Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-11-04

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK's national conference ends

[01] PASOK's national conference ends

PASOK party leader George Papandreou said November 11 will "constitute a new beginning for PASOK and a new and real hope for Greece."

Summing up the message emerging from the conference, Papandreou said "politics will win, democracy will win, PASOK will win."

He also attacked the government and Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, saying that "they are concerned" by the development of procedures in PASOK.

Papandreou further said that the decision of "PASOK as a whole is to turn the crisis into a breath of redemption and to open a new cycle," while adding that PASOK will not betray, it will not disappoint and it will not deny the expectations of the people.

The leader of PASOK went on to say that PASOK "does not wish to be a party of the establishment having a fake socialist identity,without a will for changes, without strength to reverse and without a spirit. Neither we nor the Greek people want this PASOK."

Papandreou said that PASOK will defeat its bad self on Sunday and will defeat the Right in the next elections. The time has come, he added, to say yes to PASOK of change and of reversal, to PASOK that can defeat New Democracy "and whoever Karamanlis whenever he decides to go to the polls." "Nobody can threaten us, extort us or count on the crisis or the doubting of our unity," he noted.

Lastly, Papandreou said that "the reason why the prime minister is in a hurry to submit the electoral law is not only the mutinies of his deputies but, mainly, the development of procedures in PASOK that he sees developing in a way that confirms the real strength of PASOK and the strategy of its upcoming victory."

Evangelos Venizelos said that the conference showed a "PASOK that speedily 'assimilates' defeat" and does not seek the basis and the causes of its crisis in election percentages and the disruption of its relations with the social classes.

He said that two images emerged during the conference that must be recorded, "the one being the extension of PASOK's problem, the view investing in defeat, and the other being the view of the prospect of victory and of the response to the needs of the people."

He further said that all the proposals tabled met with no response and mentioned his own proposal for a joint interview by the three leadership contenders at the party's head office, focusing exclusively on the invitation to citizens for the November 11 election.

Concluding, Venizelos spoke of a "patriotic, popular, radical PASOK" that will be specific and have a clear European socialist leftist policy, without submission to the "perplexity of Atlantic Europe that renders the continent a hostage of the European Central Bank."

Lastly, Costas Skandalidis said that PASOK "is not a protest party but it must represent a progressive and Leftist proposal," adding that the development of the country and the prosperity of the people is a steadfast option of the progressivce and ruling Left.

Skandalidis said that if PASOK goes to the elections as it is today, will not be able to rule, that is a "PASOK of deputies who are insecure and are thinking of the next day, PASOK of the potential leaders who want to get a better position for the future, of officials of all kinds who do not want the nomenclature of all kinds to be upset."

He also stressed that PASOK has distanced itself from society and November 12 must be a course towards the people, adding that the people are anxious and fear the prolonged governance of the country by New Democracy and demand the regrouping of PASOK.

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