Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-05-18

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM calls for national agreement

[02] Rehn on economic adjustment programme

[03] Canadian PM in Athens on May 28-29

[04] Contraband cigarettes found aboard Togo-flag freighter that ran aground off Katakolo

[05] Meeting on privatisations

[06] Child and man drowned

[07] Samaras on call for 'consensus'

[08] Tourist arrivals up

[09] Athens Newspaper Headlines 

[01] PM calls for national agreement

Addressing an Economist conference titled "In the aftermath of the global economic crisis: What next" that began on Tuesday at a sea-side resort east of Athens, Papandreou said that the "primary necessity is to have a new nation-wide agreement within our country".

Papandreou called for a serious and responsible stance, persistence and commitment by everyone, by society, the business community, the social partners and the political party leaders alike. "This is a national necessity for us: we have to change Greece, and show that everyone, everywhere, understands this".

"In order to restore sustainable economic growth, fiscal consolidation remains our number one priority. That is why we have just tabled an ambitious medium-term fiscal adjustment program for 2012-2015, which includes extensive privatisations, scale economies in the public sector, minimizing waste in public spending, and restructuring our production model," Papandreou added.

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[02] Rehn on economic adjustment programme

As regards the form that the political commitment of the opposition parties for the implementation of the Mermorandum should take, Rehn said that it must be "clear and be based on the discussions with the country's political forces."ana-mpa

According to the Commissioner, it is of decisive importance that the Greek authorities announce decisive measures, to safeguard the achievement of the fiscal targets and the privatisations programme to begin without delay. When these measures are taken, Rehn added, the Eurogroup will examine possible next steps.

Referring to the visit to Greece by the troika's delegation, he said that it will not be completed this week, as had been initially scheduled, but in the next week. However, he expressed the conviction that the next tranche of the loan, amounting to 12 billion euros, will be disbursed.

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[03] Canadian PM in Athens on May 28-29

Harper will have contacts with the state and political leadership in Athens, in the framework of strengthening bilateral relations between Canada and Greece, while he will also be present at a business forum.

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[04] Contraband cigarettes found aboard Togo-flag freighter that ran aground off Katakolo

The freighter "Shenyang I", with a six-member crew on board, developed a list on Tuesday afternoon very close to the shores of Thines, in western Ilia prefecture, and developed a list.ana-mpa

A search of the vessel revealed approximately 120 boxes of contraband cigarettes.

The ship's captain told the coast guard that the vessel had set sail from Montenegro without cargo, en route to Turkey.

The vessel was guarded throughout the night by the Coast Guard, and a preliminary in

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[05] Meeting on privatisations

Papaconstantinou convened the meeting upon his return from Brussels, where he participated in the Eurogroup and Ecofin councils.ana-mpa

There must be decisions between the government and the troika on the full specialisation of the measures of the Medium-term Fiscal Strategy Framework 2012-2015 (that includes interventions amounting to 26 billion euros), a programme for privatisations and the utilisation of state property amounting to 50 billion euros and additional measures required for the current year.

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[06] Child and man drowned

A Preveza port authority patrol boat spotted the distressed dinghy and picked up the migrants from the sea.ana-mpa

Divers are currently searching the area to locate the missing child which, according to information, is the twin brother of the drowned 8-year-old.

The migrant trafficker, a 51 year-old Greek, has been arrested, while the illegal migrants will be sheltered in the old town hall of Zalogos.

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[07] Samaras on call for 'consensus'

In a statement to Eleftheros Typos daily newspaper appearing on Wednesday, and regarding a call by EU economic and monetary affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn for the political parties' consensus to the Memorandum measures in order for the EU to disburse the following tranches of the 110 billion euro EU-IMF bailout loan, Samaras also stressed that Greece has a government and an opposition, and that the country's parliamentary democracy remains strong.ana-mpa

"The Constitution, institutions and dignity mandate that we remind, in every direction, that a government exists, the opposition exists, and the parliamentary democracy remains strong in this land called Greece".

Even if, hypothetically speaking, ND counter-signed consensus in order for Greece to receive the 5th tranches of the loan, "can Mr. Olli Rehn sign for us that, with the same wrong policy the government is following, Greece will receive the 6th and 7th tranches of the loan?" Samaras asked.

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[08] Tourist arrivals up

During the January-April period the arrivals of foreign tourists increased by 5.6 percent compared to the bad 2010, amounting to 1,147,555 tourists. However, the increase taking place in the month of April for all over the country is impressive, achieving 24.04 percent, a fact meaning that about half the tourists in the first months of 2011 arrived in April (541,974).

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[09] Athens Newspaper Headlines

The Eurogroup's demand for political parties' consensus in order to offer new loan, and the developments in government's deliberations with the Troika, mostly dominated the headlines on Wednesday in Athens' newspapers.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "New pogrom against civil servants..."

AVGHI: "Government being dragged to early general elections".

AVRIANI: "Antonis (Samaras, main opposition New Democracy leader) be careful, do not commit (political) suicide".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "The four-year devastation plan".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Samaras' 'no' to Brussels' blackmail".

ESTIA: "The government is inadequate".

ETHNOS: "The list of state hospitals to be merged".

IMERISSIA: "Troika's three conditions: Supervisors, privatisations and lay-offs".

KATHIMERINI: "Eurogroup president Jean Claude Juncker's bomb on the debt".

NAFTEMPORIKI: "Restructure proposal and demand for consensus".

RIZOSPASTIS: "An anti-popular consensus is underway to save the plutocracy from the crisis'.

TA NEA: "Eurogames with the consensus".

VRADYNI: Workers Housing Organisation (OEK) freeze on loans.

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