The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Rumsfeld: No U.S. troops into Libya..[ 2162 ]

Rumsfeld doesn't support sending U.S. troops into Libya

By the CNN Wire Staff
March 9, 2011 -- Updated 0446 GMT (1246 HKT)

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(CNN) -- Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday he would not support sending U.S. troops into war-torn Libya, pointing out what he calls a key difference between leader Moammar Gadhafi and Iraq's Saddam Hussein.
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Unlike Hussein, Gadhafi chose not to continuously provoke the international community, Rumsfeld told CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight."
"After he saw what happened to Saddam Hussein, he (Gadhafi) did not want to be Saddam Hussein," said Rumsfeld. "He gave up his nuclear program."
Hussein "killed hundreds of thousands of his own people" and was a brutal dictator, Rumsfeld said.
Rumsfeld said he was not surprised by recent popular uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. "The natural state of man is to want to be free. To have opportunities. To have choices," he said.
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He cautioned that it's too early to tell whether new or reformed governments in those countries will be friendly to the United States.
Rumsfeld, who has a new book, "Known and Unknown," discussed the U.S. decision to invade Iraq in 2003.
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Although no weapons of mass destruction were found, Hussein had the personnel and materials in place to produce them and there was a "broad uniform" belief that he had them, Rumsfeld said. There had been desire for a regime change in Iraq dating back to the Clinton administration, he said.
Rumsfeld told Morgan he had not believed the likelihood of a popular revolt against Hussein succeeding was high.
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Asked if he had regrets about the war in Iraq, Rumsfeld said, "lives were lost on my watch."
The Abu Ghraib prison scandal also was a major setback, he said.
The campaign against al Qaeda and other groups should not have been termed "a war on terror," Rumsfeld said.
The term "war" makes people believe there is a conflict with a sure beginning and end, he said.
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Four years after being replaced by Robert Gates as defense secretary following heavy Republican losses in the 2006 mid-term elections, Rumsfeld has maintained the swagger and bravado that were his hallmarks when dealing with the media as a Cabinet member.
Asked what he would like on his tombstone, Rumsfeld said, "He served."
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