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Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-05-13
CONTENTS
[01] Opposition on control of OTE
[02] Santorini earns another honor
[01] Opposition on control of OTE
Main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou on Tuesday tabled a
question for Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis in Parliament,
questioning the wisdom of relinquishing state control over Greece's
telephone utility Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE).
PASOK's leader underlined that the government is selling out OTE and
handing over the organization's management to a foreign, essentially
state-run, telecommunications company, without explaining the reasons
for such a decision and the likely benefits for OTE, consumers and the
Greek economy. Specifically, Papandreou asked the prime minister why
the government has followed underground procedures for handing over
OTE's management to Deutsche Telekom, thereby abolishing state control
and undermining public interest through the imminent deal.
Papandreou's concerns were echoed by the head of the Coalition of the
Radical Left (SYRIZA) Parliamentary group, Alekos Alavanos, who also
tabled a question for the prime minister on similar lines. Alavanos
stressed that SYRIZA opposed the selling off of public enterprises,
such as OTE and Greece's major ports, by the ruling New Democracy
government and questioned the wisdom of placing key tools for
government intervention in the hands of foreign interests at a time
when the world was entering a global financial crisis. A question for
the prime minister was also tabled by the head of the Popular Orthodox
Rally (LAOS) party George Karatzaferis, who called for a revision of
government policy for the health sector, stressing what he called major
deficiencies on all levels.
Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of main opposition PASOK leader George
Papandreou.
[02] Santorini earns another honor
Readers of the Spanish magazine "Cruceros y Destinos", which
specialises in cruise holiday reporting and coverage, have voted the
island of Santorini as the best cruise destination in the
Mediterranean.
The head of the Greek National Tourism Organization's (GNTO) office in
Madrid, Dora Makri, received the award on Monday from the magazine's
director, Feliz Gonzalez.
St. Petersburg, Russia was voted as the best destination in northern
Europe, while the island of St. Martin/St. Maarten as the best
destination in the Caribbean.
Caption: The volcanic rock islet in the middle of the Caldera, which is
surrounded by the crescent-shaped island of Santorini (Thera), in a
file photo dated Friday, 16 April, 2004. ANA-MPA / SIMELA PANTZARTZI.
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