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Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 15-06-08Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>Weekend News BulletinMonday, June 8, 2015 SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
[01] Greek government awaits the comments of the institutions on its proposalThe Greek government is expecting the comments of the institutions on the proposal it has submitted to the EU to continue negotiations on a political lever, government circles said on Sunday.The sources said the proposal submitted by the institutions to Greece cannot be accepted in its entirety, as it was made clear in the debate in Parliament on Friday. However, the Greek government wants to hear the comments of the institutions on the Greek proposal which is realistic and remains the basis for the ongoing negotiations on a political lever. They also noted that no party in Parliament even suggested that the document of the institutions can be accepted in its entirety, adding that the government's proposals include structural reforms and the critical issue of the Greek debt whose solution is crucial for a viable agreement. The Greek side has not set a time limit on negotiations, the circles continued and referred to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' speech in Parliament, in which he noted that the government's only limit is the achievement of a socially just and economically viable solution, capable of allowing Greece to exit the crisis and provide prospects for the economy. The same circles also said that as long as the people support decisively the national negotiating effort, the government will negotiate with rigour and responsibility and its fair aims will become more achievable. The circles also said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande are expected to meet next Wednesday in Brussels. [02] EU's Juncker says he expects Athens to send alternative proposalsThe President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said on Sunday he is expecting Athens to send alternative proposals to the EU as soon as possible, French news agency AFP reported."I hope Greece's alternative proposal is presented to us soon. I would like to have time to study it in detail," Juncker said during a press conference at the G7 summit in Bavaria. The EU official had said earlier he believed there would be negotiations on the proposals in Brussels this week adding that he expected a meeting between EU leaders and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on the sidelines of the EU-CELAC summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders next Wednesday. Asked about the possibility of a Grexit, Juncker rejected the claim. "I exclude a Grexit because I don't want it." [03] Die Welt : The issue of Greece ruins Merkel's summit agendaThe Greek issue is ruining German Chancellor Angela Merkel's agenda at the meeting of the leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) industrial nations held in the Bavarian Alps, German paper Die Welt reported on its website on Sunday.Merkel wanted to "Merkelise" the world in the G7 meeting, but her plan to close the thorny Greek issue before the summit has failed, the paper said. The Chancellor had invested considerable political capital on Greece last week, ahead of the summit, but there's one thing she still doesn't know after the intense diplomatic effort: If Greek Prime Minister will come to an agreement with the Europeans and if his party will follow him. According to the paper, Merkel's biggest fear is that Germany will be considered primarily responsible even for a possible Greek exit from the euro. "The motto will be: Germany, the country responsible for two world wars in the 20th century, which committed heinous crimes in Greece, is now pressuring the country out of the heart of the EU, the monetary union." The article also says the German leader wanted to discuss other topics in the summit and achieve a small but positive progress. The plan was to "Merkelise" the world. But after the developments of the past week on Greece, Merkel is in despair: U.S. President Barack Obama, the IMF, even her own party, as well as her finance minister put huge pressure on her - but towards different directions. Die Welt also claims that Merkel's main problem is the widening gap between her views and those of Wolfgang Schaeuble. A Grexit was never a serious option for the Chancellor, but the finance minister, wanting to protect European rules, argues that "bigger flexibility will have more serious repercussions than a Greek bankruptcy." The rift between the two widened this week. German paper Bild reported that Schaeuble may resign if Merkel makes major concessions. The report was denied, but for most analysts the issue exists. [04] Energy Minister Lafazanis to attend EU ministers meeting in LuxembourgProductive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis will attend the Council meeting of EU energy ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.Ministers will discuss the implementation of the energy security strategy, energy union and the EU strategy on liquefied natural gas (LNG). [05] Le Monde: EU's Tusk says debate on Greece is also political and moralEuropean Council President Donald Tusk said on Sunday that the debate on Greece is not only economic but also moral, French paper Le Monde reported on its website in an article titled "Ukraine and Greece in the G7 agenda".Speaking during a joint press conference with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Bavaria, Tusk said that people have to stop believing that debtors had in principle a "moral" behavior and that creditors were "immoral". The debate on Greece "is not just financial. It is also political and moral," he was quoted by Le Monde as saying. The issues of Greece and Ukraine are not officially in the G7 agenda, but participant leaders are expected to discuss them on the sidelines of the summit. [06] Defence minister urges Greeks to stand behind the governmentNational Defence Minister Panos Kammenos urged all Greeks on Sunday to unite in the Greek government's current struggle to achieve a deal, regardless of political convictions, during a visit to the town of Souli in Western Greece.Speaking at an event to mark an incident in Greece's war of independence from the Ottoman Empire, when a group of fighters blew themselves up rather than surrender, Kammenos said the message is relevant today, when the country is threatened economically. "Using economic means instead of weapons, some people are trying to make us surrender Greece, our national sovereignty. They will have to understand that Greece is a modern European country which wants to cooperate with everyone, that doesn't surrender its national sovereignty and especially