PM to meet Bush in US on May 20
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is to meet with US President George W. Bush in Washington in two months’ time, Greek and American officials said yesterday. In Athens, the prime minister’s office issued a laconic statement saying Bush had invited Karamanlis for a meeting on May 20. «Mr Karamanlis accepted the invitation,» the statement said. Earlier in Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the agenda of the meeting would include Greece’s hosting of the August 13-29 Olympics – with a focus on security issues – and regional affairs in the Balkans and the Middle East. «The visit will provide an opportunity to deepen our partnership with Greece in pursuit of democracy, prosperity and peace in Southeastern Europe and the Greater Middle East,» McClellan said. «The leaders will also discuss final preparations for a peaceful and safe Olympics in Athens.» Yesterday, Bush issued a proclamation declaring Greece’s Independence Day «a national day of celebration of Greek and American democracy.»
