Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-09-13

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

CONTENTS

[01] Solution on Cyprus issue by end of 2016 possible but ambitious, UN envoy tells ANA

[02] Drastic reduction of Greek debt will be difficult, European solution needed, Dragasakis says

[03] Education minister: Attempts to prevent refugee children from attending Oreokastro school 'not acceptable'

[04] Power utility PPC to sign MoU with CMEC for construction of lignite unit

[05] Foreign ministry condemns desecration of Jewish synagogue in Ioannina

[06] Village in Lesvos announces protest march to request decongestion of refugee center

[01] Solution on Cyprus issue by end of 2016 possible but ambitious, UN envoy tells ANA

Eide was responding to a question by ANA on whether UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon's statement earlier this year that a solution could be reached by the end of the year. He said Ban's statement echoed similar statements made earlier in the year by the Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, adding it would require hard work to achieve.

"Yes I think it's possible, it's ambitious, if they are to reach this goal we need to work hard because we have outstanding issues, but we also have so much behind us that I think is possible," he said. "The conversations we're discussing in Athens is exactly about the issue of security and guarantees and how to involve the guarantor powers when we come to the moment when the international dimension will be on the table."

On the issue of properties, Eide said "we've come a long way" and that there's an agreement in principle but the two sides are still discussing an important element on how these principles will translate to practicalities. On the issue of guarantees and security, the UN envoy admitted the starting positions of the two sides are opposing but noted that discussions have started on why the two communities have historically feared each other.

Asked about Cyprus' right to explore its offshore resources, Eide said: "Any sovereign state has the right to explore its natural resources … but experience from modern history shows that conflict and energy mix badly. So if there is one good argument for seeking a solution it is the peaceful and long-term, stable exploitation of energy."

He also said the attempted coup in Turkey brought no change in the position of two sides on the Cyprus issue. If anything it served "as a reminder of a neighborhood that you can't take for granted and you better get this problem solved," he said, noting he's also referring to the refugee crisis and collapse of states in the region.

[02] Drastic reduction of Greek debt will be difficult, European solution needed, Dragasakis says

"Even if we find the best solution, we have the peculiarity that our lenders are themselves in excessive debt. I do not, therefore, consider that it will be easy to get a large reduction of the debt without the other countries facing the same problem getting similar treatment. Therefore, we must come to a better level and seek to face it jointly, so that there is a European-wide solution concerning us all," he explained.

The work of the Economic Affairs sub-committee was largely welcomed by the opposition parties, with New Democracy and the Democratic Alliance setting aside initial reservations concerning their purpose and agreeing that it was an issue that surpassed any single government and required a national line.

Dragasakis also noted that the problem of the debt did not coincide with the duration of any one government. "We are seeking solutionss through the negotiations. There is the Eurogroup decision with medium-term measures and how it can be dealt with in the long term. Even if this go very favourably, we are talking about a negotiating process after 2018. This is why the horizon must remain open. The settlement of Greece's debt will be an indicator for a solution of debt problems in other countries. There is global interest," he said.

He also noted a need for education and self-awareness concerning the underlying causes of the debt crisis in Greece, noting a need to "balance" the external and domestic causes.

"The voices that say that only those outside are to blame and we bear no responsibility, that they can help as a charity - these reproduce the problem and don't solve it. This is therefore an issue of education," he said.

[03] Education minister: Attempts to prevent refugee children from attending Oreokastro school 'not acceptable'

He added that this "was fortunately the reaction of a small minority, does not concern all parents and all children, nor even a substantial majority of parents and children."

"I want to say that under the ministry's programme, these young children, the refugee children, will attend reception classes in the afternoon in order to learn the language and gradually pass, at first through friend groups and then to the lessons of normal classes. But gradually. Also, we have taken all measures as the state, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) and we, for the children to have the necessary vaccinations. There is therefore no serious reason, there is prejudice," Filis said.

[04] Power utility PPC to sign MoU with CMEC for construction of lignite unit

The memorandum concerns the building of the second lignite-fired unit at its Meliti station near Florina and will foresee the creation of a joint company with the participation of PPC, CMEC and the owners of the lignite mines from which the Meliti project will be fuelled.

The investment for the construction of the unit is estimated at 700 million euros and investments in nearby lignite pits will raise the total investment to more than one billion euros.

[05] Foreign ministry condemns desecration of Jewish synagogue in Ioannina

"This barbaric action offends the memory of Greek Jews and all our fellow citizens who were the victims of fascism and constitutes a direct attack on the values of the democratic Greek society," the ministry said in a statement.

It also said that Greek authorities will do their utmost to arrest and punish the perpetrators and are determined not to tolerate a repetition of such incidents.

[06] Village in Lesvos announces protest march to request decongestion of refugee center

According to the local council, Moria residents will hold a protest march to the center of Mytilene and a symbolic occupation of the elementary and high school of their village. They also plan to protest outside the city hall and another government building.

"A village cannot lift the burden of the island's refugee issue, with 5,000 trapped and angry people who rightly complain," the president of the local council, Nikos Trakellis said. "But the people here cannot take it any longer," he added.

A few months ago, the consecutive burglaries in homes and damage to farmland led to an eventful local council meeting during which residents demanded solutions from the relevant ministries and authorities. Instead, said Trakellis, the number of refugees and migrants increased. The damages caused in the village by refugees and migrants who have left Moria's center were the last straw for the locals.

"We call on all the citizens of Lesvos to stand on our side and participate in the protest for an issue that concerns the entire local community. We ask for the immediate decongestion of Moria's hot spot. The island cannot welcome so many people, cannot lift this burden any longer," he added.

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