Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 02-04-26

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

CONTENTS

[01] Alternate FM meets State Department's Cyprus coordinator

[02] Gov't condemns latest Turkish warplane air space violations

[03] Florakis' 'prediction' vis-a-vis Karamanlis draws gov't, ND reaction

[04] ND leading PASOK in Thessaloniki opinion poll

[05] Education minister meets with Chinese leadership, discusses relevant affairs

[06] PASOK's Executive Secretariat discusses local elections

[07] Main opposition asks for parliamentary debate on the economy

[08] New Democracy meeting on Elaiona district

[09] Simitis reiterates goal to create 300,000 jobs in 2002

[10] EU funds' inflows exceed Dr 1.0 trillion, gov’t says

[11] Parliament passes bill creating Olympic Real Estate SA

[12] Greece needs more flexible labor market, OECD says

[13] EU okays sale of Hellenic Shipyards to HDW, Ferrostaal

[14] Greek Balkan Reconstruction Plan

[15] Pension spending accounts for 12.7 pct of Greek GDP, Eurostat

[16] Decision on bid for Hellenic Petroleum by end-May

[17] Ernst & Young, Andersen to merge Greek operations

[18] Greek bourse follows European markets lower

[19] U.S. high tech company SAIC presents security products at Athens event

[20] Viral heart infection cases waning, minister says

[21] Writer Edmund Keeley awarded medal by Greece

[22] Police chief outlines police priorities for 2002

[23] De Soto returns to Cyprus after touring EU countries

[24] US Congressman urges Bush to exert pressure on Turkey Unprecedented Greek-Turkish Mideast peace initiative commences

JERUSALEM 24/04/2002 (ANA - A. Podimata/D. Constanta-kopoulos)

An unprecedented Greek-Turkish initiative to promote international efforts at defusing the raging Mideast crisis brought the two countries’ foreign ministers to Yasser Arafat’s tank-besieged headquarters in Ramallah and Ariel Sharon’s Cabinet room on Thursday.

The Greek and Turkish foreign ministers, George Papandreou and Ismail Cem, respectively, met with Palestinian leader Arafat for more than an hour in Ramallah, following the approval by the Israeli side.

According to reports, just one aide accompanied Arafat during the meeting after the Israelis reportedly refused other Palestinian negotiators to attend.

Arafat comment: In brief statements to state-run Greek television Arafat said he “appreciated” the Greek-Turkish initiative and hoped that the other side (Israel) would do the same.

Asked whether the Greek-Turkish presence would help, Arafat said that this depended on the Israeli side.

“We signed a ‘peace of the brave’ with my colleague Yitzhak Rabin and this peace has been cancelled and destroyed.''

Regarding what the next step would be, Arafat said this question should be put to the Israelis and Washington. He again stressed, however, that there would never be peace in the Middle East unless there was a peace agreement for the Holy Land.

Athens and Ankara have stressed the symbolism of the joint Greek-Turkish initiative for the troubled region, pointing liberally to the continuing rapprochement between Athens and Ankara on various fields as an example of traditional foes choosing a ''different road'', as Papandreou recently said.

On Wednesday, Arafat received European Union High Com-missioner for common foreign policy and security policy Javier Solana -- who had also been denied permission to meet with the Palestinian leader by the Israelis during a previous visit.

Solana was quoted afterwards as saying that he was “shocked” by the conditions at Arafat’s quarters in his besieged West Bank headquarters.

Later press statements: At a later joint press conference, Papandreou noted: “We want a secure Israel, we condemn the killings of innocent civilians ... and a security Israel means a secure and viable Palestinian state.”

On his part, the Turkish foreign minister said both sides stressed, in their talks with Arafat, that there is no justification for terrorism, whereas all parties, including the Palestinians, must categorically condemn terrorism.

Cem also referred to implementation of UN resolutions, which translate into freedom of movement by currently tank-besieged Arafat as well as a determined stance vis-a-vis terrorism.

