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The Prime Minister of Greece, Costas Simitis, has expressed his dismay over the terrorist attacks on the United States. New Democracy opposition leader Kostas Karamanlis, who is in the United States for the opening of a Greek Studies department at Tufts University, has joined in condemning the attacks which destroyed the World Trade Organization towers in New York City and damaged the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
| "Greece condemns, most categorically, these horrific acts. We hope that the culprits will be located and brought to justice immediately." - Costas Simitis, Prime Minister of Greece, in a telegram to U.S. President George W. Bush. |
The staff at the U.S. embassy in Athens have in turn issued a statement thanking Simitis for his support in this tragic time.
In a positive note, the Athens News Agency reports that many private Greek citizens have called the U.S. embassy to offer support and express outrage over this devastating act of terrorism.
The Athens Stock Exchange did open on Wednesday, though a closure had been likely. Most stocks lost value, despite official reassurances that the Greek economy is not overly dependent on the United States. At the end of the trading day, the ASE lost almost eight percent of its value. How much of this loss is related to the events in the U.S. is unclear, as the ASE lost over four percent of its value on Monday, in a slide which began well before Tuesday's attack.
Security has been beefed up at the U.S. booth at the International Trade Fair in Thessaloniki and visitors are being searched on entry.
Have to Travel? Here's what to expect:
Airports in Greece are operating; however, there are still no flights to or from the U.S. as yet (Wednesday). Obviously, airports and flight schedules will be a mess for some days to come; authorities at LAX in Los Angeles, a continent away from the disaster, are suggesting it will be days before LAX can reopen, and the problem is severe at virtually all other locations in the U.S. A major problem is that the planes just aren't where they are supposed to be, necessitating massive relocations. If you can delay your travel plans for several more days, do so. Don't expect scheduled flights in the US to be operating as scheduled for at least that long. European international flights will be affected by the closure of airports in the U.S. and Canada; domestic flights should continue. But expect delays due to increased security and the backlog of passengers who were not able to travel today at every step of the way.
Expect security to be extremely tight at the U.S. embassy and anywhere in Greece where there is a strong U.S. presence, including the Souda Bay facility on the island of Crete. U.S. companies operating in Greece will have increased security measures in place which may result in delays.
In times of heightened stress and attacks against the U.S., it is always a good idea when traveling in any foreign country to minimize your "Americaness" - this is not the time to be wearing US flag-inspired clothing, clothing with logos of U.S. universities, or military-style fatigues.
The Greek government maintains friendly relations with the United States. There is no specific travel advisory against Greece, but US citizens around the world are urged to use greater caution than usual.
Text Copyright 2001 by deTraci Regula and About.com. All rights reserved.
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