Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-03-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Karamanlis: The target is to upgrade the quality of education

[02] Papandreou unveils new PASOK policy platform

[01] PM Karamanlis: The target is to upgrade the quality of education

Speaking to reporters after the visit, Karamanlis noted that the education ministry was acquiring a new, self-owned, premise, equipeed with infrastructures that ensure greater efficiency, and acquiring better services.

"Our target is to constantly improve the quality throughout the entire range of education and provide our youth with upgraded education, to enble them to seek jobs on equal terms with their European counterparts," Karamanlis said.

He said that the government, "with determination and circumspection, and having society at our side", was making all the necessary reforms aimed at a better future for all.

The prime minister appeared particularly impressed during the visit with the security hall especially created for the examinations' test questions.

After the visit, he went to the government headquarters at Maximos Mansion for his scheduled meeting with the education minister.

[02] Papandreou unveils new PASOK policy platform

Papandreou repeated his heated criticism of the government and appeared confident of election victory in the next poll, while at the same time warning of "major interests" attempting to manipulate and control the party, interests he said want PASOK to "compromise".

In fact, Papandreou's address swayed back-and-forth from detailing PASOK's positions on a variety of issues to airing charges against the government.

He echoed other top PASOK officials' accusations over the past week over the government's culpability in the mismanagement of pension funds' assets, while referring to "shadowy games" between riot police and masked self-styled anarchists that often infiltrate protests through central Athens before engaging in vandalism and clashes with authorities.

"You cannot identify the younger generation with masked troublemakers, slackers and the apathetic," he said in reference to the government, noting that education issues should not be handled by the public order ministry, an indirect rebuke over the role of police during protests.

In turning to one of the three "axes" of PASOK's programme, as he said, Papandreou touched on the "green" aspect of economic development, while at the same time charging that the government is only interested in selling-off forestlands and coastal areas, as seen from its intent to revise Article 24 of the Constitution.

Regarding foreign policy, he said the government is falling back on mere "public relations tours", accusing it of being absent from international developments.

In playing up the party's social agenda, Papandreou said the government has proceeded with an "unrestrained redistribution of wealth", saying the maxim is now to "catch the little guy and be lenient to the powerful".

On the social front, he said PASOK will promote a "new contract for employment", boost the number of preschools, all-day elementary schools, improve hospitals and institute at at-home support programmes.

"Eradicating poverty is, for PASOK, a political choice. We must end with poverty in our country," he said.

He promised that if elected to government PASOK will institute a fairer tax system, one able to restore social justice "with a redistribution of wealth in favour of the weak via taxation".

Moreover, he promised the hiring of 3,000 staff every year in the health care system, which he said the ND government has abandoned.

Papandreou also launched into an attack on recent opinion polls, saying the issue is one of quality of democracy, objectivity and transparent financial dealings of the firms involved.

"We will not back down from our principles and will govern without dependence on anyone, with our head high, expressing the true will of the Greek people," he concluded.

Gov't reaction

In commenting on Papandreou's address, Minister of State and government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos noted that "PASOK's president today (Sunday) promised the heavens with the stars, while hiding the fact that he will need to aggressively tax the Greek people ... the banner reading 'down with Karamanlis' junta', which was raised at today's (Sunday's) event, also demonstrates how many decades back this 'new political ethos' that Mr. Papandreou is advocating is taking the country".

Finance and Economy Minister George Alogoskoufis, commenting on Sunday on the address made by main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou at a rally earlier in the day, said that "he appears to be pursuing polarisation and tension, something that the Greek people clearly do not want."

Alogoskoufis added that "the Greek people demand from all to apply themselves to their problems, to cooperate and work to confront them. Many of these problems, of course, require the cooperation of the two major parties. Because they are problems of all the Greek people."

The finance and economy minister further said that "we must leave the recipes of the past behind, antiquated programmes, antiquated proclamations" and "apply ourselves to the problems of today like modern-day politicians to see how we shall handle them."

Alogoskoufis made his statements on arrival at the inauguration of the new building housing the Federation of Industries of Thessaly in Larissa.

KKE

In a statement, the Communist Party of Greece's (KKE) central committee said that "George Papandreou's speech again showed that the only ability and desire that PASOK's leadership has is to exercise a pseudo-opposition to ND's anti-popular policy. The only difference between ND and PASOK is their concern for power, as well as their rivalry over who will promise more crumbs to sections of the working classes."

Synaspismos

On his part, Coalition of the Left (Synaspismos) official Nikos Voutsis stressed that "the absence of any reference to the movement in the education sector is a provocation for all those struggling and all those opposing New Democracy."

"One would expect even the slightest mention of a position in the address today by the PASOK president regarding the clash in the education sector, with students and professors mobilised for the eighth week," he said.

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