Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-11-25

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Cyprus president ready for negotiations resumption 'when appropriate'

[02] Greece to support autonomous capacity for EU military force at NATO

[03] PM receives visiting premier of Iceland

[04] Tourist bus owners call off three-day strike

[05] Scores of illegals arrested in eastern Macedonia, Thrace

[06] Illegally excavated artifacts returned to Greece from Germany

[07] Journalists working for private TV and radio going on 24-hour warning

[08] Correction - Weather Forecast: Mostly fine on Wednesday

[09] Weather Forecast: Mostly fine on Wednesday

[10] Foreign Exchange Rates: Wednesday

[11] Greek stocks end higher for third consecutive session

[01] Cyprus president ready for negotiations resumption 'when appropriate'

Visiting Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos said Tuesday he was ready to enter into negotiations for a resolution of Cyprus' political problem whenever UN Secretary General Kofi Annan deemed it appropriate.

Papadopoulos, who arrived in Athens on Tuesday morning on a three-day state visit, told reporters after a meeting with his Greek counterpart, President Kostis Stephanopoulos that the Cyprus government would seek the resumption of the talks, adding, however, that ''the initiative belongs to the UN Secreary General, since the talks will be held under his auspices''.

Stephanopoulos reiterated that both Greece and Cyprus had accepted the Annan plan as a basis for negotiations, but added that ''changes need to be made on matters concerning the colonists, the refugees -- an issue that was not treated absolutely fairly by the Annan plan -- the military occupation, the functionality and the harmonisation of the plan with the acquis communautaire''.

[02] Greece to support autonomous capacity for EU military force at NATO meeting

The government on Tuesday said that Greece will support the need for Europe's Rapid Reaction Force to have the capacity for autonomous operation at the upcoming meeting of NATO defence ministers' in Brussels on November 30.

Athens' stance on EU-NATO relations relative to the degree of autonomous operation of Europe's military force, an issue to be discussed at the three-day NATO meeting, was examined on Tuesday by Prime Minister Costas Simitis, Foreign Minister George Papandreou and Defence Minister Yiannos Papantoniou.

In statements after the one-hour meeting, Papantoniou reiterated the need for autonomous operation of Europe's Rapid Reaction Force.

[03] PM receives visiting premier of Iceland

Prime Minister Costas Simitis on Tuesday received his visiting counterpart from Iceland, David Oddsson. The two men exchanged views on the international situation.

[04] Tourist bus owners call off three-day strike

Greek tourist buses' owners on Tuesday announced that they cancelled a three-day strike they had called from Wednesday, 26 November, as a good will move and so as to provide time to Development Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos, who promised on Monday to resolve the problems of the sector.

The tourist bus owners' letter was given to the minister after a meeting they held with Transport Minister Christos Verelis, during which they examined the possibilities for subsidy incentives provided by the government for the replacement of old buses.

[05] Scores of illegals arrested in eastern Macedonia, Thrace

Police in northeast Greece on Tuesday announced that a total of 218 illegal immigrants were arrested over the recent period in the area, primarily Albanians, Iraqis, Palestinians and even Chinese nationals.

Authorities said deportation proceedings have begun against the individuals.

[06] Illegally excavated artifacts returned to Greece from Germany

A cache of Mycenaean-era artifacts along with a Byzantine-period bronze artifact illegally excavated from an archaeological site in Corinth prefecture have been returned to Greece after being seized at the Munich railway station in 1999.

The well-preserved ancient artifacts are dated to the 13th century BC.

A culture ministry press release praised the return of the items.

[07] Journalists working for private TV and radio going on 24-hour warning strikes

All journalists working for private television will go on strike from 6 a.m. on Wednesday to 6 a.m. on the following day, while those working for private radio will go on strike from 6 a.m. on Thursday to 6 a.m. on the following day, participating in 24-hour warning strikes called by journalists unions.

According to an announcement by the Athens Journalists Union (ESHEA), journalists ''want the immediate signing of a new satisfactory collective labour agreement for 2003, the safeguarding of jobs, the reversal of the climate of insecurity and phobia being created, the taking of measures to safeguard free and objective information and the implementation of the collective labour agreement for 2002 for the Union's non-members as well''.

Throughout the duration of the strikes no news bulletin will be broadcast, no journalist will work and nobody will be replaced by someone else.

[08] Correction - Weather Forecast: Mostly fine on Wednesday

In the first line please read "Wednesday" instead of "Tuesday"

Scattered cloud and humidity in all parts of the country with early morning mist is forecast for Wednesday, with a chance for rain in the northwest. Winds variable, light, with the exception being . Temperatures are to remain high for the time of year, with a minimum of 13C and maximum of 21C in Athens; and in Thessaloniki, 8C to 17C.

[09] Weather Forecast: Mostly fine on Wednesday

Scattered cloud and humidity in all parts of the country with early morning mist is forecast for Tuesday, with a chance for rain in the northwest. Winds variable, light, with the exception being . Temperatures are to remain high for the time of year, with a minimum of 13C and maximum of 21C in Athens; and in Thessaloniki, 8C to 17C.

[10] Foreign Exchange Rates: Wednesday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.186

Pound sterling 0.699

Danish kroner 7.498

Swedish kroner 9.056

Japanese yen 130,4

Swiss franc 1.565

Norwegian kroner 8.222

Cyprus pound 0.588

Canadian dollar 1.560

Australian dollar 1.653

[11] Greek stocks end higher for third consecutive session

Greek stocks moved higher for the third consecutive session in the Athens Stock Exchange on Tuesday, reflecting renewed buying activity for banking stocks and in particular Alpha Bank (its shares ended above the 22 euros to its highest level in two years).

The general index rose 0.98 percent to end at 2,156.13 points, with turnover an improved 162.4 million euros.

The Bank, Investment and Construction sectors scored the biggest percentage gains of the day (1.99 percent, 1.42 percent and 1.25 percent, respectively), while the IT, IT Solution and Telecommunication sectors suffered the heaviest percentage losses (0.86 percent, 0.67 percent and 0.22 percent, respectively).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks rose 1.22 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index ended 0.88 percent higher and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index rose 0.11 percent.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 163 to 136 with another 63 issues unchanged.

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