Samaras Meets With Venizelos, Kouvelis To Discuss ERT

The main topic at this afternoon's meeting between the three coalition leaders is none other than ERT. Junior coalition partners Evangelos Venizelos, who heads PASOK, and Fotis Kouvelis, who heads DIMAR, met with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras at 6 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss the issue in greater detail as a follow up to an earlier meeting that was held last Monday. As expected, main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras, who leads the SYRIZA party, also was expected to visit ERT’s headquarters in Aghia Paraskevi, taking well advantage of the situation (and the open cameras to win over more impressions and potential voters).

Press reports claim that both Venizelos and Kouvelis are going to maintain a common stance in regards to the issue of ERT. A subsequent ruling by the country's Council of State stating that the government had the right to close the national radio and television network but not to cut the broadcaster's signal was interpreted in different ways by every single Greek political party. The point being, the firings are completely legal, but ERT has to continue to broadcast (probably with reruns) until a new, slimmed-down version could begin operating by the end of August.

Of course the government still has to convene and vote on this decision and both Kouvelis and Venizelos said specifically that they would withhold their parties’ crucial votes when Samaras’ decision to close ERT goes to Parliament.

Some reports even said that Samaras is going to rehire all the 2,656 fired ERT workers – but only on a two months basis – or until the new company titled NERIT is up and running. Other reports claim that DIMAR is going to exit the ruling coalition, and the government will be left with 153 deputies. (125 from New Democracy and 28 from PASOK). (But again, these are just rumors because DIMAR might continue to support the coalition government). If this does happen then the new coalition will have to win a vote of confidence from the Greek Parliament, and if it does not gain a vote of confidence then Greece will be forced to hold national elections.

(Of course all these scenarios are highly unlikely, because if Samaras shows any type of weakness and/or backs down from his decision, then what will happen when he begins to touch the other cancers: Namely OPAP, and DEH. As for walking political zombies Kouvelis and Venizelos, their run in politics has already died.)

Azeri Co. SOCAR Improves Offer to Buy Greece's DESFA

Greece is set to agree the sale of its natural gas grid operator DESFA to Azeri state energy company SOCAR, a senior official directly involved in the talks said. The deal appears to raise the chances that the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is going to win its bid for Azeri gas, against its competitor Nabucco.

SOCAR has improved its offer to buy a 66% stake in the company to €400 million, a price that Greece΄s privatisation agency HRADF finds satisfying, the official said.

"The privatisation agency is very pleased, it΄s basically a done deal," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. HRADF may formally approve the sale as soon as on Thursday at its next board meeting.

A 35%t stake on sale is owned by refiner Hellenic Petroleum and the remaining 31% by Greece. This means that the debt-laden country would get about €188 million of the sale΄s total proceeds.

SOCAR was the sole bidder to buy DESFA after Russian energy company Sintez and Greek-Czech group PPF-Terna dropped out of the bidding earlier this month.

Greek energy officials have already said they were keen to seal the deal, which is part of the country΄s privatisation plan under its bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

Athens also expects the DESFA sale to raise the chances of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), one of the two rival natural gas pipeline projects vying to become a conduit for Azeri gas to Western Europe (see background).

SOCAR already said earlier this week it wanted to increase its market share in Greek gas distribution from its current level of 17% and to deliver gas to the country from the major Shah Deniz field off Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea.

DESFA is a wholly owned subsidiary of state-run natural gas company DEPA, whose privatisation failed earlier this month in an embarrassing setback to Greece΄s bailout plan.

Greece failed to attract any buyers for its natural gas company DEPA by the 10 June deadline for binding bids, in a major setback to the country΄s ambitious privatisation programme. Gazprom, the frontrunner to buy DEPA, withdrew at the final stage of the sale before a deadline to submit binding bids expired.

Gazprom said it was worried about DEPA΄s financial position, but Greece said the Russian firm may have been discouraged by fears that the EU would impose stringent conditions.

The DEPA failure came as a surprise to most: Greece had tried hard to woo Gazprom.

Athens had offered assurances that DEPA΄s austerity-hit customers would settle part of their arrears, and that Gazprom would not have to deposit part of the purchase price as a guarantee pending European Union approval.

