------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 12:51:37 -0700 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Sid Shniad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: ANGRY GREEKS HIT NATO SUPPLY LINES - The Guardian (UK) The Guardian (UK) Friday April 30, 1999 ANGRY GREEKS HIT NATO SUPPLY LINES Protests: Trains blocked and strikes threatened By Helena Smith in Athens Greek opposition to Nato's campaign intensified yesterday as protesters targeted British troops, tanks and trucks travelling to join allied forces in neighbouring Macedonia. Some 200 British trucks carrying containers, and military vehicles found themselves being pelted with fruit and vegetables after demonstrators moved Nato road signs and redirected the convoy to an outdoor market in Salonika. The northern city's port is the alliance's major transit point. 'We wanted to show in a humorous way that across Greece people don't like what Nato is doing,' said Agapis Sahinis. 'The Serbs are our friends.' Earlier, protesters blocked rail lines to stop a Skopje-bound train carrying 72 British tanks and 31 light armoured vehicles from leaving Salonika. The equipment - part of the second British battle group currently being deployed to Nato's base in Macedonia - had just been unloaded from a British freighter, Sea Centurion. Greek railway personnel last night threatened to strike if the country's trains continued to transport Nato troops and supplies. At the small international airport on Corfu, thousands of protesters staged running battles with riot police after spotting Nato aircraft on the tarmac. Corfu is being used as a transit point for aid to Albania. The growing opposition has put the Greek government on the defensive. One cabinet minister warned that the government could fall if Athens, which has resolutely refused to participate in the military action, was asked to provide logistical help for a ground invasion. Although Greece is anxious to be seen as a loyal Nato member, 98 per cent of its population support their Orthodox religious brethren in Serbia - a country with which Athens has traditionally enjoyed warm ties. Anti-war demonstrations have been vast and daily. Some Greeks in the small but powerful Communist party (KKE) last week vowed to join their 'beleaguered brethren' as human shields in Belgrade. Greek mercenaries have gone to Kosovo to fight what many describe as a 'holy war'. Yesterday, the United States ambassador to Athens, Nicholas Burns, formally complained to the government after a series of attacks on local American concerns. On Tuesday the urban Greek guerrilla group, Revolutionary Cells, threatened to step up attacks against Western targets in Athens if the Nato bombing continued.
[PEN-L:6322] (Fwd) ANGRY GREEKS HIT NATO SUPPLY LINES - The Guardian (UK)
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