Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-10-03

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

CONTENTS

[01] Alternate FM meets Croat foreign minister, signs agreement

[02] Culture minister and IOC president discuss Athens Olympic Games

[03] Canada awards three Greek companies

[04] WWII German plane raised from Aegean deeps

[05] Greece, Cyprus forge agreement on oil stocks

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates: Monday

[07] Weather Forecast: Sunny on Saturday

[08] ASE ends week 4.41 percent higher

[01] Alternate FM meets Croat foreign minister, signs agreement

ZAGREB (ANA - N. Melisova) - Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Tassos Yiannitsis, here on an official visit, on Friday had a meeting with Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula and signed a cooperation agreement where Greece pledges financial assistance to Croatia to remove landmines within its territory.

Under the agreement, Greece will provide 700,000 euros a year for three years for clearing landmines, while the work will be carried out by a Greek non-governmental organisation.

On the Greek side, the offer is a gesture of goodwill for peace in the Balkans, while Picula termed the agreement ''an important step toward normalising life in the region.''

In a joint press conference afterward, Yiannitsis said that Greece will continue to support Croatia's bid to join the EU and had set in motion measures to develop economic and tourism ties between the two countries, whose results would be apparent in the coming months.

One of these is the imminent creation of shipping lines through the Adriatic and Ionian Seas that will use the proximity of Dubrovnik and Corfu to attract tourists.

Prior to his meeting with Picula, the Greek minister was received by Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, who is due to carry out an official visit to Greece on November 18.

[02] Culture minister and IOC president discuss Athens Olympic Games preparations

Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos met with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge in Florence on Friday on the sidelines of the European Union's informal Council of Culture and Sports Ministers taking place in the city as part of the EU's Italian presidency, a culture ministry press release said.

Speaking afterwards, Rogge said talks focused on preparations for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, adding that the IOC is extremely happy in seeing the close cooperation existing between the government, the Organising Committee and the IOC.

Rogge also said holding the Olympic Games is never easy and extended his respect to the Greeks for the exemplary way they are organising the Games and expressed certainty that they will be excellent.

Venizelos said he had the opportunity of discussing with Rogge cooperation between the Greek government, the 2004 Organising Committee and the IOC in light of the Athens Olympic Games.

The minister stressed that Rogge reiterated his faith that the 2004 Games will be exemplary.

He added that they also discussed the Cultural Olympiad and how the institution of the Cultural Olympiad will remain after 2004 in cooperation with the IOC, UNESCO and the Athens Organising Committee.

[03] Canada awards three Greek companies

Canadian ambassador to Greece Philip Sommerville presented this year's Hellenic-Canadian business awards to three Greek companies for their contribution in developing bilateral relations in recent years.

The awards were presented to P.A.S.S. Defence, to Psychogios Publications and to TourGreece SA.

Mr Sommerville underlined Greece's convergence with the European Union and the opportunities offered to Canadian companies for investments. He stressed that a total of 350 Canadian enterprises were having economic transactions with Greece with many of them working in infrastructure projects of the Athens 2004 Olymipc Games.

The Canadian ambassador also praised the development of a Hellenic community in Canada.

P.A.S.S. Defence is a Greek company focusing on designing and maintenance of security and defence systems and a manufacturer of biochemical and nuclear protection systems.

Mr Sommerville also presented the embassy's new trade consultant, Mr Ben Gaylor, who is replacing Mr Emmanouel Kapetanakis.

[04] WWII German plane raised from Aegean deeps

A three-engine cargo plane that went down during World War II was raised from the seabed in waters off the Aegean island of Leros on Friday, 60 years after it fell.

The plane was at a depth of 41 metres about half a kilometre from Leros Bay and was raised by Greek Airforce personnel using Greek equipment.

According to sources, meanwhile, a skeleton was found within the aircraft.

The Airforce General Staff has contacted the German Embassy in order to hand over the aircraft.

[05] Greece, Cyprus forge agreement on oil stocks

NICOSIA (ANA/G.Leonidas/CNA) - Greece and Cyprus on Friday signed an agreement allowing crude oil stocks and petroleum products belonging to the island republic to be stored in Greece.

Signing for Greece was visiting Development Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos; and for Cyprus, the commerce, industry and tourism minister, Yiorgos Lillikas.

Lillikas told a news conference that the European Union allowed member states to keep their strategic oil stocks in other countries of the bloc, following an interstate pact.

A technical study was underway to determine the quantity of stocks to be stored in Greece, and the cost. In addition, a tender would be held in Greece to find a company that would hold the products, he added.

The two countries also signed cooperation protocols in energy and industry.

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates: Monday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.177

Pound sterling 0.705

Danish kroner 7.488

Swedish kroner 9.060

Japanese yen 130.3

Swiss franc 1.556

Norwegian kroner 8.223

Cyprus pound 0.589

Canadian dollar 1.578

Australian dollar 1.721

[07] Weather Forecast: Sunny on Saturday

All parts of the country will see sunshine. Winds west-southwesterly, light to moderate, turning strong in parts of the Aegean. In the north, temperatures will range from 14C to 31C; on the rest of the mainland from 16C to 33C; and in the islands from 20C to 30C. Temperatures in Athens between 18C and 32C; and in Thessaloniki from 16C to 30C.

[08] ASE ends week 4.41 percent higher

Positive economic news from both sides of the Atlantic created a rally of prices in international markets and pushed Greek stocks higher in the Athens Stock Exchange on Friday.

The general index ended 1.80 percent higher at 2,089.90 points, after briefly surpassed the 2,100 level in intra-day transactions. The index ended the week with a net gain of 4.41 percent.

Turnover was a moderate 119.2 million euros. All insurance sectors scored gains with the Insurance (9.32 percent), Publication (8.22 percent) and Textile (3.59 percent) sectors recording the biggest percentage gains of the day.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks rose 1.69 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index jumped 2.99 percent and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index soared 3.67 percent.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 318 to 21 with another 19 issues unchanged.

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