storms are expected locally. Cloudy weather is foreseen for the rest of the country with possible rainfall later in the day. Temperatures are expected between 2 and 12 degrees C in the north, 9 to 21 in the west and 6 to 18 in the rest of the country.

closing price on Friday, October 24.

The show combines historic and mythological elements, modern technology, hundreds of extras, actors, athletes, stuntmen and dancers.

The event deals with mythology, specifically the Labors of Hercules, his conflict with monsters and his victories over evil.

The show will require a 58-meter stage, representing a temple to Zeus, while it will be surrounded by giant screens playing parts of the program. In the middle there will be a golden statue of Zeus and there will be two choirs to the sides.

As the Prime Minister said, Greece has strong comparative advantages when compared to other countries as far as tourism is concerned, and he characteristically mentioned the Olympics as well as elements such as cultural heritage, natural beauty environme ntal variety and the excellent climate. He pointed out that Greece's natural comparative advantages must be promoted and that these actions must be coordinated.

Presenting the decisions of the ministerial committee on an administrative level, Mr. Simitis pointed out that there will be greater specialization by EOT in issues of promotion, advertisement, public relations and statistical research. In that framework

a special branch dealing with marketing will be formed. On its side the General Secretariat for Tourism of the Ministry of Development will be responsible for drafting and materializing the tourism strategy.

In the framework of entrepreneurship development in the tourist sector, Mr. Simitis announced facilitations for investment materialization in Greece on behalf of business groups. He also underlined the need to develop the institution of tourist residence s and strengthening of investments in golf courses, health centers, agro-tourism infrastructure, etc. Regarding the above, he mentioned, there is a special provision in the developmental law.

Finally, in reference to the Olympics, he stressed that it will also be a great event for Greece's tourism, both because visitors will arrive in Greece from all over the world, and because current tourist infrastructure will be upgraded. "For this to hap pen, supply must be increased, especially in quality and quantity, and this development must be harmonious", added the Prime Minister.

The gains recorded with the opening of today's session actually disappeared when strong pressures were exerted on the State Electricity Company stocks.

Of the stocks trading today, 172 recorded losses and 118 had gains, while the value of 71 stocks remained unchanged.

The predictions in question are included in the European Commission biannual report on the economies of the EU states.

The European Commission analysts express the view that this year's deficit in Greece will be at 1.7% of the GDP instead of 1.4% mentioned in the 2003 state budget. Also, it is mentioned that in 2004 deficit in Greece will be at 2.4% compared to 1.2%, whi ch is the government's prediction.

On his part, the head of the government's economic staff Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis, commenting on the European Commission predictions that deficit will be at 1.7% stated that they do not reflect reality because they take under consideration the upcoming elections. He added that the Greek government does not share the European Commission predictions.

Mr. Christodoulakis also stated that the European Commission concluded that the government will raise its spending in 2004 because of the economic claims made in view of the 2004 elections but the government does not intend to proceed with spending not i ncluded in the social measures package.

Mr. Protopapas made the statement when he was called to comment on the information that Turkish Foreign Ministry officials, who testified before the Turkish Parliament Human Rights Committee, admitted that the policy exercised violated the Greek minority

rights.

The talks focused on the normalization of relations with the Greeks, who were affected by the 1973 nationalizations or other actions in Congo, and ways for rapprochement aimed at their active economic presence in the efforts for the reconstruction of the

country.

Also, they discussed issues concerning the reunion of family members and the regime in effect regarding the legalization of immigrants coming from Congo.

The talks will be held between Greek Foreign Ministry General Secretary ambassador Anastasios Skopelitis and his Turkish counterpart Ugur Ziyal.

He also announced that a Commercial and Economic Affairs Office will operate within the framework of the Consulate. Mr. Loverdos thanked China for its support to Thessaloniki's bid to host EXPO 2008.

The Chinese Trade Ministry delegation characterized the meeting of the 8th Mixed Ministerial Committee as productive and underlined that bilateral economic relations develop smoothly, while he pointed out that there is room for further cooperation.

The position of Vice President has also been held by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, while leader of the Turkish Republican Peoples' Party Deniz Bajkal was also elected Vice President for the first time.

He pointed out that Greece works together with several countries, including the United States, to secure the safety of the games.

The US State Department spokesperson also referred to the Greek government's security planning which has progressed.

The statement was made one day after the publicizing of a confidential report by US State Department specialists concerning the risk for a terrorist attack during the 2004 Olympic Games. The report mentioned, among others, that Greece is not prepared to face a large-scale attack by biochemical weapons.

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