Both FMs said they also exchanged ideas over the specific situation on the ground in Ramallah as well as the critical stalemate in Bethlehem, where scores of armed Palestinians are trapped in the Nativity Church.

In terms of the sacred Christian shrine, Cem warned that the site could turn into a scene of a “major tragedy” unless both the Israelis and Palestinians take a few “steps forward”.

Finally, it was announced that following the two FMs’ talks with Sharon, the Israeli premier allowed the chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat to travel to Tel-Aviv for further contacts with Cem and Papandreou.

Peres statements: Following a working lunch with their Israeli counterpart Peres, the latter praised the Greek-Turkish initiative, while noting that Greece and Turkey represent countries that have developed historic civilizations in the Middle East, and that have faced serious problems in their bilateral relations over years.

Peres added that simply the fact that both countries’ foreign ministers are in the area ranks as a “message of peace”.

“We welcome you here as friends and as messengers of great hope and understanding,” Peres said, noting that this joint initiative also demonstrates that there is hope “and that solutions are found as long as people don’t give up hope”.

Commenting on the trial in the Palestinian authority head-quarters, that convicted four men in the murder of an Israeli minister, Peres said that the government of Israel did not recognize that process, adding that the trial should take place in Jerusalem by an Israeli court, since there is an agreement that people responsible for such actions would be tried by the court of the country where the crime took place.

On his part, Cem referred to the proposal for convening an international conference to jumpstart the Mideast peace process, while also citing the idea of dispatching an international contingent of observers to the region.

He clarified that such a mission would also monitor instances of terrorism.

Finally, Cem said he hopes progress towards gaining a resolution to the Nativity Church siege will be achieved over the next few days.

In his statements, Papandreou noted that the two delegations are in Israel and the Palestinian areas as “one”, before again citing the symbolism of the joint initiative.

The Turkish foreign minister also spoke of the two critical problems that of the conditions in the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem and of Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah.

Cem noted that in both cases, but more so on the Church of Nativity case, there was a small contribution of Greece and Turkey toward a way out of the impasse, adding that members of the Greek and Turkish delegations were in constant contact with their colleagues of the Israeli ministry, expressing the hope that ''we will contribute toward more progress in the coming days''.

Addressing Peres, Papandreou said that this initiative has been inspired by the Israelis and Palestinians themselves and their efforts of Peres in the past, when he was Israel's premier.

''The least we can do is to return to you some of this inspiration,'' he said.

Papandreou also expressed the belief that Greece and Turkey along with the rest of the countries of the region have a common future, which all should try to build, reassuring that ''if we (Papandreou-Cem) can contribute in this affair, our initiative will continue''.

Papandreou also referred to the conditions surrounding the Church of Nativity, which he said is of great importance for the Orthodox Christians, especially in light of Easter, and to the situation in and around Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah, adding that in the talks with the Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat ''we will try once again to arrive at solutions''.

FM Papandreou comments on his visit to Israel, Palestinian territories: Foreign Minister George Papandreou, on his return from Tel Aviv, said on Thursday evening that ''difficult negotiations were taking place up to the last moment for the release of the Palestinians in the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. These negotiations are continuing with our and other associates.''

Papandreou, in a speech at a central hotel in Ioannina, northwestern Greece, added: ''I was moved seeing proud (Palestinian President Yasser) Arafat struggling for his people and being pleased to meet with his Greek friends as he said.''

Papandreou also conveyed greetings from Arafat to former foreign minister Karolos Papoulias, who was present at the hotel.

''Palestinians and Israelis saw the initiative by me and (Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail) Cem as a breath of oxygen in a suffocating atmosphere. It was the first time after four weeks of clashes that they found themselves together at the same table due to our own presence there. Most of them told us characteristically 'you brought us hope, give us hope','' Papandreou stressed.

