SNOWFALL AND RAIN IN MACEDONIA
Thessaloniki, 15 December 2005 (14:00 UTC+2)

http://www.mpa.gr/media/thumbnails/MSC/img_42020f520e8a6.jpg Snow, rain and gusty north winds are being reported in north Greece where large parts of the provincial road network in the region's mountains are covered with snow and cars need snow chains.

Snow fell during the night on the mountains of west and central Macedonia where temperature is below zero.

Since the early morning hours today, show chains need all vehicles traveling on the provincial road network of Florina-Kastoria through Vigla and Vitsi and on the Kastoria-Ioannina provincial road network through Nestorio and Amynteo as well as on the provincial road network in the mountains of the prefecture of Kastoria

source:MPE

Thessaloniki, 19 December 2005 (14:16 UTC+2) ,MPA


http://www.mpa.gr/clr.gifhttp://www.mpa.gr/media/thumbnails/MSC/img_3c138964023cb.jpg Frost and chilling temperatures are the dominant characteristics of weather in north Greece and snow chains are necessary for vehicles on the provincial road network in central and west Macedonia. Also, snow chains are necessary on the mountain road network in north Chalkidiki and Orestiada and the roads to ski resorts in the region.

Arctic temperatures are being recorded in north Greece. Indicative temperatures: Nevrokopi -17 degrees Celsius, Florina -10, Kastoria -6, Kozani -5, Kavala, Alexandroupolis and Serres 0 degrees Celsius, while in Thessaloniki temperature was 1 degree Celsius.

Schools in Florina, northwest Greece, will not open today, while in Kozani the school bells rang with a one-hour delay.

Greece welcomes EU summit results

www.chinaview.cn 2005-12-20 02:50:56

ATHENS, Dec. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Greek government on Monday welcomed the results of the European summit for Greece, saying that the tough negotiations lasting many months had led to a happy outcome for the country.

Government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said that Greece had achieved its goals in securing 20.1 billion euros (24.2 billion US dollars) from the total EU budget for 2007-2013.

"We fought so that not a single euro would be lost from the equivalent summit meeting in June, even though the total sum for the EU was smaller," he said.

The spokesman pointed to the one-year extension gained by Athens for the absorption of funds from the 4th Community Support Framework, the delay of a revision in the Common Agricultural Policy until after 2013 and the increased contribution by the EU in co-funded projects.

While Economy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis stressedt hat the outcome was very favorable for Greece, describing it as a personal success for Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

Turkey Attributes Great Importance To Relations With Greece, Gul
Published: 12/19/205

ATHENS - Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Sunday that Turkey attributed great importance to friendly relations with Greece.
Giving an exclusive interview to Greek Kathimerini newspaper, Gul talked about Turkish-Greek relations, Turkey's EU bid and Cyprus issue.

Gul said Turkey considered improvement of relations with Greece as a mission and said that improvement would be to the advantage of both sides. Positive conclusion of Turkey's EU bid would also contribute to bilateral relations, Gul said.

Referring to the need of a different approach in course books on history, Gul stressed that Turkey made some changes in the course books in the last three years and he believed Greece would do the same thing. This would change Turkish and Greek children's perspective of the other country, Gul said.

Gul said that Turkey expected Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis to visit Turkey again.

Responding to a question about the decision of the Turkish parliament on consideration of Greece's extension of its territorial waters as casus belli, Gul said that the issue was sorted out by 1997 Madrid Declaration and that there was no new development. ''The Madrid declaration which foresees Greece not to extend its territorial waters and which urges Turkey not to apply to a military method is still in force,'' Gul said.

Upon a question about the title of Istanbul Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, Gul said that ''Turkey regards the Patriarch as the leader of the Greek Orthodox population in Turkey.''

Answering another question about opening of Heybeliada Seminary, Gul said that there was no obstacle for that under the existing laws and proposals (about the issue) were being discussed.

Also thanking Greece for the support it extended to Turkey's EU bid, Gul said that the performance of Turkey in accession talks was very important. Gul said Turkey would be better off in ten years time and the reform process would continue.

Referring to Cyprus issue, Gul emphasized that a big opportunity on the way to settlement was missed by the rejection of Annan Plan by Greek Cypriots last year. The Turkish side was ready for compromise, but Greek Cypriot leader Papadopoulos didn't want to make a compromise, Gul said.

Upon a question about opening of Turkish ports to Greek Cypriot flagged ships, Gul said that Turkey suggested last May to lift all the restrictions on the island at the same time but Papadopoulos didn't accept that proposal.

Nestle to buy Greek ice cream co for $287m

REUTERS[ TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2005 03:12:08 AM]
NRI Special Offer!
ZURICH: Nestle is buying Greek-based Delta Ice Cream for about e240m ($287m) to expand in the growing ice cream market in Greece and the Balkans, Nestle said on Monday. Delta Ice Cream, which had sales of e122m last year, is the leading ice cream business in Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Nestle said in a statement.

Over 96% of Delta Ice Cream is owned by the Greek milk and dairy products group Delta Holdings. The deal is Nestle’s latest in a string of acquisitions over recent years in ice cream, and Kepler Equities analyst Jon Cox said the acquisition was part of a trend to target premium brands

“We tend to view small bolt-on acquisitions in niche segments or regions as positive with ice cream part of the trading-up-to-premium-brands phenomena we are seeing in other food categories such as coffee and chocolate,” Mr Cox said.

Takes two to tango in divided Cyprus, says NATO chief
Published: 12/19/2005

ANKARA - NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Monday urged Turkey and Greece to work together with their respective ethnic communities in Cyprus to reunite the Mediterranean island split in two for more than a decade.
"As the British say, it takes two to tango," De Hoop Scheffer told reporters in the Turkish capital of Ankara after talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"So the solution is not only to be found in Ankara, but in Nicosia and ... in Brussels."

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the northern third in response to an Athens-backed Greek Cypriot coup aimed at linking the island with Greece.

While Turkish Cypriots voted "yes" to a United Nations plan to reunify the island in an April 2004 referendum, Greek Cypriots voted overwhelmingly against the measure that would have created a loose confederation called the United Cyprus Republic.

When Cyprus joined the European Union with nine other countries the following month, the Turkish Cypriot state to the north of the UN-patrolled Green Line was left out of the bloc.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a report to the Security Council this month that only "negligible" progress had been made in efforts for a settlement.

Turkey, which is also seeking to join the EU, accuses the Greek Cypriots of hampering its bid to extract concessions on Cyprus.

De Hoop Scheffer said he also discussed NATO's peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan, Kosovo and the fight against terrorism with Turkish leaders including Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul.


12/19/2005 17:37 GMT

Greece re-enacts doomed Cypriot airliner route
19 Dec 2005 10:01:16 GMT

Source: Reuters

LARNACA, Cyprus Dec 19 (Reuters) - Greek and Cypriot aviation authorities tried on Monday to piece together the riddle of Europe's worst air disaster this year by re-enacting a flight that killed 121 people in August.

A Boeing 737-300 from Larnaca in Cyprus to Prague operated by Helios Airways slammed into a Greek hillside on Aug. 14.

Investigators are trying to work out what happened on the plane to render its two pilots unconscious, leaving a flight attendant with an emergency oxygen kit grappling with the controls before the plane crashed from lack of fuel.

"Inevitably, not all the questions will be answered, but it will shed light on some key elements of what happened," said Seraphim Kamoutsis, head of the Greek investigations team.

Re-enactments of flights are unusual, and Monday's flight in the depths of winter failed to match the clear, almost perfect flying conditions of the Sunday morning in August.

Helios, a subsidiary of Britain's Libra Holidays Group, has defended its maintenance record but disclosed the aircraft had previously had decompression problems. Decompression reduces oxygen supplies and can lead to rapid loss of consciousness.

Riots in Australia Spur Introspection
Ethnic Tensions Seen as Linked to War on Terror

By Anthony Faiola
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, December 20, 2005; Page A23

CRONULLA, Australia, Dec. 19 -- Across Tom Ugly's Bridge just south of Sydney, this sleepy beach suburb once conjured the good-natured images of Australia's laid-back surf culture with strapping, straw-haired lifeguards and locals heading to the shore in their pick-up trucks for a cold lager with their mates.

That no-worries image went up in a blaze of hate last week when an angry crowd of 5,000 Anglo Australians staged vicious mob attacks on dark-skinned beachgoers and on people they believed to be Muslims.



Police officers question a man after confiscating a banner deemed offensive on North Cronulla beach in Sydney. (By Will Burgess -- Reuters)
After the incident, Lebanese Australian street gangs staged reprisals, rampaging across Sydney's largely white southern suburbs with guns, bats and iron bars. The incidents have amounted to the worst outbreak of ethnic violence here since Australia became a federated nation in 1901. In recent days, Cronulla Beach, a suburb, stood largely deserted as 2,000 police officers locked it down with checkpoints to prevent further attacks.

Over the weekend, police arrested more than 59 people, including alleged white supremacists and Lebanese Australian gang members carrying homemade bombs, iron-spiked bats, swords and axes. Officials said the blockade of troubled beach areas could continue through Christmas.

Yet the violence and lingering tensions in Sydney, Australia's largest metropolis, have sparked an extraordinary level of soul-searching across this island country about race, religion, and cultural and national identity. Perhaps most striking is that community leaders and sociologists are viewing the riots, at least in part, as a local manifestation of the broader ethnic troubles linked to the global fight against terrorism.

Anti-Muslim feelings, community leaders say, have been rising for the past several years in Sydney, with its picturesque harbor and 4 million residents known for their welcoming hospitality. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, Australia, which has staunchly supported the Bush administration and dispatched troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, has had a preoccupation with terrorism.

Australians refer to bombings by Islamic attackers at Bali, Indonesia, nightclubs in October 2002 as their version of Sept. 11. Of the 202 people killed in the attacks on the resort island, 88 were Australians, including seven women from the Cronulla Beach area. Their photographs are displayed on a stone memorial in the center of the area where the riots took place one week ago.

Authorities arrested 18 Islamic radicals in Sydney and Melbourne last month under newly strengthened anti-terrorism laws. The men, among them Australian-born Muslims, had been stockpiling large amounts of explosives and chemicals for what appeared to be a series of major terrorist attacks, officials said. Among their plans, according to testimony and evidence presented in court, were a bomb attack on a nuclear power plant in Sydney and an assassination attempt against Prime Minister John Howard. Reports on the trials were featured on the front pages of newspapers and on television news shows here in the days before and after the riots.

Tensions erupted after a group of Lebanese youths allegedly attacked two Australian lifeguards -- figures viewed here as national symbols akin to Canada's Mounties or Britain's Beefeater guards. Radio talk-show hosts and tabloid newspapers inflamed passions by calling for demonstrations on the beaches. A campaign of cell phone text messages went further, some apparently originating from white supremacist groups, and widely disseminated. The messages prodded protesters to turn Dec. 11 into a "bash the Lebs day" -- referring to Australians of Middle Eastern descent, many of whom are ethnically Lebanese.

