This Week
MONDAY Labor Minister Dimitris Reppas presents his National Action Plan for Employment at the Athens Zappeion Hall at 12 p.m. – President Costis Stephanopoulos begins an official three-day visit to Slovakia. To April 10. – Prime Minister Costas Simitis, in a televised news conference, presents his summation of the government’s activities in the two years since the last elections. – Opposition New Democracy party leader Costas Karamanlis ends a three-day visit to Germany. – Foreign Minister George Papandreou on second day of three-day visit to China. – The Genoa 2001 Initiative anti-globalization group holds a conference in support of Palestine at the Diana theater in Athens at 7.30 p.m. – School custodians stage a 48-hour strike demanding higher salaries. To Tuesday. – Inauguration of «The Olympic Idea and Art,» an exhibition of modern art from the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, at the Athinais art center in Athens, 8.30 p.m. – Defense Minister Yiannos Papantoniou meets with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers and Assistant Secretary of State Marc Grossman in Washington. TUESDAY Defense Minister Papantoniou meets with Senator Paul Sarbanes and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. – Greek-American scientist Dr Aristeidis Patrinos, who contributed toward mapping the human genome, speaks on «The Decoding of DNA.» At the Athens Plaza Hotel, tel. 010.368.0071. The event is organized by the Hellenic American Union. WEDNESDAY The Genoa 2001 Initiative and the Palestinian community in Athens organize a concert in support of the Palestinian people at 7:30 p.m. in Syntagma Square in Athens with the participation of several leading Greek artists. THURSDAY European commissioners Chris Patten and Loyola de Palacio and Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica are due in Thessaloniki for a congress on democracy in the western Balkans. Representatives of the European People’s Party and main opposition New Democracy party leader Costas Karamanlis will attend. To Saturday. – The civil servants’ federation (ADEDY) has scheduled a 24-hour strike protesting against government proposals on social security reform. – Secondary school teachers hold a 24-hour strike in pursuit of financial demands. FRIDAY National Economy and Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis travels to Oviedo, Spain, for the meeting of EU economy and finance ministers (ECOFIN). To Sunday. – Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos opens the third international SPORTEXPO 2002 exhibition of sports and recreational equipment at the Helexpo grounds in Thessaloniki. SATURDAY The National Federation of Teachers’ Unions (POSDEP) meets to decide further protest action. – The United Democratic Left (EDA) celebrates its 50-year anniversary. – Start of two-day 19th International Publishers Exhibition, Athens Park Hotel, 10 Alexandras Ave., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. SUNDAY Turkish State Minister Kemal Dervis and Greek Development Minister Akis Tsochadzopoulos are the guests of honor at the opening of two-day business conference held by the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank. – The Greek chapter of the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation holds a «Race for the Cure» in Syntagma Square in an annual event dedicated to raising awareness and money for the fight against breast cancer, tel 010.779.0913.
