The two Bulgarians attempted a transaction with counterfeit 50 euro bank notes, while after they were searched, another 48 such counterfeit bank notes were found on their persons.

In contrast, the KKE and the Coalition of the Left were very critical and supported that it would neither ensure transparency in party and politician financing, nor equal function and treatment of smaller parties.

The Minister of the Interior, Mr. Scandalidis, wanted to sustain the consensus between PASOK and ND, and thus did not respond to Vaggelis Meimarakis' accusations about a mine of dirty money in PASOK.

Mr. Scandalidis then mentioned the major changes that the bill will bring on checking politicians and parties:

Reduction of state funding to parties.

Forbidding the acquisition of broadcast time on television and radio, replaced by a certain amount of donated time from the media to the parties. Loss of position in parliament by any who violate these laws. Participation of high ranking judicial authorities in the Joint Body for Parliamentary Auditing

"An exemplary procedure took place in forming this bill, and that procedure must accompany all other bills related to our political system", stressed Mr. Scandalidis, stating that he was "open to receive all changes proposed by parties, so that MPs can d etermine their political course and prestige".

ND pointed out that it is a positive step for the establishing of guarantees for transparency in political party finances and the pre-electoral expenses of both the parties and the candidate MPs.

However - as Parliamentary spokesperson Prokopis Pavlopoulos stressed - there are significant shortages and oversights that weaken this effort.

KKE's spokesperson, Antonis Skyllakos, supported that this bill legalizes the unequal treatment of parties.

"It stands in the way of free party activity. There are dangerous clauses that may be used against disliked parties or individuals. We disagree with the free broadcast time and the 1.5% limit decrease in party funding. Funding should also go to new parti es and their creation should not be discouraged", were some of Mr. Skyllakis' points.

President of the Coalition of the Left, Nikos Konstantopoulos, stated that he will not vote for the new bill and asked for stricter terms, noting that his party does not share the enthusiasm of the two major parties.

"We would like more drastic measures and a more essential guarantee for the equal functioning of parties", he mentioned, adding that the bill is behind the problem's explosion and has a bureaucratic structure.

"Party financing is not the invisible Loch Ness monster. It has a particular shape and action and that is what we ask to be dealt with".

According to information, the Prime Minister is planning on meeting with Alekos Papadopoulos upon returning from China, and asking him to reconsider his decision of not running in the next elections. As officials working with the Prime Minister pointed o ut, Mr. Simitis contacted Mr. Papadopoulos over the phone from Tashkent. The Prime Minister asked the Health Minister why he announced his decision without discussing it with him first, and the Minister told him that it was a personal decision. "Fine, we will discuss it when I get back", was the Prime Minister's reply.

Officials close to the Prime Minister mentioned that the telephone conversation between the two men was calm and Mr. Simitis asked for clarifications on the interview given to the "Kathimerini" newspaper.

It is quite possible that if Mr. Papadopoulos insists on his decision, he will be asked to resign from his position.

Mr. Simitis pointed out that in the framework of the China-EU agreement, a summit meeting takes place every year, and that with Greece in the Presidency in 2003, the meeting agenda for that year must be prepared.

"We are interested in having a close relationship between the EU and China. We are interested, firstly, because China is one of the largest markets in the world", underlined Mr. Simitis. He also added that China can play a major role in the consolidation

of world peace, as well as intervening in the India-Pakistan crisis, and in Afghanistan.

Mr. Simitis noted that it would be especially important to our country if China would sign an agreement on tourism with Greece, because of their enormous population. As he said, the main difference is the repatriation provision (for the repatriation of C hinese tourists who may remain in Greece illegally), on which China has so far resolutely disagreed. However, discussions with the Chinese Prime Minister revealed that China is prepared to examine the Greek request.

During the Greek Prime Minister's meetings, the 2004 Olympics were also discussed. Mr. Simitis noted that the Chinese wanted to benefit from the Greece's experience, as Beijing will receive the torch from Athens. "As time goes by, Olympic cooperation wil l become closer and secure a better relationship between the two countries", he added.

"We also raised issues that interest us during our discussions, such as the Cyprus issue, Greek-Turkish relations. We also talked about international issues, the role of the US on the international stage, China-US relations, its relations with Russia, th e recent Russia-NATO agreement, and the Middle East issue. Both sides agreed that great efforts must be made to resolve the crisis in the ME. We also discussed relations with Arab states after September 11", pointed out Mr. Simitis.

He also underlined that there is an agreement between China and Greece on inter-ministerial cooperation and they agreed to increase meetings in the agreement's framework.

Furthermore, he stressed that China sees the NATO-Russia agreement in a positive light and it believes that the EU should play a major role in international developments.

