After the completion of his testimony, which lasted more than 3 hours, Mr. Aggelopoulos only told journalists that the truth will be revealed soon.

According to information, Mr. Aggelopoulos submitted the whole diary of N17 victim Dimitris Aggelopoulos to the DA.

Within the next few days, Gianna Aggelopoulou, Vardis Vardinogiannis, and Argyris Saliarelis are expected to testify as well. Publisher and journalist Grigoris Michalopoulos, who is named as the blackmailer in the diary, is also expected to testify soon.

Mr. Venizelos asked the Supreme Court leadership to intervene and bring the case to justice, supporting that: "It is an ordinary criminal law case, not sports law".

Deputy Minister of Sports, Giorgos Lianis, condemned the incident. As he mentioned, he communicated with Demis Nicolaidis and was informed on the matter. Nicolaidis will press charges against Makis Psomiadis.

Nicolaidis is expected to hold a press conference this afternoon at the general police direction. Psomiadis, according to the football player, visited him late at night on Tuesday at his house, accompanied by "goons" and threatened to do him bodily harm.

Nicolaidis made a complaint to PAE AEK the following day, in which he informed them that he would not continue to practice with the team.

The issue has caused creaks throughout the sports community, but more specifically in the AEK team. Dusan Bajevic will hold a press conference this afternoon, where it is quite possible that he will resign from his position as coach.

Another businessman, Theodoros Angelopoulos testified yesterday and handed over to police two tapes given to his family by third parties. Earlier, it had been revealed that Mr. Angelopoulos and his wife Mrs. Yianna Angelopoulou-Daskalakis, the President of the "Athens 2004" Organizing Committee, had handed over to authorities a handwritten note by Dimitris Angelopoulos, who was assassinated by "17 November", involving in the case publisher Grigoris Michalopoulos.

Mrs. Angelopoulou-Daskalakis is expected to also testify on the case as well as other businessmen who were allegedly victims of blackmail.

The participants will discuss ways for more effective and meaningful cooperation on issues concerning organized crime, the exploitation of women and children, drugs and the modern form of violence.

In the meeting will participate delegates from Greece, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, FRY, FYROM, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Cyprus and Turkey as well as the SECI office in Romania.

They examined the EU-NATO relations, the replacement of the NATO troops deployed in Skopje by European forces and the planned US military intervention in Iraq.

In the Papandreou-Weston meeting were discussed the developments in the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan efforts for the solution of the Cyprus problem, while Mr. Weston made positive comments on the protest rallies taking place in the occupied territorie s demanding a solution to the problem based on the Annan Plan. He said that the protests of the democratic majority have the support of the US as they coincide with the US government demand for the solution of the Cyprus problem.

The Papandreou-Miller meeting focused on bilateral issues and the planned US attack on Iraq. When asked on the issue, the US ambassador pointed out that discussions are underway with a number of state governments and stressed that he will not refer to de tails. He reiterated the US government position that it is not necessary to find smoking guns in Iraq for an intervention to take place. He also cited UN Security Council resolution 1441 on the biological, nuclear and ballistic weapons construction progra ms in Iraq.

The Greek Foreign Minister raised to the US ambassador the issue of the US State Department web page on the Internet in which it is mentioned that there is still a risk of a terrorist attack in Greece in spite of the arrest of the "17 November" terrorist

group members. Mr. Miller clarified that it is an informative document for the US tourists and not a travel advisory. However, he said that it is not an important issue and he will investigate it.

Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis also referred to the issue, pointing out that Greece is a safe country for its visitors and the 2004 Olympic Games.

Of the stocks trading today, 174 recorded gains and 119 had losses, while the value of 87 stocks remained unchanged.

On the situation in Iraq, Prime Minister Kostas Simitis stressed that it is feasible to avoid the war, pointing out that this will happen only if Iraq is disarmed from biochemical and nuclear weapons. He said that Greece has undertaken an initiative for the General Affairs Council to meet on January 27 to adopt a common EU stance and strategy on Iraq.

Lord Robertson agreed that a military intervention in Iraq is not necessary stressing, however, that Saddam Hussein should comply to the letter with the UN resolutions. The crisis resulted from the Iraqi leader's defiance of 11 UN Security Council resolu tions, stated the NATO head.

Mr. Protopapas stated that the issue has been regulated through the existing treaties and therefore, any discussion is pointless. He said that the EU resolution is of no significance and the Mount Athos status cannot be overturned through resolutions.

Mr. Protopapas stressed that this is a special situation. It is a monastic community that has kept the Christian Orthodox tradition in its entirety and therefore, it is absolutely wrong for someone to try to impose a solution from the outside. Both from a legal and a spiritual point of view such situations that have been consolidated through the centuries should be respected, stated Mr. Protopapas.

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