Pressured by U.S., Greece Will Allow Troops at Olympics

[hightime]

ATHENS, July 20 - Under intense pressure from the United States, Greece will allow 400 American Special Forces soldiers to be present at the Olympic Games next month under NATO auspices and will also permit American, Israeli and possibly British security officers to carry weapons, Greek and American officials said.

The delicate arrangements, which the officials say will not be formally acknowledged for fear of roiling anti-American sentiment, represent a significant departure from Olympic tradition, as well as from Greek law, which prohibits foreign personnel from carrying weapons within the country. Until now, the only nation known to have armed its security forces at the Olympics is Israel, whose agents have been carrying arms largely without prior approval from host countries since 1972, when Black September, a Palestinian group, killed Israeli athletes and officials in the Olympic Village in Munich.

In addition to the Special Forces, the agreements call for 100 armed American agents to be used largely as bodyguards for American athletes and dignitaries. The F.B.I. is also sending a hostage rescue team, as well as evidence-gathering and analysis personnel who will be pressed into service in the event of an attack. They, too, will be armed, said an American law enforcement official.

Despite the agreements, Greece and the United States are still in prickly negotiations over the rules that will govern the American security agents - how many there will be, what kind of weapons they can carry and when they can use them, and where they can operate, American and Greek officials said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/21/international/europe/21gree.html?ei=5006&en=77264f05c4211320&ex=1090987200&partner=ALTAVISTA1&pagewanted=print&position=

[pfitz59]

1. Rule of the Colonels.....

The Greeks have not forgotten US support of the right-wing regime. I forsee a cloudy future...

[northzax]

2. I'm sure we allowed the Greek Military

to have armed troops on our soil in Atlanta, right?

[northzax]

3. and hey, shouldn't these special forces guys

be off looking for Osama or something? Are we so scared that we are using special forces to guard people in Athens?

[sushi]

4. Greece during the Olympics

is a place to avoid. I'll be watching it on TV.

[izzie]

5. Some how I am worn thin on all this silly business.

It like we have all picked up on what Hitler did to the games.

[bearfartinthewoods]

9. Well you have the right country but the wrong reference

Just in case those of you who weren't alive in 1972 need a primer on what terrorists did to the Olympics....

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mm-munich.html

Munich Massacre
The worst tragedy in modern Olympic history

by Mike Morrison

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In 1972 the Olympics returned to Germany for the first time since 1936. Back then, Nazism was hitting its stride and Adolf Hitler hoped to use the Games as a way to show off the "superiority" of his Aryan race on a world's stage.

The Munich Olympics in 1972 were marred by terrorism. (Source: AP)
Most Germans hoped the Munich Games in 1972 would at least in some way help to heal the racial wounds caused by Hitler. The world was still rife with political unrest. The Vietnam War raged on, racial tensions in the United States persisted, and violence littered the Middle East. German president Gustav Heinemann welcomed the Olympics as "a milestone on the road to a new way of life with the aim of realizing peaceful coexistence among peoples."


Eight Arab Terrorists


On the morning of September 5, with six days left in the Games, the worst tragedy in Olympic history hit. Eight Arab terrorists stormed into the Olympic village and raided the apartment building that housed the Israeli contingent. Two Israeli athletes were killed and nine more were seized as hostages. They demanded the release of over 200 Palestinians serving time in Israeli jails, along with two renowned German terrorists.

After a day of unsuccessful negotiations, the terrorists collected the hostages and headed for the military airport in Munich for a flight back to the Middle East. At the airport, German sharpshooters opened fire, killing three of the Palestinians. A horrifying gun battle ensued, claiming the lives of all nine of the hostages, along with one policeman and two terrorists.


snip

The most memorable footage from Munich should have been that of American swimmer Mark Spitz winning his seventh gold medal or 17-year-old Russian gymnast Olga Korbut wowing the world on the balance beam. Instead, we're left with disturbing photos of terrorists in ski masks and of a policeman standing on the roof of the compound waiting to pounce with a semi-automatic weapon. And ultimately we're left with the video of ABC announcer Jim McKay uttering his fateful words, "They're all gone."

[Matilda]

6. Israeli security guards had weapons in Sydney in 2000.

There was some angst about it at first, but in the end, the Games
were so laid-back even they probably relaxed and enjoyed.

It's all very sad.

Edited - sp.

[northzax]

7. and I'm sure they did in Atlanta

and Seville no one wants Munich again, I think Israel is a special case for that reason alone.

