Archive: 9/11/2001
If you are looking for information on the attack on the U.S. embassy in Athens on January 12, 2007, please go here: U.S. Embassy in Athens Attacked 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. Quick News The staff at the U.S. embassy in Athens have in turn issued a statement thanking Simitis for his support in this tragic time.
<p>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 may be closed on Wednesday; the decision will be made based on the activity of other world markets in the morning.
Security has been beefed up at the U.S. booth at the International Trade Fair in Thessaloniki and visitors are being searched on entry.
As of Sept 11th, there are no flights out of the United States; flights are expected to resume Wednesday, September 12th, but this is <i>not</i> final. Obviously, airports and flight schedules will be a mess for some days to come. If you can delay your travel plans for several 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 US embassy and anywhere in Greece where there is a strong US presence, including the Souda Bay facility on the island of Crete. US 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 US, 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 US 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.
