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.........

Friday, March 26, 2010

Why no...poppy spraying.???...[ 805 ]

NATO rejects Russian call for Afghan poppy spraying

Thu Mar 25, 2010 12:10am IST
Photo

By David Brunnstrom

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO on Wednesday rejected Russian calls for it to eradicate opium poppy fields in Afghanistan, saying the best way for Moscow to help control the drug would be to give more assistance against the insurgency.

Russia's anti-drugs czar, Victor Ivanov, met NATO ambassadors in Brussels and proposed that NATO troops be given a U.N. mandate and an obligation to eradicate Afghan opium crops, which were killing 30,000 Russians a year.

But NATO spokesman James Appathurai said the drug problem had to be handled carefully to avoid alienating local people. He said the alliance was continuing efforts to target drug lords and drug labs, but added at a news briefing:

"We cannot be in a situation where we remove the only source of income of people who live in the second poorest country in the world without being able to provide them with an alternative."

Afghanistan is the world's biggest producer of poppies used to make opium, the key ingredient in the production of heroin.

Appathurai said NATO understood Russian concerns, given its estimated 200,000 heroin and morphine addicts and the tens of thousands dying each year.

"SLIGHT DIFFERENCE OF VIEWS"

"We share the view that it has to be tackled," the spokesman said. "But there is a slight difference of views. Out of Moscow we hear a lot of calls for eradication. The view of the Afghan government up until now is that eradication is not the way to go ... in particular aerial spraying."

"We have 120,000 people on the ground fighting the insurgency and that is the most effective way to tackle the drug problem."

Appathurai said NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen had asked Russia for increased support in Afghanistan, including in training counter-narcotics officials and helicopters for the overall counter-insurgency effort.

"We are still waiting for an answer, but we know the Russian Federation is working on it," he said.

Appathurai said the Taliban had stock-piled so much opium that destroying existing crops would make little difference.

NATO's counter-insurgency operation in Marjah has put in place conditions for better governance to allow the creation of alternative livelihoods, "and a sustainable solution that does not just create more enemies".

On Monday, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, expressed concern about plans by U.S. Marines in Marjah to pay farmers to destroy opium crops without a fight instead of NATO troops destroying them.

He said NATO needed to continue to deal with the drugs problem in an "active and robust way".

Ivanov said drugs were killing 100,000 Afghans a year and quoted U.N. figures showing that annual deaths from heroin overdoses in the more 40 than countries contributing to the NATO mission in Afghanistan were 50 times higher than their total military losses, which stand at nearly 1,600 in eight years.

"Is that not a threat to world peace and security?" he said, adding that there was a need to take a new view on the scale of the threat. "I believe this is a question of morality," he said.

(Editing by Tim Pearce)

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