Participants said the crowd on the beach that day included men wrapping themselves in the Australian flag, some wearing profane shirts slandering the prophet Muhammad. At least one man in the crowd wore a shirt that read, "Osama Bin Laden Doesn't Surf."

"It started as a laugh with the mates," said Tim Kelloway, 16, a bronzed surfer who recounted the day's events. "But then things just got scary."

The ethnic taunts become violent, and mobs began "attacking anyone at the beach who looked like a Leb," said Kelloway, echoing the accounts of 11 other eyewitnesses interviewed for this article.

"The situation was ready to explode here," Kelloway said. "The Lebs have been coming around more and more, being rude to the Aussie girls and acting like this beach is theirs. I think we were all surprised by how bad things have become, but the truth is, they aren't really Australians. Look at what they do in other parts of the world. I mean, they don't see themselves as Aussies and we don't see them as Aussies, either."

More than three decades after this nation officially dropped its policy of selective immigration and welcomed people of many ethnic backgrounds, the riots have shocked many Australians. In recent decades, the country has embraced the concept of a multicultural society, in which non-European immigrants were not pressured to assimilate culturally into mainstream society.

Police officers question a man after confiscating a banner deemed offensive on North Cronulla beach in Sydney. (By Will Burgess -- Reuters)
Leaders of Australia's large Asian population -- the nation's single largest ethnic group after white Australians -- hail the country as exceedingly tolerant. "We could not ask for a more hospitable home," said Peter Wong, a legislator in the New South Wales parliament who immigrated from China almost 40 years ago.

Those sentiments, analysts and community leaders said, can be attributed in part to the rise in recent years of violent Lebanese and Middle Eastern gangs who are taking their cues from an unusual mix of Muslim-empowerment messages and American hip-hop culture. Wearing baggy jeans and souped-up low-riders, they cruise the streets of Sydney, dwelling mostly in the disadvantaged western suburbs, which suffer from lower education levels and employment rates almost twice as low as the national average. In 2002, several gang members were charged with brutal rapes of Australian women.

Community leaders say that increasing anti-Muslim sentiment has isolated people of Middle Eastern origin from other Australians, although many Lebanese here are Christians who fled violence in their country in the 1980s. People of Middle Eastern origin largely live in the greater Sydney area, where they make up about 5 percent of the population.

Young Arab Australians say that white Australians don't give them a chance, especially in the age of the war on terrorism. In high school, "I had lots of Aussie mates, but these days, you get the feeling they just don't trust you," said Ahmad Kanj, 30, an Australian-born Lebanese X-ray technician. Kanj advises young Muslims at the Islamic Youth Center in the Sydney suburb of Liverpool.

"They look at us in the malls, when we're walking down the street. And you know what they're thinking," he said.

"It's unfair to call us racists," said Alice Campbell, 16, who said she was at the Cronulla riots. "I have lots of Middle Eastern friends. But some of them come down here with their women who go into the water fully clothed and then turn around and stare at us and calling us cheap sluts. . . . I say, they need to start understanding our culture if they really want to be Aussies."

Members of Howard's Conservative Party and some commentators have used the sudden explosion of ethnic violence to denounce the concept of multiculturalism, which was embraced and promoted by the previous government, led by the Labor Party. Howard, meanwhile, has refused to describe the attacks against Australians of Middle Eastern descent as racially motivated. The prime minister instead referred to the violence more vaguely as a problem of "law and order" while insisting it must be viewed in the context of the assault on "Aussie" lifeguards the previous week. "Australia is not racist," he told reporters last week.

However, a public opinion poll by the Sydney Morning Herald published Monday showed that 75 percent of respondents disagreed with Howard, saying that the country has underlying racial problems.

The government of the state of New South Wales, where Sydney is located, has promoted meetings between representatives from both the beach communities and minority groups from the western suburbs. But the state legislature also passed emergency measures last week, allowing lockdowns of troubled neighborhoods, roadblocks and train searches that have lead to dozens of arrests and confiscations of weapons.

The national government has taken only one direct measure: an offer of a $385,000 grant to train Lebanese Australians as lifeguards.

"Australia has changed in the post-9/11 world without many of us even realizing it," said Amanda Wise, a fellow at Macquarie University's Center for Research on Social Inclusion. "It is clear that we are now in the middle of Islam-aphobia, and we need to admit that racism is at the core of this so we can begin dealing with it."

Poll: Australians see racism in country
CANBERRA, Australia, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Three-quarters of the Australian voters surveyed in a recent poll say that there is racism in the country.

The numbers contradict the stand of Prime Minister John Howard, who said that last week's riots in Cronulla, a beachside suburb of Sydney, were an issue of public order, The Age reported.

"I do not accept that there is underlying racism in this country," Howard said. "I think it would be an enormous mistake if we began to wallow in generalized self-criticism because the overwhelming majority of Australians have the proper instincts and decent attitudes and decent values."

The riots began when a few thousand people responded to a text message urging them to gather on the beach in Cronulla to recapture it for white Australians. The crowd turned ugly with about 200 people physically assaulting beachgoers who looked Middle Eastern while many of the others cheered them on.

Fifty-nine percent of those polled said they thought the riots would harm Australia's reputation overseas.

Thessaloniki - Greece's 'showpiece' city

December 21 2005 at 05:57PM

By Christine Pirovolakis

Thessaloniki, Greece - "We have nothing against Athens being the capital because we have been given an even bigger honour - living in the most beautiful city in Greece," taxi driver Nikos Papazoglou jokes about the rivalry between the country's two main cities.

Driving along Thessaloniki's waterfront promenade overlooking the Thermaic Bay with the city's landmark, the 15th century White Tower in full view, one instantly understands why it is celebrated as the "mother of Macedonia" and "the city whose praises are sung".

Shaped by centuries of outsiders, Thessaloniki is a city whose former occupants have left a definite imprint - from the Roman ruins dotting the numerous squares and markets to the Old Town with its Turkish flair and a downtown core so overloaded with Byzantine churches and chapels that it has been designated a World Heritage Site.

'The city whose praises are sung'
Once glorified as an important commercial centre and port during the 18th and early 19th centuries, Thessaloniki has suffered countless disasters over the years, including a devastating fire in 1917 that miraculously left most of the monuments and buildings standing - including a large section of the Byzantine city walls.

While Thessaloniki was never quite rebuilt according to the grand plan of French architect Ernest Hebrand, namely because of the 130 000 Greek refugees from Asia Minor that flooded the city between 1922 and 1923, the city was still developed into a more liveable metropolis than Athens; stimulated by its university, international trade fair and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival held in November.

It is surprisingly easily accessible by foot with central avenues running parallel to the seafront and cross-streets densely planted with shade-providing trees.

A good place to start is Aristolelous Square, a pedestrianised strip lined with beautiful buildings, trendy bars and outdoor cafes. From there you can walk to all the main sites of Thessaloniki without much effort.

You can catch glimpses of the city's ancient Roman influence at the Roman agora which is still being excavated and where an odium and two galleries have been discovered, as well as at the Arch of Galerius, constructed in the fourth century to celebrate the Roman victory over the Persian army.

The Old Town has a Turkish flair
Nearby lies the church of Saint Dimitrios, the patron saint of the city, with its 13th century crypt and mosaics, and the church of Saint Sofia, modelled after the world-famous one in Istanbul.

One should also not miss the magnificent Rotunda: A circular construction that was originally intended to serve as the mausoleum of Emperor Galerius but instead has served variously as a church and mosque.

Turkish influence is still very much evident today in the walled Kastra quarter, otherwise known as the Ano Polis or old Turkish quarter, located on the hillside beyond the modern slew of streets.

There pockets of Ottoman buildings which miraculously survived the fire still stand, as well as a Byzantine fortress complete with seven towers which later served a prison.

For most visitors, one sight which should not be missed is Thessaloniki's exceptional Archaeological Museum as well as the smaller Museum of Jewish Presence. The latter is intended to reflect the important past of the Jewish community in this city since the 15th century, who were the victims of deportations during WW2.

Also interesting is the Ataturk Museum, where the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was born in 1881 in this house on Apostolou Pavlou Street.

Thessaloniki's ancient sites may be the basis for visiting this city, but the food and Anatolian-inspired eating establishments will also delight.

The Ladadika district, the only part of town to survive the great fire, once served as storage and trading place for olive oil. Today, its tiny buildings have been beautifully restored to host an array of traditional and gourmet restaurants as well as trendy bars and cafes.

Dominating an entire corner of the Ladadika is the charming Bristol Hotel. This neo-classical building has been restored with old-time finesse to operate as the city's only boutique hotel.

Also worth trying is the Modiano Old Market, a lively bazaar filled with meat and fish restaurants or the "Louloudadika" or "flower shops" that now host dozens of unique tavernas.

Thessaloniki is accessible by air directly from most European cities and can be reached by train from cities in Europe like Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Sofia, Moscow and Ljubljana. Visitors can also travel to and from Istabul with a new overnight sleeper that takes a little over 11 hours. - Sapa-dpa


http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=14&click_id=418&art_id=qw1135054805619B262

Nice news Macedonia25. You had been famous regarding the racism protests. I think this is the minority.

Common Ellines, I want to see and news from Canada, USA e.t.c. :read:

Nice news Macedonia25. You had been famous regarding the racism protests. I think this is the minority.

Common Ellines, I want to see and news from Canada, USA e.t.c. :read:

Yeah, it was a minority of white Australians who started all the trouble... Things have started settling down again now, so thats good... :clap2:

Greece plans biometric passport
21/12/2005 20:39 - (SA)

Athens - Greece will overhaul its passport system next year and issue travel documents equipped to carry biometric data, the government said on Wednesday.

Public order minister Giorgos Voulgarakis said all Greek passport holders - as part of European Union-wide measures - would have to replace their documents by the end of 2006 and obtain new passports with increased security features.

Greece is currently not on the United States' visa waiver programme.

"The new passports will have greater security on different levels, including watermarks and imprints that can be read using special machinery," Voulgarakis said.

He said all passports will have a digital photo of the holder and will also contain chips that could be used to record biometric data.

Police will replace local government as the authority which issues passports and the scheme will officially start on January 9, when Greek President Karolos Papoulias will pick up his new passport.

ARCTIC TEMPERATURES IN NORTH GREECE
Thessaloniki, 20 December 2005 (13:49 UTC+2)


Temperature dropped to arctic lows at Nevrokopi, Drama at dawn today to -21 degrees Celsius. In spite of the clear weather, temperature is very low across Greece.

Large parts of the provincial road network have turned into traps for car drivers as a result of the ice on the road surface, while lakes and rivers froze mainly in the mountainous regions of east and west Macedonia.

According to traffic police, vehicles using the provincial road network of Florina-Kastoria, Aetos-Nympheo in Florina, the mountain road network in Chalkidiki, Veria and Naousa as well as the Vermio ski resorts road network need snow chains.

Traffic Police warns drivers to be very careful when driving during the night because of road ice.

In spite of the clear weather, temperature in Thessaloniki was around 0 degrees Celsius all day today while in the early morning hours it dropped to -2. In Florina temperature was -13, in Kozani and Kastoria -9 where large parts of the Kastoria Lake have frozen. Temperature in Serres was -5, Alexandroupolis -4 and Kavala -3 degrees Celsius.

BERISHA IN ATHENS
Athens, 22 December 2005 (12:56 UTC+2)


Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha had a 30 minute meeting with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis in Athens today when he requested to meet with Mr. Karamanlis during a stopover to the Greek capital on his way back to Tirana from Iraq.

No statements were made after the meeting. Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis responding to a relevant question categorically denied that the Cham issue was raised.

Jordan's King Abdullah also visited Maximos Mansion within the framework of his formal visit to Athens accompanied by his wife, Queen Rania.

THE GREEK WHO CHANGED AUSTRALIA'S GOLD COAST
Melbourne, 21 December 2005 (14:22 UTC+2)


Over 800 people bid farewell to Greek Australian William (Vasilis) Nikiforidis, the Greek who changed the picture of Australia's most cosmopolitan coastal region, the Gold Coast in Queensland.

In Australian society, Nikiforidis, who died at the age of 69, was widely known by his business activities. He built huge apartment complexes in the region and transformed it completely.

The "twin towers" in the heart of Broadbeach are still under construction with estimated cost of $ 750 million.

Billy Zane Plans to Wed in Greece

December 2005 -- This past summer it appeared that actor Billy Zane and his fiancee Kelly Brook had settled on the perfect wedding venue when they toured The Blazing Donkey in the English village of Ham. However, after consideration, the Titanic star, who is fluent in the native tongue of his forebearers, has decided to tie the knot in Greece in a ceremony which will honor his ancestry.


Although the couple have still not decided on an official wedding date, the bride-to-be has confided to the media that she will walk down the aisle in a gown designed by Roberto Cavalli, and that she and her love are pondering the thought of Scotland for their honeymoon destination.

While opening the Harrods winter sale former glamour model Brook said to the Sun: "We still haven't set a firm date but the ceremony's almost certainly going to be in Greece now.

"Billy's mum is Greek, he lived out there for years and speaks the language fluently. I've never been to a Greek wedding but I've seen videos and they look amazing - so lively.

"We'll have a really traditional ceremony, with both of our families around us - hopefully in 2006. And we're thinking of Scotland as a honeymoon destination... somewhere different."

FM MOLYVIATIS: 2005 WAS A GOOD YEAR FOR GREECE

The year that is coming to a close was a good year for Greece, allowing for optimism in the coming year, foreign minister Petros Molyviatis said Wednesday, speaking to reporters after a meeting with prime minister Costas Karamanlis.

"The year that is coming to a close was a good year for our country. We achieved our (foreign policy) targets, and the country's international position was strengthened. Consequently, in the coming year, we may look forward to a safe and smooth course for Greece on the international scene," Molyviatis said.

Asked whether he would remain in the foreign ministry in the event that a rumoured government reshuffle actually takes place, Molyviatis said "I am not concerned by the reshuffle issue".

Questioned whether he was prepared to leave the ministry if the prime minister requested him to, Molyviatis reiterated that he was not concerned with the reshuffle issue, adding that "everyone accepts the prime minister's decisions".

Frank Miller, the creator of Sin City, is filming his new project 300. This graphic nover is about the 300 Spartans in Thermoplaye. Web site http://www.300themovie.warnerbros.com

Frank Miller, the creator of Sin City, is filming his new project 300. This graphic nover is about the 300 Spartans in Thermoplaye. Web site http://www.300themovie.warnerbros.com

Sounds awesome! :clapping:

Karamanlis Drops, Papandreou Gains in Greece

latest news and polls


(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Fewer adults in Greece are satisfied with Kostas Karamanlis, according to a poll by VPRC released by SKAI Radio. 46 per cent of respondents believe Karamanlis is the most qualified person to serve as prime minister, down five points since November.

Karamanlis led the conservative New Democracy (ND) to a victory in the March 2004 election, securing 165 seats in the Greek Parliament. The Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) had administered the government since January 1996. 28 per cent of respondents would prefer current PASOK leader George Papandreou—a former foreign minister—as head of government. Support for Papandreou increased by six points in a month.

In his year-end message, Karamanlis vowed to push forward with his reform plan, declaring, "I welcome the fact that a broad-based social alliance has been formed in support of change. (...) Our aim is to create a state that has economic clout combined with justice by respecting the public and ensuring its esteem."

Polling Data

Who is the most qualified person to govern Greece?

Dec. 2005
Nov. 2005
Oct. 2005

Kostas Karamanlis (ND)
46%
51%
48%

George Papandreou (PASOK)
28%
22%
25%

Neither / Other
19%
21%
20%

Not sure
6%
6%
7%



Source: VPRC / SKAI Radio
Methodology: Interviews with 951 Greek adults, conducted on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6, 2005. No margin of error was provided.

NO ISSUE OF ABOLITION ON MACEDONIA-THRACE, AEGEAN MINISTRIES

There was no issue of abolition of the two geographical ministries (ministry of Macedonia-Thrace and ministry of the Aegean) in an upcoming government reshuffle, Macedonia-Thrace minister Nikos Tsiartsionis said Wednesday.

"There is no such issue, given that these two ministries received the largest increase (in funding) from all the others in this year's budget," the minister said, adding that statements concerning the upgrading of the Macedonia-Thrace ministry were valid, and portended the course of the two ministries.

Asked whether he would remain at the Macedonia-Thrace ministry after the reshuffle or would find himself in a different post, Tsiartsonis said that this was the exclusive prerogative of prime minister Costas Karamanlis.

Tsiartsonis visited the Hippocration hospital in Thessaloniki on Wednesday morning, where he met with the hospital administration and visited patients, to whom he presented gifts and wished them seasons greetings and a speedy recovery.

He later visited the city's central market, where he met with Thessaloniki mayor Vassilis Papageorgopouos, and exchanges holiday greetings with and hear complaints by consumers and merchants.

Tsiartsionis said the complaints were heard every year, adding that he acknowledged that the difficulties remain, but stressed that the government had a specific policy on tackling high prices on the market, noting that "it is not something that can be corrected with a magic wand", but adding that there was a common effort to achieve the best.

Greece: Hellenic Petroleum to Increase Fuel Stations in Bulgaria and Serbia

10:29 - 03 January 2006 - Hellenic Petroleum plans to operate 80 fuel stations in Bulgaria and Serbia in the next five years totalling a capex of c.€200m, in line with the company's strategic plan.


The tender of NIS, the public Serbian refinery, is expected to start in 2007.
Hellenic Petroleum currently operates 17 fuel stations in Bulgaria and 16 in Serbia.

The group has already started the expansion of its marketing stations in these countries and targets to capture a 10% market share within the next five years.

The above mentioned plan estimates the establishment of about 10 new fuel stations per year, which is in line with the management's strategic plan.

The Serbian government selected Merril Lynch and Raiffeisen Investment as consultants for the privatisation through international tender of NIS, which is expected to start within 2007.

Greece's long-term jobless rate still among EU's highest

Study confirms that labor market rigidity hurts productivity, growth

Kathimerini Greece
ATHENS

The unemployment rate in Greece has dropped slightly but is still higher than the EU average, while long-term unemployment remains high.

Greece's jobless rate in the second quarter of 2005 was 9.8 percent, second highest in the eurozone, down from 10.4 percent in the same quarter in 2004. The long-term unemployed - those actively seeking a job for at least 12 months - also declined, to 5.2 percent of the work force from 5.7 percent in 2004, allowing Germany, also the leader in the overall unemployment rate, to take the lead from Greece.

Greece's overall employment rate increased slightly. The number of people employed or actively seeking work accounted for 66.8 percent of the population aged 15-64, up from 66.5 percent of that age group in 2004.

In the eurozone, the average unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2005 was 9 percent (down from 9.1 percent in 2004) while long-term unemployment remained unchanged at 4 percent. Among all 25 EU members, the respective averages are 9.1 and 4.1 percent. Ireland boasted the lowest unemployment rate among the 12 eurozone countries (4.3 percent).

In absolute terms, Greece had 465,000 registered unemployed in the second quarter of 2005, of which about 250,000 were long-term unemployed.

The statistics confirm that unemployment hits women much harder than men: In Greece's case, the jobless rate among women was 15.3 percent, compared to 5.9 percent for men. The long-term jobless rate for women reached 9.1 percent, compared to 2.5 percent for men.

Europe lags

Most European Union countries are plagued by highly rigid labor markets that stifle economic growth. Greece does enjoy high growth, thanks in part to EU fund inflows and the continuing positive impact of the Olympic Games, although the government's inability to absorb more EU funds and to push ahead with infrastructure projects has had a negative impact on growth.

A study released yesterday by Alpha Bank shows how the eurozone lags behind the USA, the UK and other countries in labor market flexibility and how this hurts economic growth. Countries with more flexible labor markets attract more foreign investment, have lower unemployment rates which, in turn, boost consumer confidence and, therefore, consumer spending and GDP growth.

Rigid Greece

Greece has high demand growth rates, mostly because households are increasingly indebted, but also has one of the most rigid labor markets and a social security system that urgently needs reform.

The most important factors contributing to the rigidity of the labor market in Greece are the following:

- The combination of a high minimum wage, determined at national level, with very high non-wage labor costs make it very difficult for new entrants into the job market to find employment.

- Jobs for life in the public sector plus the high cost of layoffs reduce the number of new hirings and the number of available long-term jobs.

- Labor mobility between enterprises, economic sectors and locations is extremely limited.

- There is very little flexibility in work hours and very few options to set more flexible schedules.

- Part-time employment is not developed and there is little incentive for its expansion.

Self-employment

On the other hand, the degree of self-employment in Greece is very high, mitigating the labor market rigidity. The self-employed (including farmers) account for 40.2 percent of the work force, compared to 15.6 percent in the EU. Other mitigating factors include the number of economic migrants and the high percentage of employment in the parallel economy.

Still, other studies have found that there is little incentive to increase productivity in Greece. A study by the World Economic Forum ranked Greece 64th out of 104 countries in 2004 in connecting salaries with productivity.

