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[18] Organizers cite robust interest by homeowners for 2004 lodgings program

Athens, 5/11/2003 (ANA)

Speaking at a press conference at the Athens 2004 Olympic Organizing Committee’s (ATHOC) headquarters, representatives said between 200 to 300 applications by homeowners are received on a daily basis, while evaluations of properties are proceeding at a slower rate -- about 80 per day – with 1,500 would-be accommodations checked so far.

The final agreement between the two groups, Alpha Filoxenia (hospitality) 2004 and Elliniki Filoxenia -- both subsidiaries of listed banking groups in Greece -- was signed last month after months of delay.

Both groups had put the number of private homes needed in and around the greater Athens area for the upcoming Summer Olympics at 10,000, although Tuesday's estimates cited a figure of 6,000.

As expected, most of the homes offered up for leasing are close to Olympic venues and facilities, although a significant portion are also located in central Athens.

Moreover, the two managing groups’ representatives said roughly 500 queries to lease such private residences have been fielded to accommodate some 3,500 individuals.

Demand so far is apparently focused on smaller homes or apartments able to accommodate two to three people, instead of high-end and larger lodgings.

Residences are divided into our categories depending on the year of construction, amenities as well as proximity to sports venues and mass transit points. Rates vary from 2,520 to 3,600 euros for two to three people over a six-night stay.

Respective owners, meanwhile, earn between 35-40 per bed per day for third category lodgings; 70 euros for the second category and 90 euros in the first category. The rate for the luxury category is up for negotiation.

ATHOC officials emphasized that leased residences in Atlanta and Sydney did not surpass 800.

In other developments, ATHOC officials said 80 to 90 percent of the rooms in 220 hotels both in Attica prefecture (the greater Athens area) and surrounding prefectures have been reserved for the extended “Olympic family”, practically all of which have undergone or are undergoing renovation, “one of the Olympic Games’ lasting legacies,” they said.

[19] Greece welcomes UN vote on Olympic Truce during 2004 Games in Athens

Athens, 5/11/2003 (ANA)

Government spokesman Christos Protopapas called the UN vote in favor of the Greek-introduced Olympic Truce proposal "a major victory of peace, of the spirit of the Olympic Games, and of the Greek government", reminding that the initiative had been initiated and promoted by Greece's foreign minister George Papandreou.

A resolution submitted by Greece for an Olympic Truce for the duration of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games was ratified by the UN General Assembly on Monday with an unprecedented majority and in a warm atmosphere in the presence of International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge.

Out of a total of 191 members (Iraq, although a UN member, is not represented at the General Assembly), the UN ratified resolution A/58/L9 with 190 votes. The resolution anticipates calls for the cessation of hostilities between August 13-29, 2004, and revives the ancient Greek idea of 'Ekecheiria' (Truce), observed during the ancient Olympics.

[20] Smithsonian Institution organizes conference on Olympic Games

WASHINGTON, 5/11/2003 (ANA/T. Ellis)

The conference was jointly organized by the Smithsonian Institution and the Washington-based Society for the Preservation of the Greek Heritage and was moderated by Pennsylvania University Professor Emeritus John Lucas.

Robert Fasulo, a member of the IOC’s Coordinating Committee, referred to the Coordinating Committee's work, adding that it is monitoring the course of preparations for the Olympic Games and setting strict specifications and timetables.

He said the 2004 Athens Olympic Games provide a unique opportunity for Greece ''to shape the image the rest of the world will have of the country over the next 20-30 years and strengthen national self-confidence'' and expressed optimism that everything will be ready in time to enable successful Games to be held.

Greek Ambassador to Washington George Savvaides, in his concluding remarks, expressed his confidence that next year Greece will host secure and successful Olympic Games, which will leave a significant legacy to the country. He also hosted a dinner in honor of the organizers and speakers, also attended by Senator Paul Sarbanes and former Congressman John Brademas.

[21] Head of Athens marathon committee offers resignation following negative press

Athens, 5/11/2003 (ANA)

Among others, press reports cited the theft of many athletes’ gear and lax traffic measures along the route from the township of Marathon to central Athens' all-marble Panathinaiko Stadium.