Greek Orthodox prelate addresses letters to Irineos, Sharon, and Arafat: In light of Orthodoxy Christianity's pinnacle religious celebration that of Easter, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos on Thursday sent letters to Jerusalem Patriarch Irineos, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and to the President of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat.

In his letters Christodoulos expresses his concern for regional peace saying that the Greek Church has repeatedly condemned any and every form of violence and terrorism against people irrespective of their religion or nationality.

The Greek prelate also stresses his interest in the situation surrounding the Nativity Church in Bethlehem, saying ''this pilgrimage site, the place of our Lord Jesus Christ's birth, remains inaccessible for the faithful, being in the eye of the cyclone, which according to the eyewitness report of a British journalist it overwhelmed the lives of everyone in the Holy City, leaving behind destruction and hate.''

[01] Alternate FM meets State Department's Cyprus coordinator

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Weston said the meeting was very useful adding that an identity of views was reached to a great degree.

''We agreed with the alternate foreign minister to work hard,'' Weston said.

''To continue our hard efforts in the direction of seeking an overall solution to the Cyprus issue in the timetable mentioned by Mr. Giannitsis. Just as the Greek minister is, so are we optimistic and convinced that a solution will ultimately be found,'' he added.

Giannitsis said the consultations in Cyprus are developing in a way, which does not allow us to make assessments on what the final result will be.

''We all hope that 2002 is a unique opportunity for us to reach a result. But, in any case, there is quite a lot of uncertainty,'' Giannitsis said.

Giannitsis said he spoke to Weston about the realistic stance of Cyprus's leadership, and particularly that of Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides, which has also been recognized internationally and is very constructive for the whole issue of Cyprus.

Replying to a questioner on whether the U.S. administration is considering the possibility of an overall solution to issues concerning Greece and Turkey, Weston said:

''Look, I am a diplomat by profession and one thing I have learnt is that for one to combine difficult issues and wish to resolve them all jointly I would call that counter-productive. All these issues which are mentioned and many which are also not mentioned should be resolved and therefore I can tell you that we as the U.S. government, as the U.S., to the degree we are involved in the issues you mentioned, will try to handle them in time.''

Weston, who was accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Athens Thomas Miller, also met with main opposition New Democracy (ND) party leader Costas Karamanlis.

According to an announcement issued by ND, Karamanlis pointed out that the development of the dialogue in Cyprus does not inspire particular optimism due to the Turkish side's intransigent stance and reiterated ND's steadfast position that there can be no European Union enlargement, which will not include Cyprus in the first group of countries to join

[02] Gov't condemns latest Turkish warplane air space violations

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

“The international community has understood the correctness of Greece’s positions, and it has also understood that Ankara’s intransigence leads it towards impasses,” government spokesman Christos Protopapas said during his daily press briefing.

[03] Florakis' 'prediction' vis-a-vis Karamanlis draws gov't, ND reaction

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

Florakis, the long-time Communist Party of Greece (KKE) leader up until the late ‘80s, made the statements when asked to offer his opinion of the ND leader.

Expectedly, the honorary KKE leader’s quip earned a negative reaction from the government spokesman during the latter’s regular press conference on Thursday.

“I am sure that Mr. Florakis understands (the adage) that ‘your last words honor your first’,” spokesman Christos Protopapas stressed, adding:

“… Unless the KKE honorary president is aware of some type of deal between his party and ND for the (October) municipal elections that isn’t known to us,” Protopapas said, warning that such a development would rank as a “major political issue”.

Conversely, reaction from several main opposition cadres revolved mainly around criticism of the PASOK government.

On his part, ND honorary president and former premier Constantine Mitsotakis said the government’s panic “demonstrates that Mr. Florakis’ predictions will be confirmed”.

Other high-ranking ND deputies, including George Alogoskoufis and Prokopis Pavlopoulos, referred to what they called the government’s “arrogance”, saying Florakis’ prediction is shared by a majority of the Greek people.

