This Week
MONDAY Foreign Minister George Papandreou and Deputy Foreign Minister Tassos Yiannitsis attend EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels. – Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic representatives conclude a series of talks in the Vatican. – Macedonia-Thrace Minister Giorgos Paschalidis pays an official visit to Bulgaria. – Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Loverdos visits Thessaloniki for talks on the implementation of the Greek Plan for Balkan Reconstruction. – Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos’s Movement of Free Citizens (KEP) party celebrates the first anniversary of its founding. – The Greek Society for Protection of Nature to hold a lecture on «The Historical Development of Plants in Greece.» At the Ionian Center in Plaka, tel 010.322.4944. – All-star concert honoring singer Grigoris Bithikotsis at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, Neo Faliron. – Labor Ministry and labor representatives resume dialogue on social security reform. – Euro 2004 soccer qualifiers in Group 6 (Greece, Armenia, Northern Ireland, Spain, Ukraine) meet in Athens to determine schedule. TUESDAY Senior diplomats of the Greek and Turkish foreign ministries meet in Ankara to discuss the framework of talks aimed at settling disputes. – Development Minister Akis Tsochadzopoulos to visit Bulgaria. Talks will include the planned Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline. – Police, fire brigade and coast guard union members hold a protest rally outside Parliament for more pay and other benefits. – Frigate Psara leaves to join allied forces in the Red and Arabian seas. WEDNESDAY Iranian President Mohammed Khatami pays an official visit to Greece. To Friday. – Small and medium-sized enterprises have scheduled a nationwide strike in protest at government demands for the payment of Value-Added Tax (VAT) for 1999-2001. Petrol stations will also be affected by the strike. – The Embassy of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Athens in cooperation with the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) will hold a lecture on «The Position of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Southeastern Europe.» Dr Zlatko Lagumdzija, minister of foreign affairs in Bosnia-Herzegovina, will be the keynote speaker. At Athens University, tel 010.331.5022. – The Austrian government will present compensation to surviving Greeks who were used as forced labor in Austria during World War II. At Austrian Embassy. THURSDAY Labor unions organize a protest rally at 6.30 p.m. at the junction of Patission and Alexandras avenues, against the government’s proposals for social security reform. Rallies will also be held across the country. – Journalists working for state broadcaster ERT begin 48-hour strike, demanding more pay and the signing of a collective agreement. FRIDAY Prime Minister Costas Simitis attends EU summit in Barcelona, Spain. To Saturday. – Deadline for submitting proposals to the Foreign Ministry for a logo to represent Greece’s EU presidency in the first half of 2003.