Evangelos Papapostolou tendered his resignation to SEGAS’ leadership on Tuesday.

Greece’s oldest sports federation, SEGAS, which oversees the track and field sector in the country, organized the 21st Athens Marathon, run on the “classical route” that will be used for next 2004 Athens Olympics.

[22] PM inaugurates renovated Kallithea urban railway station

Athens, 5/11/2003 (ANA)

He was accompanied by a government delegation, MPs for the area and representatives of local government.

The premier was shown around the refurbished station by Transport Minister Christos Verelis and briefed on the procedures followed in the renovation of this and other stations along the route.

The Kallithea station first began operating in 1928 and serves an estimating 40,000 passengers daily, while the number is expected to rise to around 60,000 in the future.

In statements at the ceremony, Verelis said the HSAP rail line would soon cease to be the ''poor relation'' of the Athens Metro, with the addition of 15 new trains, eight new stations and the renovation of older stations on the route.

He also pointed to other public transport projects, such as the tram and suburban railway, which he said would transform the transport map in the capital and allow unprecedented travel and commute options.

[23] Rare incident of racially motivated violence follows traffic fatality

Athens, 5/11/2003 (ANA)

According to police reports, a group of mostly helmeted teens ransacked a video store owned by a Pakistani man in the district.

The incident came a day after a 17-year-old motorcyclist in the same area was killed when a vehicle carrying two Pakistanis crashed in to him. Witnesses said the vehicle was speeding down an opposite lane of traffic. Both men fled the scene with only the apparent co-driver being detained a short distance away by bystanders.

The driver in the fatal accident is being sought, as are the assailants in the video club attack.

[24] Suicide official Roubini Stathea had acted illegally, report shows

Athens, 5/11/2003 (ANA)

The report outlined the findings of his investigation into the affair and was submitted to the finance ministry and the Athens first-instance public prosecutors' office.

The inspector found that East Attica Real Estate Service official Roubini Stathea appeared to have contravened a 2001 law forbidding applications for temporary property settlements or the postponement of demolition orders ''before any administrative or political Court or other Authority''.

At the same time, the report noted that there were conflicting opinions between the different state services involved, even between staff in the same service, regarding the interpretation of this article of law, as well as conflicting rulings issued by the Council of State, Greece's supreme administrative court, that created problems in interpretation.

The report recommended a probe to assign disciplinary and other responsibilities for omissions by the East Attica Real Estate Service and its predecessors from 1961 onwards and also within the finance ministry's Administrative Support General Directorate and other services responsible for public-sector recruiting, judging the Real Estate Service's shortcomings to be directly related staff shortages.

On the question of whether Stathea had acted of her own volition, the inspector notes that all the documents issued on October 3, 4 and 10 were issued and signed by Stathea herself and did not contain any written reservation or objection, which the law allowed employees to express when they disagreed with an order given by a superior.

He also noted that Stathea was a legal professional and in charge of the East Attica Real Estate Services' department for beaches, as well as a member of the committee for the law on beaches and shorelines, and should thus have been well acquainted with both the letter and the spirit of this law.

[25] Police arrest three for importing large quantities of drugs

Athens, 5/11/2003 (ANA)

Police, who shadowed Sotir Konstadinov and his son, suspecting them as being members of an international ring importing and selling large quantities of drugs in Greece, arrested them at Nea Malgara, northern Greece, while they were selling a packet of heroin weighing 588 grams to a Greek for 7,500 euros.

Frisking the two men, police found a packet of heroin weighing 10.9 grams on one of them. The three men were referred to a public prosecutor in Thessaloniki after legal proceedings were launched against them.

[26] Police arrest two smugglers, 23 Palestinian illegal immigrants

Athens, 5/11/2003 (ANA)

Along with the illegal immigrants, police arrested a 26-year-old Greek who was transporting them in a truck and a 39-year-old Greek, who was apparently driving ahead of the truck to warn its driver of a possible police presence.

According to initial results of the investigation, the two Greeks were to receive 3,000 euros for smuggling the illegals, while the 23 Palestinians had paid a total of 40,000 dollars to Turkish smugglers to help them enter Greece.

