruption scandals are linked to specific political decisions, practices and conceptions of the ruling New Democracy party.

Commenting on proposals made by his party on combating corruption, the PASOK leader said "we are struggling for a society of values, for a model of development that will be based on education."

Gov't reaction

Meanwhile, both the development minister and the deputy development minister responded to PASOK's corruption-related criticism over the weekend, with both men referring to "mud-slinging."

"All those who mud-sling and use meaningless words are exposed, and it will not take long for them to understand this. Despite the fact that they were late to understand and to confess that they themselves are those who in 2000 and thereafter destroyed the country," Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas said, in paraphrasing a controversial statement reportedly uttered by high-ranking PASOK cadre Theodoros Pangalos a few weeks ago to describe a PASOK government's performance from 2000 to March 2004.

On his part, Deputy Development Minister Yiannis Papathanassiou, responding to reporters' questions regarding the operation of cartels, especially in the domestic milk sector, said: "In accordance with Law 3373/2005, which was voted in principle by PASOK, the relevant agency for monitoring such cartels is the Competition Committee, and no one else.

"From March 2004 to the present, the Competition Committee has imposed fines amounting to 28.5 million euros, and cases are still pending over which there are already recommendations for fines to the tune of 100 million euros. From 1995 to February 2004, the Competition Committee had imposed fines just 4.1 million euros. That means that in the two-and-a-half years since the New Democracy came to power, imposed fines increased seven fold, compared to all those imposed in the nine years of PASOK rule," Papathanassiou charged.

Finally, in response to Papathanassiou's remarks, Vasso Papandreou, the head of PASOK's economy section, said the deputy minister, "instead of apologising for himself and for the government is attempting, once again, to defame us."

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