The European Union's Permanent Agricultural Committee will convene in Brussels today in order to examine the foot and mouth disease outbreak that has plagued the Balkan region. The session, which will be attended by Greek Agriculture Ministry officials, may include the banning of livestock and animal products exportation from Greece, in light of the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease noted in the Evros region. Undersecretary of Agriculture Apostolos Fotiades stated that very strict measures have been taken to contain the disease and added that it would be unfair if the EU draws measures against Greece when the same handling was not afforded on Germany when more than 30,000 animals had been stricken with the smallpox disease. According to Ministry officials, no measures are necessary to be taken for the whole country, as the disease has been restricted to on e particular area. The Agriculture Ministry spokesperson also clarified that the foot and mouth disease cases have only been noted in two small villages in Evros which lie on the Turkish borders and, so far, tens of flocks of sheep have been slaughtered.
Experts assess that the disease was brought by infected animals over the Turkish border.
Meanwhile, the Belgian government, following a recommendation of Belgium's Agriculture Ministry, has issued a travel advisory to Belgian tourists not to transport food made of meat products from Greece, Turkey, Albania, Serbia nd Skopje. Speaking to the Macedonian Press Agency, SAE President Andrew Athens stated that the basic axis of the plan will be a concerted effort aiming at conveying Greece's national issues to US President Bill Clinton. Participating in the session will be the alternate Foreign Minister, who is also responsible for issues regarding Greeks overseas, George Romeos and Secretary General for the Overseas Hellenism prof. During their stay in Thessaloniki, the conference members are scheduled to meet with the city's Mayor Konstantinos Kosmopoulos and the Prefect Kostas Papadopoulos. The United States permanent representative to the United Nations Madleine Albright will present the two American initiatives for solving the Cyprus issue to both sides of the divided island during her upcoming visit next week and will porpose that direct talks be re-held.