Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 02-05-30

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From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

CONTENTS

[01] TENSION IN PARLIAMENT WITH REFERENCES TO PAST SURVEILLANCES

[02] CONCERN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN GREECE

[03] PROTOPAPAS: THE NAVY EXERCISES MORATORIUM IN THE AEGEAN IS

[04] PROTOPAPAS: THE DENKTASH STATEMENT IS PROVOCATIVE

[05] MEASURES AGAINST CIGARETTE SMOKING

[06] LOSSES IN THE ASE

[07] BIG PARTICIPATION IN MPA'S INTER-BALKAN JOURNALIST CONFERENCE

[08] SEARCHES FOR SEDOM FUTILE

[09] BILL SUBMITTED ON BANNING ELECTRONIC GAMBLING

[10] KARAMANLIS VISIT TO THE U.S.

[11] THE GDP INCREASED BY 0.2% IN THE EURO-ZONE

[01] TENSION IN PARLIAMENT WITH REFERENCES TO PAST SURVEILLANCES

Harsh confrontations on Greece's economy took place on Wednesday night in the Parliament, between the Prime Minister and the Head of the Opposition, during the pre-agenda meeting initiated by New Democracy.

However, references to the past and to the quality of Democracy were plenty during the rejoinder, where Mr. Simitis caught Mr. Karamanlis and the heads of two other parties off guard, and caused heated reactions.

Specifically, Mr. Simitis presented a series of documents of the 1978 Greek Police, revealing that both he, as well as other democratic citizens, were under surveillance.

The Prime Minister presented these documents in answer to the characterizations of Mr. Karamanlis concerning his speech at Koryschades on the restoration of democracy by PASOK, and the statements following by the Minister of Press.

You are rummaging for ghosts of the past in ledgers of history. You have the shamelessness to accuse Konstantinos Karamanlis of not consolidating the best Democracy Greece has ever known. You accuse us of division. You, who are a fan of hard rock. At least fire the vulgar and absurd individual that said these things, stated Mr. Karamanlis characteristically.

After reading a series of revealing documents of the Greek police, the Prime Minister strongly stressed:

I would like to dedicate this document because it has some value. But with what dedication? I shall write: To Kostas Karamanlis, Head of the Opposition, so that he may remember the past.

Thank you for the dedication was the reaction of Mr. Karamanlis, who in turn read a passage from a book Kostas Simitis wrote in 1989 on populism, in which he mentioned among other things:

A populist, is a person who does not separate people into friends and enemies.

How should I characterize you now that you are dividing us What you mention about the past is hilarious Before long I would expect you would criticize Kolokotronis, Karaiskakis and Miaoulis, stressed Mr. Karamanlis ending the subject.

The statements of the Prime Minister caused reactions from Aleka Papariga and Nikos Konstantopoulos. After the Secretary General of the Greek Communist Party noted that surveillance took place both under Kostantinos Karamanlis and Andreas Papandreou, she addressed the Prime Minister and added:

Shall I dedicate something to you?

The President of the Coalition of the Left also criticized the Prime Minister's behavior, stressing that I would propose, Prime Minister, that you talk about the real problems the Greek people are facing today

During the opening of the session, the Prime Minister spoke of the important steps Greece is taking and he accused New Democracy of talking of disasters and political dearth.

In the struggle for a stronger Greece in Europe the people are united and not affected by personal agendas. And that fill us with strength, he stressed characteristically.

He then spoke of a series of tactics of ND staff members, which as he said is in a constant state of draught of ideas and thirsty for power, thus dynamiting the atmosphere of unity, while trying to expose the country by outlining a false image of catastrophe.

Greece is the only country that has a Right wing that dares not say it is in the Right, he noted. It's political dearth is its only way out and it is doomed to constantly look for opportunities and talk of disasters to the same worn out old tune of nihilism, even though they may be exposed.

In answering, the President of New Democracy spoke of attempts to beautify reality and of an arrogant mentality.

The best defense is offense. For shame Prime Minister. The mentality of the accused playing the accuser is a good trick Instead of criticizing us, why don't you try and take care of your own business, coordinate your Ministers who are all over the place, were some of the comments the President of ND made.

