Powell sees Molyviatis, cancels trip
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has called off a scheduled Athens visit after «substantive» talks with Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Greece said yesterday. «We both agreed that our discussion was substantive, and there is no longer any need for a visit,» Molyviatis told journalists after the meeting early yesterday. «The matter is still open, and we will find mutually convenient dates at a future stage.» Powell was to have visited Greece for the August 29 Olympics closing ceremony, but canceled the trip after anti-US protests in Athens on the eve of his arrival. The secretary of state then proposed a visit in early October. Molyviatis described the meeting as «most pleasant and useful,» adding that he and Powell had agreed that bilateral relations were «at a very good point.» The talks included Greek-Turkish relations, Cyprus, Turkey’s EU prospects, terrorism, and the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Molyviatis, who was to meet UN chief Kofi Annan late yesterday, said there was no question of Greece sending troops to Iraq.
