Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-09-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK promises review of farmers' loan interests

[02] KKE leader addresses rally in Patra

[01] PASOK promises review of farmers' loan interests

In the presence of Mona Sahlin, President of Sweden's Socialdemocratic Party who briefly addressed the rally, Papandreou also accused the New Democracy (ND) government of "abandoning the country unruled" noting that the country needs to be governed "correctly and effectively".

He said that there was at present a "climate of a new overturn, a climate that was initiated in last October's prefectural and mayoral elections and which now acquires explosive dimensions."

"The ND government which wounded Greece and democracy is departing," Papandreou noted, accusing the ruling party of leaving behind it "an unprecedented ecological disaster with 65 dead, 3 million stremmata of forest land destroyed and entire villages wipped off the map."

"(Prime Minister Costas) Karamanlis' government is leaving, trying to transform its own crisis into a crisis of democracy," the main opposition party leader said. He referred in extenso to farm economy, accusing the ND of "backtracking on its promises" especially in Thessaly, central Greece, and added that farmers all over the country "are in a desperate condition".

"Within three years, expenditures for Greek agriculture have disappeared, while around 360 million euros have been lost," he said.

He added that once in government, his party would proceed with the restructuring of the entire agricultural sector, transforming it into "a peak economy" outlining three policies aiming to achieve this target: Arming the farmer-entrepreneur with agricultural and commercial knowledge which will enable him to fix on his own the price of his products; Defence of the national farm production in the European Union; Securing safety and prospects for the farmers.

"On September 16, Greeks will vote for the new change, for the new social deal, for the Greece which unites us and which we deserve," Papandreou concluded.

[02] KKE leader addresses rally in Patra

Papariga said that "to the artificial dilemma set by the prime minister and to the artificial dilemma leaked by PASOK, we reply: one is the real dilemma, weak bipartisan rule and strong people or weak people and strong bipartisan rule."

The KKE leader further noted that both parties "do not want instability, since they have assumed responsibilities towards big capital, particularly the phase of utilising the 4th Community Support Framework, they have commitments towards NATO and the United States."

Papariga also stressed that "it is better if they fear us and feel insecure than we fear them and we feel insecure. A strong KKE is better than strengthened bipartisan rule."

Lastly, Papariga called on her audience to support KKE's election tickets and to vote against "all those who have led the working people to a deadlock."

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