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Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-11-12Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] PM chairs Inner Cabinet, KYSEA meetingsThe Inner Cabinet, chaired by prime minister Costas Karamanlis, on Wednesday unanimously approved environment, town planning and public works minister George Souflias' recommendation for spatial planing for renewable energy sources.Souflias told reporters after the meeting that the lack of developmental planning, coupled by bureaucracy and the downgrading of the environment, have been causing problems in investments, while the plan proposed would introduce the necessary structural interventions. With the new plan, Greece will meet its obligations, and will have attained the EU target of 20 percent of energy coming from renewable sources earlier than the EU deadline of 2020. To a question on rumors of early general elections, Souflias said that he did not see such a prospect. Defence minister Evangelos Meimarakis, speaking about an earlier meeting of the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA), said that it had unanimously approved Greece's participation in the international force that will go to Somalia, under the relevant UN resolutions. Greece, he said, would participate with a frigate and its helicopter, as well as with high-ranking staff, adding that Greece will hold the command of the operation for as long as required and agreed, and noted that there could be an alternation in the command of the international force. Meimarakis said that the Inner Cabinet was also briefed on the planning of the country's 15-year armaments program, although decisions were not made, while the restructuring of the Armed Forces was also discussed. He added that he would brief parliament's standing committee on foreign affairs and defence on those matters, as the ministry leadership's aim was the broadest possible consensus on such issues. Agricultural development minister Alexandros Kontos, in turn, announced measures for the reinforcement of grains producers. [02] Emperors' Conference monument in Petronell-CarnuntumVienna (ANA-MPA / D. Dimitrakoudis) -- Foundations were laid on Tuesday for the Emperors' Conference Monument in the Austrian city of Petronell where the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Carnuntum are located, the site of the meeting of Diocletian, Galerius and Maximian on November 11 in 308 AD, when Constantine the Great became "caesar" and later the first Christian emperor. The ceremony attended representatives of the Austrian state and political leadership, the ambassadors of 11 European countries and Church representatives among them Metropolitan Michael of Austria Exarch of Hungary and Mid-Europe. The foundations of the Christian European civilisation were laid in 308 AD, stressed Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in his message, read out by the Metropolitan of Austria, underlining the Eastern and Orthodox dimension of European civilisation "that cannot be only western, Catholic or Protestant." The founder and director of the ancient Greek theater in Carnumtum, Piero Bordin, announced that a number of events have been planned in different countries marking the Emperors' Conference and the formal recognition of the Christian religion. The first of those events is planned to be held in Thessaloniki on April 30, 2011 marking the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicomedia Edict for tolerance toward Christians, issued by Emperor Galerius. Carnuntum is located in northern Pannonia on the Danube River and was an important Roman post from the time of Tiberius. It was used as a base by Marcus Aurelius in his campaign against the Marcomanni (AD 172 - 174) and there he wrote the second book of his Meditations.Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |