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Chairman of JCS Cancels Visit to Greece

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, general Martin Dempsey has postponed his scheduled visit to Greece because of the conditions in Syria and the general turmoil in the SE Mediterranean. General Dempsey, was scheduled to visit Greece on 15 September, after an invitation extended by his Greek counterpart, general Kostarakos.
The Chairman JCS was to be in Greece, between 15-17 September for crucial talks on the realization of measures agreed upon during the recent visits, to the US, of defense minister Avramopoulos, and later the PM, Antonis Samaras.
According to our sources at the ministry of defense, the visit has been postponed and will be rescheduled, for an unspecified time, as general Dempsey's schedule has been totally overturned by events.

Hellenic Navy Extends Medical Care to Remote Islands.

The General Support Ship of the Hellenic Navy, Prometheus, has begun its mission of proscriptive medical support and examinations for citizens living on remote islands, from the island of Gavdos the southernmost area of Greece, 48 klms from Crete.
The floating hospital offers initial medical examination and treatment and is staffed by doctors from eight different fields of medicine, while also offering a full recovery unit, a surgery, an ICU , patients ward, radiology and microbiology labs, and a dental surgery. Patients needing additional care will be taken to military hospitals.
H.N. Prometheus ( Α-374) is the largest ship in the Hellenic Navy (actually, ever), displacing 13,400 tons. It was built at Elefsis shipyards using the designs of the Italian Navy's ETNA class.

Patras: Gateway to Italy for Illegals

Arrests of immigrants trying to illegaly cross to Italy by boarding ferries, are continuing unabated, in the western port of Patras. In the last three days alone, more than 40 immigrants have been arrested, while more than 100 since the beginning of September.
According to police and coast guard officials the rise in the numbers trying to clandestinely leave for Italy may be due to the higher traffic of the summer months.
As officials estimate, the gangs that deal in this trafficking believe that the increased traffic in passengers and vehicles allows greater leeway for smuggling illegals aboard ships destined for Italy.
In a recent characteristic case 24 illegal immigrants had climbed aboard a full tour bus, trying to hide among passengers. In another two cases, ten immigrants were spotted hiding in trucks carrying grapes and insulating materials.

Parliamentary Row Over Sale of KKE Broadcaster

Sparks flew in parliament,on Tuesday, as PASOK MP and deputy education minister Symeon Kedikoglou locked horns with communist party (KKE) parliamentary spokesman Thanasis Pafilis over the sale by the party of its broacaster "902".
The row began when Kedikoglou made acerbic comments about the sale of the station through an off-shore company to persons unknown. The deputy minister added that from a victim of capitalism, the KKE had become a predator.
Pafilis flew into a rage claiming that the station was sold to pay off laid-off staff and obligations to social security funds, rebuking Kedikoglou that he should not to talk about the KKE, since as he stated "PASOK had become a synonym for corruption and kickbacks."
Pafilis did not hesitate to call the deputy minister "disgraceful and incompetent," only to hear from Kedikoglou that the KKE "used the grey areas of capitalism to sell your business to an off-shore company."
What surprised most was that parliamentary spokesman for PASOK Dimitris Kremastinos did not support his colleague, but stated that he had voiced personal opinions.
It must be noted that the frequencies that KKE sold along with "902" are actually state property.

Ithaca's Slap Happy Mayor Relieved of Duties

Ithaca mayor, Ioannis Kassianos has been relieved of his duties by the minister of the interior Yannis Michelakis, after the findings against him from the relevant disciplinary board.
According to the findings, Kassianos was found to have damaged the municipality's interest. The mayor was found to have burdened municipal coffers with an outstanding debt of 8,447,955 euros that a construction firm he owned owed the state.
The mayor used his authority and tied the municipality into his personal debts.
Specifically, the tax service (DOY) of Agios Dimitrios, a suburb of Athens, had docked a fourth of his salary as against the money his company owed. However, without informing the municipal council, he tendered a negative tax statement with the excuse thatthe state's demands had been superceded by the statute of limitations, adding that his salary as mayor was not subject to confiscation.
Aftewards, the 12th DOY, again docked his pay for further debts and alerted Ithaca municipality's director of finances. Kassianos went as far as demoting the director of finances to a switchboard operator. She took recourse with justice and was reinstated to her former position
While the director was a switcboard operator, the mayor ordered the bursar to stop any cuts to his pay in favor of the state.
After a report by the relevant local government authorities he was called to answer for implicating the municipality in his personal debt and for persecuting the municipality's director of finances and was charged furthermore for sequestering official documents, dereliction of duty, not filing a statement of means and assets, and for continued absenteeism during the years 2011-2012.
Kassianos first came in to the public eye when he slapped a municipal councellor that disagreed with him.

Dendias Promises Punishment of Brutal and Racist Cops

Public Order minister Nikos Dendias categorically underscored that Greece is not a xenophobic country and that all the incidents of racist violence by police personnel will be severely punished, in an interview with Belgrade daily Danas.

Dendias lauded the work of the police and noted that it can not be judged by the 15 incidents of police brutality noted by human rights NGOs. The minister also stated that the characterization of Greek society by the actions of Golden Dawn (Chrysi Avgi) was unfair, and that despite its rise in the polls it remained a marginal phenomenon. The minister condemned any police officer that would attempt to apply Golden Dawn's neo-nazi, as he called it, ideology he would face harsh retribution, even though political beliefs, no matter how personally repugnant were respected.

