Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-09-26

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

CONTENTS

[01] Inner Cabinet discusses EU funds, broadband strategy

[02] Papandreou renews attack on government

[03] FM in Washington for talks with US officials

[04] Sioufas proposes ecological park in Faliro

[01] Inner Cabinet discusses EU funds, broadband strategy

The discussion mainly focussed on EU funds and high-speed Internet connection.

National economy and finance minister George Alogoskoufis briefed the Inner Cabinet on the new map of regional reinforcements approved by the European Union.

He told reporters after the meeting that the country's developmental law would be revised, given that the reinforcement ceilings were being increased to up to 60 percent for private investments in the poorer regions of the country, such as western Greece, Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace.

Alogoskoufis further said that he and transport and communications minister Michalis Liapis briefed the Inner Cabinet on the country's new digital strategy, broadband legislation, and high-speed Internet connection.

He noted that the government's goal was to increase broadband use in Greece from 0.1 percent of the population in 2004 to 7 percent in 2008, and penetration expanding from 30 percent to 90 percent of the country.

The broadband plan is part of an overall action plan contained in the digital strategy for 2006-2013.

[02] Papandreou renews attack on government

During discussions at the meeting, he slammed the government's performance in handling corruption, the phone-tapping scandal, the economy, health and education policy.

Regarding corruption, Papandreou stressed that PASOK rejected all concept of a "trade-off" and had urged the government to submit any evidence that it possessed regarding the allegations it had made while in the opposition to a public prosecutor. If anything were proved, PASOK would be the first to demand the punishment of those that had abused the trust of its governments, he added.

According to PASOK's leader, each of the scandals were not an isolated incident but a result of the lawless regime created by the present government, which he accused of not having made plans for anything except how to manage the state as plunder.

On the phone-tapping scandal, which once again made the headlines on Tuesday through a report in "To Vima", Papandreou said the government had not only signed an agreement allowing phone-tapping for the security of the Olympic Games but also renewed this agreement after the Games.

"This proves that they were not the victims [of the illegal mobile phone-tapping] as they claimed but the perpetrators," Papandreou said.

He once again slammed the government's decision for a "general audit" of the state's finances as "criminal", saying it had placed the economy under observation by the EU, while accusing the government of bumping up figures for GDP growth in order to extricate the country from the deficit procedure.

During the meeting, PASOK stated its opposition to Wednesday's joint meeting by Parliament's Committee on Institutions and Transparency and the Committee on Production and Trade, saying that only its MPs on the Production and Trade committee would attend.

PASOK had asked for a separate meeting of the Institutions and Transparency Committee and that the Competition Commission president and all its members be called to appear before it.

Finally, PASOK announced that it was launching a campaign to ascertain the true state of the country's health sector and asked that Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos be called to testify before Parliament's Committee on Social Affairs, while it will table a question asking the government to supply documents that present complete figures on hospitals, staff shortages, supplies, investments in biomedical technology and ICUs.

[03] FM in Washington for talks with US officials

The minister's programme for Tuesday includes a meeting with Senator Hillary Clinton and an address to the "Statesman's Forum" organised by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, while on the same day she will inaugurate the new building of the Greek Embassy.

Her meeting with Condoleezza Rice and US Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman is to take place on Wednesday.

On the same day, the minister is also scheduled to deliver a speech at Georgetown University and meet White House National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley.

Bakoyannis will also officially inaugurate the Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Department of Modern Hellenic Studies at Georgetown University.

US state department deputy spokesman Tom Casey on Monday noted Greece's important role in the Balkans, replying to a question on Greek foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis' upcoming meeting with secretary of state Condeleezza Rice in Washington, during a regular press briefing.

Casey said that Rice was certainly "looking forward" to meeting with Bakoyannis.

"They have met previously as you know. Greece is, I believe, currently the President of the UN Security Council so I'm certain they'll talk about those issues. I expect they'll touch on a number of other bilateral concerns," he said.

"Certainly Greece is a good friend and NATO ally, has an important role to play in NATO as well as in the broader region in the Balkans. I know those issues will probably be things that will be on the agenda as well. Certainly she looks forward to seeing her," Casey added.

Bakoyannis, who was in New York for the 61st UN General Assembly and Security Council meetings, was due in Washington early Tuesday (Greek time).

Her discussions are expected to focus on the Greek Presidency of the UN Security Council, bilateral cooperation, international matters such as the situation in the Middle East and the Balkans, the Cyprus issue, Turkey's European prospects and energy safety.

[04] Sioufas proposes ecological park in Faliro

In his letter to Environment, Land Planning and Public Works Minister George Souflias, Culture Minister George Voulgarakis and Hellenic Olympic Properties SA President Christos Hatziemmanuil, Sioufas pointed out that the main feature of such a park will be the construction of a large aquarium meeting international specifications. He mentioned that it will be a multilevel investment (financial, cultural, tourist, research and education) and used as an example the successful recent operation of the Seaworld Aquarium on Crete, visited by over 300,000 people in six months.

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