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http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.prnt_article?e=C&f=&t=01&m=A04&aa=1 Athens News July 19, 2002 UK assumes role in Greece 'for years to come' Buoyed by its successful involvement in cracking 17N terrorist group, Scotland Yard official charts Britain's interest in the 2004 Games security pie BY GEORGE GILSON IN AN unprecedented move, British law enforcement authorities now working closely with Greek counter-terrorism teams announced they would remain in Greece at least until the 2004 Olympics and quite possibly beyond. Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner David Veness made clear his country's interest in getting its share of the lucrative Olympics security pie. Britain is one of half a dozen countries whose advice Greece has said it will rely on. "The United Kingdom is not here solely because of the tragic death of Stephen Saunders. I would point you to our commitment to the work towards 2004. We intend to be engaged in that at the very least until the summer of 2004. So we are committed partners," said Veness. "Even if those were not compelling reasons, look at the broader international partnership that is now being entered in Europe and elsewhere as a result of the horror of September 11. We are all international counter-terrorists now and we all play our part. Greece and Britain will be standing together in this endeavour for years to come," he declared, predicting a lasting British influence in Greece. In careful remarks, Veness expressed confidence that the November 17 terrorist group will be put out of commission, but he was careful not to assert that the leaders of the group will be tried and convicted, which diplomats privately say is a matter that relies largely on the political will of the Greek government. "If - and I'm sure that it can be achieved - this investigation is driven vigorously ahead, there are grounds for believing that this particular grouping could be brought to an end," he said, underlining that the timing of arrests is up to the Greek authorities. "The grounds for optimism that have emerged in the last two weeks provide a basis for believing that by collective, sustained endeavour and a great deal of hard work, there will be a position in the not too distant future when the menace of murder constantly represented by November 17 will no longer be a threat to the public," he said. Veness revealed that Greek authorities, "with a large number of other law enforcements", are exploring possible international links to Greek terrorism. He indicated that it is likely that, like other terrorist groups, 17N may have been "supported by common crime, such as bank robbery, fraud and extortion". Questioned by the Athens News on the nature of British assistance to date, Veness indicated it has been virtually all-encompassing. "It is across a whole range of activities - relating to tactics, training, investigative support and a range of technical and practical support on a spectrum of evidence in a very wide range of things," he noted. "We are clearly very interested to support any degree of forensic investigation and comparison, and we look forward to the results of that in due course," he added, when asked about the weapons used in the Saunders murder. But Veness refused to confirm reports that some detainees were implicated in the Saunders case. As Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism chief, Veness took pains to stress that successful investigations, with all their evidentiary requirements, take time to mount properly and must be "based upon the democratic process, in pursuance with all of the rigours of the law... They need to be very painstakingly put together and this invariably involves very detailed forensic recovery and examination." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
