Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-05-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] Papandreou attacks govermnent over OTE sale

[02] Israelis on pro-Palestinian statement

[03] Athens Newspaper Headlines

[01] Papandreou attacks govermnent over OTE sale

"We got paid less than OTE's gains in 3 months" Papandreou stressed in Parliament.

"My sense of dignity and pride was severely bruised by the clause requiring OTE's manager to have knowledge of Greek. You treat us like natives," Papandreou said.

"You injure and diminish Greece," he went on to accused the prime minister, saying that the government was giving the average Greek citizen the sense that they had no future or prospects.

"PASOK, counterpoise with the Greece of self-confidence and prosperity," he added.

Caption: Main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou on Friday 16 May in parliament. ANA-MPA /KATERINA MAVRONA

[02] Israelis on pro-Palestinian statement

In its reply, the Israeli side expressed regret that the "Palestinian community's proclamation" had been signed by dozens of Greeks of the arts and letters and denounced it as a "one-sided manifesto that blames Israel for all the problems in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, overlooking the grave responsibilities of the Arab side".

Among such responsibilities, it listed the Palestinian side's persistent refusal to recognise the state of Israel, noting that Israel was a legal member-state of the United Nations.

"It is sad that you assume that Israel is not interested in peace when, in reality, this goal is one of the foundation stones of our Declaration of Independence. There is no family in Israel that has not mourned victims of the conflict with the Arab world. The prevailing political position in Israel is that there is only one solution to the conflict - two states, Israel and an independent Palestinian State, which will co-exist in peace and security. It appears, however, that you adopt the extreme view supporting the return of millions of Palestinian refugees to Israel, something that would be tantamount to its destruction," the announcement said.

"It is sad that you overlook the great efforts that we have made to achieve peace. The reply to our intention to proceed with great concessions during the negotiations at Camp David in 2000 - as well as our full withdrawal from Gaza and Lebanon - was a wave of terror and a rain of rockets against our citizens. Our children in the city of Sderot are obliged to live in shelters but the manifesto that you have signed does not say a word about these things. In addition, it says nothing about the radical regimes and the extremist organisations, such as Iran and Hamas, which reject the solution of two states and have sworn to destroy Israel."

"We have no doubt that you are truly interested in peace but for to sign a one-sided manifesto does not contribute in any way to promoting peace. As the great Alsatian Nobel laureate philosopher Albert Schweitzer once said: 'Ethics, too, are but reverence for life'. Therefore, in what concerns human life, morality cannot be selective. Your understandable support for the rights of Palestinians does not mean that you cannot find room in your hearts for Israel," the announcement concludes.

It was replying to a statement of solidarity with the Palestinian people signed by 87 people of the arts and letters from Greece and Cyprus that appeared on Thursday in several major Athens daily newspapers.

Bearing the title "No reason to celebrate - 'Israel at 60' - 60 years of Palestinian dispossession", the statement was timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary since the state of Israel was founded and accused the Israeli state of violating the human rights of Palestinians.

Caption:Fireworks explode over Jaffa Road in central Jerusalem late on 07 May 2008 during a light show, as viewed from the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem overlooking the Old City and its distinctive golden Dome of the Rock, as Israel celebrates its 60th anniversary of statehood.ANA-MPA/ EPA/JIM HOLLANDER

[03] Athens Newspaper Headlines

Soaring prices, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis' order to the development ministry's leadership for immediate measures to combat the crisis in the economy and a government decision to establish a ministerial committee that will check huge wastefulness in the health sector dominated the headlines in Friday in Athens' newspapers.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS : "Dictatorship of the minority in Education - Uprise in Universities"

APOGEVMATINI: "End to wasteful spending in social security funds and hospitals - Karamanlis determined to put public health and social security sectors in order"

AVGHI: "OTE: Turbulence after the sale - Stockmarket's 'slap' to the government

AVRIANI: Newspaper refers to Head of transparency authority George Zorbas' speech on Thursday in parliament

CHORA: "Al Qaeda threatens EURO 2008 football championships - Announces organised attacks during the event.

ELEFTHEROS: "Main opposition PASOK threatens minister for OTE and ruling party responds in kind to PASOK over Siemens case - We will send you to jail"

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "SOS sent by Menalos mountain - Illegal dumps, overgrown fire protection zones, indifference"

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: 'University students announce sit-ins in Crete and Thessaly - Rectors' elections in danger'

ESTIA: "PASOK praised free market - Former prime minister Costas Simitis positions were clear".

ETHNOS: "Government prepares a cut back plan for hospitals and social security funds - Rationing for medicines and doctors' examinations"

KATHIMERINI: "New era brings drop in Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) share on the stock market - Karamanlis intervention over wasteful chaos prevailing in health sector"

LOGOS: "Marathon race to stop spiraling prices - PASOK demands immediate measures"

NIKI: "Ministers in marathon to stop soaring prices but it's too late"

RIZOSPASTIS : "Sea of red at Communist party of Greece's rally in downtown Athens square

TA NEA: "Series of illegal actions in the sunflower oil 'ring'

TO VIMA: "Red alert in economy- The crisis is here"

VRADYNI: "High cost of living is government's headache- Prices gouging -profiteering phenomena multiply

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