Earlier, the Governmental Committee will meet under Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis for the final approval.

According to information, the draft law will provide, among others, that the percentage of the majority shareholder will be cut from 5% to 1%

Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis is regarded most fit for the post of the Prime Minister (53.1%) followed by Giorgos Papandreou (31.7%), while 39.8% of those asked would vote for New Democracy, PASOK 33.1%, the Communist Party 6.1%, Coalition 3.2%, LAOS 2.8%, other 1.5%.

A total of 54% believes that if elections are held at the end of the four-year term, and based on the impressions they have so far, the winner will be the party of New Democracy.

Positive or rather positive impression of the government has 42.6%, while negative or rather negative impression of the opposition has 43.5%.

The telephone opinion poll was held in the period of November 30-December 2 on a sample of 2,000 people.

The general directors of the southeastern European news agencies adopted the proposal for the creation of a joint Internet portal by ABNA to promote the profile of the national news agencies, as well as news items and photographic material to help the pe oples in the region to know each other better and erase suspicion, hatred, passions and nationalist fanaticism that have caused many disasters in the Balkans in the past.

Also, the ABNA members decided to institute four annual prizes to be awarded to journalists and photojournalists in the region who promote inter-Balkan cooperation and the course of the Balkan states to European integration. The terms for the prizes will

be decided by a three-member committee made up of the general directors of the Bulgarian news agency BTA, the Turkish ANADOLU and Greece's MPA.

The general assembly elected unanimously MPA general director Spiros Kouzinopoulos to the post of ABNA general secretary, while SRNA (Bosnia-Herzegovina) general director Milos Solaja will hold the ABNA presidency during 2005.

In the final resolution issued after the general assembly proceedings it is stressed that ABNA in the 10 years since its establishment (June 1994) has contributed in a meaningful way to the joint effort to fulfill the desires and hopes of the peoples in the region creating the preconditions for lasting peaceful cohabitation, good neighborly relations, economic reconstruction and a common course to the European prospect.

Of the stocks trading today, 118 had gains and 161 had losses, while the value of 141 stocks remained unchanged.

For the record, the interim agreement procedure is in effect and the talks are held under the auspices of the United Nations.

According to information, the United States want the issue to be resolved by the EU Summit meeting on December 17.

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