Athens to show IOC tougher security plan for 2004

Athens 2004 Olympic organisers will propose a new, tougher security plan to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) inspection team visiting Greece this week in the wake of the air attacks on the U.S..

"Security will top the agenda," an Athens 2004 organising committee (ATHOC) official said. "We will present separate operational plans for every venue."

Worries about new delays in venue construction will be overshadowed by the spectre of possible violence at the world's biggest sports festival when IOC president Jacques Rogge and his new Athens inspection boss Denis Oswald visit Athens.

The September 11 plane crashes on the World Trade Center and Pentagon brought back memories of the 1972 Munich Games when 11 Israelis were killed and gave the IOC new security headaches.

Greece, whose image is already suffering from the regular attacks of local leftist urban guerrilla groups, had drawn up a comprehensive security plan for the Games.

The $600 million programme, which included setting up a special Olympics security force and extended surveillance across the city, had been praised by the IOC as "the best" it could come up with.

Not Enough
But Greek officials have made clear this would no longer be considered enough.

"Funds for equipment, especially electronic, will be increased and we are considering hiring security experts from the United States who have experience in such huge events, like the Atlanta Games," an ATHOC official told Reuters.

Additionally, the Greek government may propose a bigger involvement of the army in security measures, he added.

But most importantly, an international team of experts from the foreign security services of the United States and six other countries, will play a more decisive role in 2004, he said.

Greece, long criticised by its Western allies for being lax on terrorism, turned to them for more help after the November 17 group killed a British diplomat in Athens last year.

The extreme leftist group emerged in 1975 with the killing of the CIA station chief in Athens. It has killed 23 Greeks and foreigners but none of its members have ever been arrested.

Several other self-styled anarchist and leftist groups also regularly fire-bomb business and diplomatic targets or cars in the Greek capital.

Special Team
A special team of officials from the likes of Scotland Yard, the CIA and Israel's Mossad intelligence agency was set up soon after the murder of British defence attache Stephen Saunders to help Greece fight terrorism and to aid Games security.

"The role of this group will be intensified," the ATHOC official said.

Apart from struggling on the security front, Greece is also facing renewed delays with some of its key venue projects. Rogge told Greece in February, when he was still the inspection chief, that he wanted to see building work start within six months.

Although preparatory work has started at some venues, others have remained seriously behind schedule. ATHOC has defended its efforts, pointing out impressive progress in other areas.

"We have very positive results to present in the areas of marketing, licensing and sports programming," ATHOC spokesman Serafim Kotrotsos told Reuters.