[bearfartinthewoods]

10. nice projections but i doubt it's correct

Israeli security guards relaxing at an olympics.......:eyes:

[flordehinojos]

8. The encroaching hand of Bush's militarism falls down on a sports event!

400 American Special Forces to protect POPPY AND MOMMY BUSH and the TWINS?!!!

4000 American Special Forces in the midst of peace loving athletes..?

Are the Olympiads a sports event, a political statement, another avenue for Bush to show his filthy hand?

400 American Special Forces needed to protect peace loving athletes in a world, which IS, ACCORDING TO BUSH, A SAFER PLACE BECAUSE HE GOT RID OF SADDAM HUSSEIN?

400 American Special Forces because THE NOW WANT TO BE PEACE PRESIDENT HAS NO IDEA ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD MORE PEACEFUL, OR MORE SAFER, IF NOT BY THE BUTT OF A RIFLE OR THE FORCE OF FIREPOWER?

Taking a stand for peace might mean that people refuse to attend such a militarized, or militaristic event.

How, oh how, does one get out from under a ton of bricks? How, oh how, does one kick Bush back to Crawford?

:cry:

[Redhead488]

13. Munich 1972

[NewYorkerfromMass]

15. Never forget

[NervousRex]

11. But the Prez sez...

we're all safer now that Saddam is out of the way, and Iraq is now a freedom loving democracy...oh well.

[theoceansnerves]

12. probably just an enticement

to get the dozens of athletes refusing to go to change their minds.

[Mike Daniels]

14. Save the outrage for Greece

They could have told the Gov't to shove it and told the US team to stay home but they didn't.

They caved for whatever reason.

[Matilda]

16. I have to admit, that this time around, the Games are an obvious target.

I guess this is just something that people will have to put up with
if they want to be in Athens.

Just hope nobody gets jittery while their finger's on a trigger.

[saigon68]

22. The television MONEY $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Had something to do with the CAVE-IN after all---- look at MOSCOW 1980

NO US TEAM NO

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[silverpatronus]

17. no. no, no, NO!

this is completely against the little that was left of the spirit of olympics.

[Redhead488]

18. Tell that to the people who would love

a repeat of Munich.

[kodi]

19. as the life-long conservative that i am. what is this to cost US taxpayers

should we have our taxes go to protecting athletes when there is a war on?

[Redhead488]

20. What's the choice?

Pull out of the Olympics?

[Mike Daniels]

21. We did over the Russian invasion of Afghanistan

Seems like security issues would be a more reasonable justification to pull out of the games.

I seriously doubt the US would be missed if it didn't appear.

[Redhead488]

26. Yes, we would

just like the Russians were missed in 1984. It's not the same without the best athletes being there.

[kodi]

30. one choice would be to answer my question. what will the deployment cost?

in my dottering old age i notice that whenever conservatives want to do something in pursuit of their goals they spare no cost, and in fact usually either lie or can not even tell you what the costs are for their ventures. yet when liberals want to deliver something on the social side, the first thing mentioned by the conservatives is "what is the cost?"

400-500 soldiers stationed in greece for a month, with corresponding support staff in the mediteranean sea and europe? for sports security?

what is the cost of this and can the money be spent better elsewhere instead of defending americans who will be hopping, skipping, swimming, and jumping for a few days.

those folks want security, have them pay for it themselves, i need my tax dollars in my pocket.

[UTUSN]

23. So the Cease-Warfare Olympics Will Become a Battlefield?

Who-all gets to have troops, just us? Like, WE can preempt, WE can have WMD, we can violate whomever's sovereignty, but nobody else can? The lore of the ancient Olympics was that wars CEASED for the duration. Looks like when the starting gun goes off, it will REALLY go off.

[hightime]

29. Once again ...MUNICH 1972

It was a terrorist target LONG before other countries had to worry about security.

[Wednesdays]

24. This really should be Greece's responsibility

Or the U.N. at the very extreme. Imagine the chaos if all countries followed USA's lead. Who decided that the US should be the world's policeman?

And for the ones who keep repeating Munich, Munich, Munich...if we're that concerned for the safety of our athletes, then maybe we ought to just keep them home and hold our own Olympics.

I suspect the real reason for all this is to intimidate protesters!

[Jo March]

25. Get used to this

Slowly but surely we will start to see troops everywhere. They were in the airports and we got used to them. Next it's the big sporting events and we'll get used to that as well. Then they'll be at town hall meetings - protecting Democracy, don't ya know - and we'll get used to that, too.

And so on and so on....

[geek tragedy]

28. The problem is that very few people trust the Greeks to maintain security

These games are a security nightmare--not only because of the political climate, but also because of the completely disorganized way in which Greece has prepared for these games.

The US military is not going to be there to intimidate protestors. If they tried anything like that, the entire country would riot.

[Stockholm]

27. Will Special forces units be enough to stop WADA?

n/t