[27] Nationwide speleologists' meeting in northern Greece

Athens, 5/11/2003 (ANA)

The meeting is organized by the Paleoanthropology-Speliology Service.

[28] Papadopoulos: 'We will gladly pay a price for rapprochement'

NICOSIA, 5/11/2003 (CNA/ANA)

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in which he unveiled a seven-year strategic plan for tourism, the president said that one of the issues raised following the partial lifting of restrictions on the freedom of movement is the overnight stays in the occupied areas.

''We have said that overnight stays will not be permitted. Leaving aside the many problems tourism is facing, I believe it would be unproductive to allow overnight stays of foreigners in the occupied areas'', the president stressed.

He explained that if ''the aim of rapprochement is to create a climate of understanding and friendship, you must realize that moves which cause bitter feelings to a large number of Greek Cypriots who are employed in the tourist industry would create exactly the opposite results''.

Regarding movement to and from the occupied areas in general, the president said the government is carrying out a survey on a monthly basis and studies the statistics concerning the costs involved and the money spent and the repercussions on the economy.

''We have not ascertained any unfavorable repercussions on the economy but even if there were any, we should acknowledge that this is a price which we would gladly pay as part of the effort for rapprochement'', the president pointed out.

Replying to questions, he said the government is concerned about possible repercussions from the competition the island's occupied areas would pose to the rest of the country in the event of a political settlement.

''This is a very serious issue which preoccupies the government, the University of Cyprus has carried out an initial study and a second one, more specialized, is underway on the fallout on tourism from a solution of the Cyprus question,'' he said.

However President Papadopoulos noted he did not think that the repercussions on tourism would be ''dramatic or unfavorable, provided that the country is prepared to deal any problems that may emerge''.

[29] MacShane: Britain urges all concerned to resolve missing persons issue

NICOSIA, 5/11/2003 (CNA/ANA)

He said Britain agrees with the Organization of Relatives of Missing Cypriots that this issue is a humanitarian, not a political one and that ''our High Commission staff in Nicosia keep in close

contact with the two sides on this issue and urge them do all they can to resolve it as soon as possible.''

''The UK fully supports the work of the UN Committee on Missing Persons, and regularly urges all concerned to cooperate fully with its objectives. There are no good reasons for not doing so,'' MacShane added.

Concerning Turkey's EU candidacy, he said ''the Copenhagen political criteria, which Turkey must meet in order to open accession negotiations with the EU, cover a broad range of issues related to human rights.''

''The UK welcomes the progress that Turkey has made in passing reforms that promote respect for human rights, while also urging the Turkish government to implement those reforms in full,'' MacShane said.

He added the UK endorses the EU's Accession Partnership, which urges Turkey ''to strongly support efforts to find a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem through the continuation of the United Nations Secretary General's mission of good offices and of negotiations on the basis of his proposals.''

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37 per cent of its territory.

Meanwhile, Villiers met October 31 in London with representatives of the UK Branch of the Organization of Relatives of Missing Cypriots.

Villiers said ''the suffering of the relatives of the missing has gone on far too long.''

[30] Cyprus Foreign Minister meets Commonwealth

SG LONDON, 5/11/2003 (CNA/ANA)

In his statements after the meeting, McKinnon said they had ''a very good discussion'' during which the minister gave the Secretariat ''a very clear update of the situation''.

''The Commonwealth always fought for the people of Cyprus and many, many, many Commonwealth communiques over the years have attested to that'', McKinnon said, stressing that ''we are now in discussions about how best this position can be presented to the leaders at the Commonwealth Conference in Abuja and how best the leaders can show their support to the people in Cyprus''.

The Cypriot minister said the SG of the Commonwealth wanted to be informed about the latest developments, in view of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja.

He said they discussed the possibilities of including a paragraph in the conclusions of the meeting, which will reflect the latest

developments on Cyprus, adding, ''we have a very good cooperation with the Commonwealth Secretariat, there is willingness on its part''.

However Iacovou pointed out that ''the UN Secretary-General maintains the key role'' in the Cyprus problem ''and we hope soon that the EU will have a similar role, since it will have a special interest in a solution to the problem before 1st May 2004'', when Cyprus joins the Union.

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