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Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-05-02
CONTENTS
[01] Political parties critical of deal for OTE
[02] Greece ups patrols in Aegean
[01] Political parties critical of deal for OTE
Political parties on Friday sharply criticised a deal being negotiated
between the government and Deutsche Telekom for the management of the
state-run phone utility Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE),
accusing it of engineering a bargain-basement sell-off. The government
is surrendering OTE to DT using summary procedures and secret
diplomacy, stated main opposition PASOK's political spokesman on
transport and communications issues Nikos Sifounakis. He accused the
government of offering no official briefing to political parties on the
course of negotiations, stressing that attempts are made on its part to
prepare the ground for the selling off of OTE through selective news
leaks. OTE is a public asset of strategic importance for the country's
national security and development and selling it off at bargain
basement prices constitutes a political and economic crime against the
Greek people, he said.
SYN criticises government deal for OTE
The Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (SYN) party accused
the government of engineering the "handover cum sell-off" of the
phone utility through the deal that it was preparing to sign with
DT.
In an announcement, SYN stressed that the government had not made
any commitments regarding the phone company's price policy, which
would henceforth be decided by the market, as well as paving the way
for handing over an even bigger share of OTE to DT.
"A national weapon for development is being disabled, with massive
repercussions for the economy, while the country's special role in
the surrounding region is being cut back," the announcement added,
pointing out that OTE's penetration in the Balkans was very high.
According to SYN, the one sure winner in the affair was MIG, which sold
its share of OTE to DT. "The government is, in any case, well
acquainted with the game of serving private interests," the
announcement concluded. Caption: ANA-MPA file photograph showing the
exterior of the OTE building at the phone company's headquarters in
Maroussi, Athens.
[02] Greece ups patrols in Aegean
The increased numbers of illegal migrants who attempt to cross the
Greek sea borders from the coast of Turkey has led to an increase in
the number of Coast Guard patrols following instructions issued by
Merchant Marine, Aegean and Island Policy Minister George Voulgarakis.
A total of 115 illegal migrants were intercepted on the eastern Aegean
islands of Lesvos, Leros and Farmakonisi during the Easter season
alone. Since Thursday evening, the Coast Guard arrested 20 illegal
migrants on the island of Farmakonisi, while a search is being
conducted to locate 15 illegal migrants brought to the island's coasts
on board the boat of a 30-year-old Turk migrant smuggler. Seven illegal
migrants were arrested on the south-eastern Aegean island of Kos.
According to official figures, a total of 20,314 illegal migrants and
640 migrant smugglers have been intercepted since 2004 while attempting
to cross the Greek sea borders.
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