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

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK calls for immediate convening of House plenum

[02] FinMin in Ecofin meeting

[03] KKE rejects PM's proposal

[01] PASOK calls for immediate convening of House plenum

The convening of Parliament and the creation of a Factfinding Committee is being requested by the main opposition party now and not in October. The sending of a letter to Parliament President Dimitris Sioufas by Papandreou is expected in the next few days on this issue.

Papandreou will also be sending a second letter that will concern the proposal made Monday by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on the setting up of a Crossparty Committee on transparency.

Referring in particular to the prime minister's proposal for this Committee to be created in October, Papandreou said that "the prime minister is once again refusing to reply to the Siemens scandal and he hopes that he will gain time this way" and accused him of "following a delaying tactic."

Papandreou stressed that PASOK is now requesting the immediate activation of the Institutions and Transparency Committee, as well as the promotion of arrangements on such issues as the funding of parties and the transparency, meritocracy, governance and functioning of the political system issues "and this now and not in October."

He added that PASOK "will give no alibi to the government, which is passing over in silence its grave political responsibilities in the Siemens case."

"The glass has overflowed with the Siemens case which is rocking the country and the time has come to turn a new page," Papandreopu added.

The PASOK leader once again attacked the government, accusing it of "being incompetent and of lacking any will in the face of this major issue," while reminding of his proposals to Karamanlis on "a joint cleanup of public life with whatever cost for our parties" and accusing the prime minister of selecting silence and of being a part of the problem.

Government reaction

Minister of State and government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos, replying to Papandreou's statements, said that "once again Mr. Papandreou is proposing, with a 24-hour delay, what the government has already announced."

Roussopoulos added that "at the same time that he is calling for a dialogue on the issues of transparency, he is refusing to participate in the Crossparty Committee that the prime minister has proposed, precisely in the same way that he refused to participate in the revision of the Constitution as well."

[02] FinMin in Ecofin meeting

Speaking to reporters, after an ECOFIN meeting in Brussels, the Greek minister said the impact on the European economy from an international financial crisis and rising prices in oil, food and raw materials, was the main issue on the agenda of the council. Alogoskoufis said that according to latest data, this impact could be greater than originally thought.

Commenting on the international crisis, the Greek minister said it has resulted to a significant liquidity problems in Europe, higher interest rates and an appreciation of the euro currency. ?Eurozone economies and all EU countries, are directly affected by the current negative climate, because of the liquidity, higher interest rates, slower investments, negative consumption and further burdening of both the private and public debt,? Alogoskoufis said, adding that ?as a result economic growth is slowing down with certain economies facing the risk of recession."

Alogoskoufis said all EU member-states faced higher inflationary pressures and noted he could not exclude the appearance of the stagflation phenomenon. Alogoskoufis, in his intervention during the council meeting, said European economic policy should focus on a rapid combating of inflation, maintaining fiscal consolidation and promoting reforms, as envisaged in the Lisbon Strategy. He underlined the need to give more emphasis on the efficiency of financial markets, boosting their transparency, lowering dependence on oil, supporting the markets of goods and services and strengthening the operation of labour markets.

[03] KKE rejects PM's proposal

The problem, according to KKE, "lies in the very mingling of the state with the monopolies and the power parties. This is the reality in the system in which we are living. Vested interests exist and develop on this ground and which are not only limited to financial exchanges, but are expressed in many ways and, mainly, with multiform backing for the parties that support the interests of capital with their policy."

KKE further said that the proposals of both the New Democracy (ND)government and of the main opposition PASOK party "deal a blow at vested interests only in words," adding that with the pretext of "transparency" and the checking of expenditures "unacceptable interference in the internal functioning of parties is being attempted."

The party stressed that its "overall policy and the programme that it has communicated to the people is directed openly and unequivocally against capitalist ownership and profit."

KKE leader meets archaeologists

In another development, KKE Secretary General Aleka Papariga met on Tuesday with the Greek Archaeologists Society saying afterwards that her party supported the archaeologists' protest and stands by their side in light of the bill that will be tabled in Parliament and "which, in essence, passes a form of privatisation to the new museum which is being disengaged from the Acropolis."

Papariga added that in general the sector of excavations and of archaeological monuments "is literally in danger from the most extreme privatisation because, unfortunately, archaeological treasure is also considered in Greece a means of obtaining wealth, a means of tourism and this is unacceptable."

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article