Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-09-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] Papandreou: Country's future at stake

[02] Alavanos will not run for parliament in October elections

[03] Evros fires fully contained

[04] Athens Stock Exchange opening: Rise

[01] Papandreou: Country's future at stake

Papandreou said the election outcome was "whether we will continue on the course towards decay, financial and moral crisis, towards a discount in values, or, whether we will come out of the quagmire with a collective effort that will unite all creative forces of the country."

The PASOK leader expressed certainty that citizens will opt for a strong, self-sufficient government, and warned that he will not allow the crucial electoral showdown to degenerate into a "cock fight", adding that he will invite the prime minister to an "upgraded pre-electoral dialogue process".

Papandreou said that in any eventuality, including a PASOK self-sufficient majority, he will seek consensus and cooperation with the wider progressive political and social forces because "that is demanded by the magnitude of the problems faced by the country, by the ambitious goals we are setting".

"We will exhaust all the margins in order to give solutions to the country's problems," he added.

The main opposition leader said he will be inexorable on phenomena of corruption, and from his very first moment in power will make every possible effort to clear up all the "fetid cases" that have hurt the Greek people.

Papandreou further said his future Cabinet will comprise a substantially reduced number of ministers and deputy ministers, adding that there are very many worthy Greeks "outside of PASOK but also outside the political parties in general" whom he will invite to contribute, from responsible positions, to a national effort above and beyond party demarcations.

[02] Alavanos will not run for parliament in October elections

[03] Evros fires fully contained

The forest fire, which broke out on two fronts on Sunday noon in the Aethochori and Melias expanses, quickly spread due major dimensions fanned by high winds in the area, resulting in the evacuation of the villages of Pefka and Loutra for precautionary reasons. Traffic on the Egnatia Highway between the Makiri and Ardani junctions was also interrupted, while a state of emergency was declared in the southern part of Evros prefecture.

According to first estimates by Northern Greece Fire Brigade general inspector Dimitris Pafoutis, the fire burned approximately 5,000 acres of forest land before being contained by a strong force of 200 firemen with 50 fire engines from the wider region of Macedonia and Thrace, assisted by four water-dropping planes, the military, local residents, volunteer firefighters and water tankers and other equipment from the prefecture and surrounding municipalities.

[04] Athens Stock Exchange opening: Rise

Equity prices were rising at the opening of trade on Monday on the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE), with the basic share price index up 1.63 percent, standing at 2,464.65 points at 10:45 a.m., and turnover at 15.3 million euros.

Individual sector indices were moving mostly upward, with the biggest gains in Mass Media, up 14.59 percent; Travel & Recreation, up 2.04 percent; Food & Beverage, up 1.94 percent; and Banks, up 1.92 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was up 1.64 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was up 1.63 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was up 1.12 percent.

Of the stocks moved, 101 were up, 17 were down, and 15 were unchanged.

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