Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 05-12-29

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

CONTENTS

[01] Gov't raises assessed property rates by around 30 pct

[02] PM interviewed by literary magazine 'Diavazo'

[03] Development minister briefs PM over policy issues

[04] FM Molyviatis: 2005 was a good year for Greece

[05] Spiliotopoulos hails contribution of the Armed Forces to the country

[06] No issue of abolition of Macedonia-Thrace, Aegean ministries

[07] Prosecutor assigned to Pakistani abductions case

[08] Gov't on LAOS leader's claims that US agents questioned Iraqis at air base in Greece

[09] PASOK spokesman says '2005 was a bad year for the country' on all fronts

[10] PASOK to raise consumer protection in Parliament after holidays, MP says

[11] Supreme Court Vice President receives 5-month suspension

[12] Celebrity lawyers face disciplinary action for 'improper conduct'

[13] Athens journalists say Amnesty Int'l spot a public service message

[14] Greek households' debt at 36 pct of GDP in October

[15] Sioufas on ELPE electricity production plant in Thessaloniki

[16] Hellenic Petroleum applies for electricity output permits

[17] Olympic Aviation acquires helicopter flight certificate

[18] Stocks decline

[19] Bomb hoax on OA fight to Cyprus

[20] Culture ministry on listing of Knossos as World Heritage Site

[21] Greek children with cancer hosted at 'House of Hope' in Manhattan

[22] Trikala launches first municipal wireless free Internet network

[23] Sections of Lesvos Petrified Forest open to public

[24] Albanian antiquities smuggler arrested in the Peloponnese

[25] Christofias rejects allegations by Turkish Cypriot leader

[26] Famagusta municipality welcomes Court ruling on Turkey

[01] Gov't raises assessed property rates by around 30 pct

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

A finance ministry's announcement said new assessed property rates increase was in accordance with the government's policy for a mild adjustment of property rates in order to avoid imposing any new burdens on the real estate market.

Assessed property rates were raised five years ago, in March 2001, creating a huge gap between real and assessed prices during this period.

The ministry stressed, however, that assessed property rates significantly lagged behind current market prices despite the increase.

Average prices in the regions of Attica will rise by 27.67 pct, in Thessaloniki by 31.27 pct, in Larissa by 26.30 pct, in Magnesia by 27.67 pct, in Corfu by 34.36 pct, in Cyclades by 30.16 pct, in Dodecanese islands by 24.23 pct, in Heraklion Crete by 14.56 pct and in Achaia by 28.24 pct.

Opposition blasts gov't over assessed property tax rates: The main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement on Wednesday sharply criticized the government over new assessed property tax rates announced earlier and the introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) on new buildings.

"The imposition of VAT on new buildings from January 1, 2006 and deliberate leaks about the increase in assessed property rates several months ago both led to an artificial rise in prices and a major rise in buying and selling," the party's economics spokeswoman, Vasso Papandreou, said in a statement.

The Communist Party of Greece said the government measures again were aimed at revenue collection, sacrificing coverage for workers' mortgages to big capital.

According to the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology, the government was guilty of fuelling profiteers in the real estate market, leading to a major rise in property prices.

[02] PM interviewed by literary magazine 'Diavazo'

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

Excerpts from the interview, which is due to appear in the next few days, that were released by the magazine to the Athens News Agency reveal that Karamanlis was brought up on a literary diet of Jules Verne, Greek author Penelope Delta and comic books.

As a student, the Greek prime minister said that he made a great effort to read the major left-wing and revolutionary writers, such as Karl Marx and Che Guevara, even though he did not espouse their philosophy.

Admitting that Marx's "Capital" was tough going, Karamanlis unreservedly recommends it for its valuable insights into social problems of that time, even if not for its conclusions:

"Marx was the first political thinker that applied such sensitivity and great analytical acuity to the major problem of the degradation of the workers of his time. History may have proved that he made a mistake concerning the regulatory, at least, part of his theory. But careful study of his descriptions of the conditions of life of proletariats, and of the roads that a society can take that does not in practice care for its less privileged members is, I believe, necessary reading for all those who, regardless of their ideological starting point, see people at the centre of political action."'

During the interview, the premier also answers questions regarding the government's policies for libraries in schools and local communities, an area that is greatly underdeveloped in Greece, promising an additional 300 school libraries by the end of the year 2006.

[03] Development minister briefs PM over policy issues

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

Speaking to reporters, after the meeting, Sioufas said he presented the ministry's plans to promote large investment projects in the natural gas sector, the signing of a contract to build a natural gas pipeline between the cities of Komotini and Alexandroupoli in Northern Greece and a draft legislation envisaging the creation of an Energy Strategy National Council to be tabled to parliament soon.

The Greek minister briefed the PM over a tender for the supply of 900MW of power in the country by three new private electricity power stations. Sioufas said the tender would be placed for public debate to ensure full transparency and safeguarding the public interest.

