Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-03-17

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

CONTENTS

[01] President Papoulias inaugurates Pottery Museum in Volos

[02] PASOK leader to begin Serres tour on Sunday

[03] SYN Standing Congress opens meeting

[04] Anti-war rallies in Athens, Thessaloniki

[05] Thessaloniki to acquire two new hospitals

[01] President Papoulias inaugurates Pottery Museum in Volos

The inauguration ceremony for the museum, organised by the Piraeus Bank Group's Cultural Foundation, was also attended by culture minister George Voulgarakis.

Papoulias urged the country's youth to embrace such efforts, explaining that they were not simply living monuments to the country's history, but also to Greece's immense effort to find itself where it was today.

"I am optimistic, because the country has both a history and a future," the President said.

He said that the museum was "perfect" with respect to aesthetics, as well as a great project from the histocial and sociological aspect.

Voulgarakis, in turn, noted that the venture had been exceptionally difficult, adding that the materialisation of the project had exceeded even the most visionary plan and comprised a model of utilisation of the sensitivity of certain individuals for the common benegit.

"In Greece," he added, "nithing dies so long as such people exist".

After cutting the ribbon, Papoulias was given a tour of the museum and attended a lunch in his honour.

[02] PASOK leader to begin Serres tour on Sunday

Papandreou will speak at an open political rally at the Serres Indoor Gymnasium on Sunday night, while on Sunday morning he is due to meet with the prefect of Serres, before touring agricultural areas around the prefecture that will include discussions with local farmers.

The PASOK leader accused the government of failure, in a scathing attck as he addressed the 33rd Congress of the General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE).

Papandreou spoke of a "stifling stench of scandal" in the management of the social insurance funds' reserves, and accused employment minister Savvas Tsitouridis that the relevant committee had not functioned for over three years. In the purchases and sales of bonds, he said, the commissions had reached 400 percent while the losses were from the working peoples' money and not the ministers' money.

He further accused the government of failure in the sector of growth, due to its policy of excessive borrowing, cheap labour, tax exemptions on profits and abandonment of public aducation. Those policies, he added, were leading to an unequal distribution of income, sell-off of the public utilities, and high prices, and also charged the creation of a clientellistic state that corrupts the citizens.

Papandreou said that a solution existed for a more just society, which, however, required deep-rooted changes, and mainly a policy of redistribution of the immense social wealth. In that direction, he added, there was a powerful neo-right to be confronted in Greece and globally which, with its policy, was accumulating the wealth in the hands of the few and controlled the mass media.

The PASOK leader spoke of a "democratic revolution internationally", while he also committed himself to a policy against the abolition of free collective labour negotiations, and in favour of safeguarding the labour agreements and of the trade unions holding a protagonistic role.

PASOK, he said, was ready to meet the challenges, based on an alliance of progressive social forces, and promised a policy for improvement of the working people's lot, a dignified income, and quality in public services, as outlined in his party's recently-unveiled platform.

[03] SYN Standing Congress opens meeting

Two positions were at the focus of discussions: the decision by the majority of the Central Political Committee on February 11 endorsing the re-establishment of the SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left), and the minority's (the renovative wing) position opposing the decision.

The Central Political Committee's decision was presented to the delegates by party secretary Nikos Hountis, while the renovative wing's position was presented by Spyros Lykoudis.

Hountis stressed the need for approval of the political framework for the re-establishment of SYRIZA on the basis of the declaration already adopted, which provides that the title of the collaborating political forces should remain SYRIZA and that there should be a unified electoral ballet headed by SYN leader Alekos Alavanos.

Also, it is proposed that cadres from the collaborating forces should be placed in electable positions on the ballot, Hountis added.

The SYN secretary noted the need for coordination of this cooperatin and organising joint action, while at the same time respecting the autonomy and principles of each and every force comprising the SYRIZA, and proposed the establishment of ad hoc committees for better organisation of the electoral campaign.

Hountis also endorsed Alavanos' position that new, young faces needed to be brought to the forefront, and expressed optimism for positive results in the natinal elections.

Lykoudis, in turn, said that SYRIZA had been established as al electoral collaboration in the 2004 elections and had quickly evolved into a top-0level political formation with the expressed intent of replacing SYN in the "production and exercise of politics" and of comprising the decision-taking centre.

He said that SYN needed to go to elections with self-confidence and faith in its own physiognomy and its policy, adding that "we disagree with our entering elections with the SYRIZA scheme, which not only doesn't appear to be creating any momentum but is once again presenting problems as well".

The meeting will end on Sunday evening with a vote and a closing address by party leader Alavanos.

[04] Anti-war rallies in Athens, Thessaloniki

A rally was held in central Syntagma Square, which was followed by a march to the US embassy in Athens, organised jointly by trade unions, peace movements, anti-racism organisations, immigrant communities, the Stop the War Alliance, the Greek Social Forum, the students' (university) takeovers coordinating committee, and other organisations.

Demostrators chanted slogans such as "Stop the wars and occupations" and "Foreign armies must be removed from the Middle East", and also called for money to be channeled to education and health instead of armaments.

A concert was also staged, with anti-war songs, while brief greetings to the demonstrators were addressed by representatives of the participating organisations and movements, as well as international anti-war activists such as Jimmy Massey (US), co-founder of the "Iraq Veterans Against the War" (IVAW) organisation.

In Thessaloniki, a similar demonstratin was staged by the Union of Civil Servants' Organisations in the city centre.

The protestors condemned the "invasion and occupation" of Iraq, demanding "an end to the war and withdrawal of the occupation forces".

No traffic problems arose as the demonstrators marched from the Venizelos statue in downtown Thessaloniki to the Macedonia-Thrace Ministry, after which they peacefully dispersed.

[05] Thessaloniki to acquire two new hospitals

During a meeting with Mikra mayor Theodoros Goustilis, Avramopoulos said that in the next two weeks the programme contracts will be signed with all the sides involved. The two men discussed the prospects of the project in detail.

"The two hospitals will fill a huge void that has arisen in the past decades in the wider area of northern Greece," Avramopoulos said.

Goustilis called the project very important not only for the Thessaloniki region but also for all of northern Greece.

The two hospitals will have a total area of 80,000 square metres, employing some 6,000 people.

They will have 400 beds each, while the total budget is estimated at 700 million euros.

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