Greece Ready and Confident

Spectacular celebrations in Athens to welcome 2004, the year of the Greek Olympic Games
ATHENS.- GreekNews
Greece has welcomed New Year 2004 with a spectacular celebration at Syntagma Square in Athens and with messages of confidence from the political leadership, that the challenge of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games will be met successfully. Thousands of people packed downtown Syntagma Square in Athens on Wednesday night to welcome the new year, the year in which the Greek capital will be hosting the Olympic Games, with a spectacular celebration hosted by Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyianni.

Singers entertained the crowds until the early hours of the morning on a stage set up in front of the Houses of Parliament, while a magnificent display of fireworks lit up the sky at midnight.

Streets in the center of the capital were closed to traffic until about 4 a.m. on Thursday, allowing thousands of people to enjoy themselves in streets free of vehicles. Bakoyianni wished the inhabitants of Athens well and stressed that ”joy and laughter do not only belong to children but also to us grown ups as well.”

THE MESSAGES

President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos on Wednesday conveyed his optimism that 2004 will be a very good year for Greece, during his New Year’s message.
Stephanopoulos says he believes elections will be conducted in a calm and democratic manner, while the 2004 Olympic Games will be eminently beneficial for the country’s economic development.

Messages for the New Year were issued on Wednesday, on the eve of 2004, by the leaders of all the political parties and Prime Minister Costas Simitis.

In his message, the prime minister said that the year 2004 will be a crucial year for Greece, during which it would host the Olympic Games and when the pace of its future progress and convergence with other European Union countries will be decided.

He underlined that several major foreign policy issues, such as relations with Turkey and the Cyprus solution, will reach a critical juncture in the coming year.

Stressing that much had already been achieved in the past years of effort, he noted that much still remained to be done to further improve and modernize the country.

”The Greece we desire – a society of creativity and prosperity, solidarity and tolerance – is possible. As long as we believe in our strength,” he said. 2004 a year of ‘responsibility’, Karamanlis says

On his part, main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis focused on the many difficulties of the past year, such as rising prices, corruption and others and stressed that 2004 will be a year of ”responsibility” when solutions to these problems will be sought, while expressing confidence that Greece ”deserved and could do better”.

He said his party proposed a new economic policy based on neoliberal choices and social solidarity, that would both increase the wealth generated by the country but also ensure that it was fairly distributed.

Karamanlis said the coming year provided an opportunity for a solution to the Cyprus problem and to improve relations with Turkey, while underlining that the immediate aim of all Greeks in 2004 was to host successful Olympics.

ND would wholeheartedly support preparations to organize the best and safest Games since their revival, he underlined.

KKE leader sees major youth mobilization in near future: Communist Party of Greece (KKE) general secretary Aleka Papariga called on the poor working classes to acquire the self-confidence required to bring about changes in Greece, and predicted that Greek youth would rise and help organize a major counter-attack in the coming years.

She also said that her party’s thoughts over these days turned to the victims of “imperialist wars”, such as the people of Iraq, and more generally the victims of poverty, hunger and natural disasters, such as the people of Iran.

”We all know that in natural disasters, those who lose their lives and homes are the poorer, working classes, who live under the most appalling and miserable conditions,” she added.

President receives PM, party leaders and ministers at Presidential Mansion : President Kostis Stephanopoulos was visited at the Presidential Mansion on Thursday morning by Prime Minister Costas Simitis, Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis, party leaders, ministers, former Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos, the leadership of the police and representatives of Olympic Games medalists.

Apart from exchanging wishes of a personal and family nature with his guests, President Stephanopoulos expressed his hope that ”the country will do well” in the new year.

Simitis assured him that ”it will do well”, while the president responded by saying ”I am equally optimistic.”

Simitis also received deputies of his ruling PASOK party at his office in Parliament, who wished him well on the occasion of the new year.

President, PM and party leaders attend church service at Athens Cathedral :

Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos officiated at a church service held at the Athens Cathedral on Thursday morning, on the occasion of the new year, in the presence of President Kostis Stephanopoulos, Prime Minister Costas Simitis, party leaders and senior officers of the armed forces.

The president, prime minister and party leaders were welcomed at the entrance to the cathedral by Athens Mayor Dora Ba-koyianni.