Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-07-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] President inspects Naval fleet

[02] Conference on sea cruises

[01] President inspects Naval fleet

"Today is a great day for the Navy, which played an important role in all of the nation's struggles and produced exceptional fighters such as Lambros Katsonis, Kanaris, Miaoulis, Kountouriotis, etc. All the struggles were for Greece's liberation or to avert any claims by those forces that thought of separting Greece's seas in half," Papoulias said aboard the frigate Themistocles, following his inspection.

He said that the officers and seamen were those who toild and defended the land, the territorial integrity and seas of Greece.

"I pay great honor to all those people, and wish them that they will carry out their national duty just as in our history, the example of which they are carrying on," the President said.

Papoulias inspected 34 vessels of the Greek Navy fleet that were docked in Faliron, near Piraeus, for the Naval Week celebrations.

He was welcomed aboard the Themistocles by Navy General Staff chief Vice-Admiral George Karamalikis, and fleet commander Y. Karaiskos.

[02] Conference on sea cruises

Speaking to reporters, during a news conference, Yiannis Evaggelou, president of HATTA, said the aim of CruiseinGreece was the examine the countryâs prospects in the sea cruise industry and acquiring a better view of how to make a more efficient use of the countryâs wealth as a preferential destination. All 12 speakers in the conference said Greece has all the necessary charisma that make it a popular destination but not profitable enough for large cruise companies.

Evaggelou stressed that almost all speakers criticized the problem with cabotaze. Tourism Development Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos said the government was in favour of promoting the necessary institutional changes towards lifting the cabotaze regime, a position that was most welcome by representatives of large cruise enterprises, such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean/Celebrity and Princess, along with small luxury cruise ship owners, who expressed their wish to establish Greece as a hub for cruise programs in Eastern Mediterranean.

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