Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-07-01

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] PM Karamanlis meets with Abbas, Barak

[01] PM Karamanlis meets with Abbas, Barak

No statements were made after either meeting.

Also present at the meeting with Barak was Greek Defence Minister Evangelos Meimarakis.

Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis later met separately with Barak and Abbas in the early afternoon for talks on the situation in the Middle East, as the two leaders are participating in the 23rd Socialist International conference in Lagonissi, southeast of Athens.

Bakoyannis reportedly reiterated Athens' interest in developments in the region.

The two Middle East leaders were also received by main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou, who was unanimously re-elected as SIās president on Monday, as the latter also arranged for a face-to-face meeting between Barak and Abbas.

The Middle East situation also dominated sessions at the SI conference on Tuesday, where both Israeli and Arab speakers expressed concern that narrow time constraints and the possibility of another failure in the peace process leading to more violence.

Abbas, on his part, reiterated that Israel must prove that it wants peace, implementing, in the first stage, certain steps, such as stopping the construction of settlements, opening some 670 checkpoints on the ?wall that destroys the life of tens of thousands of Palestinians? and beginning the process for the release of 1,100 Palestinian prisoners.

Barak, conversely, pinned the blame for what he called the ?explosive situation? on Hamas, stressing that its policies increase mistrust and fears within Israelās public opinion.

Referring to Iran, the former IDF general staff chief again called for economic and diplomatic pressure by the international community on that country, stressing that it should not become a nuclear power.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article