Lockheed gets contract to build F-16s for Greece

The U.S. government formally awarded a $99.7 million contract to Lockheed Martin to launch early work on the production of 30 new F-16 fighter jets for Greece.

The governments of Greece and the United States signed an agreement for the aircraft earlier in December.

Under the agreement, Greece has an option for 10 more aircraft.

The planes will supplement the existing fleet of Hellenic Air Force F-16s and continue the modernization of the HAF. The total program value for the initial 30 aircraft is approximately $2 billion, with Lockheed Martin’s portion estimated at about $1.2 billion.

"Under this contract, we’ll provide the latest in advanced technologies to ensure long-term mission success for our valued customer, the Hellenic Air Force," said Ralph D. Heath, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. "It’s especially gratifying that this order marks the 50th time an F-16 customer has come back to us for additional aircraft - establishing a record of customer satisfaction that may be unmatched in the military aircraft business."

VALINAKIS: MACEDONIA SHOULD ACCEPT THE TALKS ON NAME DISPUTE

Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yannis Valinakis in the interview with the Athens-based daily To Vima said that Macedonia should accept the talks with Greece on name dispute by the end of 2007 if it wants to continue on the European road.
"By granting candidate status, the EU considers that resolving the name dispute is an 'international obligation' of Skopje including it in short-term criteria that the country should fulfill in the next two years," Valinakis said in the interview with To Vima.

Greece to donate $85,000 for Hurricane Katrina victims

Greek officials are expected Monday to donate $85,000 to Habitat for Humanity for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Panagiotis Skandalakis, deputy foreign minister for Greece; Alexandros Mallias, Greek ambassador to the U.S.; and U.S. Ambassador to Greece Charles Ries will be in Atlanta on Monday to attend the donation ceremony.

The presentation will be made during a luncheon hosted by the AHEPA, the largest Greek-American organization in the United States.

The Katrina Relief Fund in Greece raised the money from two concerts held in Athens last October and November. Additional money came from donations, according to a statement from the Greek embassy in Washington.

http://www.mpa.gr/media/thumbnails/RLB/img_409251cf163d6.jpg The Greek Orthodox community in Florida gave a warm reception to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew who is on a five-day historical visit to the Greek village of Tarpon Springs, notable for having the largest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the United States.

The Ecumenical Patriarch will officiate the Epiphany celebrations on January 6 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first blessing of the waters at the picturesque Spring Bayou cove.

The Greek population, coming mainly from the Dodecanese Islands, first arrived to this city during the 1880s, when they were hired to work as divers in the growing sponge harvesting industry

Tarpon Springs, 5 January 2006 (13:45 UTC+2)
MPA

Researchers Discover Greek Temple In Albania Dating Back To 6th Century B.C.
Researchers from the University of Cincinnati’s Classics faculty are preparing to make their first public presentation of details surrounding their find of one of the earliest Greek temples in the Adriatic region north of Greece.



A fragment of a tablet recovered from the Albanian site. (Image courtesy of University of Cincinnati)

Related News Stories
Archaeologists Head To Albania For Cultural Rescue Mission (March 7, 2001) -- The chaos that was once Albania could become tomorrow's hotspot for development. Before that commercialization begins, University of Cincinnati archaeologists want to identify ancient sites that ... > full story

Remnants Of Ancient Synagogue In Albania Revealed (October 9, 2003) -- Impressive remnants from a synagogue dating from the 5th or 6th century, C.E., have been revealed in the city of Saranda, a coastal city in Albania, opposite the Greek island of ... > full story

Hebrew University Archaeologists Reveal Additional Sections Of Ancient Synagogue In Albania (October 21, 2004) -- Excavations carried out this fall at an ancient synagogue in Albania have uncovered additional sections of the impressive structure. The excavations, now in their second season, are being conducted ... > full story

Dutch Archaeologists Uncover Earliest Egyptian Temple (January 21, 2000) -- During excavations at Tel Ibrahim Awad in the eastern Nile Delta, Dutch archaeologists discovered a large Middle Kingdom temple. Beneath this building, which dates from around 2000 BC, there were ... > full story

> more related stories


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related section: Fossils & Ruins





The UC researchers, along with colleagues from the International Centre for Albanian Archaeology and the Institute of Archaeology, Tirana, will be presenting on their new work on Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, in Montreal at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America.

"This is a case where a hunch about the potential of a site is paying off in the discovery of a temple that has extraordinary and singular importance to Albanian archaeology and to the history of Greek colonization in the Adriatic Sea region," says Jack L. Davis, the Carl W. Blegen Professor of Greek Archaeology at the University of Cincinnati and co-director of the international research team working at the site. "We are gaining the tools for an understanding of religious life in the 6th and 5th centuries B.C., a part of the early history of Apollonia of which little is known."

Presenting with Davis will be UC colleagues Sharon R. Stocker, Kathleen Lynch and Evi Gorogianni, along with Albanian researchers Iris Pojani and Vangjel Dimo.

The temple they have discovered, located in coastal Albania, is only the fifth known stone temple in Albania. It stands out both because of its age and its size.

The site is just outside of the ancient Greek city-state of Apollonia, and dates back to the late 6th century B.C. That would put its use in the Archaic and Classical periods, a time from which little has been recovered from inside the acropolis of Apollonia.

So far, in addition to remains of sacrificial meals and broken fineware pottery, substantial numbers of Classical and Hellenistic figurines have been found, although the principal deity of the sanctuary remains undetermined at this point.

"It now seems likely that the life of the sanctuary began not long after the founding of the Apollonia colony," Davis says. "What we discover here will contribute much to our understanding of religious life in the 6th and 5th centuries B.C., a period that is hardly known from previous excavations inside the borders of Apollonia itself."

The researchers suspected the temple was large, but only recently determined its approximate proportions: 14 meters by 40 meters.

The history of excavations on the site, located on a farm known by the family name of Bonjaket, dates back more than 40 years ago, when a farmer’s tractor uncovered terracotta figurines outside the walls of Apollonia. The site appeared to include remains of a sanctuary. An Albanian-Russian archeological team explored it, finding traces of brick walls and dating hundreds of the figurines to the 4th-2nd century B.C. Their work went unnoticed, however: the rupture in Soviet-Albanian relations in 1960 kept the team from publishing much about their work

In 2002, Albanian archeologists, working collaboratively with Davis and other UC colleagues, conducted a surface survey. Measuring off a grid in the low-lying land between the ancient walls of Apollonia and the Adriatic Sea, team members walked, painstakingly searching for artifacts hidden in the dirt and vegetation.

They found more figurines, the foot of a statue, a late Greek inscription, a small stone altar – and pottery from a much earlier date.

The combination of figurines, "which often point to ancient places of worship," and the older pottery led the team to believe the site was older than they first thought, Davis said.

"It seemed to us that the sanctuary was already being used in the Archaic period," some 100-350 years earlier than the 1960 team had believed, he said.

Then came the kicker: a family who owns a section of the land told Albanian team leader Lorenc Bejko that they had uncovered a foundation made of large, regular blocks as they were building a new house back in 1997.

Now, the UC-Albanian team needed to dig. Evidence was mounting that a large temple, not just a sanctuary, had occupied the site. The archeologists wanted to "trace lines of (the) massive ashlar blocks" that had been disturbed during the building of the family’s house, Davis said.

After careful negotiations with the Bonjaket family, major work began in 2004 to unearth the true scope of the apparent temple. After two seasons spent at the site, momentum continues to build that many details about the religious history of the temple and the Apollonia colony are about to be determined.


Editor's Note: The original news release can be found here.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This story has been adapted from a news release

Epiphany celebrated throughout Greece with Blessing of the Waters

The feast of the Epiphany was celebrated throughout Greece on Friday with the Blessing of the Waters. President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias and prime minister Costas Karamanlis attended the Blessing ceremony at Piraeus, the country's largest port, which was presided by Piraeus Metropolitan Kallinikos.

According to Greek Orthodox tradition, Epiphany, the anniversary of the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, is celebrated each year on January 6, in a ritual according to which men brave the chilly waters to dive for and retrieve a cross after it has been blessed by the priest and tossed into the water.

The man who recovers the cross will have good luck throughout the coming year.

The ritual also includes the blessing of small boats and ships.

The ceremony in Piraeus was also attended by main opposition PASOK MP and former minister Theodoros Pangalos, who represented PASOK leader George Papandreou, former interim prime minister Ioannis Grivas, merchant marine minister Manolis Kefaloyannis and former merchant marine minister (PASOK) George Anomeritis, national defence minister Vassilis Michaloliakos, deputy educationa nd religious affairs minister George Kalos, deputy transport minister Anastasios Nerantzis, employment deputy minister Gerassimos Yakoumatos, parliament 3rd vice president Yannis Tragakis, Piraeus mayor Christos Agrapidis, Piraeus prefect Yannis Michas, the Harbour Corps leadership, MPs from the wider Piraeus area, and other officials.

After the ceremony, prime minister Karamanlis wished "enlightenment" for all the politicians and citizens for the good of the land.

A reception was held afterwards at the Piraeus City Hall for the attending officials.

Similar ceremonies were held in Athens at the National Swimming Pool and at the Reservoir in the Kolonaki residential district, attended by Athens mayor Dora Bakoyannis, education minister Marietta Yannakou, national economy and finance minister George Alogoskoufis, health minister Nikitas Kaklamanis, former merchant marine minister (PASOK) Christos Papoutsis, and MPs from all the parties elected in the Athens A' electoral district.

In Thessaloniki, the ceremony was presided by Metropolitan Anthimos.

On a sad note, a young man drowned, for the first time during the diving for the cross, at the Kefalovrysos Lake in Elassona.

The 19-year-old youth dove for the cross, together with his brother, but apparently struck his head on the lake bed -- which was 8 meters deep at that point. The brother also faced problems after he dove into the freezing waters, but was rescued by other persons attending the ceremony.

The two brothers, out-of-town Roma members, had not attended the blessing ritual but happened to be passing by at the time and, since none of the locals dove for the cross -- as they knew the freezing temperature of the lake's waters in the winter season -- decided to dive after it themselves.

Strong earthquake rattles Athens


http://assets.in.gr/dGenesis/assets/Content5/Photo/675333_b.jpg

Sunday, January 8, 2006; Posted: 7:05 a.m. EST (12:05 GMT)
A strong earthquake had struck Athens, and local media reports said it has been felt throughout Greece.

Reports said the quake had a magnitude of 6.4 and its epicenter was several miles off the Greek coast.

There was no immediate report on damage or casualties.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/01/08/greece.quake/index.html




edit
The earthquake had as epicentre and magnitude of 6,9 Richter the sea region between NorthEast Crete and SouthEast Pelopponesus.
No victims or damage have reported until now.

