Greeks stress own gains in war on terror
The government yesterday urged US Ambassador Thomas Miller to be careful in his comments regarding the war on domestic terrorism, in an apparent bid to appease testy members of the ruling PASOK party who would not like it to appear that Athens and Washington were working too closely together. The incident arose after Parliament Speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis apparently complained during a meeting of PASOK’s Executive Bureau on Thursday night that Miller was using the pronoun «we» in comments referring to the campaign against terrorism. The issue was raised in a meeting between Foreign Minister George Papandreou and the ambassador. «The efforts to arrest and wipe out November 17 and other terrorist organizations that operated in Greece at some time or another are a Greek issue. The case is in the hands of the Greek police and the judiciary. Mr Miller has acknowledged this and did so again today in a meeting with the minister of foreign affairs, just as we have acknowledged that in this Greece case we have had assistance from the US services,» government spokesman Christos Protopappas said. «Foreign Minister George Papandreou noted especially the care that must be taken in public statements,» he added. Papandreou said that he and Miller had discussed Cyprus, Turkey, other regional issues, US opposition to the international criminal court and Papandreou’s upcoming visit to the United States. «Mr Miller has close cooperation with the Public Order Ministry, so there is close cooperation in this sector,» Papandreou said. «I stressed to Mr Miller that public statements by all must contribute to the necessary climate to make progress in this case,» he added. In public statements, Miller and British officials have repeatedly stressed that the crackdown on terrorism is being handled by the Greek authorities. Miller has also repeated the belief of Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis that the war against terrorism is only beginning, despite the government’s belief that almost all of November 17’s members are behind bars.