its dignity," the minister said. [07] Three candidates vie for PASOK party leadership, after president steps downPASOK MPs Fofi Gennimata, Odysseas Konstantinopoulos and Andreas Loverdos will compete for the leadership of the party, after Evangelos Venizelos, who chaired the party since 2012, announced in a party congress late on Saturday he was stepping down.Following a lengthy speech, Venizelos said he will continue to be active in the party and politics. PASOK members will now have to select one of the three contenders in a nationwide party vote next Sunday (June 14). After securing the backing of a minimum of 10 pct of the delegates, the three candidates took to the podium to present their views on the party's future. PASOK was the junior coalition partner in the previous New Democracy-led government of Antonis Samaras who lost the elections on January 25. Financial news [08] Cyprus gas field declared commercially viable by joint venture researching the areaNICOSIA (ANA-MPA/A. Viketos) - The "Aphrodite" natural gas field discovered in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) has been declared commercially viable by the three companies that own the rights on the field, known as block 12, the country's energy ministry announced on Sunday.The discovery will allow Cyprus' transition from the research phase to the development phase of its hydrocarbon reserves, the ministry said, adding that they could be used both for domestic energy production and for exporting through underwater pipelines to neighbouring countries with which Cyprus has excellent bilateral relations. Texas-based Noble Energ, Israel's Delek Group and its subsidiary Avner Oil Exploration must now submit to the Cypriot government a development and production Plan for the field, the ministry said. "Noble Energy International Ltd, Delek Drilling Limited Partnership and Avner Oil Exploration Limited Partnership, holders of a license for the exploration of hydrocarbons in block 12 of Cyprus' EEZ, have declared the commerciality of the 'Aphrodite' natural gas field," the statement said. The plan will include the companies' proposal on the method and the timeline for development and production, as well as the planning for the sales and marketing of the hydrocarbons. The plan will then need to be approved by the government. General News [09] Hundreds of people attend unveiling of Holocaust memorial in KavalaHundreds of people, government officials and representatives of the Greek-Jewish community attended on Sunday the unveiling ceremony of the Holocaust Monument dedicated to the 1,484 Greek-Jews of the city of Kavala who were deported in 1943 to Poland where they perished in the Treblinka extermination camp."The ceremony today sends a loud message against anti-Semitism at a time when unfortunately it is reviving in Europe," Israel's ambassador to Greece Irit Ben-Abba said in her address. "The Jews of Europe are faced with a murderous anti-Semitism which derives from radical Islam and extremist forces from the Right and the Left, 70 years after the Second World War," she added. The ambassador didn't hide her annoyance at the fact that 15 years ago, Kavala Mayor Dimitra Tsanaka cancelled the unveiling of the monument just 24 hours before the event, saying she had reservations about the Star of David being engraved on the monument. The government was represented by Deputy Minister for Rural Development Panagiotis Sgouridis and General Secretary for Religion, Giorgos Kalatzis. Sgouridis said his presence in the unveiling shows Greece's will and determination to isolate incidents of anti-Semitism, fascism and racial discrimination and to assert in every direction that crimes like the Holocaust must never be repeated. [10] Anti-establishment protesters burn rubbish bins in central AthensA group of anti-establishment protesters threw Molotov cocktails against police forces in incidents around the streets of the Athens Polytechnic University in the early hours of Sunday.The group blocked Tositsa Street with rubbish bins and set them on fire. To contain the situation, police closed both lanes of a large section of central Patision Avenue for several hours, before they were reopened on Sunday morning. [11] Roma risk their lives to remove scrap metal from burning warehouse in AspropyrgosGroups of Roma are plundering a warehouse of recyclable materials in Aspropyrgos where a major fire broke out on Saturday afternoon, jeopardizing their lives.Firefighters managed on Sunday to control the blaze which started for unknown reasons in a private warehouse where scrap metal is gathered. Local Roma groups, who collect scrap to resell it, are entering the charred building risking respiratory problems and burns, as temperatures remain high. The problem became so serious that local authorities have asked police for assistance to keep them away from the building until, the fire is put out. According to police information, the company running the warehouse is in the process of foreclosure and has stopped its operations since last April, while the owner has not been located. [12] Weather forecast: Overcast on MondayMostly cloudy weather with rain and storms in the afternoon are forecast for Monday. Wind velocity will reach 6 on the Beaufort scale. Clouds and scattered rain in the northern parts of the country with temperatures ranging from 17C-27C. Clouds and scattered rain in the western parts with temperatures between 18C-28C. Partly cloudy with scattered rain in the eastern parts with temperatures between 19C-25C. Partly cloudy over the islands, may rain in the afternoon, 17C-25C. Cloudy with scattered rain in Athens, 20C-25C. Cloudy with scattered rain in Thessaloniki, 18C-27C.[13] ...at a glance Athens HeadlinesETHNOS: The framework-agreement until March 2016ELEFTHERI ORA: Karamanlis: "Tsipras has agreed with the lenders" ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: The Tsipras pendulum swings between memorandum and elections AVGHI: Agreement now with gradual application VRATHINI: The decisions for early retirement KATHIMERINI: The bell tolls for everyone EPOHI: Pledge for an agreement without a memorandum DEMOKRATIA: In the jungle again! KONTRANEWS: Elections as a response to disaster! LOGOS: Suspension of payments by the State PROTO THEMA: Lower and middle-income citizens lose two salaries RIZOSPASTIS: We respond with demonstrations to the plans of the government and the creditors TO ARTHRO: Consensus only with a coalition government TO VIMA: Playing with fire TO PARON: Crash test for Tsipras 36, TSOCHA ST. ATHENS 115 21 GREECE ? TEL: 64.00.560-63 ? FAX: 64.00.581-2 INTERNET ADDRESS: http://www.ana.gr ? E-MAIL: anabul@ana gr GENERAL DIRECTOR: Michalis Psilos Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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