HELBI

The burnt-out shells of the houses in the village of Rafti, in Ileia prefecture, recall a scene in a horror film but is just one of many terrible images created by this last week’s fires. The villagers have not abandoned their homes high on a hilltop with panoramic views in the once beautiful village where now a tent has been erected, a sign that the state has arrived and is helping the villagers to rebuild their homes, to rebuild their lives in the difficult conditions of the countryside. The village of Artemida in Ileia has been adopted by Cyprus, to be rebuilt as it was and with incentives for its residents to remain and build their futures. Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis thanked Cypriot Ambassador Georgios Georgis for his people’s generosity at an event at the ministry to show Greece’s appreciation to the foreign diplomatic corps for their countries’ interest in and solidarity with Greece in its time of need. European Commissioner Danuta Hubner has arrived in Athens to discuss with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis the way the EU could help Greece repair the damage from the fires. She is to tour the affected areas by helicopter and meet with PASOK President George Papandreou. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said: “The catastrophe that has struck Greece is a European catastrophe. Greece will not stand alone in its hour of need.”