Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 13-01-14

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

CONTENTS

[01] Dep. FM meets with Van Rompuy

[02] Tsipras to meet Schauble on Monday

[03] Armed attack against ND offices in Athens

[01] Dep. FM meets with Van Rompuy

During his meeting with Rompuy, Tsiaras noted that the common decisions taken regarding the implementation of the stability programme, had given the opportunity to Greece and to Europe to prove that the eurozone should be rescued, and expressed the hope that 2013 will be the year that will signal the start of development in Greece.

On his part, Van Rompuy praised Greece's efforts and described as 'a miracle' what the country has achieved in the recent months, adding that not only Greece but also the entire eurozone must continue on the same path, and estimated that 2013 will be the last difficult year.amna

The Greek official, who arrived in Egypt on Saturday, had a series of meetings with Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria and All Africa, members of the Greek community and representatives of the business world with the aim to activate the Chambers of the two countries.amna

Van Rompuy was in Egypt reciprocating Egypt President Mohammed Morsi's visit to Brussels in the context of the EU-Egypt deliberations regarding economic support to Egypt.

[02] Tsipras to meet Schauble on Monday

The meeting was arranged before Christmas in consultation with Germany's left-wing party Die Linke.

On Sunday, Tsipras addressing an event organised by Germany's Left Party (Die Linke) at the Volksbuehne Theatre, charged that Antonis Samaras' coalition government is trying to save PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos in "the scandal of providing immunity to tax evasion", as he called it, while claiming that Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Venizelos "are trying to turn the focus away from austerity's bankruptcy and tax raids on the weak towards a strategy of tension and division which opens the road to the strengthening of the extreme right forces in Greece, of the neo-Nazis of the Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi) party."amna

Tsipras was referring to the leader of PASOK, a junior partner in Greece's coalition government, who was finance minister in two governments.

"We want to change Greece and we are the only ones that can achieve it. Because we are not those who shaped the past, and because we are not bound by the economic oligarchy which aims at preserving its privileges," the SYRIZA leader added. Referring to tax evasion in the country, Tsipras said that "it is not the exemption but the rule of a system of kleptocracy that led to bankruptcy."amna

Referring to the 'Lagarde list' issue, Tsipras said that the list was not "concealed by corrupt Greek political personnel by accident" and neither did the "European leadership allow, without checks and controls, the Greek political leadership to protect its elect people by accident."

SYRIZA leader also reiterated his party's proposal for the holding of a European Conference on the Debt, like the 1953 London Conference on the German debt, aiming at "resolving definitely and collectively, the Eurozone debt crisis." amna

He accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of having "imposed in Greece and the entire European south the failed and disastrous austerity policy which, through the recession it creates, has rendered Greece's public debt non sustainable." amna

Die Linke chairman Bernd Riexinger, together with co-chairman Katja Kipping, handed over to Tsipras a cheque of 40,000 euros in the framework of the "Solidarity for All" programme. Party founder and former German finance minister Oskar Lafontaine also addressed the event, expressing his solidarity to Greece and denouncing the German chancellor's policies.

[03] Armed attack against ND offices in Athens

Police who rushed to the scene found nine automatic rifle shells on the pavement outside the ND headquarters.amna

According to ND, a bullet was found in Prime Minister and ND leader Antonis Samaras' office, which had shattered a window, hit a wall and ended up on the floor of the office.

Meanwhile, a burned car was later found in the coastal Athens district of Paleo Faliro, which according to police was used in the attack.

The counter-terrorism squad is conducting an investigation.amna

Government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou made a plea to all the political to assume their responsibilities.amna

"There is no 'good' or 'bad' violence. Violence is one and must be ostracized from our society", he said and spoke of "an attempt to instill terror in our society" and of attacks that target democracy".

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