My grandmother is in Athens and I have relatives in Crete... crazy stuff. 3 people were injured that was it thank the lord!

Greece sees no particular danger from bird flu

2006-01-10 09:20:47


ATHENS, Jan. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Greek Health Minister Nikitas Kaklamanis said Monday that there is no particular danger in the country from bird flu although more Turks were contracting H5N1 virus in the past few days.

The government has taken all necessary preventive measures and is closely watching the development in neighboring Turkey and around the world, Kaklamanis said.

There is vigilance at all entrances to the country, he added.

He also said that the operation centers of the Coordinating Health Sector Body and the Special Infections Centre have been on a 24-hour standby since Jan. 4, when it was announced officially that six people in Turkey had been positive with the deadly H5N1 virus of bird flu.

Directions on bird flu for regional health services in Greece have been updated immediately, said the minister.

Greece says German university to return fragment of Parthenon

22:51 2006-01-09

Germany's Heidelberg University is planning to return to Greece a small piece of the 5th-century B.C. Parthenon sculptures from the ancient Acropolis, Greece's Culture Ministry said Monday.

If the handover goes ahead, it would be the first piece of the sculptures held outside Greece to be returned to Athens.

A ministry announcement said the university's vice-rector, Angelos Chaniotis, informed Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis of the decision during a meeting Monday in Athens.

"Mr. Chaniotis informed the prime minister that the fragment is to be returned to Greece," the ministry announcement said. "This is a highly important symbolic gesture."

The sculpture, which depicts a man's foot, belongs to the north section of the Parthenon frieze, a 160-meter (525-foot) strip of marble slabs decorated in relief with figures from a religious procession.

Greece has waged a long _ and fruitless _ campaign to win back the Elgin Marbles, a large collection of Parthenon sculptures in the British Museum in London.

Parts of the Parthenon sculptures are also held in the Louvre in Paris, and in museums in the Vatican, Vienna, Munich, Copenhagen and Palermo.

The Parthenon temple on the Acropolis, dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom, was built between 447 and 432 B.C., reports AP.

Greece raises guard as Turkish bird flu cases mount

ATHENS, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Greece, which shares land and sea borders with Turkey, said on Wednesday it was on high alert for fear the deadly bird flu virus could spread into its territory.

"There should be no panic but full alert," Health Minister Nikitas Kaklamanis told reporters following a cabinet meeting.

"Everything humanly possible is being done," he said.

Bird flu has been found in a third of Turkish provinces and has killed at least two children and infected more than a dozen people. Some of the areas where birds have been infected are only a few nautical miles off Greek islands in the Aegean sea.

Greece has so far had no confirmed cases of the deadly H5N1 virus on its territory.

Greece, which has banned all animal produce from Turkey, is spraying vehicles entering the country through its northeastern border with Turkey as a precautionary measure.

Greek islanders and tourists returning from day trips to Turkey on Wednesday had to disinfect their shoes before entering customs control where officers wearing masks and gloves checked their bags.

All animal produce found was being confiscated and destroyed. Many islanders take a short ferry trip to Turkey for their weekly shopping as prices are far lower than in Greece.

Kaklamanis said health officials on Wednesday will tour all points of entry into the country, including Athens international airport, the only airport with flights to Turkey, to check guidelines issued months ago were still in place.

They will also put up posters and distribute leaflets informing passengers travelling to countries where the bird flu virus has surfaced of ways of minimising the risk of infection.

"The measures are complete but when we say 'we do whatever is humanly possible', we mean we cannot put borders in the sky (above the islands near Turkey)," he said.

Scientists fear the H5N1 strain, which is known to have killed 78 people worldwide, could mutate into a form that can spread easily between humans, leading to a pandemic

EU tells Greece to accept GM seeds

BRUSSELS, Belgium (UPI) -- The European Commission ordered Greece to lift its ban on planting genetically modified maize seeds made by a U.S. biotechnology firm.

Last April the Athens government banned such so-called GM seeds after St. Louis-based Monsanto Corp. sought to market the seeds in Greece, the EU Observer reported Wednesday.

The move was quickly denounced by environmentalists.

'By overruling the Greek government`s attempt to protect its fields from contamination by this GM maize, the commission is showing its contempt for the majority of EU citizens and 165 regions that say they do not want GMOs,' Greenpeace said in a statement.

Greece to spend EUR 22 bln for army modernization

19:25 2006-01-11
Greece will allot EUR 22 billion for the modernization of the army, according to the online edition of the Greek newspaper Kathimerini.

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and Minister of Defense Spilios Spiliotopoulos discussed Tuesday the armament program and the modernization of the army. The aid will be allotted under two five-year programs.

The Government’s Council on Foreign Policy and Defense will approve it at the beginning of February, Focus News reports.

Greece 'regrets' Iran nuclear research

Friday, January 13, 2006

LONDON, January 13 (IranMania) - UN Security Council member Greece said Thursday it regretted that Iran's resumption of nuclear research looked set to scupper diplomatic efforts to break the deadlock with the international community, AFP reported.

"We regret very much that a diplomatic effort Greece had supported ... seems to be heading towards suspension," Greek foreign ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos said in a statement.

"Referral of the issue to the UN Security Council is clearly more likely."

Greece still favours a diplomatic solution, but also "condemns any nuclear programme that does not respect the rules of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)", the foreign ministry statement said.

Responding to Iran's decision to resume sensitive nuclear fuel work, Europe's three major powers on Thursday asked for an emergency meeting of the IAEA to refer the issue to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

Greece is a non-permanent member of the 15-nation council, along with Argentina, Congo, Denmark, Ghana, Japan, Peru, Qatar, Slovakia and Tanzania.

Copyright 2005 Guardian Newspapers Limited
All Rights Reserved
The Guardian (London) - Final Edition
December 23, 2005 Friday
SECTION: GUARDIAN INTERNATIONAL PAGES; Pg. 15
LENGTH: 625 words
HEADLINE: Turkey faces huge payout for homes in Cyprus: Court of human rights orders compensation: Greek Cypriots to be paid for lost land in north
BYLINE: Ewen MacAskill, Diplomatic editor
BODY: Turkey will have to pay hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation to Greek Cypriots who lost their land and homes during the invasion of northern Cyprus in 1974, the European court of human rights ruled yesterday.

At the end of a long-running dispute over land possession in the divided island the court ordered Turkey to put in place an effective mechanism for reparations for Greek Cypriots who either fled or were forced out. More than 200,000 refugees, including Turkish Cypriots displaced from Greek Cyprus, were uprooted by the civil war and invasion.

The land dispute is intertwined with a series of other issues, including a UN peace initiative, Turkish accession to the European Union and, on a more modest scale, a court case in which Cherie Booth is representing a British couple.

The ruling is in relation to a case brought by Myra Xenides-Arestis, a Greek Cypriot born in 1945 and living in Nicosia. She owns a plot in Famagusta, in Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus, which was given her by her mother, but is denied access.

The court said its ruling on reparations by Turkey applied both to her and to some 1,400 similar, and pending, cases.

The court said: "Such a remedy should be available within three months and re dress should occur three months after that."

The partition uprooted 165,000 Greek Cypriots and 60,000 Turkish Cypriots. Each side unilaterally redistributed properties. Many British holidaymakers took advantage of cut-price properties but are now facing legal challenges.

The Greek government, which champions the Greek Cypriot case, yesterday welcomed the ruling. Nikos Papaconstantinou, a spokesman for the Greek embassy in London, said that Greek Cypriots "have sovereign title rights to property and that is something the European court recognises and Turkey should do something about it if it is serious about joining the European Union. It can't put these issues under the rug."

The Turkish foreign ministry issued a statement saying it believed changes made by the parliament in Turkish Cyprus on Monday regarding compensation will meet the court's expectations. It added: "Property issues in Cyprus contain complicated elements. However, this legal arrangement offers an important opportunity towards settlement."

Ms Xenides-Arestis's plot includes a shop, a flat and three houses. One of the houses was her home, where she lived with her husband and children, and the rest of the property was either used by members of the family or rented out. She also owns part of a plot with an orchard.

The court said she has been prevented from living in her home or using her property since August 1974 as a result of the continuing division of Cyprus.

She complained of a continued breach of the convention on human rights that includes respect for home and property. She also said that Turkish military forces prevent her from having access to her home and property because she is Greek Orthodox and of Greek-Cypriot origin. The court said her situation differed from the case Loizidou v Turkey in 1996 because, unlike Mrs Loizidou, she had actually lived in the Turkish-controlled north.

The court said the Turkish government continued to exercise overall military control over northern Cyprus. It said the fact that the Greek-Cypriots had rejected a UN plan last year did not have the legal consequence of bringing to an end the continuing violation of the rights of displaced persons. The court found she had still to be seen as the legal landowner.

It concluded that there had been, and continues to be, a violation of the convention on human rights "by virtue of the fact that the applicant is denied access to control, use and enjoyment of her property and any compensation for the interference with her property rights".

Greece vows to enhance relations with China

ATHENS, Jan. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis asserted here on Saturday that his upcoming visit to China will promote and upgrade the relations between Greece and China to strategic partnership for the benefits of the two countries and peoples.

In an exclusive interview in his office with Xinhua, Karamanlis said that the successive hosting of Olympic Games by Greece and China has greatly upgraded and increased the quality of the bilateral ties.

He said that it is the right time to promote the bilateral ties to a new high.

The prime minister stressed that Greece and China have the duty and strong common incentive to contribute "in order to promote peace, stability, prosperity around the world", noting that "China is a very important country with a very important political role on the international level" while Greece is a member of the EU and NATO and a non-permanent member of the UN security council.

"There is no doubt that especially nowadays, in the framework of the current international situation, both sides should intensify their efforts and co-operation in order to bring peoples of different civilizations closer and thus to contribute to international peace and security," he said.

"The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which is going to be concluded during my imminent visit to China, is a milestone in our bilateral relations, setting the framework for an enhanced future co-operation," he added.

He expressed his hope that his first official visit to China, scheduled for Jan. 19 - 22, will greatly enhance the cooperation between the two ancient civilizations in all areas, especially in the fields of trade, tourism, cultural and educational cooperation.

"As far as economic relations are concerned, I believe there is great potential for the development, among others, of the areas of commerce, merchant marine and tourism."

The prime minister told Xinhua that Greece, with its geographic advantage, has tried hard to attract foreign investments including Chinese investors.

"We are establishing a flexible and efficient market that looks forward and outward and welcome investors from all around the world and China in particular," he said.

He elaborated that one of Greece's main comparative advantages is its position at the heart of the fast developing region of Southeast Europe.

"We have been eliminating the various barriers that discourage private investment by reducing bureaucracy," he added.

Referring to the bilateral cooperation on Olympic Games, Karamanlis promised that his country will try its best to help China host a successful Olympics.