[04] ND leading PASOK in Thessaloniki opinion poll

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

The Thessaloniki Aristotelion University’s Political Sciences Department conducted the poll in early April for the ET-3 television channel.

According to the poll 33 percent of respondents would vote for ND if elections were held soon, 26.7 PASOK, 6.1 the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), 2.7 the Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos), 2.2 the Free Citizens Movement (KEP) and 1.7 the Democratic Social Movement (DHKKI), while 22.5 said they were undecided.

Compared to the last poll conducted by the same body last September, the gap between ND and PASOK has widened.

[05] Education minister meets with Chinese leadership, discusses relevant affairs

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

Lanqing is of the most important government officials of the vast Asian country with responsibilities in educational, cultural, economic and foreign trade issues.

Efthymiou also met with China's Education Minister Zhili Chen.

During his talks with the Chinese officials a new educational agreement resulted, which will be signed during 2002 and will be in force after this year, expanding already existing agreements in educational exchanges between the two countries.

During his stay in China, Efthymiou visited the Greek Language Center at the University of Beijing, which was established in 2000, with the help of the Greek education ministry and the support of Greek shipowner V. Konstanta-kopoulos.

[06] PASOK's Executive Secretariat discusses local elections

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

The meeting was presented with a deployment plan of all party forces in light of the elections. However, a final decision on the issue will be taken by the Central Committee, which is expected to convene at the end of May.

In addition, a National Council meeting will be held in June where issues regarding PASOK's strategy will be discussed in light of the local elections.

[07] Main opposition asks for parliamentary debate on the economy

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

ND parliamentary spokesman Prokopis Pavlopoulos relayed the concern felt by main opposition leader Costas Karamanlis on this issue and said the economy's performance was particularly worrying, while the government's policies were acting as a brake on the country's development.

[08] New Democracy meeting on Elaiona district

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

The meeting followed a surprise visit by Karamanlis to the largely desolate Elaionas area last weekend, accompanied by media crews.

ND sector chief Savvas Tsitouridis afterward accused the government of lacking the will to implement its own pronouncements and advised Environment Minister Vasso Papandreou to look up her ministry's official Internet site in order to find out what her predecessor had failed to do.

He said the Elaionas area project required consensus in society so that the area could be converted into a much-needed green space.

[09] Simitis reiterates goal to create 300,000 jobs in 2002

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

Speaking to reporters, after a cabinet meeting to discuss a National Action Plan on Employment, Mr. Simitis said that "Ninety one thousand new jobs have been created in 2001. We are on the right path towards creating 300,000 new jobs...we have covered almost half the distance."

"Our course is not accidental, nor coincidental, but a result of hard work. Employment, is always a main target of our policy," the prime minister said and announced a "turn from passive forms of dealing with unemployment (subsidies) to more active forms."

Mr. Simitis said that the main axes of the government's policies were: tax cuts for enterprises creating new jobs, restructuring labor market structures, linking vocational training with labor markets, creating an integrated infrastructure network to free working women from other responsibilities, and mobilizing all society forces to support employment.

"This positive course will offer even more results in 2002. Last year we have made progress in the labor market. This year we will perform even better," Simitis said.

[10] EU funds' inflows exceed Dr 1.0 trillion, gov’t says

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

Addressing a meeting of a monitoring committee to discuss the implementation process of a Third Community Support Framework, Pahtas said that Greece has submitted with EU agencies more than 70 hand-out applications accounting for inflows totalling 522 billion drachmas. Pahtas noted that Greece has already taken in advance a total of 508 billion drachmas, raising total inflows to more than one trillion drachmas.

The meeting also said that in the period from September 2001 to April 2002 the government has included more than 1,200 projects in a Third Community Support Framework program.

[11] Parliament passes bill creating Olympic Real Estate SA

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

The bill was entitled ''company administration, wages and other articles'' and had been openly opposed by several of the ruling party's deputies during the debate in Parliament.

