Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-10-15

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK developments continue ahead of election

[02] Solana: EU solidarity with Athens on 'name issue'

[03] KKE airs opposition to constitutional treaty

[01] PASOK developments continue ahead of election

Among others, he called for the election of a party president via a general vote of all of PASOK's registered and "verified" friends and members. Additionally, he called for the election of the party secretary and political council members via a scheduled party congress every three years.

Venizelos, a Thessaloniki-area MP and former minister in repeated PASOK governments, also proposed a maximum three-term limit -- only two successive terms -- for tenure on the party's internal committees, whereas he said the party secretary should serve for four-year terms.

An attorney with an emphasis on constitutional law, Venizelos also said he would create a "shadow government".

In answer to press questions, he said the current Karamanlis government has "desperately narrow (political) horizons" when asked if he would demand early elections if elected to PASOK's helm in the Nov. 11 party election. Moreover, he said ruling New Democracy's (ND) 152 MPs - out of a total of 300 in Parliament - constitutes a "marginal majority".

He said Euro-parliament elections in 18 months should cause PASOK to be in constant readiness.

Caption: A file photo shows the exterior of PASOK's headquarters in downtown Athens. ANA-MPA.

[02] Solana: EU solidarity with Athens on 'name issue'

The EU's High Representative for a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) made the statement after meeting Bakoyannis on the sidelines of EU General Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

Commenting on the meeting, Solana said he very constructive talks with the Greek foreign minister and stressed that things have now reached a stage when, in his view, "the time has come to find a solution" to the "name issue".

He forecast that there would be developments in the near future and that the time had come to undertake all efforts in this direction, adding that he would be in contact with the United Nations and its special envoy for the Greece-FYROM dispute.

The top EU official said he would also be having "frank" talks on the name issue with the government in Skopje, in order to make the situation and its urgent nature clear and to outline the time frame that the EU envisaged.

Bakoyannis said she had presented Solana with the "very clear Greek positions" regarding the name issue, while expressing confidence that "all efforts on the part of the EU and Mr. Solana will be made so that there is a solution to the problem that exists with Skopje". She also noted that Greece was counting on the Union's solidarity.

Conversely, she declined to comment on statements made earlier the same day by her FYROM counterpart, Antonio Milososki, while she stressed that "our country's messages in every direction are positive".

Also on Bakoyannis' agenda while in Luxembourg is a meeting with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin and EU Commissioner for enlargement Olli Rehn.

Greece objects to the use of the name 'Macedonia' by FYROM on the grounds that it conceals irredentist ambitions against the large northern Greek province of the same name, Macedonia, which shares a border with FYROM and has access to the northern Aegean Sea. Greeks also object to what they view as historically misleading attempts by FYROM authorities to establish a connection to ancient Macedon and Alexander the Great, through moves such as featuring, at one point, the Vergina Sun as the country's symbol or renaming Skopje airport after Alexander, among others.

Gov't spokesman

Meanwhile, in Athens, government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said the government's position over the 'name issue' is standing and well-known, reminding that the re-elected Karamanlis government received a vote of confidence in Parliament just last month.

Additionally, asked if a specific proposal regarding a "composite name" was on the negotiating table, Roussopoulos merely noted that "two and a half years ago, in response to a then proposal by Mr. (Matthew) Nimetz (the UN mediator), we had outlined what the government's limits were, and we had accepted, as a basis for discussion, a proposal made at the time by Mr. Nimetz ? It is up to the other side to say what its views are".

Caption: A file photo dated Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006 shows Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis (L) shaking hands with EU's High Representative for a Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana during a meeting in Brussels. ANA-MPA / A. DOUKAS.

[03] KKE airs opposition to constitutional treaty

Papariga commented that the two major parties, ruling New Democracy and main opposition PASOK, are in favor of the treaty and support the "anti-popular view" that its adoption will safeguard the unity of Europe.

Referring to the Coalition of the Radical Left, SYRIZA, she said it exercises sharp but superficial criticism on the treaty.

KKE rejects the new treaty because it adopts the American imperialism strategy on preemptive war, backs the further militarization of the EU, relinquishes more sovereign rights of EU member states to EU bodies, abolishes the veto power and establishes a special majority benefiting the stronger states while hurting the national independence of the EU states.

Papariga also stated that the new treaty guarantees the superiority of the EU law over state legislation adding that her party rejects any form of European Constitution and is in favor of a referendum on the issue.

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