"I would like to assure you that Greece will assist in every possible way the effort of the Chinese government so that the Games of Beijing will be outstanding in all aspects, and a true reflection of the long history and rich culture of China, as well as its current status as a world political and economic power."

Greece promises to help Beijing Olympics succeed

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis promised on Saturday that his Government will provide assistance in every possible way to make 2008 Beijing Olympic Games successful.

"I would like to assure you that Greece will assist in every possible way the effort of the Chinese government so that the Games of Beijing will be outstanding in all aspects, and a true reflection of the long history and rich culture of China, as well as its current status as a world political and economic power," said Karamanlis in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

"Greece is ready to offer her expertise and know-how whenever this is asked for," he said.

He noted that two Chinese Olympic delegations have already visited Greece and the Alternate Minister for Culture and Athletics, Ms Petralia, has already visited China twice and has signed a relevant memorandum of cooperation with the Chinese government.

He told Xinhua that the successive hosting of Olympic Games by Greece and China has greatly improved the bilateral relations.

"The fact that China is succeeding Greece in organizing the next summer Olympic Games, has greatly upgraded our countries' bilateral ties," he said.

"It has brought to the forefront our two countries' parallel historical courses and their great contributions to world culture," he added.

"It has increased the quality of our bilateral relations, especially our cooperation in areas of mutual interest."

He admitted that the price tag for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, around 13 billion euros, is a burden too much for a small country like Greece.

"The cost is extremely elevated for a small country like Greece, the economy of which is likely to be affected for many years to come."

Meanwhile, he noted that it's cost worthy.

"The particularity of this unique investment is that it is made all at once and within a limited amount of time, while its return is measured in the long run, and is not limited to financial gains."

"That is, the reshaping of urban areas, improvements in infrastructure and services, the publicity gained, the increase in the number of visiting tourists, new investments, the improvement of the environment and in quality of life, are some of the parameters that, when added up, render our investment worthwhile."

He stressed that it is widely accepted that the Olympic Games of Athens were among the most successful Games in history, so there must be a high price to pay for.

On the post-Olympic use of Olympic facilities, he stressed thata specific business plan has been underway, adding that the parliament has passed the business strategy into law.

"The venues are being used for temporary athletic events, cultural events, exhibits and other events so as to cover their maintenance costs." he said.

He also suggested that China should avoid the same mistakes of Greece.

"In the case of China, I would suggest that China, at this time, formulate a business plan for post-Olympic utilization, so that the plan can be implemented the day after the Olympic Games closing ceremony."

Cyprus insists negotiations held within UN framework

NICOSIA, Jan. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos said here Sunday that it is impossible for negotiations over a Cyprus settlement to begin outside the U.N. framework.

"It is not possible for a new initiative to begin outside the U.N. framework," Papadopoulos declared in statement, stressing that the European Union neither accepts nor desires to replace the U.N. role in the Cyprus problem.

He admitted that Greek Cypriot south dose desire to start negotiations as soon as possible but rejects a hasty negotiation, for such a negotiation would very soon collapse with disastrous consequences.

"This is why we insist that a new effort should be very well prepared," the president added, noting that the U.N. thoroughly accepts the Greek Cypriot side's view.

"The U.N. Secretary General Koffi Annan had repeatedly thought of launching a new initiative and repeatedly postponed it for reasons of his own," Papadopoulos disclosed without elaboration. As to the proposed meeting between British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community MehmetAli Talat in the latter's "presidential office", Papadopoulos said that "We conveyed our views which are final and now it depends on Great Britain and himself (Straw) to judge whether he takes into account these sensitivities since the visit to Cyprus aims at further improving relations".

Nicosia sees Talat's offices as the "symbol of occupation" because of Turkey's military presence in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The Cyprus government has suggested that if Straw insists on upgrading Talat's status to anything else from Turkish Cypriot community leader, President Papadopoulos will probably refuse to meet with the British official.

However, Britain insisted that the meeting should take place there, saying this is the office of the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community.

Cyprus has been divided along the ethnic line into the Greek Cypriot south and Turkish Cypriot north since 1974 when Turkeysent troops to take control of the northern third of the island to foil a coup by the Greek Cypriots seeking union with Greece. The Greek Cypriot government is recognized by the international community as the sole legitimate representative of the whole island while the breakaway northern Cyprus is recognized only by Turkey.

The latest UN-led efforts to reunite the island failed in April 2004 when a reunification plan was rejected in a referendum by the Greek Cypriots although it was approved by the Turkish Cypriots.

Greece Issues Warning for Citizens Visiting Turkey
By Anadolu News Agency (aa), Athens
Published: Monday, January 16, 2006

Greece Minister of Health Nikitas Kaklamanis asked Greeks to limit visits to Turkey unless they are absolute necessary.

The minister cited the latest bird flu outbreak in Turkey was the reason for his warning, as part of precautionary measures taken by Greece.

Related Greek offices were in contact with the Europe Infectious Disease Center, the minister added, but there was no need to close the borders at this stage. Kaklamanis, told however, as a doctor and a minister he requests, Greek citizens to limit visitations to Turkey and seriously consider the list of measures prepared against this disease.

Greece to pledge €600,000 to global fight against bird flu

Greece will pledge €600,000 to the global fight against bird flu during the International Pledging Conference on Avian and Human Influenza, Deputy Foreign Minister Evripidis Stylianidis announced on Monday in response to press questions.

He said the money would be given by the ministry's international developmental aid organisation Hellenic Aid, via the Greek health ministry delegation that will attend the conference in Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Stylianidis made the statements after a meeting with Bulgarian Deputy Regional Development and Public Works Minister Dimcho Mihalevsky in Athens.

A Greek delegation headed by Deputy Health Minister George Constantopoulos had arrived in Beijing on Monday to attend the international conference on bird flu.

Constantopoulos was accompanied by senior foreign ministry and health service officials.

The aim of the conference is to assess the needs that exist and support programmes for coordinated action against bird flu in countries affected or at risk through a funding framework with the contribution of all countries.

During his visit to China, Constantopoulos will also have talks with China's health minister.

Greece: Gov't Plans to Fully Privatize Emporiki Bank

09:45 - 18 January 2006 - The Deputy Finance Minister said that the Greek State plans to fully privatize Emporiki Bank and give up the management by the end of Q1:06, to sell a 10% stake in Agricultural Bank by the end of the year, and list the Post Savings Bank in ATHEX in Q4:06.


He also added that Credit Agricole has expressed its initial interest for a controlling stake in the bank, including the assumption of management.
Note that Credit Agricole controls 11.1% of the bank, with the Greek State having a direct contribution(through DEKA) of 9.5%.

An additional stake of 10%-15% is controlled by State-controlled pension funds.

Greece: Gtech's bid for OPAP has technical irregularity

09:20 - 18 January 2006 - According to sources close to the matter G Tech may have done a fatal error, since its bid (the submitted document) on OPAP's technical system upgrade, is not duly signed in all pages. People close to the case say that, technically the bid could be considered as not valid, however, as they stresse out this is now in the hands of OPAPS's management as well as in the hands of the Greek State.


Under above circumsatnces, same sources say, it is not irrelevant that G Tech has cancelled its press conference that was scheduled for today.
This delelopment strengthens Intralot's as well as Scientific Games' position. On the other hand Greek State is sceptical since it wanted more than two companies to compete.

In addition, same sources say that another element crucial for G tech is that the company is to be bought out by Lotomaticca. As they stresse out Lottomatica is a direct competitor to OPAP thus G Tech may have strong conflict of interest.

Australia, Greece offer helping hands in Beijing Olympics

BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Previous Olympic hosts are lendingtheir hands to the organizers of the 2008 Games as experts from Australia and Greece came to share their experience with their Chinese counterparts.

Led by Major General Sotirios Tsenes, a group of four security experts from Athens, the host city of the 2004 Olympics, opened a three-day seminar on Tuesday with Beijing's Olympic Security Coordination Group, coinciding with the launch of the representative office of the Sydney-Beijing Olympic Secretariat.

"The foundation of successful security work during the Olympic Games is to predict all the potential dangers and make beforehand preparations," Tsenes told the seminar.

"Strengthening cooperation with experienced international organizations is also important."

Last November, the coordination group for the Beijing Olympic Games signed the "Memorandum of Understanding on 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics Security Cooperation" with the Ministry of Public Order of the Hellenic Republic, in a bid to enhance cooperation between the two sides.

Greece spent a record 1.5 billion US dollars on security for the 2004 Olympics, the first summer games since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. The Greeks also received regular security advice from several countries, including the United States and Britain.

Besides security issues, the Beijing organizers will get more support from Australia as the permanent China representative office of Sydney-Beijing Olympic Secretariat (SBOS) was set up Tuesday.

"Australia's support for Beijing has a long history," said Sandy Hollway, senior adviser of SBOS and also the chief executiveofficer of the Sydney Olympics organizing committee.

"The work of SBOS since 2001 has been of great mutual benefit to Australia and to Beijing. Our office in China will be a continuous channel of communication and a continuous mechanism forcooperation between Australia and Beijing."

Sydney 2000 was dubbed the "best-ever" Olympics by former International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Greece, Italy join forces for small island growth

Greece and Italy on Monday decided to join forces and jointly submit a specific plan of actions to the European Union for the exploitation of their small islands, aimed at placing the islands on a developmental orbit with EU funding. The decision was taken during a meeting in Athens between Greece's Minister for the Aegean Aristotelis Pavlidis and Italy's Regional Development minister Enrico La Loggia.

The meeting was held in the framework of initiatives undertaken by the Greek side for the establishment of an "island" designation as an individual criterion in the planning of funding under the EU Actions in the bloc's regional development programmes.

Under the new provisions of the European Constitution, Pavlidis said, the idea has ripened for the provision of services to island inhabitants, and thus it was considered important to draft specific positions determining the EU's obligations regarding the small islands.

It was decided to set up a joint ad hoc committee for this purpose, which as early as February would begin to look into the issue and begin preparing specific proposals to be submitted to the EU.

Pavlidis expressed hope other member states concerned would join this bilateral Greek-Italian cooperation in the immediate future.

La Loggia said after the meeting that he was very satisfied with the cooperation between Greece and Italy on this matter, which he noted was taking place for the first time.

He said the Italian side also considered it very important to achieve better utilisation of EU funds by 2013, as this would contribute to the development of the small islands but also to the solution of fundamental matters such as healthcare, via tele-medicine, waste management, etc.

Also attending the meeting were Greek finance ministry secretary general K. Mousouroulis and Italian ambassador to Greece Gian Paolo Cavarai, and the president of the non-governmental organisation INSULEUR, which comprises the island Chambers of Commerce in the EU (45 members), Romano Mambrini.