Furthermore, Mr. Karamanlis underlined that his party has repeatedly supported the government on major national issues and raised the example of the Euroarmy.

The Secretary General of the KKE, Aleka Papariga, referred to the election campaigns of the Prime Minister and the Head of the Opposition party, and noted that:

An honest effort was made by the Prime Minister and the Head of New Democracy, to prove who is the better helmsman of conservative politics and demagogy. Lets avoid talking about the real problems of the Greek people, shall we?

The President of the Coalition, Nikos Konstantopoulos, accused the Prime Minister of repeating his well known smug politics, which is an example of how the government functions as the establishment.

Minister of National Economy and Finance Nikos Christodoulakis, appealed to the parties to stop involving the European Commission and International Organizations in their confrontations, and if they have any proposals to submit them.

We must stop using the economy as a crutch and hurting Greek credibility he stressed characteristically.

At the same time he accused ND of predictable accusations that it has used a thousand times before and evidence that has repeatedly been proven not to correspond to reality.

[02] CONCERN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN GREECE

The Greeks appear very concerned over the dimensions taken up by illegal immigration and the likelihood for Greece to become immigrant reception place after the EU enlargement, according to a special report issued by the Euro-barometer.

Specifically, 65.8% of the Greeks believe that the problem will worsen with the EU enlargement, while the EU average on this issue is at 48.1%. Based on the report, 8 in 10 Greeks feel that they do not participate in the political dialogue on enlargement but they see positively the increase in the members of the European family.

The stance of the Greeks toward the EU is very positive as 7 in 10 call themselves pro-Europeans. However, 8 in 10 Greeks believe that Greece's degree of influence in the EU decisions is small. A similar picture of Greece is shared by the rest of the Europeans, who responded that Greece comes second after Portugal with the smallest influence in the European Union.

[03] PROTOPAPAS: THE NAVY EXERCISES MORATORIUM IN THE AEGEAN IS AUTOMATICALLY RENEWED

Based on the agreement that has been signed by Greece and Turkey on the confidence-building-measures, the Navy exercises moratorium in the Aegean is automatically renewed during the summer months.

The statement was made by Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas responding to a question by reporters.

[04] PROTOPAPAS: THE DENKTASH STATEMENT IS PROVOCATIVE

The statements made by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash were characterized as provocative and illegal by Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas. The comments by Mr. Protopapas were made on Mr. Denktash's statements regarding the expansion of the territorial waters of the Turkish occupied northern part of Cyprus to 12 nautical miles.

This action is illegal, stated Mr. Protopapas, adding that it is a proof of the increased intransigence of the Turkish side.

[05] MEASURES AGAINST CIGARETTE SMOKING

Cigarette smoking will be banned in closed public spaces, working places and schools, stated Health Minister Alekos Papadopoulos within the framework of the government measures he presented on the occasion of tomorrow's World Day Against Smoking. Also, starting on Jan.1, 2003 advertisements of tobacco products will be prohibited in open-air spaces and cinema theaters.

Also, smoking will be banned in airports, railway stations, bus stations etc and will be allowed only in specific areas.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the Ministry of Education will intensify the information campaign on the unhealthy effects of cigarette smoking targeting school students. The Ministry of Health will also launch an information and sensitization campaign targeting smokers with a main goal to help them realize the unhealthy effects of cigarette smoking and understand that they concern not only themselves but the people around them as well.

Mr. Papadopoulos stated that the measures were decided after the contacts Greek government officials had with European Union and World Health Organization officials.

Based on official figures, cigarette smoking kills over 4 million people in the world each year and the number is increasing rapidly. In the 20th century cigarette smoking is associated directly or indirectly with over 100 million deaths, while in the 21st century an estimated 1 billion people will die from cigarette smoking related causes.

[06] LOSSES IN THE ASE

Losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped to -1.55% at 2.263,24 points, while the volume of transactions was at 101.5 million Euro or 34.6 billion Euro.

Of the stocks trading today, only 40 recorded gains and the overwhelming majority of 281 had losses, while the value of 54 stocks remained unchanged.

[07] BIG PARTICIPATION IN MPA'S INTER-BALKAN JOURNALIST CONFERENCE

Directors and editors-in-chief from 70 of the most important mass media in the Balkans will participate in the 7th Inter-Balkan Journalist Conference on The Balkan Mass Media in the Digital Era The Olympic Games Challenge organized by Macedonian Press Agency to take place in Thessaloniki.

