Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-08-15
CONTENTS
[01] IMO meeting here to focus on Lebanon oil spill
[01] IMO meeting here to focus on Lebanon oil spill
ΤέλοςφόρμαςΑρχήφόρμας
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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