Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-09-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] Karamanlis inaugurates 74th TIF

[02] Miro exhibition in Thessaloniki

[03] Papariga: KKE for resistance to EU

[04] Breakthrough eludes SYRIZA

[05] Police pavilion at TIF

[01] Karamanlis inaugurates 74th TIF

"We must now change all those things that need to change. We must proceed to carry out major and bold structural changes," Karamanlis said, noting that the three pivotal policy directions after the election would be to "tidy up" state finances, decisively clamp down on corruption and to carry out reforms.

"We Greeks have proved that, when we want to, we can achieve very important things when at difficult times we place national interests first and set national targets. I hope we show our best selves," he added.

Inaugurating the trade fair, he stressed its role as an institution that highlighted the strengths of the Greek economy and northern Greece internationally, adding that Macedonia and Thrace were set to become economic centres for the surrounding region once the infrastructure projects begun in the past five years were completed.

After the inauguration ceremony and a briefing from HELEXPO and TIF regarding the organisation of the 2009 trade fair, Karamanlis began a tour of the trade fair's pavilions, accompanied by a delegation of ministers and local government officials.

The pavilions visited by the premier included those of the Thessaloniki Municipality, the fire brigade, India (which is the featured country for the 74th TIF), the Greek Police and Thessaloniki Prefecture.

Caption: Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis (centre) tours the grounds of the 74th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), which he had officially inaugurated moments earlier on Saturday morning. ANA-MPA/MEGAPRESS/Lefteris Damianidis

[02] Miro exhibition in Thessaloniki

The exhibition entitled "Miro of Majorca" will be open to the public from Sunday, on which day entrance will be free of charge. The official opening will be carried out on Tuesday, October 6, by President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias and Queen Sofia of Spain.

On show are more than 400 paintings, sculptures, engravings and sketches by the artist, while the exhibition is also notable for the faithful reproduction of Miro's workshop, presented in miniature, in the garden outside the Telloglion.

The exhibition will run until February 5.

[03] Papariga: KKE for resistance to EU

"Workers and employees, small business owners and poor farmers that are suffering, those that now know very well that the only difference between ruling New Democracy and main opposition PASOK is holding the government seat, must go to the ballot box with their heads held high," she underlined.

She urged voters to cast their ballot while thinking of the following days, weeks and months: "Whether we have an ND government or a PASOK government in power, whether one is main opposition or the other, they will completely forget their gilded slogans about boldness and bravery, about green development, and literally pounce on the labour, insurance and general social rights of workers."

According to Papariga, the only policies that would be carried out were those of European Commissioner for monetary affairs Joaquin Almunia, not the promises being made by the parties.

"The next day there needs to be something more certain and stable. A strong people, a strong movement. A decisive condition for this, the only one today, is that KKE emerge stronger in the polls," she underlined, adding that her party was prepared to head to elections.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photograph of Communist Party of Greece (KKE) General Secretary Aleka Papariga.

[04] Breakthrough eludes SYRIZA

After a stormy session on Friday, opposing factions within SYRIZA had agreed that a solution to this question must be found by midday on Saturday, but did not succeed in bridging the different views between the largest party in the alliance, the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (SYN), and other elements that make up SYRIZA.

The falling out was triggered by a decision made by SYN's Political Secretariat, which demanded that the leader of SYN and SYRIZA should be the same person, namely SYN leader Alexis Tsipras. Other factions within SYRIZA, however, were adamant that the current leader of SYRIZA Alekos Alavanos should remain at the head of the alliance.

During a further meeting on Friday night, SYN's political secretariat had stuck to its original position, insisting that its own proposal would be more effective than the counter-proposals heard.

Possible solutions out of the impasse discussed on Saturday included that Alavanos lead the election ticket, a 'collective' leadership or possibly the election of some other leader entirely.

SYN's Central Committee will meet on Sunday to discuss the latest developments and a new meeting of SYRIZA's secretariat has been scheduled late on Sunday afternoon.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photograph of Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (SYN) leader Alexis Tsipras (L) and Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) Parliamentary group leader Alekos Alavanos (R).

[05] Police pavilion at TIF

"Whenever there is a problem with public administration, the police are called in. We see a section of the police force occupied by duties unrelated with those they were trained for," the minister pointed out, listing activities like the issue of passports, driving licences, hygiene and building inspections.

"The work that should be done by the other large section of public administration is being done by the Greek Police. If the police did not devote time and energy to this kind of contribution, things would be much better," Markoyiannakis asserted.

The minister also referred to what he called a sudden qualitative and quantitative change in levels of crime in recent years, saying that the police force had succeeded in adapting to this and was "heading in the right direction".

Caption: Alternate Interior Minister for public order Christos Markoyiannakis inaugurating the Greek Police pavilion at the 74th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) on Saturday. ANA-MPA - Pavlos Makridis.

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