Not all tractors blocking the national road…
Not all tractors blocking the national road from Athens to Thessaloniki in the Vale of Tempe yesterday were full-sized. Seven days into a farmers’ campaign for higher crop subsidies, the crucial pass between northern and southern Greece was closed for several hours yesterday, as were highways in parts of Macedonia and Thrace. Today, a farmers’ delegation is to meet Agriculture Minister Giorgos Drys. On Saturday, PASOK General Secretary Costas Laliotis visited the Tempe roadblocks, but did not manage to dissuade farmers from continuing their protest. But she acknowledged a late-January report from Denis Oswald, head of the IOC’s oversight panel for Athens, that said the Greek government has been unable to overcome problems with Olympic accommodation and transportation.
