In Brief
US RELATIONS
Karamanlis to visit Bush on May 20 for talks on transatlantic ties, Middle East Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is to visit Washington on May 20 for talks with US President George W. Bush on transatlantic ties and the Middle East, the White House and Karamanlis’s office said yesterday. «The prime minister’s visit reflects the excellent state of our bilateral relations as well as the daeepening partnership of the two countries in advancing democracy, prosperity and security from Southeastern Europe through the broader Middle East,» White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. AEGEAN VIOLATIONS Turkish PM appeals for good will Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday appealed for peace and friendship with Greece just a few hours after 25 Turkish military jets violated Greek air space 10 times. «Those who want to ruin our friendship and efforts to develop our relationship should not be allowed to succeed,» Erdogan said during a visit to Imvros. Referring to the recent Greek-Turkish standoff near Imia, Erdogan remarked, «Certain minor incidents should not be exaggerated.» Meanwhile, Turkish Vice Admiral Mucahit Sislioglu said confidence-building measures between Greek and Turkish forces should be fully implemented by year-end. Tender law The European Commission is expected tomorrow to launch the last warning before taking Greece to court over the controversial new law banning media barons from access to state tenders. Sources in Brussels said yesterday that the «reasoned opinion» will note that while the law requires amendment, there is no problem with the constitutional stricture that led to its adoption. Plunge A crane recovers a truck with German registration plates from the port of Corinth, into which the vehicle plunged yesterday. The driver had forgotten to apply the handbrake, traffic police said. Fishy practices Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) officials on Saturday confiscated 416 kilos of frozen fish that a Salonica trader had allegedly been intending to sell as fresh produce, the Development Ministry said yesterday. The case has been forwarded to a prosecutor. Hotel murder Police in Athens were yesterday seeking the killer of a 25-year-old prostitute, found strangled to death in an Omonia hotel room in the early hours. The killer had gagged Maria Kiousi with her underwear, bound her hands with a bedsheet and strangled her with her trousers, police said. Airport traffic Passenger traffic at Athens International Airport increased by 8 percent to 2.7 million in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2004, airport managers said yesterday. Prosecutor suspended The Supreme Penal Justice Council yesterday temporarily suspended Court of First Instance prosecutor Vassiliki Vlachou for failing to submit her annual asset and funds-source («pothen esches») declarations. Monastery raid The robbers who stripped a 12th century Grevena monastery of its carved wooden iconostasis last weekend were probably the same as those who looted it eight months ago, police said yesterday. The Evangelistria Monastery had been raided of several relics, including sections of its iconostasis, last August. Soccer violence A 25-year-old Panathinaikos soccer club fan who was hospitalized with stab wounds early yesterday morning told police he had been attacked by a group of fans of rival Olympiakos. Homeless shelter Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyannis yesterday inaugurated a shelter for the capital’s homeless people. In its first phase, the Sofocleous Street shelter will offer midday and evening meals for the homeless, Bakoyannis said.
