In Brief
FOOD SCARE
Confusion reigns overs bad turkey, parties involved point to each other A Canadian meat processor yesterday insisted that a 24-ton haul of frozen turkeys it had exported to Greece was entirely safe, despite assertions by Greek veterinarians that it contained salmonella. Canada’s Northern Goose Processors claims that its products were safe for consumption when exported from Canada in November last year and has called for a re-examination of its products. They have also sent out an out-of-court order questioning the results of the tests that located the salmonella. About 7.9 tons of the turkey are currently being held in storage. AID REJECTED Turk Cypriots reject EU fund package; UN peacekeepers to stay on island Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos said yesterday that the Turkish-Cypriot side has rejected a financial package put forth by the European Union’s Luxembourg presidency and the European Commission. Papadopoulos added that the Turkish-Cypriot side had failed to show any good will on issues raised by the Greek Cypriots, such as the return of the fenced-off town of Famagusta to its owners and the termination of the exploitation of Greek-Cypriot property in the ares of the island under Turkish occupation. Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council unanimously extended the mandate of the peace-keeping forces in Cyprus hoping that a political solution will soon be found for the divided island. EMPTY YACHT Serbian skipper found drowned Greek authorities located yesterday the body of the presumed skipper of a German-flagged sailboat that had run aground without any crew members on board on Wednesday off western Greece, near the port of Patras. Initial investigations showed that man, who had died by drowning, was Sandor Imredi, a Serbian national. The ministry has opened an investigation into the exact causes of the accident. Irenaios skips The embattled former patriarch of Jerusalem, Irenaios, failed for a second time yesterday to defend himself before a session of the Patriarchate’s Holy Synod, a procedure he has labeled as illegal. It is expected that he will be given another chance before the court rules on the charges in his absence. Athens airport Athens International Airport (AIA) said yesterday that full-year pretax profit in 2004 jumped 62.9 percent year-on-year to 47.1 million euros, boosted by the Summer Olympic Games and increased passenger traffic. In 2004, 13.7 million passengers traveled through the recently built airport, up 11.5 percent from the previous year, while flights for the year reached 191,000. Goods confiscated In an attempt to stamp out illegal trade, Greek police in May confiscated goods from 24 street vendors in a program involving police, local council officials, the Financial Crime Squad (SDOE) and the Development Ministry. The areas targeted were train stations, the city center and the Monastiraki area. Business conference The Greek-Turkish Chamber of Commerce will hold its eighth business conference on June 30 and July 1 in Athens as a means of broadening trade ties between the two countries. Among the keynote speakers are to be Tourism Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos and Alternate Culture Minister Fanni Palli-Petralia. Red tape The Federation of Greek Industries (SEV) said yesterday that the cost imposed by government red tape is measurable and called upon the government to push ahead measures aimed at slashing bureaucratic procedures. According to SEV, larger businesses could spend up to 8.9 percent of total man hours on paperwork required by the state. Olympic venues Alternate Culture Minister Fanni Palli-Petralia met with representatives from the hotel industry yesterday to discuss options of the post-Games use of some of the city’s Olympics facilities. Interest from private companies looking at developing Olympic facilities in the Athens region is strong, according to government sources.