On the issue of illegal immigration Dendias noted that Greece faced a much more severe problem than other countries, but underscored the success of border policing efforts that have resulted in a decrease of 22.63% in the number of illegal immigrants in 2012, vis-a-vis 2011.

Prosecutor Blasts Tsohatzopoulos

Former PASOK minister Akis Tsohatxopoulos was lambasted for acceptinb millions of euros in bribes, the cost of which was passed on to the heavily indebted Greek people, by prosecutor Georgia Adilini, who asked for his exemplary punishment. Tsohatzopoulos is the first Greek politician to stand in the dock accused of corruption.
According to the prosecutor there are three main pillars for his condemnation: a) the accounts through which the money was transferred, b) the testimony of Tsohatzopoulos' cousin Nikos Zigras, and c) the testimony of Zigra's ex-wife that highlighted the role of former Cyprus minister of interior Dinos Michailidis as the courier that carried suitcases of illicit money to Tsohatzopoulos.
As concerns the kickback for the purchase of the anti-aircraft missile system TOR M1 from Russian firm Antei, the prosecutor estimated that it alone amounted to 81 million euros, about a 10% of what the state paid for it. The prosecutor estimated that from the initial outlay paid at the signing, around 40% of the system's 850 million euro price tag, around 25 million went directly to Tsohatzopoulos' pocket.
In her address to the court, Adilini noted that political corruption was a global phenomenon no less severe than the problem of drugs and terrorism, citing cases of political bribery by firms such as Siemens, Chrysler, and Glaxo, adding that there was a necessity for a constitutional amendement that would provide for prosecuting politicians, like provided for in other national constitutions.

Chinese Invade Greece as Brussels Fume.

As the BBC has been pointing out in a series of recent articles on its website "a growing business relationship is developing between China and crisis-ridden Greece." And in a very real sense it's true.
One can see it on the streets of Athens, where you now meet small groups, couples, or even organized flocks of Chinese tourists. Trips of Greeks to China have increased as well, but the people heading eastwards are searching for business opportunities, rather than sights and souvenirs.
Chinese companies are also looking to Greece as a foothold for a commercial invasion of the EU heartland through its economically exposed underbelly. As we reported today Chinese electronics firm EZT is planning to establish Piraeus as its logistics hubs, abandoning the circuitous route to Rotterdam. It is obviously following in the footsteps of COSCO, the Chinese container shipping giant that has turned Piraeus into a record-breaking off-loading center for Chinese products, since 2008.
COSCO has already established a firm footing in Piraeus, where the pier(s) (Pier II and half of Pier III) it has under long-term lease is turning the port into a veritable beehive of activity.
This has led to thoughts by many Chinese firms of establishing joint firms and plants on Greek soil to carry out insignificant assembly operations, but which will offer them access to EU ISO certification, and the all precious "made in the EU" rubber stamp, as well as providing overland access to Europe.
All this of course is still at an immature stage, with reactions from many quarters, not least of all from the EU itself. The intensification of operations at the port has led unions to decry working conditions as medieval, with detractors counter-posing that before workers were raking in undeserved pay for services not rendered.
The EU, in an official letter a few days ago, asked the relevant Greek ministries to clarify several points of the deal between the government and COSCO about the lease of Pier III at Piraeus. This is not the first such correspondence, however the latest missive wants specific answers on 23 different points of the agreement, some of which present specific legal problems, like whether the deal is an extension of the deal to manage Pier II, (originally signed in 2008), and why have guaranteed annual least levies to the state have been abrogated to the company's benefit.
The government has been playing a hide and seek game with the EU Commission hoping that after the deal is finalized it will be able to justify its moves to the Commission.
At the same time, the government has also been bending over backwards, to supply the Chinese with infrastructure to conduct their business in the most facile way possible, like providing a railroad extension to their front door.
COSCO has also been on the ball saying openly that they are interested in acquiring controlling shares in the the Piraeus Port Authority (OLP), something which the government is keen to listen to, under its present fervor to sell off state assets.

Chinese ZTE Picks Piraeus

Chinese electronics giant ZTE is planning to build a logistics center in Piraeus, before year's end, according to the firm's VP for Europe Chang XiaoWei, after a meeting he had with Development Minister Kostis Hadzidakis.
The Chinese firm is also contemplating the constuction of a manufacturing unit in Greece.
So far, ZTE has been using Rotterdam as a transit hub for products destined for European markets.

Israel Interested in Greek Water Assets

Israel has expressed interest in the upcoming privatizations of EYDAP and EYATh. the water and sewage treatment utilities of Athens and Thessaloniki, respectively, through its ambassador to Greece.
Ambassador Arie Mekel was speaking at a conference on water availability organized by the Ministry of the Environment, in the presence of miinister Yannis Maniatis and deputy minister Stavros Kalafatis.
The willingness of the two countries to closely cooperate on issues of water management was reaffirmed during the conference, as were the close ties between the two countries.
As was announced, PM Antonis Samaras will be visiting Israel in October, accompanied by six ministers and 100 Greek businesmen, in order to examine possibilities in technology exchange and collaboration in water reclamation projects, among other areas of interest.

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