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PM Karamanlis to embark on lightning tour of western Balkans on Wednesday Athens, 2/3/2005 (ANA)PM Karamanlis to embark on lightning tour of western Balkans on Wednesday Athens, 2/3/2005 (ANA) Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis will be departing for a lightning tour of the western Balkans on Wednesday afternoon. Between Wednesday and 18:30 on Thursday, Karamanlis will visit Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro and the province of Kosovo for a rapid succession of meetings with local officials, alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros announced on Tuesday. The Greek premier is due to arrive in the Croatian capital Zagreb at 15:00 on Wednesday, where he will have talks with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and will then immediately leave for Belgrade, where he is to have successive meetings with Serb President Boris Tadic at 18:30 and Montenegro Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic at 19:30. He will stay in Belgrade overnight and meet with Serb Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica at 9:00 on Thursday morning, to be followed by a courtesy call on Serbia and Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic shortly after. Karamanlis will then depart for Kosovo, arriving in Pristina around noon. His first port of call will be the base of the Greek Force in Kosovo 'Rigas Ferraios', where he will meet with Greek troops stationed in the region. The Greek premier is then due to meet the head of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Soeren Jessen Petersen and the President of Kosovo Ibrahim Rugova, in the presence of Kosovo premier Ramush Haradinaj and the rest of Kosovo's political leadership. Karamanlis is expected to depart from Pristina at 18:30 to return to Athens. Foreign ministry spokesman on PM Karamanlis' upcoming Balkan visits: Prime minister Costas Karamanlis' upcoming visits to Serbia-Montenegro, Kosovo and Croatia was the continuation of a comprehensive and active Greek diplomatic activity in the Balkan region, foreign ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos said Tuesday during a regular press briefing. Greece, he said, had a specific and clear-cut target in its Balkan policy, which was to have "a positive and constructive contribution to consolidating stability". In that context was Greece's firm support of the western Balkan countries' European prospect and course, "and that is the prevalent message of the prime minister's visit," Koumoutsakos added. Koumoutsakos also referred to Greece's international recognition as an important factor for Balkan developments, and its upgraded role due to its non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2005-2006 period, as well as its upcoming assumption of the Balkan Cooperation grouping in April. Questioned on Greece's position regarding the future status of Kosovo, Koumoutsakos said that Greece believed that discussion on that matter at this time was untimely, given that the criteria had not yet been fully assessed. He said it was obvious that some steps had been made, but there very many that still needed to be taken, primarily with respect to the physical security of all the residents, the operation of a decentralized administrative system, respect of religious monuments, and other areas. The goal, he explained, was to achieve a smooth and peaceful coexistence of the two communities. Koumoutsakos further reiterated the EU position that a return to the pre-1999 status quo was not considered realistic at this time, and added that Greece stood against the partition or break-up of Kosovo, and against its unification or annexation to any neighboring country. Greece denies giving 'green light' to FYROM's EU prospects without name issue solution Athens, 2/3/2005 (ANA) Greek foreign ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos on Tuesday denied a reference in a report by the International Crisis Group (ICG), which claimed that Greece did not intend to block the European course of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) over the dispute concerning the republic's adopted name of 'Macedonia'. According to a footnote in the ICG report, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis had assured the European Union that the name issue would not be raised as an obstacle to FYROM's entry. Koumoutsakos said this claim was "did not reflect reality", noting that Karamanlis' position had been stated in public at the European Council in December and pointing to intense efforts over the past months by Greek diplomacy to kick start talks on finding a mutually acceptable solution to the outstanding dispute. Greece objects to the use of the name 'Macedonia' by the neighboring republic on the grounds that it could become a pretext for expansionist designs on the Greek province of Macedonia that shares a border with FYROM. The two countries also have rival claims to Alexander the Great, the historic general of antiquity who was born in Macedonia, that FYROM's Slav population claim descent from. Koumoutsakos said that Greece supported FYROM's course toward the EU and NATO in principle, in the context of its general policy for the Balkans, but stressed that FYROM could not proceed without first settling the outstanding problem. "This policy must not under any circumstances be seen as a 'punishment' for the neighboring republic but a political reality". Deputy FM on development cooperation, economic diplomacy Athens, 2/3/2005 (ANA) Deputy Foreign Minister Evripidis Stylianidis talked about his ministry's goals in upgrading and making development cooperation and economic diplomacy more effective, in an interview to the Athens News Agency on Tuesday. "We must move aggressively in economic diplomacy in order to reverse the negative situation which exists in exports and foreign investment," he said. In terms of development policy and economic diplomacy in the Balkans, the Black Sea region and the Mediterranean, the government is looking to upgrade Thessaloniki's role as a metropolitan centre, he said, adding that Thrace will also have a new role to play as an energy, transport and commercial hub. Stylianidis also cited Greece's role in the relief effort for the victims of the tsunami, which hit Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004 as one of four instances of development cooperation in the past year. As for the National Plan for the Economic Reconstruction of the Balkans, Stylianidis said that "our hands and feet are tied" due to bilateral agreements that were signed by the previous PASOK government, which do not serve Greek national interests. "However, we will implement these agreements because as Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has said several times 'continuation of foreign policy' is paramount," Stylianidis said. Government Foreign Affairs and Defense Council unanimously ratifies national defense policy Athens, 2/3/2005 (ANA) Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis chaired a meeting of the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA) on Tuesday which unanimously ratified national defense policy and national strategy on national interests and national objectives as set by the government. Existing threats and looming risks for the country's security were determined and guidelines were provided to achieve national objectives. National defense policy focuses on maintaining an adequate deterrent and reliable force which will be capable of protecting the country's territorial integrity from whatever threat or attack from abroad and handling asymmetrical threats. According to an announcement by the defense ministry, national defense policy regarding the country's northern borders anticipates the taking and implementation of all necessary preventive measures for the effective handling of asymmetrical threats such as terrorism, gunrunning, international crime and instability. As regards Turkey, it is noted in the announcement that "an improvement is ascertained in the country's relations with the neighboring country", while Greece's support for its European prospects is reiterated. However, it is ascertained that "the neighboring country has not changed the policy of disputing sovereign rights of our country. Consequently, Greece is obliged to maintain an adequate, deterrent and reliable force." On the question of Cyprus, emphasis was placed on the "undivided and multileveled support by Greece until the situation is normalized." Government spokesman: Tuesday's meeting of the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA) chaired by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis focused on long-term national