Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-09-25

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

CONTENTS

[01] Striking teachers meet minister after rally

[02] Gov't defends decision on fresh milk

[03] Spokesman on minister's slander suit against MP

[04] Egnatia Odos section opens up to traffic

[01] Striking teachers meet minister after rally

Teachers are now into the second week of a nationwide strike that began last Monday, just days after schools reopened after the summer holidays.

The two sides failed to reach agreement during the meeting, however, with the head of the primary school teachers' union announcing that the minister's counter-proposal was "unacceptable" and that strike action will continue and intensify.

The minister, on her part, noted that the education ministry "lends a sympathetic ear to the demands of teachers and before the budget is drawn up we have made our position clear. We are discussing the individual issues."

"It is clear that the education ministry, in spite of the fiscal policy, was supported and for this reason a number of programmes were carried out, such as all-day schools, new departments, etc," the minister she said.

Clash with riot police

Following their meeting with the minister, the strikers tried to march to the prime minister's office to protest but were intercepted by riot police as they reached Parliament.

Scuffles broke as protestors three times attempted to break through a cordon of MAT riot police, who eventually resorted to the use of teargas to disperse the crowd.

The protestors then marched to the gates of the Athens University and returned to the education ministry, where they stayed for more than an hour.

Caption: A scene from Monday's rally by striking teachers in downtown Athens, Sept. 25, 2006. ANA-MPA / O. Panagiotou.

[02] Gov't defends decision on fresh milk

In an announcement, the minister said the decision to extend the expiration date of fresh milk would increase competition as domestic milk industries would have to significantly cut their profit margins to avoid losing market share from cheaper imported milk. Papathanassiou said the average expiration date of fresh milk in all other Eurozone countries was at least double, compared with Greek practices.

He underlined that measures recommended by the development ministry would cut the price of milk by at least 10 percent in Greece.

[03] Spokesman on minister's slander suit against MP

"[He] did well, I believe him and the final trial of the suit should be very interesting," Roussopoulos told reporters.

Asked to comment on a statement by Papathanasiou regarding the actions of former PASOK minister Vasso Papandreou, meanwhile, Roussopoulos noted that the minister had "referred to real events" and that his announcement on Sunday was within the limits of his responsibilities.

Papathanasiou had called attention to the reversal by Papandreou of a Competition Commission decision forbidding the buyout of the company Vosinakis by the dairy firm FAGE, pointing out that it was the sole instance since 1995 of a minister revoking one of the Commission's decisions.

Papandreou had defended her decision, noting that the case did not involve the formation of a cartel and her actions had sought to safeguard 180 jobs in a company verging on bankruptcy.

Roussopoulos said Papathanasiou had rightly presented facts regarding the operation of the Competition Commission now and in the past, in the face of vague accusations, while conceding that there was no suggestion on the government's part that Papandreou had acted illegally.

Asked whether the present government had interceded for the reduction of fines imposed by the Commission, Roussopoulos referred reporters to the appropriate ministry but also presented figures showing that fines imposed under the present government were much higher than in the past.

"Since March 2004, fines totalling â¬28.5 million have been imposed and cases concerning fines of â¬100 million are pending. From 1995 until February 2004, the Competition Commission had imposed fines totalling â¬4.1 million. In other words, in the two and a half years of New Democracy government the fines imposed have been seven-fold compared with nine years of PASOK government. This is one more proof of that political will is turning into action," he said.

Meanwhile, the Association of Permanent Staff of the Unified Agency for the Inspection of Foodstuffs (EFET) issued an announcement on Monday denied any intervention by Papathanasiou in the agency's work.

It also challenged Koulouris regarding his own record as deputy development minister under PASOK governments, especially over the implementation of a â¬100,000 fine imposed by EFET on the company Kolios Hellenic Dairy Industry in 2003.

[04] Egnatia Odos section opens up to traffic

Environment, Land Planning and Public Works Minister George Souflias stated that the newly opened sections will cut travelling time from Eastern Macedonia and Thrace to Thessaloniki and prevent traffic congestion in the area during the summer months. In addition, road safety will be improved because the Macedonian Tempi road section will be bypassed.

The Egnatia Odos section that opened up to traffic passes through semi-mountainous regions of archaeological interest. The 32 km-long motorway section will include three different-level highways (Veochorio, Redina, Asprovalta), the 160 meter-long Vrasna Tunnel, the construction of 360 meter-long bridges and underpasses as well as 140 meter-long overpasses.

Souflias characterized it as a national project of immense importance both for the development of northern Greece and for Greeceâs upgraded role in Eastern Europe, adding that a total of 2.4 million euro projects got underway since March 2004.

Meanwhile, the Egnatia Odos motorway Strimonas- Agios Andreas section in the Kavala Prefecture, northeast Greece, will include a 42 km-long highway with two traffic lanes and an emergency lane for each of them.

The project will be completed by October 2008 while the Chrisoupolis-Vaniano section will be ready by July 2007.

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