Sioufas said the government was publishing, today, a law on deregulating the domestic natural gas market and told reporters he briefed the PM over plans to reform the industrial web in the country through the creation of new industrial zones and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Greek minister said ministry and regional authorities were systematically inspecting domestic markets to ensure their smooth operations during the Christmas and New Year season and stressed that the Greek Premier showed particular interest for a series of innovative projects promoted in regional Greece.

[04] FM Molyviatis: 2005 was a good year for Greece

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

"The year that is coming to a close was a good year for our country. We achieved our (foreign policy) targets, and the country's international position was strengthened. Consequently, in the coming year, we may look forward to a safe and smooth course for Greece on the international scene," Molyviatis said.

Asked whether he would remain in the foreign ministry in the event that a rumored government reshuffle actually takes place, Molyviatis said "I am not concerned by the reshuffle issue".

Questioned whether he was prepared to leave the ministry if the prime minister requested him to, Molyviatis reiterated that he was not concerned with the reshuffle issue, adding that "everyone accepts the prime minister's decisions".

[05] Spiliotopoulos hails contribution of the Armed Forces to the country

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

The defense minister stressed that "the Armed Forces succeeded in their difficult task, achieving the maximum possible result with the smallest burden."

Spiliotopoulos added:" Our country is called on and functions with success under conditions of complex geopolitical factors, at the same time sending a message of resolute strength for the defense of our national interests."

[06] No issue of abolition of Macedonia-Thrace, Aegean ministries

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

"There is no such issue, given that these two ministries received the largest increase (in funding) from all the others in this year's budget," the minister said, adding that statements concerning the upgrading of the Macedonia-Thrace ministry were valid, and portended the course of the two ministries.

Asked whether he would remain at the Macedonia-Thrace ministry after the reshuffle or would find himself in a different post, Tsiartsonis said that this was the exclusive prerogative of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

Tsiartsonis visited the Hippocration hospital in Thessaloniki on Wednesday morning, where he met with the hospital administration and visited patients, to whom he presented gifts and wished them seasons greetings and a speedy recovery.

He later visited the city's central market, where he met with Thessaloniki mayor Vassilis Papageorgopouos, and exchanges holiday greetings with and hear complaints by consumers and merchants.

Tsiartsionis said the complaints were heard every year, adding that he acknowledged that the difficulties remain, but stressed that the government had a specific policy on tackling high prices on the market, noting that "it is not something that can be corrected with a magic wand", but adding that there was a common effort to achieve the best.

[07] Prosecutor assigned to Pakistani abductions case

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

The head of the First-Instance court public prosecutors' department Dimitris Papangelopoulos presented Degaitis with the case file that has been put together by the Athens police, which is principally made up of the depositions and suits filed by the Pakistanis making the complaint and various press reports on this issue.

The file also contains a suit filed by intelligence service (EYP) trade unionists against the newspaper "Proto Thema" for endangering Greek agents by publishing their names.

The investigation will now focus on the Proto Thema article listing the names of the agents who allegedly carried out the abductions and interrogations, and on the deposition of the lawyer representing the Pakistanis, who is seeking prosecution of the agents.

A meeting on the case was also held between Papangelopoulos and Supreme Court Public Prosecutor Dimitris Linos on Wednesday. Emerging from the meeting, Linos stressed that the case was very serious and had to be handled responsibly and with due consideration.

"My orders for a priority investigation will self-evidently not act at the expense of a full investigation of the case. The primary goal is to discover the truth. And the first thing that must be established is whether the events reported by the alleged abduction victims occurred," he said.

The abduction and interrogation claims have been denied by Public Order Minister George Voulgarakis and by the Pakistani Embassy in Greece, which said that it had received no complaints from the relatives or friends of the alleged victims, as well as Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao when he was in Greece for a quadrilateral meeting on preventing organized crime two weeks ago.

According to one of the two lawyers representing the group, however, the Pakistani Embassy had been informed of the abductions on the very next day after they occurred and had done nothing, while putting pressure on the victims not to report the incident to the authorities.

The abductions were reported by the head of the Pakistani Community in Greece Tzavet Aslam, while the left-wing Coalition (Synaspismos) party has also been active in seeking an investigation into the matter.

British foreign secretary Jack Straw has also denied the allegations as "utter nonsense".

[08] Gov't on LAOS leader's claims that US agents questioned Iraqis at air base in Greece

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

According to Karatzaferis' claims, which he has stated in a letter addressed to Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis, his source for the allegations is a British journalist.

"in any case Mr. Karatzaferis' claims are being investigated," Koumoutsakos said.

[09] PASOK spokesman says '2005 was a bad year for the country' on all fronts

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

According to Athanassakis, "unfortunately, whatever the ministers of the New Democracy government say outside the Maximos Mansion, the year that is coming to a close was not a good year for our country." The PASOK spokesman added:"It was not a good year for our country's position and prestige in the world. It was not a good year for our economy. It was not a good year for the working people, for the salary earners, for the farmers, for the small and medium-size businesses. It was not a good year for social policy, solidarity, for social cohesion."