The Chinese side, mentioned the Prime Minister, expressed a positive view on Greece's position in international issues, such as the Balkans and the Middle East. "Characteristically, the Chinese Prime Minister said that 'Greece is a country we trust'", he

added.

Commenting on Palestinian Leaders Yasser Arafat's statements in an Athenian newspaper, that Greece could organize a conference on the Middle Eastern issue in Thessaloniki, Mr. Simitis mentioned that Greece will not hold such a conference if there is not consent from all sides.

The index of consumer confidence recorded an unexpected rise for the first time in the last three months, -8 points, which is the highest level of the past nine months compared to -10 in the previous month.

The company confidence index reached -9 points, the highest level of the last 10 months compared to -10 in April.

On the likelihood of an immediate reshuffle due to the municipal elections nominations of Mr. Vougias and Mr. Kourakis, Mr. Hitiris responded that in the present phase there is no legal obstacle and their replacement will be decided in time by the Prime Minister.

Specifically, a total of 23.403 private cars were sold last month recording a drop of 20% compared to April when they reached 29.365.

The top place on last month's sales list is occupied by Hyundai (2.184) followed by Opel (2.065).

Fiat comes third (1.803) while in April it was at the top place. Toyota is fourth (1.785) and Peugeot is fifth (1.690).

Of the stocks trading today, the overwhelming majority of 308 recorded losses and only 25 had gains, while the value of 40 stocks remained unchanged.

70 of the most important Balkan mass media. The conference is co-organized by Macedonian Press Agency and Athens 2004 Organization and will be completed on June 8.

In a press conference MPA President Paraskevas Paraskevopoulos stated that the conference coincides with MPA's 10th anniversary and a new peaceful phase in the Balkans. He stressed that the conference is aimed at presenting the concerns and experiences t hat will contribute to the formation of a Balkan public opinion for a peaceful future in a region.

MPA General Director Spiros Kouzinopoulos stated that the goal of the conference is to exploit the technological explosion for peace and cooperation in the Balkans. The Olympic Games will also be discussed in order to become an affair that concerns not o nly Greece but all the neighboring states as well.

The proceedings of the first day of the conference will be completed with a discussion on The Challenge of the 2004 Olympic Games and the Mass Media in southeastern Europe. Among the main speakers will be Greek Olympic medalists Petros Galaktopoulos and Niki Bakoyianni, the Olympic gold medalists Stefka Konstantinova and Naim Suleimanoglu and Olympic medalist Victor Mitrou.

"I have not seen the text of Mr. Cem's statements in detail yet, because we are constantly in meetings. However, I can say that Turkey's public statements have been the same for a long time. They have not changed. The issue is for there to be the politic al will to resolve the Cyprus issue. That is what we are after", he added.

Mr. Simitis stressed that both Greece and China make steps toward economic prosperity, social cohesion and social justice, while the common element between them is their achievements in the economic sector. Specifically, Mr. Simitis referred to the great

increase recorded in the Chinese economic growth rate and to Greece's accession into the EMU.

On the occasion of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Mr. Simitis reminded that Beijing will host the 2008 Olympic Games and stressed that a new field of dynamic cooperation is being opened for the two countries.

Describing the common vision shared by Greece and China, Prime Minister Simitis said that their main goal is a world where poverty and illnesses will be eradicated, human rights will be respected, the environment will be protected and all citizens will h ave access to education and technology. He also expressed the belief that Greece and China can help each other in the economic, political and cultural level.

Mr. Stephanopoulos referred to modern Greece which became the richest country in the Balkans and a member of the EU forming the future on equal terms with its partners.

The President made a special reference to the issues of national importance with an emphasis to the Greek-Turkish relations and stressed that Greece proposes to the international community the only fair way to solve the existing differences namely, the I nternational Court, knowing that the right is on its side. He wondered for how long Turkey will raise non existent, groundless and absurd demands and concluded by saying that Greece feels strong thanks to its army.

He referred to the improvement of Greece's relations with FYROM, while he characterized the issue of the FYROM name as a "thorn", stressing that this "thorn" can be removed if there are guarantees that nobody has any designs on the Greek national integri ty.

Addressing the thousands of Greek-Australians, who gathered to welcome him, he stressed that everybody in Greece is proud of them, characterizing them as the most precious part of Greece. He also stressed that it is easy to be a Greek in Greece, but it i s hard to remain a Greek when you are away. He urged the young Greek-Australians to learn the Greek language, that connects the past with the future, and referred to the difficulties faced by the Greeks of the Diaspora in their effort to preserve their na tional identity.

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