Greece urges no travel to Turkey, borders stay open


16 Jan 2006 12:42:18 GMT


MORE
By Karolos Grohmann

ATHENS, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Greece on Monday urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Turkey for fear of the deadly birdflu virus, but said it would not yet close its borders.

Neighbouring Turkey has struggled to contain a spreading outbreak of avian influenza, setting up quarantine zones around infected areas and sending virus samples to laboratories for testing to ensure it is not evolving into a more dangerous form.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Turkish officials had now documented 18 human cases of H5N1 avian influenza infection and said three children had died. Scientists fear that bird flu could mutate into a virus that is easily passed between humans, setting off a pandemic that could kill millions.

Some of the affected areas are along the western Turkish coast, only a few nautical miles off the Greek isles.

"Greek citizens are urged to avoid travelling to the neighbouring country if there is no serious reason," Health Minister Nikitas Kaklamanis said in a statement.

"But if travel is necessary all health guidelines should be seriously taken into account."

Greece is already spraying all vehicles crossing the northeastern border with Turkey as a precautionary measure and has prohibited the import of all Turkish animal produce.

It has also started disinfecting Greek ferry boats docking at Turkish ports and confiscating all foods brought into Greece from Turkey.

All ferry passengers from Turkey disinfect their shoes when entering customs controls in Greece, where officials wearing masks and gloves scour through their luggage.

Tourism between the eastern Greek isles and Turkey has dropped sharply, officials said.

While islanders on Chios or Lesvos tended to use the better-priced Turkish markets for their weekly shop, on Sunday only one passenger was on board the ferry returning from Turkey.

"Everyone is just too afraid to cross over. Passengers do not want to go over at all in this climate of fear," a Lesvos port official told reporters.

The Greek health ministry said it had also asked the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) if it should close its borders with Turkey.

"The ECDC director informed us that currently sealing off the borders would not protect Greek citizens and the country from the (avian) influenza," the ministry said in a statement.

Lufthansa, Aegean announce code share flights from Cyprus

18/01/2006

Lufthansa German Airlines and Aegean Airlines have underlined their cooperation and the successful introduction of code share flights from Cyprus.

The two airlines began code-share operation of flights within Greece and additional flights to and from Larnaca and other European destinations with the start of the winter timetable 2005/2006.

Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, Eftihios Vasilakis, Vice President of Aegean Airlines said “passengers from Cyprus find a wider range of flight options which allows them increased flexibility for their travel planning”.

Michael Suesser, Lufthansa General Manager for Greece and Cyprus, stressed that “the three daily Aegean pairs between Larnaca and Athens add perfectly to the existing Lufthansa flights from Cyprus to Frankfurt”.

He further said the “possibilities to combine Lufthansa and Aegean flights in one or both directions, the option to make a stopover in Athens on the way out or in now offer our passengers a wide range of options for their trips to Germany, Europe, North America and many more destinations around the world”.

A total of 82 daily flights within Greece as well as to Larnaca, Munich, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hamburg, Hannover, Berlin and Paris are operated as code-share flights.

No Greek tragedy as Open hero emerges

It has taken only a matter of hours after the exit of Mark Philippoussis for Melbourne's vast Greek community to discover a new tennis hero.

Greek Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis sent a sea of noisy blue and white bedecked fans into spasms of joy when he subdued 17th-seeded Czech Radek Stepanek in five sapping sets.

Baghdatis cleared the second round hurdle as the 20-year-old targeted a repeat of last year's heroics when he charged through to the fourth round.

Philippoussis, not unexpectedly, bowed out meekly on Tuesday night to gritty Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean - but Baghdatis strode on court on Wednesday to rescue the hopes of the largely Greek audience.

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/01/18/marcosbaghdatis_narrowweb__300x390,0.jpg

Milking his overwhelming support in a bid to keep his chances alive during a Stepanek mid-match comeback, Baghdatis maintained an on-going dialogue with fans between points.

In the end, after his win, they bowed en masse to him in a variation of the Mexican wave.

Stepanek said later he was slightly unnerved by the vocal support for his opponent.

"Sometimes they would yell and scream when I was about to serve.

"It's not what I would do but that's the way they support, so it doesn't matter too much," Stepanek said.

"It was just a bad match from me and I definitely had my chances after the third and fourth sets.

"I broke a string in my racquet on the last point which was just bad luck," he said.

Last year Baghdatis had made his debut in Australia and was playing in only his second grand slam when he was stopped by World No.1 Roger Federer in the fourth round.

He went on to reach his first ATP final in his last event of the year in Basel where, as a qualifier, he defeated 2002 Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian in the semi-finals

He is ranked 52 in the world and is the only player from Cyprus to have ever played a grand slam or ever be ranked in the world top 100.

Only one other player from the tiny country plays the tour - Photos Kallias who is ranked 507.

Baghdatis won the Australian Open junior boys' title in 2003 and was ITF junior world champion that year.

THE UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG RETURNS A PIECE OF THE PARTHENON TO GREECE

For the first time ever, a foreign museum will return a piece of the Parthenon Marbles to the Museum of the Acropolis in Athens. The Antiquities Museum of the University of Heidelberg will return to Greece an 8x11 centimeters piece that belongs to the north frieze of the Parthenon. The university deanery reached the decision a few days ago.

The University of Heidelberg returns this piece only because it recognizes the importance of the Parthenon as a world culture monument, stated to ANA-MPA the university deputy dean Angelos Haniotis. He added that the specific piece was never in display as part of the museum's collection and will acquire its importance through its reunification with the rest of the Parthenon frieze.

Mr. Haniotis stated that it is unknown how the specific fragment ended up in Heidelberg. It was registered in the museum's catalogue in 1871 and it most likely was donated by a private collector as it was a common practice in the 18th and 19th centuries for visitors to the Acropolis to remove and take with them small marble pieces.

The piece of the Parthenon frieze will be returned to Athens before the end of the year.

http://www.mpa.gr/media/thumbnails/ACE/img_43ce3673115b0.jpg
:clapping:

source: www.mpa.gr (18 January 2006)

Greece Prepares for Chinese Tourists


Touring across the Acropolis in Athens, one is suitably impressed by the beautiful Parthenon. Equally, one is also impressed by the number of Chinese tourists.

"The temple represents the highest level of Doric architectural style," a guide said in putonghua (Mandarin) to a group of Chinese tourists.

Hot on the heels of the first group, another bevy of Chinese travelers passed and the guide was heard saying: "Many sculptural pieces from the Parthenon are now in the British Museum."

All this signifies that more and more Chinese have an eye on Greece as their next tourist destination after visiting Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

The Greek tourist authorities, are fully aware of this, and have started a series of promotional activities in the hope of attracting Chinese tourists.

"Greece is a country which boasts a long history, brilliant civilization and beautiful sea and landscapes," said Dimitris Avramopoulos, Greek Minister of Tourism, in an interview with a group of Chinese journalists last week in Athens.

"We know that many Chinese dream of visiting Greece once in their life time. Taking into account the huge population, 1.3 billion, the number of tourist arrivals from China would be very big. Our market is prepared for the coming of Chinese tourists and we are trying to make sure they feel at home in Greece," the tourism minister said.

But currently Chinese tourists have to make their way to Athens via Bangkok or Frankfurt or other European air traffic hubs, owing to the fact that there are no direct air links between the two countries. This is very inconvenient for the Chinese and, in turn, standing in the way of bringing Chinese tourists to Greece.

"Opening direct flights has been on the agenda for both countries," said Anastasios Liaskos, Greek deputy tourism minister, in another meeting with the Chinese journalists.

He, however, did not give a timetable for the opening of direct flights, hinting that procedural matters will take time.

Direct flights between China and Greece will not only benefit the two countries but also Greece's neighbors such as the countries in the Balkans and Mediterranean regions, with Chinese tourists branching off to these destinations using Greece as a stepping stone, according to Minister Avramopoulos.

Greece is abound in historical sites and relics represented by the Parthenon, golden beaches along the Aegean and Ionian coasts, beautiful seascapes on the Mediterranean, frequent sunshine and other tourist resources.

As a result, Greek travel can be divided into a number of categories such as marine tours, history-orientated tours, conferences in beautiful Greek locations, among others, suggested Deputy Tourism Minister Liaskos.

In answering the question that it is hard for individual Chinese tourists to get Greek visas, Liaskos said that it is a matter of procedure and that EU countries have already held a meeting to discuss the question of simplifying the formality of granting visas to tourists from developing countries such as China.

It was also stated that Chinese tourists find it difficult to move around Greece because many road signs, maps and tourist brochures are in Greek, especially in smaller tourist spots, on which Loutraki and Nafplion, the deputy ministers responded: "This is a matter of market economy. The market would automatically resolve the problem in the face of mounting numbers of tourist arrivals."

"China represents something very important rich cultural heritage, long history and rising power. The Olympics has provided an opportunity for both China and Greece to get together and bring about a bright future," said Minister Avramopoulos.

The Greek Tourism Ministry is encouraging tourist agencies to recruit Chinese personnel, who are able to speak foreign languages, according to the tourism minister.

Revenue generated by tourism makes up 18 percent of Greece's annual GDP and nine percent of the Greek population is engaged in travel-related businesses, according to the tourism minister.

Greece sees 18 million tourist arrivals each year and the figure is expected to rise 10 percent yearly in the immediate future, Avramopoulos said.

The Chinese journalists also met with Fani Pallipetralia, the alternate culture minister of Greece.

The alternate minister said: "We have very good relations with China currently."

"The memorandum for Olympic cooperation signed between the Greek Culture Ministry and its Chinese counterpart is very important. And we have passed on the relay baton to Beijing. We believe that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will turn out an even greater success than the 2004 Athens Olympics," Pallipetralia said.

"Running the Olympics poses a big challenge to Beijing. We are willing to share our experiences in this regard with our Chinese counterparts," she promised.

The Olympics is more than a grand sporting event. It is also a big window through which the spirit of the people of the host country can be demonstrated to the world, the alternate culture minister said.

"The Beijing Olympic Games will help display the grace of the Chinese people," she said.

Korea, Greece Battle to 1-1 Tie



JANUARY 23, 2006 03:24
by Jong-Koo Yang ( yjongk@donga.com)

Korea and Greece battled to a 1-1 tie in a World Cup training match in Saudi Arabia yesterday.

Korean national team manager Dick Advocaat was happy after the game, because he may have found a few promising aspects. “Our young players are getting better and better,” Advocaat said. “Our four-back defensive alignment also worked well against the opposing team’s attackers.”


MBC TV’s commentator Kim Ju-seong said, “The team’s four-back defense and young talent passed the test.”