Among the MPs abstaining were several top PASOK cadres, including some former ministers, such as Karolos Papoulias, Aggeliki Laiou, PASOK mayoral candidate for Athens Christos Papoutsis, Stelios Papathemelis, George Loverdos and others.

The bill was also strongly criticized by the opposition parties on Wednesday, particularly main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis, who said any contracts signed with Olympic Real Estate SA would not be binding for future ND governments elected after 2004.

Karamanlis had accused the government of attempting to pull the wool over the eyes of Parliament and the public regarding fiscal issues.

He called the new state company a ''non-transparent creation'' and said it would be used as a vehicle for advance payments and loans to the government that would not be written in the budget and therefore hide the true size of the public deficit that subsequent governments would be forced to deal with.

Last week the government said the new company would be used to manage the funding of Olympic Games projects so as to spread the payments burden over three years instead of in the year of the Games.

The Olympic Games projects budget is estimated at 1.4 trillion drachmas (4.1 billion euros).

[12] Greece needs more flexible labor market, OECD says

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

In a six-monthly country report on Greece, the Paris-based group said that a medium-term priority for the country should be a gradual continuation of the alignment of incomes by means of non-inflationary growth.

It forecast growth of 3.5 percent in 2002, rising to 4.2 percent in 2003, well above the eurozone average.

The rate of growth accelerated at the beginning of 2001, followed by a deceleration in the second half of the year, reflecting weaker internal and external demand, the report said.

At the same time, uncertainty remained over whether inflation would remain low as the economy was stronger and earnings were expected to grow faster, it added.

The OECD forecast inflation of 3.4 percent in 2002, declining to 2.9 percent in 2003. Unemployment was seen slipping to 10.3 percent in 2002 and 10 percent in 2003 from 10.4 percent in 2001.

In addition, the OECD recommended a more ambitious fiscal policy in order to manage primary state spending, in turn lowering the public debt, which remained high.

[13] EU okays sale of Hellenic Shipyards to HDW, Ferrostaal

BRUSSELS 26/04/2002 (ANA / M. Spinthourakis)

In a statement, the Commission said that regulatory approval had been given as the acquisition of Hellenic, formerly known as Skaramangas, by the two corporations did not breach rules of fair competition.

HDW, the largest shipyard in Germany, was in turn recently bought out by One Equity Partners, a subsidiary of Bank One of the US. Its new owners said the acquisition would not affect the purchase plan for Hellenic Shipyards.

Thyssen Krupp, a metals and shipyard company, is now a member of the HDW group, replacing Babcock.

Under its new owner, HDW released a statement on March 12 saying that Hellenic Shipyards was seen as a major factor in the German company's future European strategy.

The Elefsina-Neorion Shipyard Group and HDW-Ferrostaal consortium have signed a memorandum of understanding on Hellenic's future operation.

[14] Greek Balkan Reconstruction Plan

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

Loverdos, who was speaking in Thessaloniki where he arrived to participate in the 1st meeting of the Reconstruction Plan's Monitoring Committee, said a Greek delegation headed by Prime Minister Costas Simitis will visit Belgrade on May 8-9 and the relevant development cooperation agreement will be signed between the two countries.

Greece will initial the agreement during this meeting while Belgrade will sign it from the moment the projects and actions to be included in the Plan's funding program are determined.

Yugoslavia will receive the lion's share from the funding package, amounting to about 180 billion drachmas (550 million euros), since it will be absorbing about 95 billion drachmas, while Albania's share will be 24 billion drachmas.

[15] Pension spending accounts for 12.7 pct of Greek GDP, Eurostat

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

The EU's executive statistics agency said that spending on pension payment in the EU-15 were also 12.7 percent of the EU's GDP, or 47.9 percent of total social spending. More analytically, in the year 1999, Italy (15.1 percent of GDP) and Austria (14 percent) were the biggest spenders on pension payment, while Ireland (3.8 percent), Spain (9.9 percent) and Portugal (10.1 percent) recorded the lowest spending in the EU.

