Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-03-28

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Karamanlis: The national interest comes first

[01] PM Karamanlis: The national interest comes first

Addressing producer classes, Karamanlis reiterated that he was not concerned with transient popularity, but in "those policies that will secure a better morning after".

He also said that his concern was not "the office, but what I can do for the country".

The premier stressed that his first and foremost concern was the national interest, warning that now was not the time for party or personal expediencies, but rather, a national effort was required to resolve the "serious problems, which concern us all".

Karamanlis referred to the measures his government was taking, and would continue to take, for the sectors that were most hard-hit by the crisis, noting that the first priority was the tourism sector, and stressing that even in the midst of this "stormy crisis" Greece "can prove to be a first-choice destination".

The premier further said that he was, and would remain, in the front line of the battle in the challenge the country was currently facing, adding that this was a battle that could be won, and "we will win it together".

"My first and last concern is the collective, social and national interest, the unity and unanimity of the Greek, the present and future of our country. Everything else is other quarters' concern and anxiety. Everything else is the wishful thinking of those who see attaining the government as an exclusive end in itself. Everything else is just fireworks, scenaria and misinterpretations of irresponsibility. They are not of concern to me. They are not of concern to us," Karamanlis stressed.

"I am determined to proceed steadfastly on the path of responsibility, the path I have believed in and believe in, for the good of our country, the path that we agreed on, together. This choice, this policy, requires strength, persistence and continuity. It requires perseverence and dedication to a goal," the premier continued.

On the developments regarding the global financial crisis and facing its impact in Greece, Karamanlis said he was determined to speak the truth, as hard as it might be, regardless of any political cost.

He said he would not 'caress ears' and endanger the country's course by doing so. "I don't care about temporary popularity. I don't care about passing impressions," he said, but rather "I care about Greece and the Greek society, the policies that are necessary in this global crisis, the policies that ensure a better morning after", adding that "I am taking, and will continue to take, for this purpose, all the decisions that are necessary".

Addressing himself to the opposition, Karamanlis warned that whoever claimed that "the effects of the global financial storm can be tackled with well-wishing and easy recipes is only trying to defraud the citizens", adding that whoever was giving out promises without calculation of their cost either does not know, or pretends not to know, what is going on in the world. Indeed, he added, whereas a climate of understanding and unity in efforts was prevailing throughout the world, in Greece there were some quarters that were protagonists in manufacturing pretexts for distancing themselves from every difficult decision, while efforts were being made to negate, distort and falsify the facts, and accused the opposition of irresponsibility and reactionism.

Karamanlis said that he never faced, nor was facing now, any quandary whatever. Between the easy path of irresponsibility and the difficult path of responsibility "I made a clear-cut choice from the outset, and I will not diverge from that choice," he continued, adding that his government would not resort to populism "which can prove harmful for our country'.

"We will not dispense false promises in order to win passing impressions," he stressed, adding that he would continue to fight, at whatever cost, for the country to exit the crisis with minimal losses and to ensure all the conditions that will guarantee a better future for all the citizens.

The premier further made specific reference to the measures aimed at boosting tourism, noting that the government had promptly taken a series of steps and was intensifying its efforts and extending its interventions, such as a systematic projection of Greece, with increased funds, a drastic reduction in certain fees, subsidization of hiring of unemployed in seasonal units, and other steps.

Greece, he stressed, was a safe and hospitable country, and could prove to be a first-choice destination in this difficult year as well.

He also noted that, since March 2004 approximately 980 new projects in the wider area of the Ionian Islands were incorporated into the 3rd Community Support Framework (CSF), with the overall budget exceeding 650 million euros, of which some 300 projects valued at more than 200 million euros concerned Zakynthos.

Earlier, Karamanlis toured various projects currently underway on Zakynthos, including the island's new municipal theater and the new 160-bed general hospital in Gaitani, which is slated for completion by the end of the summer

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