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Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-11-08Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] PM Papandreou to chair cabinet meetingAMNA-Prime Minister George Papandreou will chair a cabinet meeting at 12 noon on Tuesday.The announcement on the meeting was made late on Monday night, shortly after the statement by government spokesman Ilias Mosialos that there were "positive approaches on the person of the new prime minister" in the contacts between Papandreou and main opposition New Democracy party leader Antonis Samaras. [02] Greek FinMin at Euro Group meetingBRUSSELS (AMNA) - Greek Government vice president and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said here on Monday evening that from Monday's Euro Group finance ministers meeting "it is concluded that the Eurozone is ready to implement, in its entirety, the October 26 decision, beginning with the disbursing of the 6th tranche, if and as soon as the new (Greek) government and the political forces that support it, confirm in a written statement Greece's committments that relate to the EU's October 26 decisions."Speaking after a Euro Group finance ministers meeting, Venizelos added that an EC/ECB/IMF troika would be coming to Athens for the necessary consultations "that lead to the new program." The Greek minister also said that the Euro Group welcomed "very wormly" recent political developments in Greece and particularly the decision of the two main stream parties to support a government which would implement the October 26 decision. [03] SYRIZA's Tsipras urges resistance to coalition governmentAMNA--Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) Parliamentary group leader Alexis Tsipras on Monday urged the Greek people to resist the new coalition government in the process of being formed by the two main parties, stressing that ordinary people "have the power and can overthrow it".Tsipras criticised the planned coalition government as a perversion of democracy and said that voters, regardless of their previous political beliefs, should not let themselves be blackmailed or terrorised into "allowing democracy to go before a firing squad".amna He repeated his position for immediate elections with simple proportional representation, stressing that this would be the only solution to restore regularity and social cohesion. "Just as people forced the Papandreou government to fall, so sooner or later they will succeed in bringing a new coalition to power that will challenge the unconstitutional loan agreements and restore the people's sovereignty, social justice and national dignity," Tsipras underlined.amna Despite being forced to step down as prime minister, George Papandreou must be secretly relieved since he would not have to preside over the implementation of his choices but would foist their results on his successor, Tsipras added. [04] Two earthquakes shake Crete, SantoriniAMNA--Two earthquakes occurring within half a day of one another shook the islands of Crete and Santorini late on Sunday and early on Monday morning, worrying local residents.A quake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale was felt just before 11:00 p.m. on Sunday night. Its epicentre was located the sea northeast of Crete, between Crete and the island of Santorini, some 297 kilometres southeast of Athens and 70 kilometres south-southeast of Santorini. No damage was reported. There followed a second quake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale at 11:20 a.m. on Monday morning, with an epicentre 79 kilometres northeast of Iraklio and at a depth of six kilometres, which was strongly felt on the north coast of Crete.amna Seismologists were reassuring about the two quakes, saying that they were within the normal pattern for seismic activity in the area. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |