Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-02-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] Papandreou on political situation

[02] Hellenistic era finds on Kuwaiti isle

[03] Athens unveils 'greenery charter'

[01] Papandreou on political situation

He stressed that PASOK had asked for Parliamentary inquiries into affairs like the Vodafone phone-tapping scandal, the Siemens bribery case and the earlier issue of pension fund-issued structured bonds in order to "clear the air" and not in a spirit of revenge, so that the public's trust in politics and the political system might be restored.

Papandreou added that politics was currently in a confused state in which none were punished and accusations were traded by all, so that the truly guilty were concealed. "We will not accept this," he stressed, while accusing the government of acting to preserve this sordid climate.

PASOK's leader also criticised the government's refusal to respond to the party's proposed plan for fighting corruption, while he linked this phenomenon to a lack of development both at the centre but more especially in regional areas of the country.

During his speech, the former foreign minister in two Simitis governments additionally referred to Turkey and criticised the government's handling of bilateral issues with Greece's neighbour, saying that it had missed "at least two opportunities" to use a veto at the EU level for issues concerning the Aegean continental shelf, something he said would have strengthened Greece's position.

Concerning a recent visit by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to Ankara, meanwhile, PASOK's president said this was "more for show" and said that a lack of strategy in foreign policy encouraged Turkey to be provocative.

In an earlier meeting held on the island, Papandreou had been briefed on the problems faced by Chios but also underlined his own close ties with the island, where his father and founder of PASOK Andreas Papandreou was born on Feb. 5, 1919.

With respect to the island's development, he noted a reference to support for island regions that had been included in the first European Union Constitutional Treaty and other EU documents, while adding that the present government had failed to ensure the inclusion of such as reference in the more recent Reform Treaty.

Papandreou also referred to a dearth of infrastructure works on the island, in spite of government pledges to the opposite, and outlined his party's model for 'green' development as a new national strategy that combined respect for the environment, use of new technologies and culture.

Concerning facilities on the island, he pointed to the need for a more modern road system and better health care and called for carefully regulated tenders granting the concession to ferry lines, with profitable lines subsidising less profitable lines. He also voiced support for subsidised ferry tickets, but not for tourists.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of PASOK leader George Papandreou.

[02] Hellenistic era finds on Kuwaiti isle

Remains of a fort, temple, shrine, and ancient Greek inscriptions have been unearthed, with the discoveries presented during a press conference at the culture ministry in Athens on Tuesday by Greek archaeologists working at the site in cooperation with the Kuwaiti government.

The head of the six-week-old mission, Angeliki Kottaridis, said Greek colonists in the region arrived with Alexander the Great, with their presence on the isle evident for at least two centuries. According to ancient sources, Alexander the Great himself had named the island Icarus, while his Seleucid successors continued to consider the island a strategic asset due to its position at the mouth of today's Shatt al-Arab, formed by the confluence of the Euphates adn Tigis Rivers in southern Mesopotamia.

The island was later named Failaka after the fort built on the island, with one possibility being that it was derived from the Greek word "filakio" for outpost.

The temple and the entire eastern section of the Hellenistic fort were discovered following earlier excavations by Danish, American and French archaeologists. The Greek mission proceeded with the systematic excavation of the western section of the complex, discovering a part of the western wall, a workshop processing stone offerings and a chamber that was part of a Hellenistic era building.

Greek archaeologists also helped in the preservation work done on the noted stele of Icarus ,bearing a large Greek inscription, on display at the Museum of Kuwait, which itself suffered serious damage during the Iraqi invasion.

The archaeological mission was the result of an agreement signed last summer between the Greek culture ministry and the responsible Kuwaiti agency. Interest to renew the bilateral cooperation agreement has been positively met by the Greek ministry.

Caption: An undated handout photo released on 01 August 2007 shows the temple of Artemis in the ancient town of Icarus, on Kuwait's Failaka island in the Persian Gulf. ANA-MPA/ EPA/ STR

[03] Athens unveils 'greenery charter'

The city of Athens is the largest and most populous municipality within the greater Athens-Piraeus area, which hosts roughly half of the residents in the country of 11 million inhabitants and approximately two-thirds of the economic output.

"We are introducing regulations for the planting and protection of greenery," Kaklamanis said.

According to the former health minister, documented figures show that the rate of public green space per capita in the city of Athens is 6.84 square metres. He also provided details on each city district, seven in all, and stressed that the target is 7.25 square metres per capita, in line with the international average, for the entire municipality and each district separately.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis

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