Katseli attends EU Employment Council session

by (ANA-MPA) , M. Aroni 7 Dec 2010

(archive photo) The future of pensioning systems in European Union member-states was the main issue discussed during Monday's session of the EU's Employment Council, at which Greece was represented by Employment and Social Security Minister Louka Katseli. The ministers exchanged views during the session on the necessary structural reforms that will secure the adequacy of pensioning benefits and the strength of the pensioning systems in Europe. Earlier in the day, Katseli took part in a meeting of the Party of European Socialists (PES) labour ministers.

Palestinians criticize Orthodox Church over road

by (Reuters) 2 Dec 2010

Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas (center) is flanked by Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III (left) during his visit on 25 October 2010 to the Church of the Nativity The Greek Orthodox church is facing Palestinian criticism over its participation in the inauguration of an Israeli-built road that has eased access to an ancient monastery in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Authority said it was "surprised" by the church's decision to attend the opening of the road built by Israel to ease access to St. George's Monastery near Jericho. The 5th century monastery is in a part of the West Bank that falls under the full civil and security control of Israel, which has occupied the territory since the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule over about 40 percent of the territory, had asked Israel for a permit to build the access road, but it was not granted, spokesman Ghassan Khatib said. The road was opened on Tuesday in the presence of the director-general of Israel's Tourism Ministry and Archbishop Aristarchos of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem. The work cost 2 million shekels, or just over $500,000, according to a statement from the Tourism Ministry. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, in a statement, "expressed surprise at the participation of a representative of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate." Khatib said: "We believe that third parties like the Greek Orthodox Church should not take part in such activities because this will give a deceiving impression about the situation. "Israel is generally preventing us from constructing and building, or destroying what we build." One such case was the destruction of a Palestinian-built road in the West Bank last week, he said. It had been built without Israel's permission on land that falls under its full control according to interim peace agreements. Speaking at the opening, Archbishop Aristarchos told Reuters the road to St. George's Monastery was of benefit to both pilgrims and the Holy Land. He declined to comment on the PA criticism on Wednesday. The Israeli Tourism Ministry statement said that "for the last three years, access was extremely difficult due to water erosion from flash floods and damage caused by a small earthquake." The work was "in answer to requests by Christian communities around the world to improve pilgrim and tourist access to the site," it added. Israel calls the West Bank by the Biblical names "Judea and Samaria." The Palestinians want the territory to become part of the independent state they aim to found alongside Israel.

Ex-Minister: Greece mulled army role for riots

by (AP) 2 Dec 2010

Downtown Athens on Saturday December 6 2008 late night A former Greek interior minister says his government had considered using the armed forces during massive riots in 2008, but ultimately rejected the idea as being counter productive. Prokopis Pavlopoulos told a documentary program to be aired on state-run NET television that the measure was considered at an emergency Cabinet meeting on the worst night of the riots. The riots were sparked by the police's fatal shooting of a teenage boy. In October this year, a policeman found guilty for the boy's death was jailed for life while a second officer received a 10-year prison sentence. A DVD of the program, Reportage with Borders, was released to the Associated Press before the documentary aired later Wednesday.

Temperatures at record highs for November, scientist confirms

by (ANA) 30 Nov 2010

For those of us that felt uneasy at the long string of warm days that Greece experienced throughout November, when the weather more closely resembled early summer than late autumn, scientists at the national meteorological service EMY confirmed on Monday that we have been experiencing record-breaking temperatures for the current season. The head of EMY, meteorologist Anastasia Papakrivou said that temperatures in Athens reached 25C on Monday and surpassed the previous record for the last 10 days of November - 24C on November 30 1961. This also holds for Thessaloniki, where the mercury climbed to 23C early on Monday morning and was set to surpass the previous record of 23.6C recorded on November 22, 1965. Similarly, temperatures in the first 20 days of the month were higher than the average temperature usually recorded during November in Greece. According to Papakrivou, a rise in the average temperature was indisputable but it was still too early to attribute the phenomenon to global warming since that would take several years and statistical studies to be positively proved. While the high temperatures of the past month were rare, the meteorologist said that they could not be categorised as 'extreme' weather conditions since they did not endanger human health or lives. She advised people to guard against a rise in virus infections due to higher humidity and the red dust clouds carried to Greece from Africa by stronger southerly winds. She also predicted that the unseasonally warm weather and lower-than-usual rainfall will continue at least until Christmas, except for an interval of colder, rainy days this coming weekend.

