Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-02-13

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

CONTENTS

[01] Presentation of book on "NATO in the 21st century"

[02] ASE opening: Rise

[01] Presentation of book on "NATO in the 21st century"

If NATO did not exist, we would need to discover it, US Consul General in Thessaloniki Hoty Brian Yee said, addressing the event, adding that Europe and the Us rely on NATO for security and stability. "There is no other organization doing what NATO does," Yee said.

In a review of the purposes of the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the achievement of the targets which it has contributed to, Yee noted the "collapse of the communist dictatorships" and the "development of democratic institutions and financial markets" in Europe.

The NATO alliance has evolved from 16 members in 1990, without any peacekeeping missions conducted, to 26 members and collaborations with 31 more countries in 2006, with six simultaneous operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, the Mediterranean, Darfur, humanitarian aid during the earthquakes in Pakistan, training Iraqi police, and combating piracy in W. Africa, Yee said.

He also said that NATO wiped out the dividing lines, inviting Russia to formal cooperation by way of the NATO-Russia Council, where issues such as missile defense and the friction in the Middle East and the Caucasus are discussed, adding that NATO was still evolving today and facing new challenges.

In two months' time, the NATO leaders will meet in France and Germany to celebrate the Alliance's 60th anniversary -- 60 years of peace, affluence and conciliation -- and to plan its future, Yee, said, adding: "For those of you who are still not convinced that NATO has a future, I would like to paraphrase John Lennon and urge you to 'give NATO a chance'. Study the data, not only the propaganda".

Main opposition PASOK MP Yiannis Magriotis spoke of the need for NATO dedication to the common principles and values that associate it with the UN, stressing that "the global security system can no longer be unipolar or bipolar, but multipolar".

"If NATO wants to be a credible force, it must build a new relationship of balance with Russia as well. A relationship of mutuality, frankness and constructive cooperation," he added.

Ruling New Democracy (ND) MP Apostolos Tzitzikostas spoke on the change of "agenda" following the collapse of bipolarism, commenting on the book author's views, "for a substantive re-adaptation" of NATO's mission, taking into consideration human rights, good cooperation with the UN, the OSCE and the EU, in the framework of the dictates of the Lisbon Treaty, for the creation of a Euro-force.

Greece, he said, was contributing to NATO's mission, but always "in the framework of the principles and values of good cooperation, mutual respect and understanding among the member countries".

[02] ASE opening: Rise

Individual sector indices were moving upward nearly across the board, with the only losses in Mass Media, down 1.73 percent.

The biggest gains were in Technology, up 2.31 percent; Raw Materials, up 2.15 percent;Food & Beverage, up 1.94 percent; and Banks, up 1.82 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was up 1.41 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was up 1.17 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was up 1.08 percent.

Of the stocks moved, 92 were up, 10 were down, and 11 were unchanged.

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