Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 04-01-27

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

CONTENTS

[01] REMOVED FROM PASOK'S PARLIAMENTARY TEAM

[02] A DECREASE WITH SHADOWS

[03] INTERESTS TIED TO THE EU

[04] ND POLICY FOR MOTHERS - FAMILIES

[05] TWINNING OF THE CITIES OF HAVANA AND THESSALONIKI

[06] ANTHOPOULOS COMMENTED ON HIS REMOVAL FROM PASOK'S PARLIAMENTARY GROUP

[07] GAINS IN THE ASE

[08] STEFANOPOULOS: LEARN GREEK TO KEEP A COMMON ROOT WITH YOUR HOMELAND

[09] ANTHOPOULOS REFERRED TO PASOK ETHICS COMMITTEE

[10] DISCUSSIONS WITHIN ANNAN FRAMEWORK

[11] G. PAPANDREOU: THE EU IS A "POLITICAL SCHOOL"

[01] REMOVED FROM PASOK'S PARLIAMENTARY TEAM

Serres MP and former deputy Minister Mr. Giannis Anthopoulos was removed from PASOK's Parliamentary Team by decision of Prime Minister Costas Simitis, after admitting he had placed the signatures of his colleagues under the amendment on the Porto Carras Hotel, in a draft he proposed. Mr. Anthopoulos referred to explain himself to PASOK's ethics committee.

[02] A DECREASE WITH SHADOWS

An increase in the difference in favor of New Democracy as far as victory probability is concerned was recorded in the telephone polls carried out by the METRON ANALYSIS poll company for Ant1 TV, which was carried out the weekend following the Pachtas issue was published. In the first part of the poll ND was ahead by 2.2% in victory probability, while in the previous poll carried out by the same company on January 14, the difference was at 2.5%. ND now concentrates 39.4% in contrast to 37.2%, while in the previous poll the percentages were 40.1% to 37.6%.

[03] INTERESTS TIED TO THE EU

In our foreign policy we have steadily followed a policy of principles, peace and cooperation with all countries, stated Foreign Minister G. Papandreou in a press conference at his last attendance at an EU Foreign Minister council meeting. Greece's interests are insolubly connected to our common interests as an EU said Mr. Papandreou, who stressed that cohesion and solidarity, the rights and liberties of the people, and employment and a powerful economy are our priorities.

[04] ND POLICY FOR MOTHERS - FAMILIES

His intention to move to the foundation of an independent authority such as the Ombudsman for the application of equality, the voting of the Family Charta, which will record the secured rights of the family, the founding of a service funding women's entrepreneurship and the institutionalization of vocational training and education of unemployed women, was announced by President of New Democracy Costas Karamanlis, speaking at a day care center.

[05] TWINNING OF THE CITIES OF HAVANA AND THESSALONIKI

The cities of Thessaloniki, northern Greece and Havana, Cuba are moving toward their twinning within the framework of the very positive climate and conditions created during the historic visit to Cuba by Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos.

The proposal was made on Sunday after the inauguration of the church of Saint Nikolaos in Havana and was accepted gladly by Mayor of Thessaloniki Vasilis Papageorgopoulos, who accompanied the head of the Christian Orthodox Church in his five-day visit to Cuba.

Speaking to MPA, Mr. Papageorgopoulos stated that the twinning of Thessaloniki and Havana is going to become a reality after a proposal made by the Metropolite of Panama, which was also shared by Eusebio Leal, responsible for Culture Issues in Cuba.

Mr. Papageorgopoulos also stated that the visit to Cuba with the Ecumenical Patriarch was an extraordinary experience that exceeded all expectations. The Mayor of Thessaloniki stressed that President Castro's constant presence next to the Ecumenical Patriarch every day of the visit was a pleasant surprise.

[06] ANTHOPOULOS COMMENTED ON HIS REMOVAL FROM PASOK'S PARLIAMENTARY GROUP

The belief that his removal from the governing Socialist Party of PASOK Parliamentary Group was based on procedure and not on the essence of the amendment case, concerning the region of Porto Carras Hotel in Chalkidiki, northern Greece, was expressed by Serres Parliament Deputy Yiannis Anthopoulos.

