Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-06-10

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

CONTENTS

[01] Gerovasili: 'Our focus will now switch to daily life, fighting unemployment'

[02] BoG governor discusses Greek lenders, economy with Bulgarian PM

[03] Preserving history, fighting neo-Nazism are best ways to honour victims of Distomo, says minister

[04] Acropolis publisher Mavrikos died in burning Porsche, DNA test shows

[05] Shipping minister meets Commission's Bulc as 'Posidonia 2016' ends scoring record visits

[06] No metro or tram in Athens from 22:00 on Friday, early Monday morning

[01] Gerovasili: 'Our focus will now switch to daily life, fighting unemployment'

Gerovasili said the government intends to make a series of changes to the political system, including to election law, again criticising ND for its resistance to changes "whose necessity is admitted by all others". She said that there will be a period of dialogue at the level of government and party organs before a comprehensive proposal is presented for public consultation, adding that this will be based on some form of simple proportional representation. The revision of the Constitution, she added, will be carried out according to the procedure laid out within the Constitution itself.

Talking about the conclusion of the review, Gerovasili said that 80 pct of last summer's agreement was completed and front-loaded loans were now being injected into the real economy, which would help reverse the economic climate in the second half of 2016. Now that the review was concluded, the government will turn its focus on people's daily lives and especially to fighting unemployment, which she described as the "great enemy".

Asked about the sale of the former airport at Hellinikon, the spokeswoman pointed out that the government had been presented with a deal already structured by the previous government and had reopened negotiations to improve the terms. She also noted that the signature of the agreement was among the prior actions demanded by the creditors to disburse loans to Greece. In spite of this, she added, the government had negotiated terms that were significantly better than the original agreement, though the sale price should have been greater.

"We had two choices: one was to negotiate the price and the other was to negotiate [better terms and more investments]. The entire sale price would have gone to the creditors, whereas the projects will stay here," she commented.

[02] BoG governor discusses Greek lenders, economy with Bulgarian PM

Stournaras is visiting Sofia following an invitation by Bulgaria's central Bank (BNB).

During the meeting, which was also attended by the country's Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov and central banker Dimitar Radev, Stournaras had the opportunity to present the positive developments to the Greek economy as a result of the conclusion of the first program review.

He also said Greek lenders are now ready to respond to challenges and mainly to tackle the problem of non-performing loans.

[03] Preserving history, fighting neo-Nazism are best ways to honour victims of Distomo, says minister

Án annual ceremony to remember the victims was held in the village and was attended by Parliament President Nikos Voutsis.

"The best honour for the victims of the Nazi atrocities is the preservation of the historical memory and at the same time, the continuous fight against [neo-] Nazism and the phenomena that reproduce it," the minister said and reiterated that the Army History Directorate is currently in the process of assessing Occupation records which substantiate in a conclusive manner that "what happened was not just a war crime but a crime against humanity."

[04] Acropolis publisher Mavrikos died in burning Porsche, DNA test shows

Given the results of the autopsy, DNA test, and their own preliminary inquiry, the Attica Police Crimes Against Life department are now closer to concluding that Mavrikos' death was accidental, something that remains to be confirmed by further examination of the vehicle.

An inspection by bomb squad experts of the car and the scene has revealed no evidence that an explosive of incendiary device was involved, while a full report from crime labs is pending. Images from CCTV cameras did show that the car appeared to be leaking fuel, so there will be a thorough examination by a state expert and the family's technical consultant, to see if there were signs of deliberate sabotage to the vehicle's fuel line, engine or other systems that may have caused it to catch fire.

As is customary in such cases, there will also be a tissue and toxicology exam to examine whether the 42-year-old man had been under the influence of other substances, the results of which will be issued in about two weeks.

Earlier on Friday, Mavrikos' wife filed a lawsuit against unknown perpetrators for murder and the family's lawyer Alexis Kougias said the family want the car examined by their own arson and ballistics experts to rule out foul play.

Mavrikos was one of three journalists under investigation for blackmail targeting a senior employee at a state-owned company, as well as bribery to extract inordinately high advertising contracts. Investigating magistrates had recently decided to extend the scope of their inquiry and add additional charges, targeting senior executives in a bank and a state-owned company over the suspect advertising spending, of which Mavrikos' firm was sole beneficiary.

Earlier on Friday, judicial sources revealed that a Corruption Magistrate had decided to bring additional criminal charges in connection with the case involving Mavrikos. Based on the new evidence received a few days earlier, 1st Special Examining Magistrate Vassilis Ziakas had brought additional charges of breach of faith against all parties responsible, compounded by laws on embezzlement for the public sector. According to sources, the document indicates that unusually large sums in the advertising budget of the specific bank and state company, much greater than those normally spent for this purpose.

After the additional charges were brought, the case passed to Corruption Magistrate Costas Sargiotis, who must now uncover the specific bank and state company staff responsible for approving the disproportionately high advertising spending. This will involve requests to lift bank record privacy before the specific individual are summoned to testify.

The sources said the magistrate's case may be further expanded to other institutions and state organisations not currently included in the case, in order to locate similar instances of excessive advertising spending.

[05] Shipping minister meets Commission's Bulc as 'Posidonia 2016' ends scoring record visits

They also discussed EU initiatives to improve safety in passenger ships, the creation of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), which aims to assist national coast guards in light of the refugee crisis and measures to support the EU maritime sector which is hit by international competition.

Bulc and Dritsas also focused on improving working and living conditions for crews, as well as training seamen in accordance to international treaties.

In its last day of events, the "Posidonia" exhibition recorded a total 22,000 visiting professionals and 1,800 exhibitors from 90 countries. According to the event organizers, participation this year increased 14 pct compared with the previous record two years ago.

"Posidonia 2016 has managed to set new records in floor space, number of conferences and seminars as well as visitor numbers showcasing the unrivalled appeal the event enjoys amongst the world's maritime community," said Theodore Vokos, Executive Director, Posidonia Exhibitions S.A, the event's organiser.

Abu Dhabi Shipyards, IntraMare, MIE, Drew Marime Chemicals, Ocean King, Marita as well as Denmark's and Holland's pavilions are just a few in the long list of Posidonia 2016 exhibitors who are already reserving more space for their presence at the 2018 event.

[06] No metro or tram in Athens from 22:00 on Friday, early Monday morning

The staff have announced a series of work stoppages that will continue next week as well, with a strike from the start of the shift until 10:00 on Monday morning.

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