U.S. Travel Warning Hurts Ties, Greece Says
Greece’s foreign minister summoned the U.S. ambassador to his office Wednesday to protest the United States’ refusal to lift a travel advisory warning Americans to avoid Athens airport, officials said.
Foreign Minister Ioannis Haralambopoulos told Ambassador Monteagle Stearns that the advisory “is having negative repercussions on Greek-American relations,” they said. The warning came after the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 after its takeoff from Athens.
Officials said Haralambopoulos pointed out to Stearns an International Air Transport Assn. investigation indicating security at Athens airport now meets international standards.
Western diplomats said the United States would not lift its advisory without an inspection by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
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