Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-08-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK officials attack government

[02] Planning for metropolitan park unveiled

[01] PASOK officials attack government

PASOK spokesman Petros Efthymiou slammed the government's refusal to adopt the measures proposed by PASOK for the compensation of the victims of recent devastating fires and rejected arguments by Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos that the government measures went further than those of the main opposition, as well as a suggestion that PASOK had failed to implement the same measures in 2000 when it was in government.

Regarding the timing of the elections, Efthymiou said this was being discussed by everyone in the government except Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who "soon be forced to select the date for his defeat".

PASOK MP in charge of social policy and insurance, Maria Damanaki, commented on the government promises to introduce a universal national pension, accusing it of irresponsibly using a serious issue in order to garner votes in upcoming elections.

She pointed out that there was no indication of the sums involved or who would benefit from such a measure while adding that it would not target farmers or the uninsured and would be combined with the abolition of EKAS low-pension supplements.

PASOK's proposal extended and upgraded EKAS and its basic pension would be universal, she added.

PASOK MP Andreas Loverdos, in charge of environment issues, said the announcements made by Environment Minister George Souflias on Thursday indicated that the idea of a metropolitan park at Elliniko had essentially been abandoned. He accused Souflias of concealing the true extent of the land that would be given over to urban development - which he said would amount to 100 hectares rather than 30 - and of concealing that 230 hectares had already been given to Hellenic Olympic Properties SA.

He also strongly slammed recent suggestions of imposing tolls on private cars entering the centre of Athens, saying it was an unacceptable measure.

According to PASOK's Christos Papoutsis, meanwhile, the death of an inmate in Korydallos prison from drug abuse revealed the government's "complete incompetence and indifference".

Caption: ANA-MPA file photograph of PASOK spokesman Petros Efthymiou.

[02] Planning for metropolitan park unveiled

Souflias said that the site was considered one the largest urban parks in the world, possibly even the largest, and would cover 650 hectares, of which 590 hectares would be green spaces.

Among the envisaged changes is a plan to take a kilometre-long section of Poseidonos Avenue underground, so that the park will lead straight onto the seafront.

The construction and maintenance of the park will be largely self-funded by commercially exploiting about 30 hectares of its extent, which is expected to also generate a sufficient surplus to finance the creation of parks and green spaces in central and deprived areas of the capital. Entry into the park will be free of charge to the public.

According to Souflias, the money might be used to pay compensation for apartment blocks that could then be knocked down to create much-needed parks in overcrowded neighbourhoods like Kypseli and elsewhere.

The minister said that work on the development of the metropolitan park would be able to begin in 2009, provided that the body that would be in charge of its development and maintenance had been set up by this time. He explained that the government was now in talks with surrounding municipalities and the other bodies involved regarding the final form the park will take and that the parkâs organization would be created once these were completed.

He stressed that this body would be staffed with all necessary scientific and administrative personnel and would have all the legal and operational means to carry out its work.

The landscaping study for the park presented by Souflias on Thursday was fully detailed, listing the changes that would have to be made to the park's morphology, planned sports and recreational facilities, parking areas, access points, paths and roadways and the number of trees, shrubs and other vegetation that will be planted.

It called for the planting of 36,800 trees and 17,500 shrubs, while the vegetation will be that native and adapted to conditions in the Saronic Gulf, for environmental and maintenance reasons. Souflias clarified that this would be developed in phases.

A central part of the plan is the reclamation of six water courses or ravines that run through the site that will form six "green corridors" around which the park will be organised and which will link the built-up urban areas with the coast. They will be developed as six routes through the park that will include pathways, cycle paths, roads and recreational facilities, while the water courses will collect rain water and gather it in reservoirs that will be used for the park's irrigation needs.

The former airport's main runways will also be used as walkways that will offer open vistas onto the park and will be flanked by recreational facilities.

Altogether, the plan provides for 54 kilometres of paths for walking, 5.6 kilometres of special cycling paths, 6.4 kilometres of coastal promenades, a 24-kilometre specially designed 'Marathon route', 4.6 kilometres of riding paths and a 3.8 kilometre sculpture route.

Most of the existing buildings on the site will be torn down, mainly at the former U.S. base, and only 41 of the 419 large and small buildings will remain. The land given for urban development will be adjacent to existing built-up areas, while all buildings and open spaces will have an environmentally friendly, energy-conserving design.

On transport facilities leading to and from the park, the minister announced plans for a new highway that will link Poseidonos Avenue and the Attiki Odos Highway via the Hymettus orbital road, while will traverse the north end of the park but underground, so that access to neighbouring residential areas would be direct.

The park will also be served by two metro stations on Vouliagmenis Avenue at opposite ends of the park, to be ready in 2009, and a possible extension and redirection of the tram network to reach the metro system.

Finally, the minister announced that he had agreed with the board of the Goulandris Foundation that the foundation's Museum of Modern Art would be housed within the park at Vouliagmenis Avenue.

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