Powell’s visit drawing fire from protestors

Secretary of State is 1st from Bush administration to visit Athens

updated 11:23 a.m. ET Aug. 25, 2004

ATHENS, Greece - Greek protest groups urged the government Wednesday to call off a planned visit by Secretary of State Colin Powell, saying he would try to exploit the Olympics for President Bush’s re-election campaign.

Powell plans to arrive in Athens on Saturday for talks with Premier Costas Caramanlis and to attend the games’ closing ceremony the following night.

“He is a hawk, a war criminal and an arch murderer. .. We do not want him here,” said Yiannis Sifakakis, who is organizing a march to the U.S. Embassy on Friday. “Colin Powell is coming here while the Americans are killing people in Iraq.”

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Sifakakis said Greek protesters have coordinated their actions with anti-globalization groups in the United States, who are planning a weekend march in New York in advance of the Republican National Convention.

Public protests are not banned during the Olympics but the government has warned demonstrators that they cannot close roads and lanes reserved for Olympic use.

The U.S. Embassy in central Athens is not close to any of the current Olympic venues but it is near the hotel being used by the International Olympic Committee.

Protest groups have so far heeded a government plea to suspend marches during the Olympics in a city being patrolled by 70,000 police and soldiers, and watched over by new surveillance cameras and a police blimp.

“There is no security problem and the right to freely express your opinion is constitutionally guaranteed,” said government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos, dismissing calls to cancel the Powell visit.

“One would hope, however, that they will respect the good image that has been created about our country,” he said. “Many foreign leaders have arrived in the country during the Olympics without any problems.”

British Prime Minister Tony Blair — Europe’s strongest supporter of the U.S. military action in Iraq — was among the dignitaries on hand for the opening ceremony.