Honorable guests, friends, and ministers,

 I am sure I am speaking for all of us when I say it is an honor to participate in an event such as the one we are all attending today. Why? Because today we are witnessing the birth of something unique: Rather than passionate individuals fighting the noble cause, rather than foundations and research centers, finally, over half a century later, whole nations themselves have taken on the task and responsibility of preserving the memory of the Holocaust through what is termed Education, Research and Remembrance.

   In preparation for this task force, I spent some time examining the nature of the sessions and I must say I find the sheer range and depth impressive. As former minister of education in an area of the world where ethnic rivalries had scarred our history for centuries, I am both highly interested in the task force’s success just as I am humbled by the expertise that has gathered here today under one roof.

  I recall an effort begun under my tenure nearly a decade ago -one which is still being debated- to create a Balkan history textbook, one that would be acceptable by all countries in the region. It seemed highly likely in 1989 and in the early nineties that such a textbook would come to fruition. I fear that we have not moved fast enough and that we have already missed many opportunities. Were such textbooks in place in the Balkans much much earlier, perhaps all the bloodshed we have recently witnessed could have been avoided. But the struggle goes on and we must make peace where we can. We must strive to promote multicultural values and we must stretch our hands across the divide.

  The preservation of the memory of the Holocaust should not be linked to efforts for economic reimbursement -something that usually captures the media’s attention. Today’s effort examines how best to learn from the horror that humankind is capable of in order to be able to say "Never Again." The task force sets a precedent which we can use and build on during periods of religious and ethnic persecution. The Holocaust is a sad landmark in the history of mankind. That is why it is imperative that Holocaust education moves beyond continental boundaries, that it becomes a banner for human rights. We must never cease our efforts to eradicate hatred, bigotry, racism and fear, in the Balkans, in Europe, and in the rest of the world.

  I like to think that Greece has often been at the forefront of this effort. The first post-war government of George Papandreou was also the first among European countries to pass legislative measures for the restitution of the property confiscated by the German forces during the war and to reinstate citizenship and employment in the public sector for the Jewish population. In more recent years the Greek government has worked closely with the Jewish Central Board and the Jewish communities throughout Greece in an effort to preserve and promote the Judeo-Christian heritage of the Greek people. During the Washington Conference on Holocaust Era Assets two years ago, the Greek delegation submitted reports regarding education, archives and looted artifacts. This represented a direct implementation of the fundamental principles pledged at the London Conference on Nazi Gold three years ago.

  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed an agreement in May 1999 with the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC for the exchange of documents associated with the Greek Jews, adding in this way to the growing archival collection of the Museum. Today, this undertaking has been completed, and documents relating to the history of Greek Jews are now accessible on both sides of the Atlantic. Additionally, the Service of Historical Archives of the Ministry published an historical volume which received a lot of recognition by both the religious and lay community of Greece. This volume delineates the history of Greek Jews from the beginning of the century until the end of the second world war. Finally, the Ministry is in negotiations with the Russian government for the repatriation of the archives of the Jewish community of Thessaloniki. These had been illegally moved to Berlin by the occupying forces and in turn were transferred to in Moscow by the victorious Russian troops. Finally I think it is time that Russia provide us with all its files and all its information on a man whose name should not go unmentioned in today’s gatherin: Raoul Wallenberg

  Preserving the historical past through primary sources is only a small part of working against the possibility of a repetition of history. Primary sources are the pillars of education, and the Greek Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs has taken great steps, both through textbooks and classroom learning, to meet the challenge of a multicultural educational approach. The Secretariat for Greek Education Abroad and Intercultural Education, established in 1996, serves as a pivotal coordinating body within the Greek educational system. It functions as a consultative vehicle through which diverse communities and relevant parties can contribute to the development of Greece’s intercultural educational policy. In the Greece of today, unlike the Greece before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the huge inflow of economic and war refugees makes the question of a deep multi-cultural education, and research into racism and fear of the "other", a highly relevant, and crucial task I might add. Only in this way can we hope to preserve our remarkably harmonious and democratic society, after so many years of wars, military coups and tension along our borders.

  Complementing the state institutions are a number of non-profit organizations which contribute significantly to the preservation and continuation of the memory of the Holocaust. Two of them, namely the Jewish Museum of Greece and the George Papandreou Foundation are represented here at this conference. They act in fulfilment of the Stockholm Conference Declaration, which we are here to promote.

  In both world wars Greece has fought for what was right and just. Greeks have rallied against oppression and fascism. Many of us here today are old enough to have grown up fighting for democracy and freedom -- in our very own country. It is with such a history that we are able to stand here before you, enthusiastically supportive of the Swedish initiative for the creation of the International Task Force for Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research.

 Thank you.