Greece (51.4 percent) ranks second after Italy (62 percent) in total pension payment spending as a percentage of social spending, with Ireland recording the lowest rate (27.1 percent).

[16] Decision on bid for Hellenic Petroleum by end-May

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

The consortium submitted a binding offer for a 23 percent stake in Athens-quoted Hellenic Petroleum and its management in early April.

Yukos Oil, Russia's second largest petroleum company, had previously withdrawn from the tender.

The three firms that had originally expressed non-binding interest were Lukoil with Latsis; OMV Aktiengesellschaft of Austria; and Yukos.

The Latsis Group bid through a subsidiary, Paneuropean Oil & Industrial Holding SA, the main shareholder of Athens-quoted Petrola Hellas.

Latsis holds a one-third stake in the consortium. Lukoil has the remaining two thirds.

Advising the government in the tender are UBS Warburg, National Bank of Greece, and the National Investment Bank for Industrial Development.

[17] Ernst & Young, Andersen to merge Greek operations

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

Partners in the two companies have unanimously approved the move, which will lead to the creation of a single firm named Ernst & Young, the statement said.

The two enterprises have forged similar arrangements in many other countries, including France, Switzerland, Russia and throughout Latin America, it added.

[18] Greek bourse follows European markets lower

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

The general index fell 0.47 percent to end at 2,206.42 points, with turnover an improved 95 million euros.

The Construction, Wholesale and IT Solutions sectors scored the biggest percentage gains (1.60 percent, 1.26 percent and 1.24 percent, respectively), while the Insurance, Banks and Holding sectors suffered the heaviest percentage losses (1.41 percent, 1.24 percent and 0.99 percent).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended 0.87 percent lower, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index rose 0.51 percent and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index ended 0.79 percent higher.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 208 to 101 with another 46 issues unchanged.

The most heavily traded shares in value were Hellenic Telecoms, Alpha Bank, Panafon, Technical Olympic, and National Bank of Greece.

Equity index futures rise: Equity index futures on the Athens Derivatives Exchange finished higher in light trade on Thursday, tracking the main market.

Turnover was 42.5 million euros.

The underlying FTSE/ASE-20 index for heavily traded stocks and blue chips shed 0.87 percent; and the underlying FTSE/ASE-40 for medium capitalization stocks increased 0.51 percent.

Bond prices rise in brisk trade: Bond prices in the domestic secondary market on Thursday finished higher in active trade focusing on 20-year paper.

The Greek benchmark 10-year bond showed a yield of 5.45 percent, and the spread over the corresponding German bund was 32 basis points.

Turnover through the central bank's electronic system was 2.4 billion euros.

Buy orders accounted for the bulk of trade.

[19] U.S. high tech company SAIC presents security products at Athens event

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

The presentation was held at a central Athens hotel under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy's trade attache.

SAIC, which according to sources is participating in a consortium, which will play an advisory role for the security of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, has undertaken the infrastructure of the Administration and Control Center for security and coordination measures which had also been used in the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.

[20] Viral heart infection cases waning, minister says

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

He added that if the downward trend continues the rest of the day and on Friday, the ministry would revoke the emergency measures it enacted.

Such measures included the closure of all state and private educational institutions as the Center for the Control of Special Infections decided that the increasing number of heart problems related to viral infections around the country suggested on Tuesday the onset of an epidemic.

About ten days ago three lethal cases of viral infections, two in Crete and one in northwestern Greece were reported, while since last Thursday 32 non-lethal cases were reported in around the country. In all cases the viral infections of the respiratory system led to myocarditis, a disease that causes severe heart tissue damage and fluid retention in the heart cavity.

The minister underlined that the cases reported through a countrywide network set up by the Center for the Control of Special Infections show to scientists a clear decline, thus scientists reassured the public that the phenomenon was waning.

Papadopoulos also said that the condition of the five new patients was under control, while 14 of the patients that were hospitalized were released, another 19 were regaining their health and only three were under close medical attention.

