Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Papandreou, alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Tassos Giannitsis, Professor Panagiotis Ioakimidis, Secretary General of European Affairs Ilias Plaskovitis, and others.

Mr. Simitis left from the "Eleftherios Venizelos" airport in Spata for Lubliana, and is accompanied by alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Tassos Gianitsis and deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Giannis Zafiropoulos.

The reason of the visit is to sign bilateral agreements of cooperation between Greece and Slovenia in the sectors of agriculture and air transports.

The perpetrators had placed the bomb outside the door of the first instance District Attorney's office. The area has been blocked off by the Greek Police bomb squad, which is performing investigations.

The police discovered an arsenal of weapons, which were seized. Katonidis is facing charges of violating the arms-explosives laws as well as forgery.

According to the "Eurocontinental", Greek and foreign Academicians will participate in the symposium, among whom well known Professor at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Lambros Kouloumbaritsis, who is of Greek decent and a corresponding member of the Academy of Athens, and who will speak on the pain being the base of universality in Kazatzakis.

Over 20 million people, 3/4 of whom are Africans, have died from AIDS since 1980, while the people testing positive with AIDS in 2001 reached 36 million. In 16 countries, over 10% of their population, between the ages 15-49, suffers from AIDS, while in 7

north African states one in five adults is infected with the deadly HIV virus. An estimated 70% of the adults and 80% of the children living with HIV are in Africa, home to 10% of the world population, while the high prices of the drugs necessary for the

treatment of AIDS make them inaccessible to the countries that need them most.

The Doctors of the Word stress the necessity to create and expand initiatives such as, limiting the damage caused by the use of intravenous medicines and allowing underdeveloped countries to produce low-cost anti-AIDS medicine.

Speaking in the general assembly of the two companies' stockholders the group's president Socratis Kokkalis stated that there are mergers with a positive effect and others that are being made for stock market purposes, stressing that operational

benefits are also necessary.

Mr. Kokkalis speaking about Greece's accession into the EMU stated that there are many advantages for the Greek companies and many disadvantages as well, because they will have to be compared with their rivals in the rest EU member-states.

Referring to the likelihood of a cooperation or partnership with the Greek Telecommunications Company, OTE, or another telecommunications industry, Mr. Kokkalis pointed out that such a move would make Greece's presence even stronger, adding that it is an

issue that should be considered by both the government and the opposition.

Mr. Paschalidis was invited to visit England and Scotland to study the country's administrative structure and London's metropolitan organization.

On the war in Afghanistan, they agreed that the shifting of interest eastwards as a result of the Afghan war should not limit the EU interest in the Balkans.

He said that he met Mr. Papandreou many years ago and characterized him as an excellent host and a man who knows how to work. He expressed satisfaction for the support offered by Greece to Bulgaria's effort to become a member of the EU and NATO. He also referred to the assistance offered by Greece in the efforts made by Bulgaria to be removed from the list of the Schengen agreement countries, while referring to the support Bulgaria got in the UN Security Council, he stressed that his country will return the gesture by backing Greece's candidature in the UN Security Council in 2003.

On the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, Mr. Passy expressed the strong interest of the Bulgarian government saying that the plan is of strategic importance and each one of the three countries namely, Bulgaria, Russia and Greece, must participate on e qual terms and in a satisfactory way.

Referring to the situation in FYROM, he stressed that Bulgaria, like Greece, wants the country's prosperity and territorial integrity. He also said that Bulgaria backs the inviolability of the borders in the Balkans.

Of the stocks trading today, 132 recorded gains and 187 had losses, while the value of 46 stocks remained unchanged.

Mr. Protopapas stated that certain of them are already in Turkey and until the fate of the rest is decided the state will do everything it can to make their lives easier.

In an announcement it has issued, the Greek private airline mentions that it was led to this decision by the international crisis in the sector of air transportation after the September 11 terrorist attack on the United States.

Minister of Education Petros Efthymiou referred to the need of instituting common European study programs and diplomas in higher education, while he stressed that institution accreditation holds the danger of discrimination.

"Higher education can only be public good, part of public responsibility, it cannot be a tradable good, it cannot obey the rules we have for trading other goods", he underlined.

The Council decided that 2004 will be declared the European Year of Education through Sports.

On his extradition, the Romanian Chief of Police in Bucharest, Michai Georgi, stated that for the time being his extradition is not an issue, since his file has to be investigated first, however he left the issue open.

Drovsek.

Mr. Simitis expressed optimism that Cyprus' EU accession will proceed smoothly and stressed that it is a mistake to believe that the Cyprus issue can cause problems to the EU accession course of the rest candidate states. He also stated that no one can s top the EU enlargement because of Cyprus and if Cyprus is presented as a problem it is obvious that it will be just an excuse.

The two Prime Ministers stated that there is room for the further improvement of the already good bilateral relations in the sectors of the economy, technology and trade. Mr. Simitis also met with the President of Slovenia.

Mr. Simitis reiterated Greece's support to the efforts made by the country in order to become a member of the Euro-Atlantic structures.

He also stated that Greece will hold the EU rotating presidency in the first half of 2003 and expressed the hope that it will be the one to close the negotiation procedures. He also said that pending issues, like the common policy on agriculture, and the

structural funds can be settled in a spirit of cooperation.

It should be noted that the delegations of Greece and Slovenia signed agreements of cooperation in the sectors of economy, technology, trade, agriculture and air transportation.

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