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

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

CONTENTS

[01] Violence in central Athens

[02] Alavanos attacks government

[03] Greek Press Review

[01] Violence in central Athens

At around 14:00, meanwhile, police clashed with left-wing, anti-establishment youths that had set up road blocks and cut off traffic on Panepistimiou Street. The youths responded by attacking police with stones and bits of wood and were finally forced to scatter into surrounding side-streets when police again used tear gas against them.

According to a police announcement, the later incidents were triggered when a group of a Leftist supporters that had gathered at Klathmonos Square started to move toward the Propylaia of Athens University, where they joined with another group carrying out a pre-rally over genetically modified foods at Syntagma Square.

The protestors then blocked off Panepistimiou street and a detachment of riot police attempted to drive them away, resulting in a clash and attacks with stones. Police said that some of the protestors took refuge within the university campus.

Three injured in clash between far-right and Leftist groups

Three people were injured in clashes between rival demonstrations organised by ultra-right-wing supporters and extreme Left and anti-establishment groups on Saturday. Members of the two rallies came to blows on Stadiou Street in central Athens at around 11:00 in the morning.

Two of the people injured were hit by stones and a third was stabbed with a knife, while all three are now being treated at Evangelismos Hospital.

Police said the far-right groups had gathered at Kolokotroni Square, while the opposing Leftists groups had gathered at nearby Klathmonos Square. At one point, both groups were making their way down Stadiou Street and started attacking each other with stones, lengths of wood and other objects.

The police intervened and dispersed the rival groups by using teargas, while two people were injured and taken to hospital. Police did not specify whether the injured belonged to either of the two rival factions or were unlucky passers-by.

At around midday, the far-right supporters were still at Kolokotroni Square and the Leftist supporters at Klathmonos but the situation had calmed down. The far-right supporters departed from the area late on Saturday afternoon, after talking with the public prosecutor and the commanding officer of the police contingent.They had originally planned a rally at Kolokotroni Square at 19:00 on Saturday to mark the "anniversary of Imia".

At the same time, the Leftist and anti-establishment groups had planned an anti-racism rally in the same place at 14:00 in the afternoon, possibly in order to prevent the later rally by the far-right groups.

Both groups gathered earlier, however, leading to the violence.

CAPTION: Police were forced to use tear gas on Saturday to disperse anti-establishment youths that had set up road blocks in central Athens. ANA-MPA/ Pantelis Saitas.

[02] Alavanos attacks government

Addressing his party's central political committee, which convened to discuss preparations for SYN's party conference, Alavanos spoke of a "destabilisation of the core around the Maximos Mansion [where the prime minister has his office]" and indirectly suggested that main opposition PASOK table a motion of no-confidence in the government, saying that he would done so if his party had 60 MPs in Parliament.

Replying to a statement by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Friday, in which the premier stated that New Democracy had a "fresh and strong mandate", Alavanos contradicted the claim and said that the government's mandate was "deep-frozen and powerless because it was derived from the fridge of the electoral law".

SYN's leader called for Parliamentary inquiries into the Zachopoulos and Siemens cases and challenged the two main parties to state their positions concerning the Siemens affair.

He expressed confidence that SYN's upcoming conference, which will take place on February 7-10 next week, would open the way for the party to take on a leading role on the political scene.

Caption: The leader of the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (SYN) Alekos Alavanos addressed his party's central political committee on Saturday, which convened to discuss preparations for SYN's party conference. ANA-MPA/ Pantelis Saitas.

[03] Greek Press Review

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis categorically ruling out early elections, the ongoing investigations into scandal surrounding former culture ministry general secretary Christos Zachopoulos and the Siemens bribery case, the movements of special bank accounts belonging to ministers, the election of a new archbishop of the Church of Greece, social insurance system reforms, a uniform fuel tax, the acquisition of Yahoo by Microsoft and international economic news dominated headlines in the Saturday editions of Athens' dailies.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "Meeting by President - Prime Minister over Greek-Turkish relations et.c. Costas Karamanlis: No early elections. [Interior Minister] Prokopis Pavlopoulos: If you want elections, here's Rodos! [refers to Greek saying roughly equivalent to putting one's money where one's mouth is]"

APOGEVMATINI: "Heavy political climate. Opposition disorienting people from their real problems. Their creating the 'Siemens' scandal and the ramifications of the Zachopoulos case"

AVGHI: "Alekos Alavanos: the majority of the people distrusts the government. Under pressure, the prime minister exorcises elections"

AVRIANI: "Storm in Parliament over Siemens. Everything must come to light for the good of the country, democracy and the government"

CHORA: "All the background about Thursday's election [of a new archbishop]. The 'holy war' waxes"

ETHNOS: "Memories of '93 awakened for New Democracy. Pressures on Maximos (PM's office) for a 'face-lift'" [Refers to the downfall of the 1993 ND government when it lost a Parliamentary majority of just one seat through an MP's defection].

ELEFTHEROS: "Karamanlis: no to 'Italisation'. He rejected the possibility of resorting to early elections"

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Support for Kladas until further notice. By order of the prime minister, the head of the Special Audits Service to be backed by government. Situation will be overturned if he is prosecuted, top ministers say"

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "17 ministers with four billion euros hidden. Notorious 'special accounts' in the cross-hairs"

ESTIA: "Speculations about elections. They clash with dictates of Constitution"

KATHIMERINI: "Government rejects blackmail and elections. Karamanlis' message after meeting Papoulias"

LOGOS: "Costas Karamanlis: 'The government has fresh and powerful popular mandate'. Puts brakes on election talk"

TA NEA: "Election DVD sent to Maximos Mansion (PM's office). Nervous breakdown for ministers-MPs. Pressure for elections-reshuffle"

NIKI: "Unholy war between bishops. Vicious clashes and extortion"

RIZOSPASTIS: "Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Parliamentary group question in Parliament. They're shutting down and selling off cooperative organisations and companies"

TO VIMA: "What President Papoulias-Karamanlis discussed in private. Civil war within New Democracy over the people and sources of the attrition. The inaction, doubts and election speculation"

VRADYNI: "'We have a fresh and powerful mandate'. An end to the rumours about early elections from the prime minister"

FINANCIAL PAPERS

IMERISIA: "The final plan for the social insurance system"

KERDOS: "Microsoft's offer for Yahoo a chance of relief! Markets hungry for deals. European markets moving up, Wall Street concern.

O KOSMOS TOY EPENDYTI: "The tragic picture presented by the country, political system, public life. Beware, masqueraders at large! Water torture for Karamanlis - George [Papandreou] initiatives for PASOK's recovery.

NAFTEMPORIKI: "Super offer by Microsoft to buyout Yahoo"

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