defense policy, alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said after the meeting. He said Greece's national defense policy was based on three main axes: measures to deal with asymmetric threats from the north, deterrent capacity against Turkey and support for Cyprus. Antonaros said the measures in the north aimed at effective handling of threats such as terrorism, the arms trade, international crime and instability. With respect to Turkey, the spokesman noted an improvement in bilateral relations and Greece's support for Turkey's European prospects but also the fact that Turkey had not changed its policy of disputing Greek sovereign territorial rights. "For this reason, we are obliged to maintain an adequate, reliable deterrent force," he said. Finally, he noted that Cyprus' accession to the European Union created new conditions for the Cyprus problem and the efforts for a solution. "Until the situation normalizes, the Cyprus Republic will have unreserved support on multiple levels from Greece, which will also actively participate in Cyprus security matters," he said. Turkey must accept Cyprus as an EU member, EU representative in Ankara tells CNN Turk ANKARA 2/3/2005 (ANA/A.Abatzis) European Commission Representative in Ankara Hans Joerg Kretschmer said that Turkey needs to deal with EU-NATO relations on a multilateral level, not in the narrow perspective of Turkish-Cypriot relations, in comments he made during an interview on CNN Turk. He also said that Turkish officials did not seem as enthusiastic about implementing political reforms as they had initially. Asked about reform progress, Kretschmer noted that there are many delays regarding minority institutions and women's rights. Asked to comment on the protocol Turkey must sign before its EU accession talks begin on October 3, which will extend its customs union agreement in order to include the 10 new, EU member states, Kretschmer said that Turkey wants certain amendments made to the protocol. However, he said that as far as the EU is concerned, the agreement is not negotiable. He also added that the protocol will need to be approved by the 10, new EU member states, which includes Cyprus. Finally, in reference to the veto which Turkey is threatening to exercise because of Cyprus regarding EU-NATO relations, Kretschmer said that Turkey will have to accept that Cyprus is a member of the EU. U.S. State Department report says Turkish government has not recognized Patriarch's universality WASHINGTON 2/3/2005 (ANA/T. Ellis) This year's U.S. State Department report on human rights stressed that the Turkish government has not recognized the universality of the Patriarch, whom it merely considers as being the head of the diminishing Greek Orthodox community and claims that only Turkish citizens have the right to participate in the Holy Synod which elects him. However, for the members of the Greek Orthodox community these restrictions threaten the existence of the Istanbul Patriarchate since the remaining 2,500 Greek Orthodox people living in the country are unable to preserve the institution. The report further stresses that about a thousand demonstrators gathered outside the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul last September and burnt Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos in effigy. Moreover, the perpetration of honor crimes continued, while on the question of freedom of the press and of speech, it was noted that restrictions continue to exist although the government has slackened certain restrictions on the use of the Kurdish and other languages. IOC decides to award Alternate Culture Minister highest honor Athens, 2/3/2005 (ANA) International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge informed Alternate Culture Minister Fani Palli-Petralia on Tuesday that the IOC has decided to award her the highest honor for her valuable contribution to the Olympic Movement. Specifically, the relevant Council, which convened on the sidelines of the IOC Executive Board's meeting in Torino in February, made that decision. Rogge congratulated Palli-Petralia for winning this distinction in a letter he sent her. Marton Simitsek appointed member of Beijing Coordinating Committee until 2008 Olympic Games Athens, 2/3/2005 (ANA) International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge on Tuesday appointed Marton