Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-12-11

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

CONTENTS

[01] Three die in Magnesia after being swept away by torrents

[02] Pangalos on foreign policy

[03] Tsipras on labour issues

[04] Athens Newspaper Headlines

[01] Three die in Magnesia after being swept away by torrents

Two animal breeders, brothers, were reported missing in the Almyros region of Magnesia at noon Thursday after being swept away by a torrent while attempting to cross a stream in heavy rainfall. The body of one brother, 72, was spotted and recovered later Thursday by a team of EMAK rescuers, police and volunteers at a distance of 300 meters from the stream. The body of his 65-year-old brother was found by rescuers on Friday morning.

Initially, the 72-year-old was swept away by torrential water, while the 65-year-old was also swept away a few minutes later as he attempted to help his brother.

Rescuers also recovered, on Friday morning, the third missing man, a 69-year-old man who was swept away by torrential waters on Thursday as he got out of his car, which suffered a malfunction, on the Sourpis-Drymonas provincial road.

[02] Pangalos on foreign policy

Pangalos addressed a conference in Athens by the International Relations Institute on the Challenges of Greek Foreign Policy, hosted at the foreign ministry's auditorium.

He referred to the three diplomatic "fronts", as he said, that the country faces, namely, the serious and long-standing Cyprus problem -- "which, of course, requires the decisions of the Cypriot people to be led to a solution", as he stressed -- the issue of national sovereignty and the lesser but still unresolved issue involving the fYRoM "name dispute".

"We are pre-occupying people in Europe with these (problems). Really, how many (problems) do the remaining 26 plague us with?" he asked, adding that Greek foreign policy is unique for the above reasons.

Pangalos underlined the economic performances of a country exercising diplomacy and said that "you cannot be present and influence developments unless you have economic self-sufficiency ... No matter how wise a diplomacy you exercise, you cannot overcome the fact that you depend on others."

He further stressed that "we are a country in debt, one that lives on borrowed money. Enough with this fable of 'neo-populist' innovation. The problem of economic self-sufficiency is huge ... We can conduct serious diplomacy, but we must acquire economic self-sufficiency."

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Government vice-President Theodoros Pangalos

[03] Tsipras on labour issues

He called the government's proposal for dialogue on economic issues a "public relations ruse", adding that "dialogue is not a remedy for every disease, especially when it is given that the policy has already been decided beforehand".

"The government seeks political consensus on unjust policies, for the implementation of a right-wing strategy. Mr. Samaras (main opposition New Democracy leader) and Mr. Karatzaferis (LAOS leader) may be the recipients of the proposals. They will find us, however, against it together with the overwhelming majority of society and the overwhelming majority of PASOK's grass roots".

Tsipras said that "Mr. Papandreou's pledges for increases in salaries and redistribution of wealth" proved to be "a huge scam" just two months after the people believed in them and voted PASOK into power, but now the government is speaking of bankruptcy and a threat to the country's national sovereignty. "The real danger is that the remedy to confront the crisis may prove worse than the disease itself".

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) parliamentary group leader Alexis Tsipras

[04] Athens Newspaper Headlines

Prime Minister George Papandreou's address at the EU Summit on the state of the Greek economy and the government's intended measures, foreign officials' statements and premier's call on President of Republic Karolos Papoulias to convene on Tuesday the Political Leaders' Council on the problem of corruption, and the start of the National Social Dialogue on Monday, dominated the headlines on Friday in Athens' newspapers.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "Athens under occupation - The self-destruction folly continues".

APOGEVMATINI: "Cooperation is a national necessity - The President agreed with the prime minister's request to convene the Party Leaders' Council".

AVGHI: "Government to announce painful and anti-social measures".

AVRIANI: "Tax storm on the horizon - Government to announce package of extraordinary measures before Christmas".

CHORA: "Leaders' dialogue on corruption full of thorns".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Government seeks a life jacket in consensus in order to impose additional taxes and a 3-year freeze on salaries".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "German Chancellor Angela Merkel puts pressure to EU to save us".

ESTIA: "When was our national sovereignty conceded? - The premier's statement was unfounded".

ETHNOS: "George's (Papandreou, prime minister) messages from Brussels - The Greek economy issue prevailed in the EU Summit".

IMERISSIA: "Two opinions on economy - Dispute over the breadth of the measures".

KATHIMERINI: "EU ultimatum, in the form of 'support'."

LOGOS: "Promises....will bring new taxes - Papandreou promised in Brussels 'Substantial and major changes'."

NAFTEMPORIKI: "EU leaders demand measures".

NIKI: "Former Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis was aware of the imminent bankruptcy and......left".

RIZOSPASTIS: "Class, popular solidarity and counter-attack against the anti-social policy".

TA NEA: "Salary freeze again on the table - Government will take decisions on measures over the weekend".

TO VIMA: "Three-year freeze on salaries - Alternative solution to save the Christmas bonus".

VRADYNI: "Protective wall - Germany backs Greek economy".

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