Mr. Anthopoulos, who was also led before the party's Ethics Committee, stated that he was informed of his removal from his party's Parliamentary Group by the mass media. He said that now it is in the hands of justice to rule whether his actions and behavior toward his colleagues in Parliament were the cause of his removal.

He also expressed his support to the government of PASOK and the party's election course.

[07] GAINS IN THE ASE

Gains were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index rose to +0.49% at 2445.38 points, while the volume of transactions was at 223.8 million euros.

Of the stocks trading today, 137 had gains and 148 had losses, while the value of 98 stocks remained unchanged.

[08] STEFANOPOULOS: LEARN GREEK TO KEEP A COMMON ROOT WITH YOUR HOMELAND

President of the Republic Costis Stefanopoulos encouraged the 165 young Greeks from countries of the S. Hemisphere who visited him at the Presidential Mansion yesterday, to learn Greek. The Greeks from abroad are in Greece in the framework Training Sight Seeing Greek Language and Culture Programme of the General Secretariat of Greeks Abroad (GGAE).

It is very important to learn Greek, because that way you keep a common root with your homeland and know a rare and very important language that been spoken for the last 3000 years, said Mr. Stefanopoulos among other things, stressing that many foreign languages use Greek words, even as modern terms. At the same time, he pointed out that in our times we are living through an increase in the learning of Greek, especially in the Balkans, since, as he said, Greece has attained great influence.

The President of the Republic was interested in learning about the young peoples' impressions of the programme, and about their second homelands. He talked with them for some time, even violating protocol, with something nice to say for each one of them.

[09] ANTHOPOULOS REFERRED TO PASOK ETHICS COMMITTEE

Serres MP and former deputy Minister Giannis Anthopoulos has been referred to PASOK's ethics committee after the joint decision of the Party's Executive Office and Central Committee.

Earlier, the Prime Minister decided the remove the deputy Minister from the Party's Parliamentary Team, due to his statements concerning the Pachtas amendment, while Mr. Simitis sent a letter to inform President of the Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis.

According to statements of Government Spokesperson Christos Protopapas to Flash radio, the decision to remove the MP from the Parliamentary Team was made after a discussion between Mr. Simitis and PASOK candidate President Giorgos Papandreou.

[10] DISCUSSIONS WITHIN ANNAN FRAMEWORK

The Greek Cypriot side is prepared to begin discussions within the Annan framework, stated Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou in briefing his EU counterparts, while at the same time, Washington is expressing is expressing its satisfaction on the results of the meeting between UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the Cyprus issue. Rauf Denktash was characterized as unyielding and unique by his Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat.

[11] G. PAPANDREOU: THE EU IS A "POLITICAL SCHOOL"

His last press conference as Greek Foreign Minister was given by Giorgos Papandreou, in the margin of the General Affairs Council in Brussels.

He pointed out that his five years in the Foreign Ministry, especially in the framework of the EU, which he characterized as a political school, will be invaluable to his new responsibilities as President of PASOK. These past 5 years as Foreign Minister I believe that we formed an open human relationship of mutual trust, a relationship of criticism and confrontation, always with honesty and respect. These 5 years were not easy for the EU itself, or for my country, as a member of the EU. It was difficult at many times, with tensions in negotiations, with confrontations, and with historic decisions that promoted our common goals and changed the profile of the EU, he stressed.

He expressed his belief that Greece played a decisive role in the course of the EU. In this course of the EU, I believe that my country played a decisive role. We are proud of the Helsinki decisions, which led to the accession of Cyprus and the strengthening of Euro-Turkish relations. We are proud to have contributed to a new EU policy on the Balkans and the SE Mediterranean region, in the promotion and the integration of the enlargement, in the development of relations with nations of the Middle East, the Arab World, Russia, in forming an equal relationship with the US, in securing a common EU position in the Iraq crisis, in the promotion of collective European goals, through the Greek Presidency of the EU, during the first half of 2003, he stressed.

In our foreign policy we steadily followed a policy of principles, peace and cooperation with all countries. Our strategic priority is still steadily the EU, making its ties deeper, making it more powerful in the world, developing its policies, cohesion and solidarity, the rights and liberties of its citizens, employment and a powerful economy, respect of cultural uniqueness, and cooperation in the crucial sectors of technology, education, the information society. Greece's interests are unbreakably tied to our common interests with EU , he mentioned.

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