Papandreou meets with Karditsa area farmers

   Main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou toured the farm sector-dominated central region of Karditsa on Sunday, where he met with local farmers and listened to their demands.

    His visit is part of a tour of the entire Karditsa prefecture.

    Following talks with a group of farmers in the village of Karpohori, in the Sofades municipality, Papandreou continued his attack on the government's agriculture policies, saying the ruling New Democracy party promised a great deal to farmers before the election but has failed to deliver since then. He also charged that a promise, as he said, by ND to subsidise cotton growers' entire crop was made despite the fact that the EU's Common Agriculture Policy clearly forbids this.

    Specifically concerning the controversial cotton crop subsidies, Papandreou merely noted that the "gap between cotton and the market" must be reduced, while adding that PASOK has a farm policy and will implement it when in power.

    In response to Papandreou's comments, Agriculture Development Minister Evangelos Basiakos charged that "instead of asking for forgiveness from farmers for their mistakes, as well as for the unfavourable Community regulations that they accepted, they (PASOK) want prevent, with lies no less, our responsible leadership, which has already ensured more subsidies for our farmers."

    Finally, Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas, whose election district is in the Karditsa area, first welcomed Papandreou to the region, before stressing that "it is an opportunity for him (Papandreou) to see up close a part of our country that the governments of his party described as the 'other Greece', and to ascertain how many things could have been accomplished and weren't over the last 20 years..."