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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2004-01-21
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY
Thessaloniki, January 21, 2004
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] LALIOTIS' RETURN
[02] DIALOGUE ON UNEMPLOYMENT
[03] INEQUALITY IN PROMOTION
[04] TURKEY: ATHENS FIR "PURELY FICTITIOUS"
[05] COMMISSION CONGRATULATIONS AND STRICT RECOMMENDATIONS ON GREEK ECONOMY
[06] GAINS IN THE ASE
[07] LALIOTIS IS FIRM TO HIS POSITIONS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[08] CYPRUS IS THE TOLL ON TURKEY'S ROAD TO EUROPE
[09] KARAMANLIS: PILA IS AN EXAMPLE OF COEXISTENCE IN A REUNITED CYPRUS
NEWS IN DETAILS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] LALIOTIS' RETURN
Candidate PASOK President Giorgos Papandreou will meet with former party Central Committee Secretaries Akis Tsochatzopoulos, Costas Scandalidis and Costas Laliotis today. This will essentially be Mr. Laliotis' first contact with the party after his repla
cement 8 months ago. Mr. Papandreou will also speak at a meeting for working women in Peristeri, while tomorrow he will visit London, where he will meet with Prime Minister Tony Blair and his counterpart Jack Straw regarding developments in the Cyprus iss
ue and the return of the Parthenon Marbles.
[02] DIALOGUE ON UNEMPLOYMENT
The proposal of Giorgos Papandreou for the hiring of young people without deductions for their insurance is at the center of the pre-election policy confrontation since yesterday. ND Political Planning and Programming Secretary Giorgos Souflias character
ized Mr. Papandreou's proposals as pre-election exaggerated promises. "Mr. Papandreou's words to the young people are just an attempt to pull the wool over their eyes", stated KKE Press Spokesperson Makis Mailis. The Coalition of the Left characterized th
e proposal as an insult towards the dignity of the unemployed. The number of listed unemployed in the Organization for the Employment of the Work Force lists, which reached 506,914 people in January, is not a safe record on the issue, stated organization
Director I. Nikolaou.
[03] INEQUALITY IN PROMOTION
The constitutional order for proportional equality in the promotion of the parties is not being applied in practice, pointed out the board of the JUADN (Journalists' Union of Athens Daily Newspapers) in a protest letter sent to the National Radio-Televis
ion Council (NRC). The JUADN underlined that "both in public and private radio and television, instead of political positions and proposals being presented with proportionate equality, we have the monopolist promotion of the two major parties and their le
aders".
[04] TURKEY: ATHENS FIR "PURELY FICTITIOUS"
Turkey characterized the Athens FIR as non-existent and supported that there are no sea borders and national search and rescue area, according to documents of the Civil Aviation Service and the official map published by the Turkish Government Newspaper,
revealed by today's "Macedonia" newspaper.
According to Turkish NOTAM A2386/03 NOTAMR A2378/03 announced on December 31 2003 and exclusively published today by the "Macedonia" newspaper, there is no Athens FIR, in fact it was characterized as "purely fictitious".
[05] COMMISSION CONGRATULATIONS AND STRICT RECOMMENDATIONS ON GREEK ECONOMY
Both congratulations and harsh recommendations were included in the European Commission report on the financial orientation of the EU member-states, which is expected to be approved and published today.
Although the Commission appreciated that Greece significantly progressed as far as achieving many of the Lisbon goals is concerned, however it has located many an "Achilles heel". According to the report, Greece, and certain other member-states, is behin
d in macroeconomic reform.
It is appreciated that the Commission will express recommendations for the acceleration of structural changes in Greece for fiscal discipline and further strengthening competitiveness, while it expressed its concern regarding the burdening of the deficit
due to the cost of the Olympics and the social package.
Furthermore, the Commission is expected the need to better control primary expenses and to sound the alarm concerning the securities program, which has a limited viability. The labor market will also be scrutinized by the Commission, especially as far as
part-time employment is concerned.
[06] GAINS IN THE ASE
Gains were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index recorded significant gains and rose to +2.16%, while the volume of transactions was at 2489.37 points.
Of the stocks trading today, the overwhelming majority of 248 had gains and 67 had losses, while the value of 62 stocks remained unchanged.
[07] LALIOTIS IS FIRM TO HIS POSITIONS
Kostas Laliotis will be at the frontline of the governing Socialist Party of PASOK election campaign. However, he insists that his speech, delivered after his resignation from the post of the party Central Committee Secretary during the Central Committee
meeting last July, is within the framework of his ideas, views and proposals.
Mr. Laliotis will not be a candidate in the B' election district of Piraeus and his name will be at the last and honorary place (12th) in the party's state ballot according to his request, stated Giorgos Papandreou. Mr. Laliotis' role in the election cam
paign is expected to be clarified soon.
PASOK's former Central Committee Secretary visited the party's central offices today and met with Foreign Minister and future PASOK President Giorgos Papandreou. Mr. Laliotis stated after the meeting that in this turning point for Greece and PASOK he wil
l be, as always, present and at the frontline.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[08] CYPRUS IS THE TOLL ON TURKEY'S ROAD TO EUROPE
Turkey's accession to the EU "passes" through the resolving of the Cyprus issue, stressed President of New Democracy Costas Karamanlis, in a speech at the dinner held in his honor yesterday in Cyprus by the Democratic Alert party. "Nobody, neither here,
nor in Turkey, can accompany us, on our common European path, if he does not first stop and pay at the 'Cypriot toll'", he stressed, adding that "Turkey's position on the Cyprus issue will be a decisive factor for changes on the island, as well as for its
European ambitions".
[09] KARAMANLIS: PILA IS AN EXAMPLE OF COEXISTENCE IN A REUNITED CYPRUS
The village of Pila is a good example of coexistence in a reunited and prosperous Cyprus, stated right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy president Kostas Karamanlis during his visit to the mixed village, situated inside the UN controlled buffer
zone in Cyprus, where Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots coexist.
Mr. Karamanlis spoke with local residents, who stated that they get along well and have no problems between them.
The ND leader visited the church of St. Georgios and the mosque where the imam briefed him on the coexistence of Muslims and Christians.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Karamanlis stated that in Pila the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots bring the vision of a reunited and free Cyprus closer to its materialization.
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