Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis yesterday continued his European tour with stops in The Hague and Luxembourg where he discussed the European Council’s conclusions regarding Turkey’s bid to join the European Union with his counterparts, Bernard Bot and Jean Asselborn respectively. The EU presidency is currently held by the Netherlands and will be taken over by Luxembourg in January.

Luxembourg PM sees Turk-EU talks starting in early 2005

Representatives of the councils of three eastern Thessaloniki municipalities yesterday voted to suspend a blockade of the Tagarades landfill. Some officials had wanted to continue their protest until the announcement of a final ruling by the Council of State, which is hearing appeals against the construction of a new dump near Langadas. But the majority voted to suspend their action as a sign of good will. They are to reconvene on November 30, the day before the court is due to rule on the appeal.

The strangled corpse of a 73-year-old man was found in his Rendi store yesterday, police in Attica said. Relatives of Haralambos Siaflas had reported him missing last Friday and had told police that the elderly man may have been kidnapped or even murdered. Siaflas’s body had been hidden under several rolls of fabric in his store.

Conscripts whose parents have a serious disability will henceforth have the right to serve in military units close to their family home once they have completed their basic training, according to a decision by Deputy Defense Minister Yiannis Lambropoulos that was made public yesterday. Lambropoulos made the decision following talks with representatives of the Panhellenic Federation of Paraplegics and Physically Challenged on Tuesday.

Defense Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos yesterday discussed Greece’s interest in Eurofighter aircraft and new-generation weapons in London with Lord Bach, who is responsible for Britain’s arms procurements. Speaking after the talks, Spiliotopoulos said the Greek government had made no final decision regarding possible Eurofighter procurements. Spiliotopoulos had earlier discussed bilateral military ties and regional security issues with British counterpart Geoffrey Hoon.

A Thrace appeals court yesterday exonerated two former regional governors and 13 senior officials of the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Regional Authority and the Hellenic Industrial Development Bank (ETBA) who had been charged with approving investment subsidies from 1990 to 1995 without following the progress of each investment scheme.

A Piraeus prosecutor yesterday ordered the launch of a preliminary investigation following press reports that US basketballer Marquis Perry, who plays for Olympiakos, has documents showing him to be a Cypriot citizen.

Disputed citizenship

Members of the Hellenic Federation of the Deaf and other disabled groups are today to stage a protest outside the Economy Ministry in Athens, demanding an increase in the proportion of next year’s budget earmarked for the Health Ministry’s social welfare unit and the allocation of funds for the development of sign language programs.

Two armed robbers stole 15,000 euros yesterday morning from a bank branch in the Athens district of Sepolia. They fled on a motorcycle.