Medvedev eyes meeting with Papandreou in Astana

by (ANA) , Th. Avgerinos 30 Nov 2010

(archive photo) Russian President Dmitry Medvedev plans several bilateral contacts with foreign leaders on the sidelines of a two-day OSCE summit in Astana, Kazakhstan - which opens on Wednesday - including with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou. "We want to profit from our stay in Astana for the holding of a series of important meetings, both with the Kazakh President as well as other leaders," Medvedev's assistant, Sergei Prikhotko, told reporters at the Kremlin on Monday, adding that a meeting with Papandreou is being prepared.

Greece has 'vital interests' in Africa, PM says at EU-Africa summit

by N. Lionakis , (ANA) 30 Nov 2010

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, in Libya to attend the 3rd EU-Africa Summit, on Monday stressed that Greece, as a Mediterranean country and neighbour to north Africa, had vital interests in the region. "Cooperation between us has a real and significant future," Papandreou told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting. As potential areas for developing cooperation he cited action on climate change, illegal migration and energy issues. "Africa is increasingly becoming a developing area, [one that is] dynamic and with many prospects for the Greek and European economy," he said. Greece wanted to revive ties with Greek communities throughout Africa, which could act as a bridge and a link for even greater cooperation with African cities," he added. The Greek prime minister had a series of meetings on the sidelines of the meeting, holding talks with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi concerning cooperation in the Mediterranean, relations between Greece and Libya and the prospects after the signature of a strategic cooperation memorandum between the two countries signed in June. Papandreou also met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was in Tripoli to receive the Gaddafi award for human rights. Further brief meetings by the Greek premier on the sidelines of the summit were with Portugal's premier Jose Socrates and Ireland's foreign ministry secretary general David Cooney that focused on the latest developments within the EU and Sunday's decisions by the Eurogroup. In talks with S. Africa President Jacob Zuma, Papandreou discussed issues concerning South Africa's expatriate Greeks. Prime Minister's address Prime Minister called on Monday for a "sustainable development" adding that growth should be "green", while addressing the 3rd EU-Africa Summit which opened in Tripoli, Libya, on Monday with the participation of approximately 80 European and African heads of state and government, the European Council and European Commission presidents and the eurogroup president. "Whatever we do must be done with justice. And this is not understood by our peoples today when banks are being saved but the peoples are those who pay the price, when profits are being privatised while damages are being socialised, when the rich are becoming richer and the poor poorer," Papandreou said. "Our common message must be sustainable growth" adding that growth should be "green". What is needed, he said, is a better life for all, social justice and struggle against poverty and inequalities. "We must safeguard, for future generations, our natural resources, we must humanise globalisation," the Greek premier noted. "It would be a hypocricy if we spoke af a democratic governance on a national level," Papandreou also said, adding that this is being shown by the current economic crisis in which "decisions surpass today our countries and there are others who decide." "Henceforth, democracy must become global," he added.

IMF: Greece may get 11-year period to repay bailout

by (Reuters)28 Nov 2010

Poul Thomsen, representative of the IMF, during a press conference in Athens on November 23 2010 The EU and the IMF could extend the period in which Greece must repay its bailout loans by five years, to make it easier for it to service its debt, a Greek newspaper said on Saturday, citing an IMF official. "We have the possibility to extend the repayment period ... from about six years to around 11," the newspaper Realnewsquoted Poul Thomsen, the IMF official in charge of the Greek bailout, as saying in an interview. Greek, EU and IMF officials have repeatedly mooted the possibility of extending the period in which Greece must repay its 110 billion euro bailout loans. But the IMF official was more specific on how the repayment period could be stretched after Greece receives its last installment in 2013. Most critical are the first two years, when the bulk of the debt to the EU and IMF falls due. Under current repayment schedules, Greece's gross borrowing needs will balloon above 70 billion euros a year in 2014-15 from around 55 billion euros a year in 2011-2013. "(As things stand now) Greece must repay the bulk of its 110 billion euro loans in the first two years after the programme expires," Thomsen told Realnews. "This (the extension) would give markets the signal: 'Don't worry about the repayment of the 110 billion euros, this is not going to affect your claims'," he added. Greece in May became the first euro zone member to turn to its partners and to the IMF for help to avoid bankruptcy, signing up to a bailout agreement in exchange for draconian austerity measures.