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ANA Athens, Sep. 3, 2005 - Main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou, addressing a party rally at an indoor stadium in the coastal district of Faliro on Saturday night, marking the 31st anniversary of the party's founding by his late father and prime minister Andreas Papandreou, said Greece is suffering at present as a result of the government's policy and accused Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis of not keeping promises he had made before the last elections. Papandreou further said the government and the prime minister have pinned the country down and are squandering the material and moral wealth of Greece for no purpose at all and are also cooperating with vested interests.

The government, he added, is displaying an authoritarian neo-liberal attitude combined with clientele state control and is implementing a policy whose main characteristics are the lack of meritocracy, corruption and partisanship at the citizen's expense.

Papandreou further accused the government of undermining popular achievements, placing justice under its control and of having no other plan than power for the sake of power.

The PASOK party leader, referring to international developments affecting Greece, said that in the globalised society his party is an ally of forces placing the human being above the market. He also called on the United States to begin democratisation by decreasing their own influence over international organisations.

Focusing on Europe, Papandreou said deeper democratisation is necessary and that PASOK aligns itself in Europe with forces seeking radical neo-liberalism as regards citizens' rights. At this point he also accused the government of allowing the far-rightists of Europe to use Greece as a symbol, with events scheduled in the southern region of Messinia, while stressing that Greece is a symbol of democracy.

Referring to relations between Europe and Turkey and to Greece's stance, Papandreou said the ruling New Democracy party and Karamanlis are leading the country to isolation and dependence. He further said that ND is moving on a pendulum wavering between tension and retreat.

Papandreou also directed his fire at those members of the government who claim that if Greece does not say "yes" to Turkey tension will follow, adding that as a result of its policy the government will be faced with this dilemma on a daily basis.

Lastly, the PASOK party leader appealed to the parties of the Left in his address, calling on them to agree to an open and sincere dialogue to join their forces with the purpose of tackling the country's major problems.

	Quicktime	:		Medium - Large - Fullscreen			Map of the Athens Metro
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At the Acropolis station there are exhibits of the Parthenon frieze and various archeological finds unearthed during the excavation for the construction of the station.

	Quicktime	:		Medium - Large - Fullscreen			Map of Lefkada
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Tucked into a small bay, this is a beautiful beach with crystal clear water and it's great for kids too. Unfortunately, there is no designated area for boats and jetskis and they come very close to the shore where people are swimming. Obviously, this is dangerous and you have to watch out, especially if you are snorkeling, they may not see you.

This location is very close to the town of Lefkada and during the high season (July-August) it gets very crowded. If you choose to eat at one of the local taverns ask for a legible, itemized bill and check it against the menu, we ate there twice and both times we were overcharged. Avoid fresh fish dishes, they're overpriced.

Best time to visit is in late May, June, and early September.

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Monastiraki is one the most interesting neighborhoods of Athens. It is located at the foot of the north side of the Acropolis and this is where the old market was located. The area still retains the atmosphere of an oriental bazaar. Its streets are full of small trinket shops and every Sunday there's a huge flea market where you bargain to your heart's content over the price of antiques and any type of merchandize imaginable. It is also a favorite spot for a night out. You'll find cafes, restaurants and bars and several artisans selling theirhandicrafts line the streets until well past midnight.

Aftermath of Helios Airways Flight 522 crash at Grammatiko, outside of Athens. Click the photo to view it full size. Click the links below to view the virtual tour.

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Firefighting airplanes and helicopters fought the blaze for several hours. The tail section was the only substantial piece of the aircraft that did not disintegrate upon impact. The plane speed was estimated at about 600 miles per hour at the time it crashed.

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Mr. George Papandreou, leader of PASOK, the Greek Socialist Party, visited the crash site and can be seen here being interviewed by the media.

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Click the image above to see full-size map of Grammatiko, the crash site of Helios Flight 522.

GRAMMATIKO, Greece (Reuters) - A Cypriot airliner carrying 121 people slammed into a mountainous area north of Athens on Sunday after apparently suffering a loss of cabin pressure or oxygen minutes before it was due to land.

"The pilot has turned blue," a passenger said in a mobile text message to his cousin. "Cousin farewell, we're freezing."

Greek TV station Alpha said the pilot had told air traffic controllers the Boeing 737 was experiencing air conditioning problems. Moments later, communications with the plane, flying at 35,000 feet en route from Larnaca in Cyprus to Prague via Athens, were lost.

Police and firefighters at the crash site said there were no immediate signs of survivors.

A Greek police spokesman said there were 115 passengers and six crew members on board, of which 59 adults and eight children were heading to Athens, with 48 continuing on to Prague.

Plane wreckage was scattered widely about the mountainous, uninhabited area, about 40 km (25 miles) north of Athens and dense black smoke billowed from several small fires.

"I saw many bodies scattered around, all of them wearing (oxygen) masks. The tail was cut off and the remaining parts of the plane rolled down a hillside about 500 metres away from the tail," one witness told Reuters.

Planes dropped water over the wreckage site as rescue workers fanned out searching for survivors.

Two Greek F-16 fighter jets were scrambled after the Helios Airways jet lost contact with the control tower at Athens international airport.

One of the F-16 pilots reported that he could not see the captain in the cockpit and his co-pilot appeared to be slumped in his seat, a Defence Ministry official told Reuters.

"I saw the plane coming. I knew it was serious or that it was some kind of VIP because I saw the two fighter jets," said witness Dimitris Karezas, who owns a summer camp in the area.

"Two, three minutes later I heard a big bang," he said.

The Defence Ministry said it suspected the plane's oxygen supply or pressurisation system may have malfunctioned.

A senior government official told Reuters there were no signs of foul play. "But we are still investigating all possible scenarios," he said.

The crash was the worst airline disaster in Greek history.

LOST CONSCIOUSNESS

Cypriot airport officials said flight HCY522 left Larnaca at 9 a.m. and lost contact at 10:30 a.m. The pilot appeared to have lost consciousness due to a loss in cabin pressure in the cockpit, Larnaca airport officials said on Cyprus state television CYBC.

Kieran Daly, editor of Air Transport Intelligence, said the cause of the crash was a "puzzle".

"There are very good procedures in place for dealing with a lack of oxygen. There are so many warning systems, the crew should have been aware there was a problem," he told Reuters.

"The passenger commenting that it was cold suggests there was no air circulating in the cabin at all or the cockpit."

A spokesman of the European Aviation Safety Agency, Daniel Holtgen, based in Cologne, Germany, said: "It is highly unlikely that the loss of cabin pressure alone would cause such an incident. There would have to be other contributing factors."

As the extent of the disaster became clear, Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis broke off his holiday on the Greek island of Tinos to rush back to Athens.

Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos headed to Larnaca, where frantic relatives and friends gathered outside the offices of Helios.

At the airport in Prague, where friends and relatives had been gathering to meet the flight, screens showing departures and arrivals read simply "delayed".

Helios was Cyprus's first private carrier, established in 1999. It flies to Dublin, Sofia, Warsaw, Prague, Strasbourg and several British airports using a fleet of Boeing B737 aircraft.

There have been problems reported involving Helios planes in the past. In December 2004, three passengers were taken to hospital after the plane lost cabin pressure and made an emergency landing at Larnaca.

In September 2003 a Helios plane had engine problem. It diverted to Rhodes and landed safely.

Libra Holidays Group, one of Britain's leading independent holiday tour operators, bought Helios in November 2004.

Flights at Athens International Airport were operating normally, airport police said.

Source: Reuters