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Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-01-29Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Samaras to meet President of RepublicMain opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Antonis Samaras will be received by President of Republic Karolos Papoulias shortly after noon at the presidential mansion. On Wednesday ND party formally nominated incumbent President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias for re-election.ND leader Antonis Samaras submitted a letter to parliament president Filippos Petsalnikos on Wednesday morning informing him that the ND parliamentary group proposes the renewal of of President Papoulias' term, the party's press spokesman Panos Panagiotopoulos said in an announcement. [02] Group claims responsibility for fire bomb at Simitis' officeThe terror organisation "Revolutionary Liberation Action" has claimed responsibility for Thursday's fire bomb attack on the office of former Greek prime minister Costas Simitis in central Athens, with a phone call to the private television network SKAI.The same group has in the past claimed responsibility for similar attacks on the offices of the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) party and on the office of New Democracy MP Kyriakos Mitsotakis. A makeshift incendiary bomb made with four gas canisters had exploded the same afternoon outside the entrance to Simitis' political office on the fifth floor of a building on 35 Akadimias Street. The explosion caused serious damage to the door and the office interior but no injuries. Police briefly cordoned off Akadimias Street and diverted traffic at that point until they completed their investigation at the scene. They later announced that the device was made of four gas canisters, which had exploded and caught fire. In addition to fire damage to the door of Simitis's office, it also caused more minor damage to the next-door entrances of the Simitis Foundation and a lawyers' office. There were two people in the office at the time of the explosion, who both went out onto the balcony to escape the flames, while the building was evacuated by the fire brigade as a precaution. The Anti-terrorist squad and Attica Security are now investigating the attack. [03] Batzeli on farmers issueANA-MPA/Agricultural Development and Foods Minister Katerina Batzeli said on Thursday, on the occasion of the European Commission resorting against Greece for the package of 500 million euros that Hatzigakis had given to the Greek farmers last year, that "we shall defend the interests of our country with every legal means so that we shall not have monetary burdening and fines."The amount of 150 million euros that Kontos had given to the partnerships the year before last has beeen included in the resort against Greece. Batzeli reiterated that national and extraordinary subsidies do not solve any of the farmers' problems and for this reason the government insists on the institutional interventions that will boost the farmer's income and restructure the farming sector. [04] Barroso on eurozone, GreeceBRUSSELS (ANA-MPA/M. Spinthourakis) - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso stressed the need here on Thursday for the greater coordination of economic policies in the European Union, saying that the case of Greece proves that "we must approach the issue of the economic policies of member-states in a unified manner and in particular of the eurozone member-states.""It is evident that the economic policies are not only a national issue, but European as well," he said. Referring to Greece specifically, Barroso expressed the conviction that the best way for Greece to be helped is for the country itself to respect the commitments it has assumed in the framework of the Stability Pact, adding that "we must support the Greek government in this effort," and that "the new government took clear commitments in this direction and we are preparing our decision on the Greek programme which will be publicised on February 3." Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |