Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-09-25

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM calls voters to reject 'those who negate truth'

[02] PASOK leader: country must change course

[01] PM calls voters to reject 'those who negate truth'

The ruling ND party, he said, "tells the truth to the people and has a plan with which it can lead the country to a better tomorrow.'

The prime minister strongly criticised PASOK leader George Papandreou on the latter's position on national issues saying that, as foreign minister in the years 1999-2004, he (Papandreou) had declared that in exploratory talks with neighbouring Turkey the issue of grey zones would not be discussed while the then prime minister said that the issue was finally included in these talks.

"I question nobody's patriotism but they cannot question our's," the prime minister noted.

Regarding the Burgas-Alexandroupoli oil pipeline project, Karamanlis termed Papandreou's declarations on the issue as "curious insinuations" and wondered whether "the conceal" something.

Referring to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's (FYROM) 'name issue', premier Karamanlis said "we put clear red lines and we do not backtrack. We proved that in Bucharest, we showed boldness and credibility which cannot be questioned by anybody."

On the economy, Karamanlis charged that "PASOK's pleasant words will bring about an unbearable cost," saying that the main opposition party "is contradicting itself, does not tell the truth, conceals its real intentions and the only thing it is interested in is how not to be unpleasent to citizens."

[02] PASOK leader: country must change course

Papandreou said "gallops do not win elections" adding "the battle must be waged by all until the last minute."

"It is time to leave behind, once and and for all, all that has led the country to decay, corruption, fear and to margin. It is time to put the country on the track of progress, justice and growth," the PASOK leader said.

Papandreou promised to "make the first step in this course" by assuming the task of "fighting against all those established interests that put obstacles to the new course of the country, whatever the cost might be."

"I commit myself to be at the front of this great effort and hand over to our children a better Greece than the one we inherited," he emphasised.

The main opposition leader asked for "a vote of confidence and a strong mandate for absolute parliamentary majority, in order to fully implement the PASOK programme which guarantees the country's new course."

Referring to the first 100 days of his government, if his party wins the elections, Papandreou conceded that Grrece "will not change in 100 days but what the PASOK programme can do is give the country the time it needs to react, to take a breath, to exit from the intensive care unit, in order to be able to make the next step."

"An indispensable condition for this step," he added, "is the establishment of a well-governed state which will stand by the side of citizens."

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article