Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-03-03

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

CONTENTS

[01] Papandreou rallies support for PASOK platform

[01] Papandreou rallies support for PASOK platform

Papandreou, who addressed PASOK cadres at Athens' seaside Peace and Friendship indoor stadium, first outlined portions of the party's 219-proposal platform, which envisions, among others, hefty spending hikes for education, health care and pensioners on the lowest scales, including pensions of 550 euros for uninsured individuals. He will address a public rally on Sunday at the same venue.

He also said the entire policy programme, which he termed "pioneering and radical", is based on three axes, namely, a radical decentralisation of the state; a restructuring of the extended social welfare system and a new "green" (environmentally friendly) development model for the country.

Beyond PASOK's platform, announced roughly a year before general elections are normally scheduled to be held, Papandreou repeated high-pitch criticisms of the current Karamanlis government before again demanding early elections.

In a reply to a barrage of questions over the past week on how he intends to pay for the announced programmes, Papandreou on Saturday replied that "money is available, but the ND government funnels it to the few."

Additionally, he censured ND for failing, as he said, to meet its pre-election promises, while tabling a set of rhetorical questions towards the government -- for instance, if more hirings in the public health sector are necessary and if the lowest levels of pension rates should be increased.

Papandreou said it was PASOK's political duty to table a no confidence motion in Parliament last month and to subsequently walk out of debate for constitutional revision.

In continuing his attacks on the government, Papandreou, a former foreign and education minister in successive Simitis governments, called the current government weak in negotiations over national issues and said it also undermines democracy.

"PASOK is against injustice, the accumulation of capital, the unfair distribution of wealth; it is in favor of transparency, healthy competition and consumers' interests," he said.

Finally, in reference to a series of negative opinion poll results of late, Papandreou said he and PASOK will not allow pollsters to decide for the people, adding that the people will ultimately decide for his government.

Caption: PASOK leader George Papandreou addresses party cadres at the Peace and Friendship indoor stadium in southern coastal Athens on Saturday, March 3, 2007. ANA-MPA / K. Mavrona.

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