U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell cancelled plans to attend the closing ceremony of the Athens Olympics because of "emergency obligations" which include the political situation in Iraq and Sudan, the Greek foreign ministry said Saturday. "U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell communicated with Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis to inform him that it would not be possible because of emergency obligations to visit Athens to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games," a Greek foreign ministry press release said. Reports said the decision was unrelated to anti-American protests by about 1,000 people in Athens Friday that were broken up when police fires tear gas at demonstrators. Protestors had hoisted a massive banner saying "Powell killer Go Home" on the Acropolis hill on Saturday, protesting against his scheduled 24-hour visit to attend Sunday's closing ceremony. Molyviatis and Powell agreed that the U.S. secretary of state will visit Greece in the first two weeks in October.