The conference is organized in co-operation with Athens 2004 Organization. Balkan Olympic Games medallists Naum Suleimanoglu, Stefka Konstantinova, Niki Bakoyianni, Victor Mitrou and Petros Galaktopoulos will attend the conference.

In the conference will participate representatives from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Romania, FYROM, Turkey, Moldavia, Slovenia and Croatia. Also, FYROM's Radio-Television Council president, and Constitutional Law professors from Yugoslavia, Romania, Turkey and FYROM, who specialize on mass media issues.

[08] SEARCHES FOR SEDOM FUTILE

Searches for the escaped long-term convict Peter Sedom, 31, and his accomplice, 45-year-old prison psychologist Olga Atzamoglou, have still yielded no fruits. Sedom escaped from the Korydallos penitentiary on Monday night with the help of the psychologist. He was disguised as a doctor.

There is a full-scale investigation underway, with roadblocks at many points throughout the country. Specifically, in Athens alone there are 40 roadblocks for the recapturing of the fugitive.

Harbors, airports, customs and border stations, KTEL and OSE stations, have all been sent recent pictures of the two wanted parties, in case some employees recognize them if they try to pass through the checkpoints with forged IDs or passports.

[09] BILL SUBMITTED ON BANNING ELECTRONIC GAMBLING

Minister of Finance Nikos Christodoulakis submitted a bill to Parliament on the banning of all electronic gambling (slot machines, Internet casinos, as well as all games that can be played through computers in public areas, such as hotels, cafes, arcades, clubs, as well as Internet cafes).

However, it will not affect the functioning of Internet cafes, which are businesses providing connections and access to the Internet, which will from now on function after the provision of necessary licenses from appropriate community and municipality official bodies.

There is also a clear definition of the games that are illegal in the bill. The definition includes all electronic games with software that places any sort of bet, which can produce financial gain to the player.

The penalties foreseen by the bill are harsh, since violation would have the removal of the business license, high fines and jail time as a consequence.

[10] KARAMANLIS VISIT TO THE U.S.

President of New Democracy Kostas Karamanlis will make a 7-day visit to the United States next Thursday, June 6, until June 14, with a very busy schedule consisting of meetings, speeches, tours of US cities and a strong Greek community character.

The centerpiece of the Karamanlis visit will be his participation in the Summit Meeting of the International Democratic Union, which will take place on Monday, June 10, in Washington. A meeting of the international Center-Right, which will commence with a speech by US President George Bush, and will be completed with an official dinner at the White House.

Mr. Karamanlis will leave Athens on Tuesday for Brussels, where he will participate in the next Meeting of the Presidency of the European People's Party. Prior to that however, he will have a meeting with the President of the European Commission Romano Prodi and the President of the European Congress Giscard d' Estaing, and of course he will have the opportunity to discuss the Euroarmy and Cyprus issue with European leaders. He will leave Brussels for New York on Thursday, where he will have his first meeting with delegates of the Greek community and distinguished individuals from the Congress and Senate. The following day, Mr. Karamanlis will visit Ground Zero, he will meet with Archbishop Dimitrios, and he will talk at a meeting of Greeks living abroad in Astoria. He will then talk in Greek community meetings in Chicago and then Toronto, Canada, and he will have meetings with the SAE Presidency. His three-day stay in Washington, will concentrate the political interest of his trip, since Mr. Karamanlis will have meetings with Vice President R. Cheney, Secretary of State C. Powel, while an appointment is still pending with Secretary of Defense D. Rumsfeld.

[11] THE GDP INCREASED BY 0.2% IN THE EURO-ZONE

The GDP in the Euro-zone increased by 0.2% in 2002 compared to the expected 0.3%. Economy grew by 0.1% while economists were expecting an increase of 0.4%, according to figures provided by the European Statistics Agency Eurostat.

The GDP is expected to increase between 0.3% and 0.6% in the second trimester of the current year, while on May 4 it was predicted that it was going to be between 0.4% and 0.7%.

In the third trimester of 2002, the GDP growth rate in the Euro-states is expected to be between 0.7% and 1%.

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