Athens News Agency: News in English, 02-12-10

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

CONTENTS

[01] Cyprus settlement before EU summit preferred, but not a condition for

[02] Turkish F-16 fighter jets harass Greek C-130 cargo plane over Aegean

[03] Greece backs European tourism policy

[04] Greece welcomes EU's open skies pact

[05] Transport experts unveil proposals on Athens' traffic problems

[06] Weather Forecast: Cloudy, showery on Wednesday

[07] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks rise after late buying

[01] Cyprus settlement before EU summit preferred, but not a condition for accession

Although the EU ''naturally prefers the accession of a reunited Cyprus'', if this was ''untenable'' before the Copenhagen summit, the Republic of Cyprus would accede the Union in accordance with the Helsinki summit decisions, which stipulated that a solution of the political problem was not a condition for Cyprus' membership, Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, reaffirmed Tuesday in Athens.

Rasmussen met Tuesday with premier Costas Simitis of Greece, which will assume the EU presidency for the first half of 2003 at the end of the Danish presidency, ahead of the Copenhagen summit slated to begin on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Simitis reiterated the Greek position that the Helsinki decisions must be enforced and Cyprus' EU accession proceed without difficulties.

He also reaffirmed Greece's support for setting an early date for the commencement of EU accession negotiations with Turkey, ''possibly within 2004'' so that, provided Turkey fulfilled the EU's criteria, the accession negotiations could begin. It is recalled that France and Germany have jointly proposed that the EU open entry talks in July 2005 if Turkey meets the accession criteria by a review in December 2004.

Rasmussen said that the Copenhagen summit would be one of the most important summits in the EU's hisotry, expressing hope that the entry negotiations with the 10 candidate countries would be completed, and called on each and every candidate to accept the individual specialised proposals worked out by the Danish EU presidency.

On Cyprus, Rasmussen appealed to the leaders of the two communities to reach agreement on the solution of the Cyprus issue before the Copenhagen summit, noting that the entry of a reunified Cyprus was clearly preferred by the EU.

Rasmussen reiterated his call for the two sides on Cyprus to reach a solution to the Cyprus issue before the Copenhagen summit, but stressed that if that were not possible, Cyprus would accede the Union, in accordance with the Helsinki summit decisions, which he said stipulated that the resolution of the political problem was desirable, but did not constitute a condition for Cyprus accession.

[02] Turkish F-16 fighter jets harass Greek C-130 cargo plane over Aegean

Two Turkish F-16 fighter jets on Tuesday harassed a Greek C-130 cargo plane returning to Elefsina from Cyprus, over the central Aegean Sea, press sources said.

According to the same sources, the harassment took place a few minutes after 3 p.m. in airspace controlled by the Athens Civil Aviation Authority, seven nautical miles east of Naxos and at an altitude of 20,000 feet.

As the two Turkish jets flew past the Greek cargo plane, at a distance of about 500 feet, Greek fighter jets intercepted them.

In an unrelated development, ten formations of Turkish fighter jets infringed on the Athens' Flight Information Region (FIR), which in some cases developed into violations of Greek airspace in the Northern and Central Aegean.

In all instances Greek jets intercepted the Turkish warplanes.

This was the first incursion of Turkish jets in five days. The renewed activity comes on the heels of the end of the Ramadan.

[03] Greece backs European tourism policy

BELGIUM (ANA/B.Demiris) - Development Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said on Tuesday that Greece backed a Europe-wide tourism policy as the sector's current crisis was seen continuing.

Addressing a tourism forum in the Belgian capital, the minister said that the Greek rotating presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2003 was planning to hold a conference on tourism in conjunction with the transport sector, and another on culture-linked tourism.

[04] Greece welcomes EU's open skies pact

Greece on Tuesday welcomed a European Union agreement last week to implement an open skies policy.

Transport and Communications Minister Christos Verelis told reporters that the pact would help to reduce flight delays and improve safety.

The ageement is to take effect by December 31, 2004.

Greek proposals were accepted on ensuring sovereign airspace rights for member-states at their own responsibility; maintaining the current status of operational and military activity in the Aegean; and the right of veto, the minister said.

[05] Transport experts unveil proposals on Athens' traffic problems

The Association of Greek Transport Experts (SES) on Tuesday unveiled a series of measures to combat congestion in the center of Athens which, as they said, is clogged with traffic as more vehicles are being introduced in the city's existing infrastructures.

The experts stressed the necessity of more parking places near mass transport terminals and for the better utilization of existing mass transport means through their more efficient organizing.

They also called for the construction of a ring road allowing drivers to bypass the city and reach their destination on the other side of it without having to cross the center of the city and decongesting the center from through traffic.

One of the basic measures was considered to be the timing of trucks entering the center. Most trucks entering the city do so to provision shops and they would be allowed in the city only before seven in the morning and after 10 at night.

[06] Weather Forecast: Cloudy, showery on Wednesday

Cloud is forecast in all parts of the country with showers also likely. Storms are expected in the west, and snow on high ground. Winds variable, strong to gale force. In the north, temperatures will range from -04C to 07C; on the rest of the mainland from 01C to 13C; and in the islands from 07C to 14C. Temperatures in Athens between 02C and 10C; and in Thessaloniki from 01C to 06C.Light snow is expected on Mount Parnes, outside Athens.

[07] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks rise after late buying

The Athens bourse finished higher on Tuesday with a spurt of late buying in Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation, and then other shares, taking the index up in the wake of rangebound trade.

The general share index gained 0.68 percent to end at 1,815.52 points. Turnover was 82.7 million euros.

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks ended 0.42 percent up; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium capitalisation paper 1.08 percent higher; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap equities finished 0.93 percent up.

Of stocks traded, advances led declines at 235 to 84 with 39 issues remaining unchanged.

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