Unfair attack
…For the first time, Athens is entitled to feel it has been unfairly dealt with by America’s tackling of the issue of terrorism in Greece. The assassination of British defense attache Brig. Stephen Saunders was a turning point in this case, for it demonstrated that all tactics used by US intelligence services in the investigation of past incidents were of no avail. The turning point in these developments was the way in which the British, who have long experience in dealing with terrorism, systemized the investigating efforts of the Greek police. Keeping in mind European sensitivities but also the history of terrorism on the Continent, Scotland Yard provided a useful service by opening up new paths for investigation for our intelligence service, which with the help of the political elite now seems to be acting in an organized and down-to-earth fashion. On the contrary, the American contribution in previous years led to an impasse, as it left many aspects of the problem unaddressed and was marked by an insistence on connecting PASOK (which being in power was also responsible for investigations) with the November 17 terrorist gang. This insistence, which normally undermines cooperation and narrows the scope for communication, continues to permeate US information services and will prove a big thorn in the Washington talks even if it is not officially voiced. The opposition opted in favor of putting the national interest before partisan objectives. Thereby, ND did a good service in helping to elevate the public dialogue. All citizens, regardless of their ideological convictions, would like to see PASOK adopt a similar attitude, especially on national issues. No one is calling on the government to surrender a share of the power it has in order to map out and implement its policy as mandated by the public in the 2000 elections. And no one is trying to impose on it any binding joint decision-making processes that will include the opposition parties. However, adopting a genuine and in-depth consultation with the opposition on national issues would not impinge on government powers.
