- Title: Draconian security as Obama arrives in Greece to discuss debt, refugees
- Date: 15th November 2016
- Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (NOVEMBER 15, 2016) (REUTERS) GREEK, US AND EU FLAGS FLYING AT AIRPORT / US PRESIDENT'S MOTORCADE PARKED ON TARMAC IN BACKGROUND SNIPERS WITH RIFLES LAYING ON MOBILE PLATFORM ON TARMAC, POLICE OFFICER LOOKING THROUGH BINOCULARS AT AIRPORT BEFORE ARRIVAL OF AIR FORCE ONE PLANE VARIOUS OF SNIPER LOOKING INTO RIFLE SCOPE VARIOUS OF POLICE LOOKING THROUGH BINOCULARS POLICE OFFICER HOLDING BINOCULARS POLICE OFFICERS VIEWING AREA, 'SECRET SERVICE' WRITTEN ON BACK OF POLICE JACKET POLICE OFFICER ON BUILDING ROOFTOP VARIOUS OF POLICE ON MOBILE PLATFORM AIR FORCE ONE AIRPLANE ARRIVING AT ATHENS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PLANE LANDING VARIOUS OF MILITARY HONOR GUARD GETTING INTO POSITION FOR WELCOME CEREMONY PLANE ONE PARKED ON TARMAC / MILITARY HONOR GUARD STANDING AT ATTENTION NEXT TO RED CARPET US PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA DISEMBARKING FROM AIRPLANE AND WALKING DOWN STAIRS AIR FORCE ONE PARKED ON TARMAC / MILITARY HONOR GUARD STANDING AT ATTENTION GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER, PANOS KAMMENOS, AND OBAMA WALKING ON RED CARPET/OBAMA BOWING HEAD TO MILITARY HONOR GUARD/AUDIO OF GREEK NATIONAL ANTHEM PLAYING OBAMA, KAMMENOS AND MILITARY OFFICIALS WALKING ON RED CARPET OBAMA ENTERING CAR OBAMA SMILING INSIDE CAR AS SEEN THROUGH CAR WINDOW VARIOUS OF CAR DRIVING AWAY
- Embargoed: 30th November 2016 10:39
- Keywords: Obama debt Greece refugees
- Location: ATHENS, GREECE
- City: ATHENS, GREECE
- Country: Greece
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00158K29FR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Barack Obama arrived in Greece on Tuesday (November 15) on his last European tour as U.S. president, and Athens said it held out hope that he will use his clout to help persuade the country's creditors to forgive some of its monumental debt.
Obama, who will be replaced in January by Donald Trump, was welcomed by Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos at Athens airport at the start of his two-day visit, the first by a U.S. president to Greece since Bill Clinton in 1999.
He is expected to discuss the debt issue as well as the migrant crisis with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and deliver a speech on Wednesday.
Greece signed up to a third economic bailout package of up to 86 billion euros ($93 billion) in mid-2015 but says that it needs a long-term debt restructuring to emerge from the worst economic downturn for generations. The country of 11 million people has also been caught in the cross-hairs of the migrant and refugee crisis. Thousands are stranded in Greece after their onwards journey into Europe was sealed off this year as borders were shut in the Balkans.
Police sources said 5,000 Greek police are guarding the visit, including snipers, as well as bomb explosive experts and police sniffer dogs. Protests are planned by leftist groups and labor unions. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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