I also started a thread, "Everbody Loves Bill"..too obscure, I guess. Sysop, please delete that one. *****************************************************************

Protesters challenging restrictions during Clinton visit 1.04 p.m. ET (1814 GMT) November 19, 1999 By Derek Gatopoulos, Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Thousands of left-wing protesters chanting anti-American slogans clashed with police and set dozens of stores ablaze today as President Clinton arrived in Athens. Clinton said the demonstrations wouldn't worry him and that he hoped his visit would highlight "the changing face of Greece.''

"We look to ancient Greece for inspiration, but we look to modern Greece for leadership and partnership,'' he said upon disembarking from Air Force One.

A small crowd chanted "Clinton, Clinton'' and waved Greek and American flags as Clinton saluted Greece's booming economy and said he hoped its leaders would help to "build a world that is undivided, democratic and at peace'' by promoting democracy and stability in the nearby Balkans.

"Through this visit, I want the American people to see the changing face of Greece,'' he said.

Meanwhile, riot police wearing gas masks faced off with more than 10,000 people in front of the parliament building in central Syndagma Square, using tear gas to push back a group that rushed them.

Stores and banks were ablaze in central Athens as baton-wielding riot squads hurled dozens of tear gas canisters at protesters who set up fiery roadblocks and cut off main avenues in central Athens.

Dark, acrid smoke hung over parts of downtown. Bare mannequins were strewn across streets and piles of garbage set afire by hooded and masked demonstrators who tore up paving stones to hurl at security officers.

Most of the violence was carried out by a few hundred self-proclaimed anarchists. The Greek Communist Party, which organized the rally to protest NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia, called on supporters to go home.

Police had closed off much of downtown to traffic and it seemed unlikely Clinton would even see the demostrators. There was an eerie calm along Clinton's motorcade route from the airport to downtown. No cars were to be seen and few pedestrians, aside from hundreds of police.

Greek Communist Party leader Aleka Papariga and other protest leaders negotiated to no avail with police, who refused to allow the marchers to press on to the U.S. Embassy. More rallies were planned in other cities.

"I'm delighted to be going and I'm not concerned about the protests,'' Clinton told reporters in Istanbul, Turkey, before his meeting with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern. "Greece is the world's oldest democracy. If people want to protest they should have a chance to do it.''

Clinton said the protests don't bother him because Greece and the United States have been "great allies'' despite widespread opposition in Greece to the NATO-led mission in Yugoslavia.

"They have a right to their opinion and I have a right to mine,'' Clinton said. "I believe I was right, and I think that the facts will prove that I was right.''

Clinton said he wanted to use his visit to inform the people of Greece about the "receptive ear'' he'd gotten in Turkey on resolving tensions with Greece. "The Greek people and the government should be quite encouraged,'' Clinton said.

The marches, led by the Greek Communist Party, will focus on the American Embassy, placed off limits in the country's largest-ever police operation. Protesters filed a legal challenge to have the march restrictions declared illegal, but they were denied.

Before dawn Friday, some demonstrators erected two giant banners that read "Killer Clinton'' on a mountainside overlooking central Athens. Even across the road from Clinton's downtown hotel, an American flag bearing a large swastika was in full view.

Security was stepped up after the threat of unrest and a string of sporadic firebomb attacks prompted the United States to delay and shorten Clinton's trip, initially scheduled for Nov. 13-15.

The U.S. move sobered Premier Costas Simitis' Socialist government, which is banking on continued American support for Greece's efforts to play a stronger role in the region.

Up to 7,000 officers were to patrol Athens, clearing streets of traffic and sealing off areas where Clinton, his wife and daughter were visiting during their 24-hour stay.

But the measures, rare by Greek standards, have spurred fresh defiance.

On Wednesday, more than 10,000 marchers chanted "Clinton, Fascist, Murderer'' and other anti-American slogans in front of the U.S. Embassy.

"In essence, they have imposed martial law on Athens. We will not accept this,'' said senior Communist official Stratis Korakas.

The Communists and two other small left-wing opposition parties all have urged demonstrators to test police barriers and march to the U.S. Embassy. Rallies were also planned in other Greek cities.

