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Greece May Seek NATO Help With Olympics Security
Greece is likely to seek NATO assistance with security at this summer’s Olympic Games, top Greek officials said (see GSN, Jan. 23). According to Paul Anastasi, a spokesman for the Athens city government, preparations for the event already resemble “a semi-military operation.” With security costs alone already nearing $1 billion, which is more than triple the amount spent on security at the last summer games in Sydney in 2000, officials said that Greece could submit a formal request to the alliance as soon as Friday, when NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is set to visit Athens. Even if the government does not choose to formally seek assistance from the alliance, Greece has already called on individual NATO allies for help. Officials said that NATO surveillance aircraft will monitor the city during the games. The 6th U.S. Fleet would also be “on standby,” according to Greek Defense Minister Yannos Papantoniou. About 90,000 Greek troops and police officers are scheduled to monitor borders and patrol the capital, but it remains unclear whether Greece would allow foreign troops or foreign armed guards for international athletes. Because the Greek Constitution gives Parliament the power to approve the presence of foreign military in the country, such requests could be delayed until after the March 7 general elections, in which a close struggle between the Socialist government and conservative opposition is being waged. The Athens Games, scheduled for Aug. 13 to 29, will be the first summer Olympics since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. “In a sense this has become the big global test,” said Alex Rondos, an official at the Greek Foreign Ministry responsible for international coordination of Olympic security. “Given what we have learned since 9/11 about the nature of international terrorism, can we — internationally — handle such an event with a sense of assurance about the security?” he added (Thomas Fuller, International Herald Tribune, Feb. 20).
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