The minister defended the measures of the government to check the disease, saying that in this day and age of fast information systems it is unthinkable to hide incidents and not to take measures.

On their part, scientists reassured the public, noting that the expected weather improvement over the weekend would also work to minimize the dissemination of viruses.

No country has issued travel advisory for Greece due to virus: No country has issued a travel advisory for Greece due to the recent outbreak of pericarditis and myocarditis cases tentatively linked to viral infections, the Develop-ment Ministry announced on Thursday.

The ministry clarified that the German foreign ministry simply informed German tourists aiming to visit Greece of the existing situation.

Greece's travel firms and shipping companies on Thursday expressed their concern over the possible repercussions the virus scare will have abroad.

The Panhellenic Federation of Tourism Enterprises (POET) and the Union of Passenger Ship Owners (EEE) sent a letter to Health Minister Alekos Papadopoulos calling on him to take the necessary steps to put an end to the exaggerated reports from abroad about the situation.

They noted that major TV channels in Germany, Britain (BBC) and in the United States (CNN) ''are bombarding their public on the danger which our country is facing.'' They added these ''well wishers'' may also lead ''other countries to make similar announcements against Greece.''

[21] Writer Edmund Keeley awarded medal by Greece

WASHINGTON, 26/04/2002 (ANA - T. Ellis)

In a speech during the ceremony, Greek Ambassador in Washington Alexander Philon said the medal was given in recognition of Keeley's work that had provided English-speaking audiences a valuable insight into the beauty of Greece.

[22] Police chief outlines police priorities for 2002

Athens, 26/04/2002 (ANA)

Angelakos, who was outlining the Greek Police's counter-crime policy for 2002, added that other priorities are dealing with petty crime, illegal immigration, cases of corruption and preparation for the assumption of the European Union's presidency in the first half of 2003.

According to data provided on crime, homicides decreased by 12.96 percent over the past three years, robberies by 8.23, thefts and burglaries 20.8 and car thefts 19.

In the sector of illegal immigration a total of 37,898 people were sent back in the past two years, while on the question of road safety, 10,772 traffic accidents occurred in 2001, compared to 11,660 in 2000, meaning a decrease of 7.6 percent.

[23] De Soto returns to Cyprus after touring EU countries

LARNACA 26/04/2002 (CNA/ANA)

The Peruvian diplomat attends direct talks between Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, which started in Cyprus in mid-January this year with a view at finding a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.

[24] US Congressman urges Bush to exert pressure on Turkey

WASHINGTON 26/04/2002 (CNA/ANA)

In a letter to Bush, Pallone requested the US President to apply pressure on the Turkish side and in particular on the Turkish government so that they convince Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash ''to alter his current uncompromising stance.''

Referring to the ongoing peace talks between Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash that began in mid January 2002, Pallone expressed confidence ''that the leadership of the Cyprus Republic will continue to negotiate in good faith until a comprehensive settlement is reached as they tried to do all along.''

''I hope with a little pressure from your administration on the decision makers in Ankara that the Turkish Cypriot leadership will respond by putting aside its unreasonable and unacceptable demands, and negotiate in good faith,'' he added.

As to Cyprus' EU accession course, Pallone noted that Cyprus ''is leading the group of EU candidate countries and is very close to fulfilling all the requirements for accession to the EU in the next enlargement.''

''It would certainly be to the benefit of all the people of Cyprus if a reunited island were to become a member although it is not a precondition,'' the US congressman said.

He noted that as ''time is running short and the month of June has been set by the international community as a target date for progress to be achieved, it would be of tremendous importance'' if the US administration ''were to contribute in a substantive way as a matter of urgency towards that end.''

''The United States have a significant security, economic and moral interest in seeing that a settlement is soon achieved. I hope you share my beliefs and will exert pressure on the Turkish side move the peace process to a just conclusion,'' Pallone said in his letter to the US president.

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