Ahead of national elections next year, protest organizers were hoping to revive a wave of public anger witnessed during the 78-day bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, when daily street rallies were held in Athens.

Many people in Greece, which is a NATO member, sympathized with fellow-Orthodox Serbs that dominate the Yugoslav government and remained bitter at Washington for its widely perceived support of a Greek dictatorship that imposed military rule from 1967-74.

Simitis was forced into a difficult balancing act, keeping Greece out of the conflict but allowing NATO to use key Greek port facilities.

Again, over Clinton's trip, the government told Greeks they were free to demonstrate while calling on them to appreciate the importance of the visit.

Clinton, on a tour of Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and Kosovo, was being accompanied by top U.S. officials. In Athens, he was to discuss efforts to thaw fierce animosity between Greece and Turkey as well as the course of Greek investments in nearby Balkan countries.

He met briefly with Simitis on Thursday during a European security summit in Istanbul, Turkey.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), November 19, 1999

Answers

The amazing thing is they hate Americans because of Bill Clinton. Well, many of us hate him too! But don't you find this incredible that one person could stir up such emotions in people.

Just wait till the anti-christ appears.

-- tt (nobody@noname.com), November 19, 1999.

What the hell are they upset about? He's just visiting, WE have to put up with him and her all the time...

-- kozak (kozak@formerusaf.guv), November 19, 1999.

You'd think Bubba'd get the idea...

To paraphrase Diane:

*sigh*

-- Billy-Boy (Rakkasan@yahoo.com), November 19, 1999.

Are you sure they were rioting? I thought the spin doctors said they were happy to see Bill and their enthusiasm got a little out of hand.

-- ~~~~~~ (~~~~@~~~.com), November 19, 1999.

He doesn't take anything "Personally". But this is my favorite line:

"If people want to protest, they ought to have a chance to do it.''

The aren't protesting, they're burning down the freakin' city!!!

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Clinton Not Taking Greek Protests Personally -Aide 3.23 p.m. ET (2033 GMT) November 19, 1999 ATHENS  Aides to President Clinton said he was trying not to take personally the violent protests that marked his visit to Greece Friday.

"Greece is the world's oldest democracy,'' Clinton said in Turkey before arriving in Athens. "If people want to protest, they ought to have a chance to do it.''

The Greek capital erupted in violence after police fired dozens of rounds of tear gas to break up a mass demonstration against Clinton's visit.

Banks and shops throughout the main commercial area were smashed and fires set across central Athens as Air Force One touched down.

Many Greeks blame Washington for backing a 1967-1974 military junta and for not stopping Turkey from invading and dividing Cyprus in 1974.

"The president is certainly not taking this personally,'' said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The issues underlying these demonstrations go back 25 years and are founded on issues with a long historical precedent between these two countries.''

But Greek concerns are also recent. Clinton has been widely condemned in Greece for leading the NATO bombardment of Yugoslavia, a longtime Greek ally, from March through June.

Clinton is usually welcomed warmly on his trips abroad. His route through cities is often lined with happy greeters and he relishes the chance to stop his motorcade and shake hands with the crowds.

This time the motorcade route was eerily quiet as Clinton and a heavy security entourage passed from the Athens airport to his hotel.

"We certainly expected demonstrations and protests but he still felt it was important to come here and celebrate U.S.-Greek relations,'' said David Leavy, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.

"There are important issues to advance like Cyprus, the Aegean and trade and investment that are important to both the American and Greek people and he's confident that we can have a productive and positive visit,'' Leavy said.

Clinton is not the first U.S. president to draw protests in Greece. George Bush triggered demonstrations when he visited in July 1991.

Some aides grumbled that Clinton's trip should have been postponed instead of simply being put off for a few days and then shortened to about 24 hours.

But it would have been a bad diplomatic signal for a U.S. president to visit Turkey without also stopping in Greece.

Clinton said in Turkey he hoped his visit to both nations would help prod along a slow reconciliation between Athens and Ankara.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), November 19, 1999.

tt,

Maybe he already has!

Kook

-- Y2Kook (Y2Kook@usa.net), November 19, 1999.