Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-01-15

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

CONTENTS

[01] Interministerial Committee meeting

[02] PASOK resubmits proposal on Vatopedi probe

[03] US Embassy to be closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King holiday

[04] FM on Greek OSCE presidency

[05] Athens Newspaper Headlines

[01] Interministerial Committee meeting

A day earlier,the Inner Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, discussed Interior Ministry's issues.

Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos told reporters afterwards that the discussion centered on administrative reforms and the advancement of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) targeting the curtailment of bureaucracy and its cost, and also progress in the implementation of the program in 2009.

Pavlopoulos also referred to the implementation of the Prime Minister's circular on better legislation, noting that the laws should be evaluated on the basis of their targets, but also that surveys must be carried out on their implementation. He also spoke about upgrading the citizens' everyday life in all sectors, while further underlining that measures will be taken for small and medium sized enterprises so as to reduce the time and cost required for their establishment.

The Inner Cabinet also discussed matters concerning Civil Protection in view of the dangers entailed by extreme natural phenomena.

Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis stated that "we want to make enterprises' lives easier" adding that a bill on the modernization of corporate and market legislation is being advanced.

Hatzidakis said that the Chambers of Commerce, which will be fortified, will shoulder the burden adding that to avoid time being lost the entire process will begin via the Citizens' Facilitation Offices (KEP) so that enterprises may be established in 'one stop offices'.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis

[02] PASOK resubmits proposal on Vatopedi probe

PASOK's 101 Parliamentary deputies are calling for the creation of a Special Parliamentary Committee to carry out the preliminary investigation regarding the "Penal Responsibilities of Ministers" and articles of the Parliamentary Regulation (a) on the possible perpetration of the offence of breach of faith against the state to a felonious degree by the then ministers and deputy ministers Evangelos Basiakos, Petros Doukas, Alexandros Kontos and George Voulgarakis and (b) the possible moral complicity of the then Minister of State Theodoros Roussopoulos.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou

[03] US Embassy to be closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King holiday

[04] FM on Greek OSCE presidency

Bakoyannis, who arrived in the Austrian capital at noon and who will be presenting the priorities of the Greek presidency of the Organisation in 2009 at the OSCE's Permanent Council plenum on Thursday morning, said that Greece is prepared absolutely to respond fully to the great demands of the mission that it is assuming.

The foreign minister also termed the assumption of the Organisation's presidency as a considerable opportunity for Greece to further underline the positive role that it can and desires to play in the international security environment as a solvent international interlocutor and a reliable partner of the international community, the role of an active regional force and a strong pole of stability and development.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis

[05] Athens Newspaper Headlines

The Revolutionary Struggle group's assumption of the attacks against police officers, the ongoing Turkish provocations in the Aegean and the state of the Greek economy dominated the headlines on Thursday in Athens' newspapers.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "Main opposition PASOK tabled a proposal for the establishment of a preliminary investigation committee into the Vatopedi monastery-State real estate exchanges".

APOGEVMATINI: "Turkish frigate in Attica - Ankara's "Hawks" are trying to provoke a hot incident".

AVGHI: "They are rolling over the cost onto the backs of the financially weaker".

AVRIANI: "Revolutionary Struggle preannounces new 'blind' attacks".

CHORA: "Proof he's alive - The kidnappers sent a video tape showing abducted shipowner Pericles Panagopoulos".

ELEFTHEROS: "Golden opportunity for Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to perform a 'clean up' in ND and the political system".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: They declared war against all".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Loans-loop for the Economy - Greece's credit ability downgraded".

ESTIA: "Radical simplification of the taxation system".

ETHNOS: "The dreams of benefits are shattering - Standard and Poor's credit rating house report is shocking for Greece and the eurozone".

KATHIMERINI: "Painful downgrading of the Greek economy".

LOGOS: "The warning bell sounds for the Greek economy".

NIKI: "The economy in a chasm - Greece to face new misadventures".

RIZOSPASTIS: "Greece must not turn into a sprinboard for the slaughter of the Palestinians".

TA NEA: "International credit rating house downgrades the Greek economy".

TO VIMA: "Ruling party New Democracy (ND) dismantles ND - They are changing the changes of the re-establishment"

VRADYNI: "Social cohesion comes first - FinMin Yannis Papathanassiou's response to STANDARD & POOR's appraisers".

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