Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-01-22

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] Gov't annuls 2004 Olympics security tender

[02] Government rules out involvement of Greek troops in Iraq

[03] Greek EU presidency to focus on sustainable development

[04] Battle against doping can be won, Sebastian Coe says

[05] Actor Daniel Day Lewis in Athens for 'Gangs of New York ' premiere

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

[07] Weather Forecast: Cloudy, rainy on Thursday

[08] Greek stocks end off lows on Wednesday

[01] Gov't annuls 2004 Olympics security tender

Athens on Wednesday announced that a closely watched international tender for the massive security programme during the upcoming Athens 2004 Olympic Games has been declared void, with the government spokesman citing ?protection of public interests? in justifying the decision.

Spokesman Christos Protopapas added that conditions and prerequisites were not met during the tenders final phase.

Moreover, he clarified that the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence (KYSEA), the high-ranking committee that approves major defence contracts and top military promotions, among others, will consider the 2004 security contract only after a winner has been selected.

Two international consortia were in the bidding for multi-million dollar contract, the centrepiece of governments and Athens 2004 organisers (ATHOC) commitment to ensure absolutely secure Olympic Games in 2004.

Two offers were on the table coming into the week, by the ?SAIC? and ?TRS? groups.

Protopapas nevertheless dismissed concerns about pressing deadlines, promising that ?we will be ready on time?.

In later statements following a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Costas Simitis, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos said a new tender will be issued immediately, and again under the defence ministry's auspices.

[02] Government rules out involvement of Greek troops in Iraq

Government spokesman Christos Protopapas on Wednesday ruled out the involvement of Greek troops in the case of a war in Iraq.

He said Greece would ''gauge its position on the basis of the course of developments in the UN'' regarding the provision of facilitations to the US side if an operation against Iraq was decided.

Protopapas stressed that war was not inevitable and that there were peaceful ways of resolving the differences. He also noted initiatives that Greece had begun and said that the Greek government's aim was a convergence of positions among EU member-states at the UN.

''Europe must prove that it can have a common direction on this issue. In this affair, the EU's ability to develop joint initiatives is being judged,'' he stressed.

[03] Greek EU presidency to focus on sustainable development

BRUSSELS (ANA/G.Zitouniati) - Greece's current six-month presidency of the European Union is to focus on sustainable development, aiming at a reshaping of the 15-nation bloc's economic and social model.

Development Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said in the Belgian capital on Wednesday that sustainable development lay at the heart of the EU Lisbon's strategy.

The minister was outlining the Greek presidency's proposals on development to the European Parliament.

The components of sustainable development to be tackled were improving competitiveness coupled with a rise in productivity and investment in the information society; along with attaining social cohesion, protection of the environment and quality of life, he said.

In the industrial sector, the presidency would focus on small and medium-sized enterprises, the backbone of the EU's economy.

As president of the bloc until June, Greece would also work to advance an agreement made to achieve full deregulation of the electricity and natural gas market by 2007, Tsohatzopoulos said.

[04] Battle against doping can be won, Sebastian Coe says

The battle against doping by athletes could be won by the sports movement, though not overnight and perhaps not completely, Sebastian Coe said on Wednesday during an address at the headquarters of the Athens 2004 Olympics Organising Committee.

A leading figure in the world of athletics, Coe warned that doping could distort the fabric of sports but also noted that it should not be linked with individual aspects of sports, such as the pressure on athletes to break new records.

''The decision to use drugs is not the individual affair of each athlete,'' Coe said, pointing out that a series of influences from their whole environment are brought to bear on athletes, whose activities touch the limits of human capacity.

For this reason, he added, there had to be an in-depth investigation of the entire human ''chain'' in the environment of athletes that used performance-enhancing drugs.

''It has to be understood that sports is not just about physical performance but also demands mental strength,'' he stressed.

The issue was now ripe, it was no longer something hidden and this made discussion and the search for solutions easier, he added.

[05] Actor Daniel Day Lewis in Athens for 'Gangs of New York ' premiere

Actor Daniel Day-Lewis arrived in Athens on Wednesday for the Athens premiere of the new film by Martin Scorsese ''Gangs of New York,'' in which he plays a starring role.

The proceeds of the premiere will go toward the Protection of Spastic Children Society.

Day-Lewis spoke about the needs of the handicapped, noting that these were not met by ''our prejudices and weaknesses''. He also condemned the prospect of a war in Iraq, saying that a climate of opposition to the war had been growing even in normally apathetic Hollywood over the past few weeks.

The actor expressed his admiration for Scorsese and said he hoped the newly released film would earn him his first Oscar.

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.080

Pound sterling 0.669

Danish kroner 7.495

Swedish kroner 9.327

Japanese yen 127.5

Swiss franc 1.473

Norwegian kroner 7.448

Cyprus pound 0.582

Canadian dollar 1.653

Australian dollar 1.841

[07] Weather Forecast: Cloudy, rainy on Thursday

Cloudy weather is forecast in all parts of the country with rain and storms in the Dodecanese eastern Aegean and Cyclades. Rain is also likely to fall in the west and north. Winds south-southwesterly, moderate to strong. In the north, temperatures will range from 2C to 12C; on the rest of the mainland and in the Ionian from 6C to 16C; and in the Aegean islands from 9C to 17C. Temperatures in Athens between 8C and 16C; and in Thessaloniki from 6C to 12C.

[08] Greek stocks end off lows on Wednesday

Greek stocks ended Wednesday's sessions slightly lower as a wave of bargain hunting in the last half hour of trading in the Athens Stock Exchange helped the market to significantly limit earlier losses.

The general index fell 0.15 percent to end at 1,669.69 points, with turnover a low 70.4 million euros.

The IT, Base Metals and Industrial sectors scored the biggest percentage gains of the day (1.68 percent, 1.09 percent and 0.75 percent, respectively), while the Publication (1.53 percent), Investment (0.90 percent and Construction (0.83 percent) suffered the heaviest percentage losses.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks eased 0.18 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index ended 0.01 percent lower, the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index ended 0.23 percent down.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 187 to 103 with another 64 issues unchanged.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article