skunk
Aug 28, 2004, 04:29 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3607242.stm
Powell cancels trip to Olympics
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has cancelled plans to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games this weekend, citing a busy work schedule. A state department spokesman said Mr Powell had called off the visit due to the "press of business in Washington". The announcement came only hours after clashes erupted in Athens as protesters rallied to condemn the planned visit. Marchers shouted angry slogans against the Bush administration and its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The BBC's Richard Galpin reports that Friday's march through the centre of Athens attracted members of the anti-war movement, anti-globalisation activists and anarchists. One of the organisers, Petros Konstantinou, said it was unacceptable that Colin Powell should come to Greece to meet government ministers and attend the closing ceremony of the Games on Sunday, given the current level of violence in many parts of Iraq. "We cannot recognise the right of a war criminal to participate in the final ceremony of the Olympic Games," he said.
Other concerns
The state department said that Mr Powell had informed Greek Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis that he would not be able to travel to Athens. A spokesman for the department, Kurtis Cooper, was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying the anti-American protests in Athens had "played no role" in Mr Powell's decision. "The secretary considered a number of factors," he added. Events in Iraq and Sudan, he said, required the secretary's "close attention".
Mr Powell had been due to meet Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis and US athletes participating in the Games. In a letter, he thanked Greece for its "especially successful and secure organisation of the Games".
Protests in Athens continued into Saturday with an anti-Powell banner appearing on the city's most famous monument, the Parthenon.
Reality is different in Europe, I guess.
Powell cancels trip to Olympics
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has cancelled plans to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games this weekend, citing a busy work schedule. A state department spokesman said Mr Powell had called off the visit due to the "press of business in Washington". The announcement came only hours after clashes erupted in Athens as protesters rallied to condemn the planned visit. Marchers shouted angry slogans against the Bush administration and its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The BBC's Richard Galpin reports that Friday's march through the centre of Athens attracted members of the anti-war movement, anti-globalisation activists and anarchists. One of the organisers, Petros Konstantinou, said it was unacceptable that Colin Powell should come to Greece to meet government ministers and attend the closing ceremony of the Games on Sunday, given the current level of violence in many parts of Iraq. "We cannot recognise the right of a war criminal to participate in the final ceremony of the Olympic Games," he said.
Other concerns
The state department said that Mr Powell had informed Greek Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis that he would not be able to travel to Athens. A spokesman for the department, Kurtis Cooper, was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying the anti-American protests in Athens had "played no role" in Mr Powell's decision. "The secretary considered a number of factors," he added. Events in Iraq and Sudan, he said, required the secretary's "close attention".
Mr Powell had been due to meet Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis and US athletes participating in the Games. In a letter, he thanked Greece for its "especially successful and secure organisation of the Games".
Protests in Athens continued into Saturday with an anti-Powell banner appearing on the city's most famous monument, the Parthenon.
Reality is different in Europe, I guess.