Simitsek, managing director of the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee and the second most important person in it after Gianna Angelopoulos Daskalaki, a member of the Coordinating Committee for Beijing until the 2008 Olympic Games are held in this city. Heinz Verbrugen from the Netherlands was appointed President of the Committee and Kevin Gosper from Australia Vice President. The Coordinating Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games will visit Beijing in March for its first inspection. M. Kyriakou elected president of the Olympic Torch Relay committee Athens, 2/3/2005 (ANA) Minos Kyriakou, President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC), was elected President of the Olympic Torch Relay committee, following the HOC's plenary session on Tuesday. Additionally, Antonis Nikolopoulos was elected HOC Deputy Secretary General; Yiannis Karras was elected Deputy Treasurer; and Evangelos Soufleris was elected President of the National Olympic Academy. ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΗΣΗ ΤΥΠΟΥ ΤΗΣ 2/3/2005 Η έκθεση της Τραπέζης της Ελλάδος, η δίκη του ΛΑΦΚΑ και η εκκλησιαστική κρίση είναι από τα βασικά θέματα της ειδησεογραφίας του σημερινού Τύπου. Τίτλοι Εφημερίδων ΑΔΕΣΜΕΥΤΟΣ ΤΥΠΟΣ (Μήτσης): Επιδοτήσεις έως 75.000 ευρώ σε γυναίκες. Ξεκινά ο τέταρτος κύκλος του Προγράμματος. ΑΔΕΣΜΕΥΤΟΣ ΤΥΠΟΣ (Ρίζος): Όλη η αλήθεια για το ΛΑΦΚΑ. Η κυβέρνηση πληρώνει τα εγκλήματα του ΠΑΣΟΚ. ΑΠΟΓΕΥΜΑΤΙΝΗ: Ατόπημα στη δίκη του ΛΑΦΚΑ. Συνεργάτης του υφυπουργού Οικονομικών εξέθεσε την κυβέρνηση. Η ΑΠΟΦΑΣΗ: Δώστε τον ΛΑΦΚΑ. Συνταξιούχοι: Δεν θα ανεχθούμε κοροϊδία. Η ΑΥΓΗ: Δυσοίωνο το 2005 για εργαζόμενους και οικονομία. Σύμφωνα με την Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος. ΑΥΡΙΑΝΗ: Εγκληματική η σιωπή Καραμανλή. Να ξυπνήσει ο Πρωθυπουργός πριν την πάθει σαν τον Σημίτη με τις ταυτότητες. ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ: Προτάσεις-φωτιά για μισθούς, φόρους, Ασφαλιστικό. Μετά τον κ. Γ. Αλογοσκούφη "χτύπησε" και ο κ. Ν. Γκαργκάνας. Η ΒΡΑΔΥΝΗ: Προσλήψεις-εξπρές μόνο με απόφαση υπουργού. Σε ποια υπουργεία και ειδικότητες αφορά το Προεδρικό Διάταγμα Παυλόπουλου. ΕΘΝΟΣ: Εμπαιγμός: Η κυβέρνηση "πούλησε" 900.000 συνταξιούχους. Παιχνίδι με τον ΛΑΦΚΑ έστησε το Μαξίμου. ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΗ ΩΡΑ: ...Το ποτάμι ήταν θολό, θολό κατεβασμένο. Ενώ ο Μητροπολίτης κ. Θεόκλητος μίλησε για όλα από καρδιάς μετά την παραίτησή του. ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΟΣ: Τρία "καμπανάκια" για την πορεία της Οικονομίας. Καίριες επισημάνσεις από τον διοικητή της Τραπέζης Ελλάδος Νικ. Γκαργκάνα. ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΟΣ ΤΥΠΟΣ: Παραίτηση-αναβολή για τον ΛΑΦΚΑ. Αργότερα τα αναδρομικά μετά την απόσυρση προσφυγής από το διευθυντή του Π. Δούκα. ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΟΤΥΠΙΑ: Ο Δούκας της εξαπάτησης. Άνθρωπός του μπλόκαρε τα αναδρομικά 900.000 συνταξιούχων. ΕΣΤΙΑ: Η κατάργησις του ΔΙΚΑΤΣΑ. Εντός 90 ημερών η αναγνώρισις των πτυχίων. ESPRESSO: Καθηγήτρια αρνείται να συνοδέψει τα παιδιά στην παρέλαση. Επικαλείται ιδεολογικούς λόγους. Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ: Αναστατωμένοι 170.000 συνταξιούχοι. Κατηγορούν την κυβέρνηση για εξαπάτηση σε επιστροφή κρατήσεων του ΛΑΦΚΑ. Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ: ΜΠΟΥΚΑ-ΛΑΦΚΑ 900.000 συνταξιούχοι. "Περίεργη" απόσυρση της προσφυγής στο Ελεγκτικό Συνέδριο. ΤΑ ΝΕΑ: Εξαπάτησαν 900.000 συνταξιούχους. Το μεγάλο κόλπο της ΝΔ με τον ΛΑΦΚΑ. Η ΝΙΚΗ: Εμπαιγμός συνταξιούχων. Κυβερνητικό τέχνασμα για τα αναδρομικά του ΛΑΦΚΑ. ΡΙΖΟΣΠΑΣΤΗΣ: Βρώμικη κομπίνα σε βάρος των συνταξιούχων. Κυβερνητική μεθόδευση να μη δοθούν τα αναδρομικά του ΛΑΦΚΑ. TRAFFIC NEWS: Πίκρα για τον Γιάννη. Γιατί δεν πήγε στα αποκαλυπτήρια της προτομής της Αλίκης. Η ΧΩΡΑ: Ποιοι και πώς "πάγωσαν" τα αναδρομικά του ΛΑΦΚΑ. Πρόβλημα στην κυβέρνηση με τον Πέτρο Δούκα. City Press: Η κυβέρνηση μεταξύ ΛΑΦΚΑ και Βρυξελλών. METRO: Επιδότηση στις γυναίκες. Το υπουργείο Ανάπτυξης ενισχύει την επιχειρηματική τους δράση. ΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΦΟΡΟΣ: Εμπαιγμός με το ΛΑΦΚΑ. Σε βάρος χιλιάδων συνταξιούχων. ΤΥΠΟΣ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗΣ: Απογοήτευση και ανησυχία στους Έλληνες. Η έκθεση της Τράπεζας Ελλάδος για την οικονομική πολιτική 2004-2005.
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