Concluding, Athanassakis said that "the policies of the ND government, of the Karamanlis government, and in 2005 like in 2004, harmed the majority and benefited the few."

Responding to Athanassakis, Government Spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said: "We hope the New Year will bring PASOK less pettiness, more responsibility and a greater desire for self-criticism regarding their term in office and their works for which Greek citizens are still paying the price."

[10] PASOK to raise consumer protection in Parliament after holidays, MP says

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

Diamantopoulou was accompanied by PASOK MP Christos Protopapas on a tour of a toy emporium in Peristeri, where she was briefed on the special labels indicating that products meet the criteria set by the European Union.

[11] Supreme Court Vice President receives 5-month suspension

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

The Committee voted 5-2 in favor of suspending Zissis for intervening and influencing the outcome of three court cases.

Zissis had been referred to the Disciplinary Committee by Justice Minister Anastassios Papaligouras.

[12] Celebrity lawyers face disciplinary action for 'improper conduct'

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

The president of the Athens Bar Association Dimitris Paxinos on Wednesday referred lawyers Alexis Kougias, George Alfantakis and Fragiskos Ragousis to the Disciplinary Council and gave them five days in which to provide explanations for their behavior in writing.

According to Paxinos, the row between Alfantakis and Kougias and their behavior made them objects of ridicule and comic relief for the media, as well as undermining the prestige of their profession and of justice.

Ragousis has been referred for his dispute on the air with journalist Nikos Kakaounakis over the suit filed by a group of Pakistanis that claim they were abducted and interrogated by Greek and British intelligence agents during the summer, following the bomb attacks in London.

He is also accused of exhibiting behavior that exposed him to humiliating treatment on nationwide TV, thus harming the prestige and standing of the Bar.

[13] Athens journalists say Amnesty Int'l spot a public service message

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

ESHEA's board asked the ESR to retract the decision and thus "encourage the campaign - valuable in our times - for human rights carried out by Amnesty International and other social organizations that are fighting against the cultivated complacency that dissolves social cohesion and offends humanitarian values".

[14] Greek households' debt at 36 pct of GDP in October

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

The Bank of Greece, in its regular report on the domestic credit market, said Greek households' debt to banks reached 65 billion euros, or 36 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product.

The central bank attributed this development to higher growth of mortgage and consumer loans, with mortgage loans totalling 42.27 billion euros, up 30.7 pct compared with the first 10 months of 2004. The central bank said Greek banks approved new loans worth an average of around 1.0 billion euros each month.

Greek households' debt also rose as consumer loans and credit cards exceeded 21 billion euros in value, up 30.4 pct compared with the same period last year. Personal loans reached 8.9 billion euros, up 45.2 pct over the same period.

Credit expansion to businesses slowed in October, with the growth rate falling to 5.2 pct from 5.9 pct in September, totalling 69.4 billion euros.

The accumulated debt of households and businesses reached 134.5 billion euros in October.

[15] Sioufas on ELPE electricity production plant in Thessaloniki

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

At the same time, the minister stressed that ELPE's electricity production plant, "the first private one in our country, is very significant and reinforces stability and the safety of the system of the production of electricity energy in Greece."

The development minister evaluated that the situation in the liberation of the electricity energy market will smooth out.

The electricity production plant in Thessaloniki is expected to be officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on January 27.

The 390 MW electricity production plant started operating on December 24.

Meanwhile, Sioufas on Wednesday briefed Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on the tender which is expected to take place for another three new private electricity production plants of 900 MW. Sioufas said "the tender will be given for public consultation, in order for there to be complete transparency, but also for the safeguarding of public interest."

[16] Hellenic Petroleum applies for electricity output permits

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

The company said in a statement it was seeking a 30-year license with a renewal option.

Public Gas Corp. signs natgas pipeline contract

Public Gas Corp. SA said on Wednesday that it had signed a contract with Stroytransgaz-Prometheus Gas, a Greek-Russian consortium, for construction of a natural gas pipeline between the northern towns of Komotini and Alexandroupoli.

The high-pressure pipeline, whose completion date is the end of 2006, will have a length of 54 kilometers and diameter of 36 inches.

The project has secured funding from the competitiveness operational program under the European Union's Third Community Support Framework package.

The work is an extension to an existing pipeline from Kipi to Alexandroupoli, which has a length of 33 kilometers and connects with a Turkish pipeline across the border.

[17] Olympic Aviation acquires helicopter flight certificate

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

Olympic Aviation is the only helicopter operating company in Greece and the Balkans to acquire such a certificate allowing it to offer passengers or search and rescue services day and night and under any weather conditions.

[18] Stocks decline

ATHENS, 29/12/2005 (ANA)

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for high capitalization shares ended 0.48% down; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium cap stocks closed 0.07 lower; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap shares finished 0.43% up.

Of stocks traded, advances led declines at 164 to 123 with 40 remaining unchanged.

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