Mr. Simitis will meet with President Georgi Parvanof and Prime Minister of Bulgaria Simeon Saxe Coburg Gotha, with whom he will discuss the progress of the two countries' bilateral relations, as well as the increase in Greek investments in the region.

Information mentions that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time. A passer by helped put out the flames and then called the police.

The resignation of Mr. Zafiropoulos, which was accepted by Prime minister Kostas Simitis today, caught Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou, who did not know of this action, completely off guard.

The unexpectedness of this action is evident in the statements of Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Panos Beglitis, who informed the press that Mr. Zafiropoulos would accompany the Prime Minister and Mr. Papandreou in their trip to Bulgaria tomorrow. Howeve r, at the same time, associates of Mr. Zafiropoulus were announcing the resignation of Mr. Zafiropoulos due to - as they characteristically noted - complete disagreement between Mr. Zafiropoulos and Mr. Papandreou on the issue of Balkan cooperation. Mr. B eglitis contacted Mr. Papandreou immediately, who knew nothing of the issue.

The Prime Minister placed MP Andreas Loverdos in Mr. Zafiropoulos' position.

The Prime Minister's trip verifies the Greek government's interest in the course of bilateral relations and regional relations in the Balkans. During the Prime Minister's visit, there will be a possibility of strengthening bilateral political and financi al cooperation between the two countries.

It is noteworthy that in the past two years Greek-Bulgarian relations have been significantly strengthened, a fact verified by the total volume of commercial transactions in 2000, which were $844 million, while it is expected to surpass $900 million for the year 2001.

Mr. Simiti's agenda of discussions includes broader developments in the Balkans for stability and cooperation and the financial development of Bulgaria, to which special attention will be paid in connection to strengthening its European policy.

Bilateral and regional cooperation to fight organized crime - also in the framework of Balkan initiative -, the Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline (a meeting is being scheduled near the end of January between Greece and Bulgaria, specifically on the pipeline

issue), and special emphasis will be given to the power issue.

In the inauguration of the new building of the National Bank of Greece in Athens, where the bank's management offices will be housed, the Prime Minister stated that the businesses themselves have to undertake initiatives characterized by boldness, reliab ility, consistency and vision to support business activities in the country.

The Prime Minister stated that at the time of the Euro the Greek economy has the potential and the opportunities to adjust to the new demands, and claim a strong presence in the European market. The main axis of this strategy is the creation of strong Gr eek businesses with considerable size, extroversion and international competitiveness.

From his side, National Bank of Greece Governor Theodoros Karatzas pointed out that the merger effort between ETE and Alpha Bank unfortunately has failed but this fact does not discourage the ETE management to continue its efforts systematically and con sistently for the creation of a bigger National Bank of Greece.

The alliance concerns the development of three sectors of cooperation in Greece namely, bank insurance, group insurance products and asset management. The promotion of joint products will start gradually on March 15, 2002, while the joint business formations and products will bear the name ING Piraeus.

Starting next month, the responsible agencies of the countries participating in the Evros-Maritza-Meric Euro-zone will agree on joint proposals to be included in the inter-border cooperation program.

The axes of cooperation with the Bulgarian side will concern mainly the economic development in the sectors of environment and culture. Regarding the cooperation with Turkey, which is the third partner, there are significant delays in the approval of the

inter-border cooperation programs, mainly due to the disagreements concerning the border regions proposed by the two sides to be included in the programs.

Of the stocks trading today, 118 recorded gains and 191 had losses, while the value of 49 stocks remained unchanged.

Mr. Protopapas stated that the two banks (ETE and Alpha Bank) proceeded unaffected with the merger efforts but they gave no fruit. He also added that the government has created a stable framework for the economy within which the two banks will find their

way and move forward.

The responsible ministry is expected to reach a decision on the issue by 2003. The main target will be the circulation of new air-conditioned luxury cars, the credit card payment option for taxi customers, the improved behavior of taxi drivers and the im plementation of a "Behavior Code", according to a news report on the Athens newspaper "Imerisia".

On the responsibilities of the new Undersecretary, the government spokesman stated that they will not change, adding that they are determined by a joint decision issued by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister.

Mr. Protopapas stated that when there is disagreement the resignation is a way to solve it, stating characteristically that it is an honorable way.

FORTHnet is the first private telephone company to operate in Greece as the Greek Telecommunications Organization, OTE, had the monopoly in the fixed line phone services. The FORTHnet services are being offered to the wider public starting today and they can be activated in a very simple manner. The only thing the telephone set owners will have to do is to dial the special number 1789 before the number they wish to call.

In a story by Judy Smart of the Australian Press Agency, as well as in most Australian Press publications, it is mentioned that Mr. Howard is prepared to discuss the issue with the Prime Minister of England, Tony Blair, in the framework of the Commonweal th's Summit Meeting on March 5in Brisbane, Australia. In a recent letter to the Hellenic-Australian Council, Mr. Howard assures them of his interest in this important issue, which is of great concern to Greeks living in Australia.

It should be noted that the Hellenic-Australian Council, with the support of Greek community media in Australia, collected 30000 signatures. The petition was submitted to the Australian Prime Minister by the President of the Hellenic-Australian Council, Mr. Vertzaya, in a meeting on June 5, 2001, in Campera.

The Australian press is running stories with the history of how Lord Elgin carried the Marbles off from the Parthenon, while at the same time promoting the international campaign of prestigious figures for the return of the Parthenon Marbles, in view of the 2004 Olympics.

"The Australian Weekend" mentioned that a new museum is being built on the Acropolis to house the Parthenon Marbles.

The two leaders will meet at the Nicosia Airport in the UN buffer zone this afternoon. The two sides will have three meetings a week, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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