Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-10-31

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK leadership contenders tour N. Greece

[02] Road accident statistics

[01] PASOK leadership contenders tour N. Greece

Papandreou used many times the words reversal and change for PASOK on the day after the election process and added that "the new PASOK will belong to the people, it will be free and autonomous from every centre lying outside institutions and will be dedicated to expressing the people authentically and genuinely."

He further said that PASOK will have a clear and explicit identity and positions, it will clash with big interests and will be clashing continuously with conservatism and its bad self.

Papandreou added that the PASOK on the day after the elections will be a party of principles and values and not one of masters and lords and pointed out that his victory in the elections will not come as the personal achievement of a leader but as the result of the collective effort and achievement of an omnipresent and participating people.

He also stressed that PASOK will follow an opposition tactic that "will not highlight the models of its rivals as its own models, it will not be envious of the leaders of the right and it will not propose their copying."

"We do not want to copy the right," he underlined.

Papandreou referred once again to the role played by the mass media, stressing that "PASOK demands from them, as well as from businessmen to respect its autonomy."

Referring to the issue of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Papandreou placed "all the responsibility for the problem the , as it is presented today, on the government and on the prime minister personally," stressing that the provocative intransigence of Skopje "is the predetermined consequence of the handlings of the Karamanlis government."

Lastly, addressing the prime minister personally, Papandreou said "you permitted this intransigence by Skopje, Mr. Karamanlis."

The main opposition party is holding a nationwide vote on November 11 for the election of a new leader following defeat in last months general elections in the country. PASOK members, egistered supporters and friends are set to vote in this much expected election.

Incumbent party leader George Papandreou, Thessaloniki deputy and former minister Evangelos Venizelos and deputy and former party secretary Costas Skandalidis are the three leadership contenders.

Evangelos Venizelos addressed supporters in Xanthi, northern Greece, making repeated reference to PASOK founder Andreas Papandreou and to the principles he provided for PASOK.

Venizelos reiterated his proposal for a joint appearance and interview of all three leadership candidates, incumbent leader George Papandreou, Costas Skandalidis and himself, at the party's head office, pointing out that it will be a message of unity and an open invitation to all of the party's members and friends to participate in the paramount democratic process.

Referring to the party's unity after the election process, Venizelos said that "the people are the guarantor of unity and if additional guarantors are required then they will be us three candidates."

Venizelos also criticised the government, saying that the viability of Costas Karamanlis's government "depends on two disgruntled deputies and that he will be proclaiming elections soon with a new electoral law."

Costas Skandalidis continued his tour of the country appearing in the northeast city of Serres on Wednesday, where he met with local party cadres.

?PASOK must not come out of this procedure wounded,? he said, while also precluding the possibility of PASOK splitting.

[02] Road accident statistics

According to the statistics, 145 people lost their lives, 176 suffered serious injury and another 1,406 were lightly injured in a total of 1,227 road accidents throughout the country in August.

ESYE said that, in comparison with the corresponding figures for August 2006, the number of road accident-related deaths dropped 12.1 percent, while there was a 25.4 percent decline in serious injuries and a 20.6 percent decline in light injuries.

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