Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-01-31

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM receives former Swedish premier Persson; meeting with Italy's Bersani follows

[02] Pupils promote return of Marbles

[01] PM receives former Swedish premier Persson; meeting with Italy's Bersani follows

Karamanlis will also receive Italian Minister of Productive Activities Pierluigi Bersani, who arrived in Greece following an official invitation by Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas.

Talks between the two ministers will precede the meeting with the premier, mostly focusing on the ongoing construction of an ambitious underwater natural gas pipeline connecting Greece with Italy. Construction of the portion connecting Turkey with Greece is already proceeding. Additionally, the signing of a protocol is envisioned to expand bilateral cooperation between the two ancient Mediterranean partners on energy issues, SMEs and industry.

Meanwhile, a day earlier Karamanlis chaired an Inner Cabinet meeting that, among others, decided to tighten legislation governing the requisitioning of services and the administration of foundations belonging to Greece's Muslim minority in western Thrace. In statements afterwards, Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos said that requisitioning - usually during instances of civil or military mobilisations -- of services was currently governed by an outdated law passed in 1974 and needed modification to meet Constitutional requirements. The minister announced that the Cabinet had also approved of two circulars concerning the way draft laws were drawn up as well as monitoring their implementation. Regarding religious foundations belonging to the Muslim minority in Thrace, which possess and administer &quot;Vakuf&quot; properties or endowments -- a special class of properties donated to such religious foundations that dates back to the days of Ottoman rule -- Pavlopoulos stressed that laws governing their management were also overdue for a change.

Caption: Greek Premier Karamanlis, left, meets with well-known former Swedish prime minister Goran Persson in Athens on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007. ANA-MPA photo / M. Marogianni.

[02] Pupils promote return of Marbles

The demonstration was organised by the "Network for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles", which said that the response exceeded all its expectations.

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