Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-01-29

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Karamanlis meets with visiting US Senators

[02] Papandreou meets with Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi

[03] Greece, Russia, Bulgaria focus on pipeline project

[04] KKE leader meets with rectors

[05] Events around Greece for Holocaust Memorial Day

[01] PM Karamanlis meets with visiting US Senators

According to reports, the US lawmakers cited the latest positive statistics concerning the Greek economy, praising the positive direction the economy has taken.

Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) told reporters that the delegation had a fruitful meeting with the prime minister, while adding that the senators were in Greece as friends.

"All the democracies feel at home in Greece, and when our embassy was attacked, we felt as if Greece itself had been attacked," Smith said, adding that "we greatly appreciate your government's reaction to the recent incident against our embassy".

He also referred to the millions of Greek-Americans in the United States and the role they play.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) said America manifested its respect for Greece by sending to Athens one of its best envoys. He also said he felt at home when visiting Greece.

Leahy added that "we have historic ties, blood ties, with Greece, which will never cease ... We rely on Greece's contribution in the region, and we will continue to do so," he said.

Caption: Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, second left, walks with Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, centre, and US ambassador to Greece Charles Ries, right, at the former's Maximos Mansion office in Athens on Monday, Jan. 29, 2006. ANA-MPA photo / P. Saitas. Ï

[02] Papandreou meets with Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi

Papandreou arrived in the Indian capital to attend sessions of the ruling party's conference, which begins on Monday and commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the party's founding by Mahatma Gandhi.

Afterwards, Papandreou said that "following the discussion we had with my friend Sonia Gandhi and the minister of external affairs of India, I had the pleasure of announcing the substantive participation of this great party, the Congress Party, in the Socialist International, in an organised and systematic way, which, of course, will contribute to giving India a wider voice and strengthening the voice of socialists, of progressive forces, worldwide. With this message, we are highlighting the role played by the Socialist International in the global discussion over major issues of the era."

Papandreou added that "we had the opportunity of discussing Asian regional issues. Asia is a region of interest to Greece, because it is a developing and dynamic region, but I also had the opportunity of referring to our bilateral relations, such as the relations between PASOK and the Congress Party, and to the regional issues that concern us, such as Cyprus. It was a very constructive discussion and yet another voice of our country, Greece, in this region."

Additionally, PASOK has also voiced backing for India's request to gain a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Caption: SI President George Papandreou, left, with Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007. ANA-MPA photo / STR

[03] Greece, Russia, Bulgaria focus on pipeline project

In an announcement to the press, the Greek minister noted that the governments of the three countries were working systematically to complete the content of the agreement. He explained that a meeting was held in Sofia on Jan. 25-26, between experts from the three partners, while Nikos Stephanou - the secretary general of the development ministry -- visited Moscow on Jan. 26-27 for talks with the Russian Industry and Energy Deputy Minister Andrei Dementiev.

Caption: An ANA-MPA file photo shows the final stages of construction of an oil pipeline connecting the northern port city of Thessaloniki with Skopje, the capital of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in 1999, a project similar to the more ambitious and longer Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline. ANA-MPA / M. Marogianni.

[04] KKE leader meets with rectors

The meeting took place at the KKE's headquarters.

The contacts coincided with a three-month campaign by the communist party's youth wing, KNE, to brief public opinion over the party's positions vis-à-vis the government's high-profile reforms in the education sector.

The four rectors in question are among the bloc of top university administrators calling for a delay in the government's efforts to reform tertiary education and against a constitutional revision that would allow the recognised operation of non-state universities in the country.

Another bloc of rectors, mostly from smaller universities in the provinces, are reportedly more receptive to the reforms and constitutional revisions.

[05] Events around Greece for Holocaust Memorial Day

In Athens, Parliament President Anna Psarouda-Benaki referred to the need to preserve historical memory and defend human rights and democratic institutions.

The parliament president, Greece's first female speaker, made the keynote address at an event organised by the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) at Athens' main synagogue.

"We must never forget, and this does not mean perpetuating enmity and divisions, but to prevent the menace of vile theories and phenomena from re-emerging, and to hand down our experience to the younger generations, as the greatest threat they may face today is forgetfulness and complacency," she said.

"The sacrifice of the Jews became a symbol and lever to restore values such as human dignity and life, as well as principles, such as freedom, equality, freedom of religion and tolerance," Psarouda-Benaki stressed.

Another ceremony also took place in front of a statue of occupation-era Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Damaskinos, who was honoured for his efforts to rescue Greek Jews.

Speaking during the brief ceremony, Church of Greece head Christodoulos spoke of his wartime predecessor's deeds, stressing the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece's respect and tolerance of other faiths and believers as well as its opposition to the death penalty, torture and its support for freedom of expression and human rights.

Additionally, a special plaque was unveiled on the statue of Damaskinos -- which is located in the square in front of the Athens Metropolitan Cathedral -- commemorating the Orthodox Christian religious leader's role in rescuing members of the Jewish communities in the Athens area.

Finally, the president of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, Moses Constantines, praised the fact that new Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis, who also attended the events, pledged to build a Holocaust memorial in the Greek capital, similar to other such memorials in Greek cities and European capitals.

The parliament president's address preceded a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Parliament building in downtown Athens, where Public Administration and Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos laid a wreath in honour of the victims of the Holocaust, as Jan. 27 has been officially designated as a National Day of Remembrance for the Greek Jewish Martyrs and Heroes of the Holocaust.

"Let us just say this for the umpteenth time, ânever again'; let us all defend freedom, peace and protect humanity's values," Pavlopoulos said.

On his part, former minister Telemachos Hytiris represented main opposition PASOK at the wreath-laying event, noting afterwards that "as long as there are people the Holocaust will remain in our memory, and I hope that it teaches the way history must teach all the younger generations," he said.

Thessaloniki

In Thessaloniki, which before the Second World War hosted one of the largest Sephardic communities in the world, events were held at the port city's main synagogue in the presence of Greek Jewish community leaders and local officials.

"Of the 65,000 Greek Jews that fell victim to Nazism, 50,000 were citizens of Thessaloniki, working-class people who contributed to the advancement and defence of their country," the president of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, David Saltiel, said.

He reminded that 12,898 Greek Jews served in the Greek armed forces in 1940-1941, of which 3,743 were injured and 513 died on the battlefields against Axis invaders in northern Greece's mountains.

"After the war, the few survivors and their children were able to rebuild a new life, one rising from the ashes. It is because of them that (the Jewish community) has summer camps, institutions, youth centres, a synagogue, cemetery, conservatory and museum," he added.

Local officials attending the ceremony included Thessaloniki Prefect Panayiotis Psomiadis and Mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos.

Caption: The president of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, Moses Constantines, right, lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007. ANA-MPA photo / S. Pantzartzi.

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