Not Even Karamanlis Immune
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The National Herald a b www.thenationalherald.com VOL. 9, ISSUE 435 A WEEKLY GREEK AMERICAN PUBLICATION FEBRUARY 11, 2006 $1.00 - GREECE: 1.75 Euro Bishop and Phones Tapped in Priest on Greece - Not Even The Verge Karamanlis Immune Of Coming By Evan C. Lambrou leadership of the Defense Ministry Special to The National Herald and the whole leadership of the Public Order Ministry, some For- To Blows NEW YORK - Mobile phones eign Ministry phones, one former belonging to top Greek military minister - now in opposition - and By Theodore Kalmoukos and government officials - to in- others," Roussopoulos said during Special to The National Herald clude that of Prime Minister a news conference last Thursday, Costas Karamanlis and his wife, February 2. BOSTON - The Chancellor of Natasha - and the United States Most of Greece's top military the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Embassy in Athens were tapped and police officers were also tar- of America, reportedly initiated a for nearly a year beginning in the geted, as were foreign ministry of- verbal and physical “attack” Summer of 2004, just weeks before ficials, Greek European Union En- against an archimandrite during the 2004 Olympic Games in vironment Commissioner Stavros the Clergy-Laity Assembly of the Athens, the Greek Government Dimas, a former minister and a Archdiocesan District in New said last week. phone number at the U.S. Em- York, which was convened at Holy Illegal software installed at bassy. Also tapped were some jour- Trinity Church in New Rochelle, Greece's second largest mobile nalists and human rights activists. New York this past Monday, Fe- phone operator, Vodafone The phone tapping started "be- bruary 6, the feast day of Saint Greece, a subsidiary of the British fore the 2004 Olympic Games and Photios the Great. company, allowed calls to and from probably continued until March The incident, which witnesses Stopping by on his way to Central America about 100 phones to be recorded. 2005, when it was discovered," told the Herald took place in the Most belonged to the Govern- Roussopoulos said. It was done "by presence of His Eminence Arch- Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople upon his arrival in New York last Saturday, Febru- ment, but one was owned by the an unknown individual, or individ- bishop Demetrios of America, ary 4. The Patriarch made a brief stop on his way to Mexico and Panama. The Patriarch was welcomed by U.S. Embassy, officials said. uals, who used high technology," started when the Very Rev. Eu- Archbishop Demetrios, pictured behind him to right, and by members of the Order of St. Andrew – Archons The bulk of the tappings took he added. gene Pappas, pastor of the Three of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. place during the Games in August, The surveillance was carried out Hierarchs Church in Brooklyn, according to Greek Justice Minis- through the spyware in Voda- recommended that it was equally ter Anastasis Papaligouras. The phone's central system, he said. proper to seek and elect represen- Athens Olympics were the most Calls were then diverted to mobile tation from the ranks of clergy, as guarded Games in history, with a phones using pay-as-you-go ser- it is to do so from the laity, for the 1.2 billion euros ($1.45 billion) se- vices, which are difficult to trace. upcoming biennial Clergy-Laity Retracing the Krater of Euphronios curity budget. An investigation discovered that Congress in Nashville, Tennessee It was not known at press time these mobiles had been used in a this July. By Lawrence Van Gelder the illustrious curators and muse- was stolen from an Etruscan tomb who was responsible for the taps, central Athens area where many Archdiocesan Chancellor Bish- The New York Times um directors who seemed above near Rome and smuggled from the which included top officials from foreign embassies are located, op Savas of Troas told Father Pap- suspicion. country. Karamanlis' cabinet, according to though Roussopoulos refused to pas that it should be done during The trail led from New York to At the root of everything ''It's about time,'' said Nicholas Greek Government Spokesman speculate on whether foreign agen- the meeting of the New York Cler- Geneva. Geneva to Zurich. Zurich seethed lust. Lust for timeless Gage, who followed the trail of the Theodoros Roussopoulos. cies might be involved. Asked also gy Association, which was sched- to Rome. Rome to Beirut. Beirut beauty. Lust for wealth. vase as an investigative reporter "The phones tapped included uled to meet that same evening, to an Italian village. And back to The object of desire? A 2,500- for The New York Times when the the Prime Minister's, the whole Continued on Page 9 but which was cancelled. When New York. year-old Greek vase known