Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-02-21

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

CONTENTS

[01] Measures against inflation

[02] Shipping fx inflows up in '07

[03] US envoy on Greek-US ties

[01] Measures against inflation

Presenting the measures, Development Minister Christos Folias said the targets of the actions will be measurable, and that the aim was the operation of a "free and fair market". The actions will be implemented gradually, he said.

The measures include the release of a "black list" of companies in instances where an excessive increase in the prices of products and services are ascertained, the establishment of an auditing agency arising from the merger of the relevant directorates of the development ministry in the sector of commerce, reinforcement of the role of competitions committee and the operation of an observatory on the prices of 50 goods and services, the establishment of a "suggested retail price", an information campaign and stricter sanctions.

The minister said any price increases on public sector services would be justified from cost figures.

Both Folias and Development Deputy Minister George Vlahos said that measures could be improved, or even withdrawn if proven not to be effective. "Uncontrolled practices will be eliminated from the market," Folias told reporters.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Development Minister Christos Folias.

[02] Shipping fx inflows up in '07

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo.

[03] US envoy on Greek-US ties

"Democracy doesn't work if citizens don't participate, and if you leave it to elites, you're going to find that your democracy starts to wane. So, the role of individuals is instrumental in the success of democracy. The wonderful thing about that is that it turns out that -- unlike what some past generations thought, that only the exceptionally smart people should be able to govern -- when you get enough of us average people together, we actually do very well in ensuring our interests are met by our government. In particular, we serve as the check on power and government, to be sure that our interests are truly met. I think groups like Republicans Abroad, and also Democrats Abroad, are really important because they keep us connected and interested in our government," Speckhard said.

"I also think it's an important time right now because of the elections back home. I am glad you are all following them, and I am interested in them as well," he said.

I hope that this year will be an important one for Greek-American relations. I recognize that the next few months may be a little difficult because of some foreign policy issues on the agenda for Greece, including Kosovo's independence declaration that just happened on Sunday, and how that's managed; the issue of Skopje and how the name issue is going to be resolved between Greece and its neighbour to the north; as well as a number of other issues, like the relationship with Turkey, which is going well this year, although you can never count on it; the Cyprus elections that just happened last week, too. So it's going to be a very interesting year for us, but what I am most interested in now is the US elections," the ambassador continued.

"I feel that sometimes Greeks lose sight of the true fundamental values of the United States, that they focus on a particular foreign policy issues like Iraq or something that's happening in the Balkans, and they say 'Ah ha'! That's the United States. But that's not the United States. That's a foreign policy issue; that's an issue of modern conflict they are talking about today or this year. But the real United States is based on the fundamental principles that are actually the same as in Greece, and we got many of these from Greece, including democracy, respect for individuals and liberties and respect for government. Those principles are what makes us the US and what makes Greece. And that's why we are such great allies in spite of all the small tensions that sometimes arise in the political commentaries of the newspapers. Fundamentally, throughout US history, Greece has been an excellent ally and vice versa," he said.

Turning to his own foreign policy priorities, Speckhard said: "I have essentially 5 priorities here.

"The first and most important to you here in the room is the safety and security of Americans abroad, and if you are an American, I worry about you. And I want to make sure you are safe even when you are overseas. You are fortunate to live in a country like Greece where you can feel safe, but I want you to know that the Embassy is out there working 24 hours a day, doing what we can to make sure you feel connected to us and that we are doing what we can for your security while you are here," he said.

"Secondly, the Balkans. I think it is very important that we help promote stability in this region. It is good for the United States, as we have big investments here. It is good for European stability, and most importantly it is good for Greece. That region staying stable is key to the prosperity of Greece. You can't afford to prosper here if your neighbours succumb to violence and economic disarray. It is very important that the United States help in this and that we work together with Greece, because Greece has much more experience in the Balkans than the United States. So, I am going to work very closely with my Greek partners to work on that," he said, adding: "Obviously, the issue of Skopje is an important one. What I want you to know is that what you are reading in the newspapers is wrong. We did not propose a specific name for your to the north as the reporters are proposing. What we have to say is do not miss this opportunity if you can, because the upcoming NATO summit is a perfect opportunity to try to push the process forward, and without an event like this one, it is likely to drag on for years. You have probably noticed in Greece that, the longer it drags on, unfortunately, things have not gotten better in terms of Greece's interest in this process. I think it is time now to capture Greece's interest in the process, as well as the United States', as well as your neighbour's to the North, because this can be a win-win situation if everyone works together to find a solution that works for both Athens as well as your neighbour."

"The third area is the eastern Mediterranean, which is one area that is going really well. Greek-Turkish relations are really at an all time high. The question is how do we use this and how the United States can help facilitate through out relations with Ankara and with Greece to promote some real results on some issues you really care about, like the patriarch, the seminary, and other things we can do together with Turkey, like promoting a unified Cyprus, to take advantage of these good new relations," Speckhard continued.

"Fourth, terrorism. Unfortunately, Greece is not immune to this challenge. Being so close to the Middle East, you tend to become more of a transit country for people coming from the Middle East and going back to the Middle East; the move between the Middle East and Europe is very troubling for Europe as well as for the Untied States. How can we work with our Greek partners to try to arrest this problem and catch the people here before they can do harm or cause violence to Europeans or Americans or anybody," he added.

"And the last issue is an economic issue -- commercial development as well as energy security, which is important for Greece as well, which is an energy-consuming country that wants to be an energy hub. We are working with closely with our Greek counterparts on this issue," the US envoy said.

Caption: A file photo dated Monday, Dec. 3, 2007 shows the US ambassador to Greece Daniel Speckhard. ANA-MPA / M. KIAOU.

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