Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-08-15

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] IMO meeting here to focus on Lebanon oil spill

[01] IMO meeting here to focus on Lebanon oil spill

The UN-affiliated International Maritime Organisation (IMO) will hold an urgent international meeting at the Piraeus port authority's main convention centre on Thursday focusing on efforts to deal with an oil spill and related environmental damage in the eastern Mediterranean caused by the recent warfare in Lebanon.

According to a merchant marine ministry announcement here this week, the international meeting aims to better coordinate efforts by the IMO, the United Nations' other agencies and countries in the affected region, as the oil spill has already caused environmental damage along the Lebanese and Syrian coastlines in the eastern Mediterranean.

IMO secretary-general Efthymios Mitropoulos; the eexecutive director of the UN's Environment Programme (UNEP), Achim Steiner; EU Commissioner for the environment Stavros Dimas, as well as representatives from Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, the EU Commission and other UN agencies are due to participate.

The meeting follows an initiative by Greek Merchant Marine Minister Manolis Kefaloyiannis.

Caption: Local residents inspect the heavy fuel oil pollution at Ramlet el-Baida public beach (White Beach) in Beirut, Saturday July 29, 2006. The Mediterranean was threatened with environmental disaster after Israel's bombing of a power plant in Lebanon at the start of the conflict sent thousands of tons of fuel gushing into the sea, Lebanese officials said. EPA/ ANA-MPA/NABIL MOUNZER

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