as the story broke. Father Pappas insisted, sources The cast of characters read like Euphronios Krater. The year was 1973. said, Bishop Savas became visibly a list from ''The Maltese Falcon'' Last Thursday, February 2, the On Broadway, tickets sold for angry and blasted the archiman- or a novel by Eric Ambler. Metropolitan Museum of Art, re- $4 to $10. A new Rolls Royce drite, ordering him to stop provok- There was an art dealer of dubi- versing a position held for 30 could be bought for $29,700. And Yannis Phokas: The Legend ing the matter. ous reputation, a Levantine of un- years, agreed to relinquish owner- three and a half rooms on Sutton reliable memory, Italian grave ship of the vase to Italy, where the Continued on Page 2 robbers known as tombaroli, and authorities have long said that it Continued on Page 7 And Lore of Juan de Fuca By Steve Frangos would become the Pacific North- Special to The National Herald west coast of America. Phokas has lent his name to an “Persistent The historical records and subse- international boundary known as Battle of Crete Film Coming to NYC quent legends surrounding the life the “Strait of Juan de Fuca.” This Felon” Gets of Yiannis Phokas, the man the Strait separates Vancouver Island By Zoe Tsine at the Greek Church of the As- enthusiasts. Spanish knew as Juan De Fuca, are of British Columbia from the Special to The National Herald sumption in Port Jefferson on Fe- By using interviews with veter- as complex and fully documented as Olympic Peninsula of Washington Sentenced to bruary 19, and at the Omonoia ans and Hollywood-style battle any notable figure in history. Yet State. The Strait connects Puget NEW YORK - The historic Cretan Association in Astoria on scenes with hundreds of extras, Phokas' enduring fame is based on Sound to the Pacific Ocean and 25 Years-Life battle between Nazi German February 19. “The 11th Day” tells the story of no more than an afternoon's con- provides part of the international troops and the Cretan resistance, Written, directed and produced Crete's heroic ten-day resistance versation at an open-air café. There boundary between the United By Stratos Boudouridis one of the most courageous and by Christos Epperson - through his against a ruthless and more power- the old Greek mariner regaled an States and Canada. Special to The National Herald largely ignored battles of the Se- production company, Archangels ful enemy. English merchant, Michael Lok, “The United States Geological cond World War, is chronicled in a Films - the film project is under- STIRRING DOCUMENTARY about his life in the service of the Survey defines the Strait of Juan de NEW YORK - A Greek Amer- new documentary, which will be written by California real estate And despite its Greek theme, Spanish fleet. From this brief en- Fuca as a channel. It extends east ican man, recently convicted of il- pre-screened in New York next magnate Alex Spanos, and the film the film has drawn the attention of counter rose an account which from the Pacific Ocean between legally possessing a 9mm handgun, week. has already garnered favorable re- non-Greeks. This past September, would propel men and ships from Vancouver Island, British has been sentenced to 25 years to The 90-minute documentary, views and a steady fan base of crit- England, France, Russia, Spain and life in prison by the State Supreme “The 11th Day,” will be screened ics, World War II historians and Continued on Page 2 elsewhere into the waters of what Continued on Page 5 Court in Queens as “a persistent felon,” the Queens County District Attorney's office an- nounced earlier this week. George Konstantides, 39, was Greek Doctor convicted in December of 2nd de- AD Cultural Center Celebrates its 20th Year gree Criminal Possession of a Says Inhaled Weapon, following a two-week tri- By Liana Sideri heavily populated place, thus ties,” said Mr. Andriotis, who saw was available for sale. The next al. Mr. Konstantides allegedly Special to The National Herald marking the need for a space a need and quickly got involved in step was to find someone willing to used the weapon to fire several where people of Greek heritage trying to find an appropriate outlet sponsor such a project and, to that Insulin Should shots at New York City Police NEW YORK - Established in could share their common inter- for cultural activities. end, Mr. Andriotis worked dili- Department officers, who were at- 1986, the Greek Orthodox Arch- ests and needs in music, theater, In 1980, he spotted an aban- Be Beneficial tempting to arrest him. He is now diocese of America's Hellenic Cul- dance and other cultural activi- doned building in Astoria, which Continued on Page 3 awaiting another trial on attempt- tural Center in Astoria celebrated By Stavros Marmarinos ed murder charges in the first de- its 20th anniversary on January 30, Special to The National Herald gree.