CHARLES RIES: GREECE CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE BALKANS Athens, 17 May 2005 (14:09 UTC+2) Greece can play a very important role in the Balkans and this is to a great degree part of our strategic cooperation. Significant progress has already been made in the past 6 months in the Greek-US relations. Cooperation exists on a wider spectrum of issues compared to the past and according to the US Secretary of State, Washington does not have a better friend than Greece in the Balkans, stated US ambassador to Athens Charles Ries in an interview with the Athens daily "Eleftheros Typos".
Mr. Ries also referred to the likelihood of Kosovo's independence underlining the role of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis in the effort for the solution of the problem. He said that the Prime Minister has already made a very important trip to the Balkans during which he urged the involved countries to cooperate with The Hague Court and seek a solution to the Kosovo problem, especially the Serb side. His efforts were well received, said Mr. Ries, adding that independence is a likelihood but nothing has been agreed. On the issue of the FYROM name, the US ambassador maintained that a solution to the problem is feasible and stressed that in a different case FYROM's course to becoming part of the Euro-Atlantic structures will be hard. Mr. Ries clarified that for Washington the solution of the Cyprus issue depends on the stance of the Cypriot President while he called on Athens and Ankara to settle their differences in the Aegean and announced US investments in Greece if the structural changes in the economy continue. http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=527567 Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
