Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-11-26

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

CONTENTS

[01] Papoulias heads high-ranking gov't delegation on visit to Oman

[02] Tsitouridis visits Cairo's Greek Hospital

[03] Killing of 5 hunters in W. Greece a mystery

[01] Papoulias heads high-ranking gov't delegation on visit to Oman

Official talks held both on Saturday night, during an official dinner in honour of Papoulias, and on Sunday in private talks between the two leaders and with the participation of delegations of the two countries. Talks focused on relations between the two countries in the trade, investments and business sectors.

Papoulias is accompanied by Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, Merchant Marine Minister Manolis Kefaloyannis, Deputy Finance Minister Petros Doukas as well as a large delegation of Greek entrepreneurs and corporate executives.

The situation prevailing in the Middle East was also discussed, in which the need for peace and stability in the region was stressed, as well as relations between Oman and the European Union, relations which Greece can assist, as it was pointed out.

Athens places significant importance on its relations with the Arab world given, as Papoulias has stressed, the geopolitical importance and the economic capabilities of countries in the Gulf region, whereas Oman considers Greece "the country closest to it" with regard to the other countries of Europe.

The Greek president also announced to the Sultan of Oman that Greece will soon open an embassy in Muscat, while he expressed a desire for a Greek studies faculty to be established at the Sultanate's university.

Papoulias will visit the United Arab Emirates on Monday and Dubai on Tuesday.

Caption: Oman Sultan Qaboos Bin Said al-Said, right, officially welcomes Greek President Karolos Papoulias in Muscat on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2006. ANA-MPA photo / V. Vardoulakis.

[02] Tsitouridis visits Cairo's Greek Hospital

Referring to the Greece-funded medical institution, Tsitouridis noted: "It constitutes a very important effort. We ascertained that Cairo's Greek ethnic community is continuing its struggle for the preservation and utilisation of the Greek Hospital, as well as improvement of health services, something that is very important, primarily for the Greeks of Cairo."

The Greek minister also met with representatives of the ethnic Greek community in Alexandria, a historic metropolis for Hellenism in the Near East, and was also received by Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Theodoros II.

Caption: Tsitouridis greets a resident at the ethnic Greek community's retirement home in Cairo on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006. ANA-MPA photo / STR

[03] Killing of 5 hunters in W. Greece a mystery

An initial examination by police and a medical examiner revealed that the five victims, found on a country road, were shot, although authorities did not clarify whether the murder weapon was a shotgun, a hunting rifle or an assault weapon -- the latter two being off-limits to most civilians in Greece. The time of death was placed at between 5 and 6 p.m. on Saturday.

According to other reports, each of the victims were "laying in wait" in separate locations, as they had ostensibly fanned out in a rural part of Aetoloakarnania prefecture in search of thrush.

The victims were identified as the brothers Vassilis and Christos Nikolopoulos, 23 and 21, their cousins Lambros Andressas and Ilias Pipas, each 33, and Alexios Nikolopoulos, 17.

A second detailed examination began at the scene of the crime by a medical examiner and law enforcement officials from Athens. A ballistics report will be released in Athens on Monday.

Caption: Authorities at the scene where one of five bodies of a same number of hunters was found on Saturday in western Greece. ANA-MPA photo / D. Dimitriou.

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