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1st Panhellenic Cultural Meeting in Thrace July 5-7

The 1st Panhellenic Cultural Meeting in Thrace is going to be held between July 5-7, 2013 and thanks to the Greek Women of Xanthi and Filoproodos Union of Xanthi, this northern prefecture is ready to welcome one and all. If you are planning to visit this area at the beginning of July then please consider attending as a way of showing your solidarity to the people of Thrace who have suffered greatly from the current crisis.

There are several good reasons to participate:

• To support the economy and the people of Thrace, who stand proudly in this corner of Europe.
• To visit Xanthi’s picturesque old town and its surrounding country area such as the Nestos river delta or the mountain area of western Rhodopi. Those of you who prefer to spend some hours by the seashore and the beaches, you will find  what you ask for at Avdira or Myrodato
• To reunite with friends and families from all over the world
• To participate the Symposium for the Ten Years Development Plan of Thrace. (This symposium is addressed to both: scientists and investors)
• etc.

Transportation Costs Including 2-night Stay in Xanthi (with breakfast) - Costs 90 euros

Departures
Korinthos  06:00  on Friday 05/07/13
ISTHMOS  06:15  on Friday  05/07/13
Athens ( Platia Karaiskaki – next to Metro Station)  07:00 on Friday 05/07/13

Return
Midnight Sunday  07/07/13

Xanthi has about 500 rooms therefore, so the demand is going to be quite high. Make sure you make your  reservations as quick as possible. Additional information for the trip can be found by mailing Rigos@Greece.org

Donations can be made at: http://www.greece.org/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1133%3Adonations-thraki-project&catid=48%3Ahecprojects&Itemid=1095

http://www.greece.org/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1085&Itemid=1095

From:
Prof. Dimitri A. Georgiou
School of Engineering, D.U.Th.
On behalf of PPA-Thraki committee
Member of HEC

Standing Man' Inspires Silent Demonstration In Turkey (VIDEO)

(CNN) -- A man stood silently in Istanbul's Taksim Square for hours Monday night, defying police who had broken up weekend anti-government protests with tear gas and water cannon and drawing hundreds of others to emulate his vigil.

For more than five hours, he appeared to stare at a portrait of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish state, on the side of the Ataturk Cultural Center. Police eventually moved in to arrest many of those who had joined him, but it was unclear Tuesday whether Erdem Gunduz -- a performance artist quickly dubbed the "standing man" -- was in custody.

Turkey has been wracked by more than two weeks of protests against the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. But many of those who joined Gunduz late Monday said they were standing only for peace, not taking sides.

Read more ....

Real Estate in Greece: Is It The Best Time To Buy?

When is the best time to buy Real Estate in a crashing market? That is an easy question to answer: wait at least for the first up leg after the major precipice. We do not know when the precipice will end and for sure you will have time to buy later as the market goes into the consolidation phase. By historic standards, the consolidation phase lasts several quarters even years when we are talking about drops of biblical proportions like the one we are currently experiencing. So question answered, the article could end here.

Kosmas Theodorides
Broker, Owner of Polis Real Estate
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Why read any further? Why indeed are enquiries about property from abroad coming back to life?

One reason is of course our own mobilization in the foreign markets in order to attract investment. But what I think is the major reason is that unlike stocks, gold bars or other assets each piece of real estate is unique. If you want o buy a whole building on a central square you have only so many chances in a lifetime. The same goes for a beachfront property close to a major airport or land for development that will sell for a premium as Greek legislation finally catches up with international reality and competition. So here is another reason to think about it: foreigners buying now may have the right to have a long term Schengen visa once they have bought property in Greece. Needless to say of course, people interested in a a bargain and not a visa are also in the market.

Whatever the reason for your being interested in the question may be let me assure you of one thing: no-one can convince you to buy a property if you do not really want to. What we can do is give a professional opinion and facilitate your purchase as you go through the various steps and the – considerable -  paperwork, as well as provide expert advice or connections to people who can give it. Buying property is a process, not a time-point.

Has it ever been a better time to buy in Greece pricewise? Definitely not. Will there be lower prices generally? Perhaps.  Ultimately that is up to you to judge and you can now more than ever drive the prices to your liking simply by making offers. Cash buyers have never had so much power. So, if you want to buy exactly what you want in the best possible price, you better start having a look at the market. The process takes time.

I do not know what will happen in the next few months or quarters but I am convinced that when we look back five or ten years from now we will all agree that there has never been a better time to buy than this period. Crisis after all is the Greek word for judgment. And good judgment  is likely to pay handsomely.