Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-07-14

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

CONTENTS

[01] KKE leader to address rally in Preveza

[02] SYN leader begins Samos tour

[01] KKE leader to address rally in Preveza

Speaking at a press conference just after her arrival at noon at Ioannina airport, the KKE leader added: "And the main issue is what is being done with all the mountains, in other words with those that have not burned and we hope will stay that way. There is a serious issue of ownership which is not being touched on at all, and a census must be made must be made, even under the current status quo, on what belongs to the construction cooperatives, the Church and other agencies, because what is coming over the next years is the cementisation of the mountains, but also the concession of land use to them, to private concerns, tolarge hotel complexes and other activities...".

"Without 100 percent of the proprietorship passing to the state, even if we have no fires, over the next 20 years we will lose the mountains," she concluded.

As the pre-electoral confrontation was climaxing with clashes, sword-crossing, rhetorical schemes and one-liners taken from books and the words of great personalities, "there are issues of which mention is not made and which have expiration dates," she said.

For example, she said, what was the political parties' position on the imminent second Kapodistrias plan (Kapodistrias-2, the legal framework surrounding local government organisation)? She said it entailed a serious change to the administrative structure of the country, and what was of mjor importance was that it would lethally harm such sectors as health, education and welfare, and more generally whatever social infrastructure the country had.

The political parties must take a stand on this, she said, adding that the KKE was opposed to the plan "not only with respect to the organisational scheme, but chiefly with respect to the target and role the change in the country's administrative structure will serve".

"We cannot go to elections discussing issues of the day, no matter how tragic they are there are other issues which, on their side, are equally tragic and will have serious consequences for the Greek people and the situation in the region," Papariga said, citing as an example the Aegean, and putting forward the question on whether the Madrid and Helsinki agreements were still in force, while she also wondered hat the parties' and government's positions were on Kosovo.

Papariga departed after the press conference for Preveza, where she was due to address a KKE rally on Saturday night.

[02] SYN leader begins Samos tour

He said that the situation he saw at the centre "is the shipwreck of the New Democracy government's immigration policy", adding that the illegal immigrants at the centre were "living in conditions worse than those of prison inmates serving long sentences, whose right to take a leave depends on a specific police guard, with a lack of elementary infrastructures".

Speaking earlier to the solidarity committee and other officials, he thanked them for the excellent work they were trying to do, but added that their role must also be recognised institutionally.

Also, he said, Greece must begin taking a few measures, including steps for informing the illegal immigrants and for satisfaction of political asylum petitions, because "we are a country that has the smallest percentage of acceptance of political asylum requests".

"Generally speaking, it is a situation that is a shame for our country," he said.

Alavanos said that although the rule of thumb was for pre-electoral tours to be made to voters, SYN's political movement on Samos had requested that the day be devoted to the immigrants "who, although they may not be voters, and may be dirty, they are nevertheless people, and it should also be noted that tens of human lives have been lost in the sea".

On Sunday, Alavanos will visit the area devastated by a recent forest fire at Mytilinious, while later he will meet with the mayor of Pythagorio.

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