Korea’s four-back defense, consisting of Kim Dong-jin, Kim Jin-gyu, Choi Jin-cheol, and Jo Won-hee (who was replaced by Jang Hak-yeong 35 minutes into the first half) was successful. The team faced a few risky situations earlier in the game when its zone defense and man-to-man defense faltered, but as the team got more organized later in the game, the team’s defense found its rhythm with midfielders and started to put pressure on opposing attackers.


When side-backs Kim Dong-jin and Jang Hak-yeong found some stability on defense, they energized the team’s attacks by advancing deep into the opponent’s side. “As time passed, we started to feel more organized, and became more comfortable with the four-back alignment,” said center backs Choi Jin-cheol and Kim Jin-gyu.


Kim Ju-seong looked back on the match and said, “Some young players, including Baek Ji-hun, Lee Ho, and Kim Du-hyeon made several mistakes under Greek pressure. But they did not falter, and Park Ju-young’s goal helped to bring some stability to the game. Coming out of that situation with their nerves intact was a boon for these young players. It must have given them a big confidence boost.”


After putting five players 22 years of age or younger into the game, Advocaat said he was impressed with how fast his young players are maturing. He also maintained that this match was merely a test, hinting that there will be many more tests to come.


“It’s important to discover as many young players as possible,” said Kim. “But the defense needs to find its best defenders as soon as possible for the sake of the squad’s teamwork.”


Korea will play against Finland on January 25. Finland’s last match against Saudi Arabia ended in a 1-1 draw.

WEAK EARTHQUAKE IN LEFKADA



A weak earthquake of magnitude 4.2 was recorded at 11.39 am today in the region of the Ionian Sea island of Lefkada.

The tremor's epicenter was located 280km northwest of Athens, west of the island of Lefkada.

MPA, Lefkada, 23 January 2006 (17:38 UTC+2)

Greece for Melbourne

January 31, 2006

MELBOURNE has won the bidding war with Sydney to stage the Socceroos' World Cup farewell match – a friendly with Greece on May 25.

Bleak City's massive Greek community – that is still celebrating Marcos Baghdatis' appearance in the Australian Open final – will be out in force again with MCG events chief Trevor Dohnt anticipating an 80,000 crowd for the game.

But the MCG – scene of World Cup despair against Iran in 1997 and the failed qualification bid against Uruguay in 2001 – won't know until later this week whether it will be chosen ahead of the 50,000-capacity Telstra Dome.

The southern metropolis won out after Football Federation Australia was seduced by the Greek factor, denying Sydney's Telstra Stadium – venue of November's World Cup playoff win over Uruguay – another view of the Socceroos.

Dohnt said: "We are the number one venue bidding – and after what you've seen at the tennis over the last fortnight it's obvious the Greek population will come out in numbers.




"We have a capacity of 100,000 – and it wouldn't surprise me if we got upwards of 80,000 for the match."

The Socceroos will continue their World Cup preparations with a friendly against Holland in Rotterdam on June 4. They have pencilled in a final warm-up against a yet-to-be-revealed non-qualifier in Europe three days later.

Greece reveals mobiles of PM, ministers tapped

Thu Feb 2, 2006 5:23 PM GMT


By Karolos Grohmann and Dina Kyriakidou

ATHENS (Reuters) - Unknown eavesdroppers tapped the mobile phones of Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, five cabinet members and dozens of top officials for about a year, the government said on Thursday.

Illegal software installed at Greece's second biggest mobile phone operator, Vodafone Greece, allowed calls to and from about 100 phones to be recorded. Most belonged to the government but one was owned by the U.S. embassy in Athens, officials said.

"The phones tapped included the prime minister's, the whole leadership of the defence ministry and the whole leadership of the public order ministry, some foreign ministry phones, one former minister, now in opposition, and others," government spokesman Theodore Roussopoulos told a news conference.

In what he described as "an important issue related to national security", Roussopoulos said prosecutors had brought charges of violating the privacy of telephone communications against unknown perpetrators.

A judicial investigation would also look into possible charges of espionage, he added.

Socialist opposition politicians, including former defence minister Yannos Papandoniou, whose phone was among those tapped, reacted angrily and demanded a full investigation.

"It's unacceptable that I was not informed for 10 months so as to protect my human and individual rights," he told reporters. "This is a strange case. All the people targeted were somehow involved with national security."

The wiretaps lasted from just months before the 2004 Athens Olympics until March 2005, when Vodafone Greece, a subsidiary of British firm Vodafone, discovered the incident and reported it to authorities.

The bulk of the tappings took place around the August 2004 Athens Games, the most guarded Olympics in history with 1.2 billion euros ($1.45 billion) invested in security, Justice Minister Anastasios Papaligouras told the news conference.

The head of Vodafone Greece, George Koronias, told the government in March 2005 that about 100 mobiles had been monitored.

"As soon as we discovered the phone tapping software, we removed it and informed the state, as was our obligation," Koronias said in a statement.

But the shutdown of the illegal software in the Vodafone system wiped out all traces of how and from where it had been installed, Public Order Minister George Voulgarakis told the news conference.

The list of those tapped was released by the press ministry. U.S. embassy officials declined to comment on the disclosure that one mobile involved belonged to the mission.

"A preliminary investigation is completed and charges against unknown perpetrators have been submitted," Roussopoulos said. "Greek citizens have a right to know."

Greece: Greek and Russian FMs Discuss Bilateral Relations

11:30 - 07 February 2006 - Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov held a meeting during which they discussed the two countries' bilateral relations, emphasing their talks on economic cooperation, especially in the energy sector.


The two ministers also discussed the Cyprus issue, while Lavrov declared that a viable solution must be reached through negotiations and not being imposed from outside while it should be based on international law and on UN resolutions.
The Russian minister also met with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and President Karolos Papoulias.

The Greek foreign minister said that the bilateral relations are at a good level and are based on the strong foundations of true friendship and old historic ties.

He stressed the need for strengthening bilateral economic relations, especially in the sectors of commerce, tourism and energy.

Lavrov said that "we examined relations between Greece and Russia on the issue of providing gas, the transportation of gas through Greece and participation in regional energy networks."

The Russian minister underlined Greece's special role in security and the "optional policies" in Europe's energy supply.

The Greek foreign minister thanked his Russian counterpart for Russia's support to the issue of Cyprus, based on Security Council decisions and resolutions.

Lavrov also underlined his country's interest in participating in the Greek energy market that will be deregulated.

Regarding Black Sea cooperation and cooperation between Russia and Turkey on security and terrorism issues, Lavrov said that the Montreux Treaty is valid in all directions.

GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE ANNOUNCED
Athens, 14 February 2006 (13:47 UTC+2),MPA

The new government after the reshuffle announced today by Minister of State and government spokesman Thodoris Rousopoulos will include five new ministers. Two ministers and a deputy minister have changed posts.

The new faces in the government are mayor of Athens Dora Bakoyiannis who will take over the Foreign Ministry replacing Petros Molyviatis, governing party of New Democracy Central Committee secretary Vangelis Meimarakis becomes the new Minister of Defense, while Vyron Polydoras takes over the Ministry of Public Order, Savvas Tsitouridis will become Labor Minister and Giorgos Kalantzis becomes Minister of Macedonia-Thrace.

Nikitas Kaklamanis will run for mayor of Athens and will be replaced in the Ministry of Health by Dimitris Avramopoulos who will be replaced in the Ministry of Tourism by Mrs. Fani Palli Petralia.

Six deputy ministry posts were abolished. Tasos Nerantzis moved from the Transport Ministry to the Ministry of Development while Mr. Kassimis became deputy Foreign Minister.

The first meeting of the new cabinet will take place tomorrow.

Athens, 14 February 2006 (14:27 UTC+2) , MPA

MORE AUSTRALIANS STUDY ANCIENT GREEK HISTORY BECAUSE OF HOLLYWOOD
Melbourne, 15 February 2006 (14:03 UTC+2), MPA

The number of Australian university students studying ancient Greek History recorded an impressive rise because of Hollywood.

The newspaper The Australian Financial Review dealt with the phenomenon with an article signed by Luke Slattery who mentions that registration to the ancient Greek History course in the University of Sydney recorded a notable increase as the number of students signing up to attend reached 320 this year compared to 230 in 2004.

He writes that the gods are smiling again but this turnabout can be traced back to the popular culture of the film industry and movies like Troy, Alexander the Great and Gladiator. He added that students in the last classes of high school who selected the ancient History class reached 10,300 surpassing the number of students studying contemporary History.

Mr. Slattery also refers to statements made by 33-year-old classicist Alastair Blanshard who is the writer of a book on Hercules. Mr. Blanshard said characteristically that the way we tell stories, what we choose to say and what we keep silent reveals a lot about ourselves. Stories are the way we cling to life, he added.

Ούτε λέξη δεν είπαν τα ελλαδικά μέσα ενημέρωσης

Μία πολύ σοβαρή τρομοκρατική επίθεση πραγματοποιήθηκε το περασμένο Σάββατο 4 Φεβρουαρίου στο κατεχόμενο Μοναστήρι. Στόχος, το εκεί ελληνικό προξενείο, που την τελευταία δεκαετία έχει βρεθεί σε αρκετές περιπτώσεις, σε «κατάσταση πολιορκίας». Την τελευταία φορά όμως, η πρόκληση ξεπέρασε κάθε προηγούμενο και μπορεί να θεωρηθεί θαύμα, το γεγονός ότι δε θρηνήσαμε θύματα. Αλλά αξίζει να αναφερθούμε με λεπτομέρειες στο γεγονός.
Το περασμένο Σάββατο λοιπόν, διπλωματικοί υπάλληλοι εντόπισαν τυχαία ένα ύποπτο αντικείμενο στον χώρο του προξενείου. Εκ των υστέρων απεδείχθη πως επρόκειτο για αυτοσχέδια βόμβα μεγάλης ισχύος. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, «άγνωστοι» είχαν τυλίξει με πανί μία χειροβομβίδα αμυντικού τύπου και είχαν δέσει με τεντωμένο σχοινί την περόνη της, παγιδεύοντας με τον τρόπο αυτό την κύρια είσοδο του ελληνικού προξενείου. Στην πρώτη τυχαία διέλευση ενός υπαλλήλου, η χειροβομβίδα θα απασφαλίζετο, και δεν πρέπει να διαθέτει κανείς ιδιαίτερη τεχνογνωσία για να κατανοήσει πως σίγουρα θα θρηνούσαμε θύματα, σε ακτίνα αρκετών μέτρων.
Το γεγονός αυτό δημοσιοποιήθηκε στα σκοπιανά μέσα ενημέρωσης, στην Ελλάδα όμως το έφαγε το μαύρο σκοτάδι. Την απόλυτη συνωμοσία σιωπής επέβαλε η κυβέρνηση των Αθηνών, στοχεύοντας στη διατήρηση χαμηλών τόνων, την περίοδο αυτή που &