10 June 2004

Secretary General visits Greece News 9 June 2004 - NATO NATO Secretary General to visit Greece 10 June 2004 Background NATO Istanbul Summit On 10 June, the NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer paid a one-day visit to Athens for talks on key issues on the Alliance’s agenda ahead of NATO’s Istanbul Summit. Mr. De Hoop Scheffer met with Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pétros Molyviatis and Minister of Defence Spilos Spiliotopoulos. This was the Secretary General’s second visit to Athens this year, following one in February. Talks focused on the issues on the agenda of the Summit meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Istanbul on 28 and 29 June. At the Summit, the Alliance is expected to announce a number of important decisions, including further expanding NATO’s presence in Afghanistan, the termination of the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, and enhanced capabilities for fighting terrorism. In his meetings, the Secretary General also discussed the security arrangements for the upcoming Olympics Games to be held in Greece. The Alliance has declared itself ready to assist in providing security. NATO’s contribution could include deploying AWACS radar surveillance planes and assisting in developing contingency plans for the consequences of a potential terrorist attack or natural disaster.