Minister firm on kidnap claims
Public Order Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis promised to shed more light on the alleged abduction and torture of 28 Pakistanis in Athens as the government appears to have given the minister full backing over his handling of the controversial issue. Voulgarakis, speaking in a radio interview on Thursday, said that he will speak in detail about the alleged abductions before a parliamentary committee. The minister has come under fire for his handling of the claims of kidnapping that victims say took place in July by Greek and British security forces 10 days after the bombings in London. Greece has dismissed the alleged incident, while the Pakistani government has also denied the allegations. Voulgarakis has also been on the receiving end of criticism from his own party, as some New Democracy figures have privately faulted the minister for his handling of the affair that has made the news across the world. «I don’t feel that any member of the government is out to undermine or threaten me or create any problems,» he said. On Thursday, Synaspismos Left Coalition leader Alekos Alavanos met with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to be briefed on the case. Alavanos said after the meeting that Karamanlis is sticking to the government’s story that no Greek forces were involved in the incident.
