Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-06-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM receives chairman of BiH's council of ministers

[02] Ajournement de la visite Erdogan a Athenes pour l�inauguration du Musee de l�Acropole

[03] Ceremony for New Acropolis Museum to showcase Greek capital

[04] Moderate quake on Samos

[01] PM receives chairman of BiH's council of ministers

Špiri� arrived in Athens to attend the inauguration ceremony for the New Acropolis Museum on Saturday evening.

Talks during the meeting touched on regional developments and bilateral cooperation. No statements were made afterwards.

[02] Ajournement de la visite Erdogan a Athenes pour l�inauguration du Musee de l�Acropole

M. Erdogan a fait part à M. Caramanlis de son souhait de venir très prochainement en Grèce pour visiter en sa compagnie le Musée.

[03] Ceremony for New Acropolis Museum to showcase Greek capital

The more than 120 media professionals and camera crews were given guided tours of the ultra-modern facility, built atop an excavated in-situ ancient settlement, in separate groups, as organisers repeatedly asked for caution in galleries with prominent free-standing exhibits.

In a brief address, Greek Culture Minister Antonis Samaras referred to the new museum as an "unabashedly modern structure" as its beaming lead architect, Swiss-born Bernard Tschumi, sat in the audience.

"This is the greatest collection of sculptures from classical Greece, gathered in this museum ... however (this period) cannot be fully illuminated because half of the Parthenon sculptures have been taken and are now in forced exile," Samaras said, adding that whatever arguments the British Museum expressed in the past to reject calls for the Marbles' return are now "demolished".

In referring to the rectangular glass gallery at the top of the concrete-metal-glass museum, the Greek culture minister said the "Parthenon Gallery" will feature replicas of the sliced-off pieces on display in London, "like photos of family members far away or lost," he poignantly said, while also mentioning Greek statesman Constantine Karamanlis and iconic Greek actress and culture minister Melina Mercouri as inspirations for the purpose-built museum.

The museum's inauguration will come on Saturday evening, with local press speculation hinting at a laser-light display illuminating the nearby Acropolis and the monuments atop the "sacred hill" as well as projecting some of the best known pieces as holograms above the museum and its immediate surroundings.

In fact, Greek organisers on Friday declined to allow camera crews and photographers into the museum's top floor in order to keep the ceremony's particulars a secret.

Caption: The glass-covered top floor at the New Acropolis Museum, the "Parthenon Gallery", is illuminated in the foreground as a beaming Parthenon atop the Acropolis is seen in the background on Friday, June 19, 2009 . ANA-MPA / ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU

[04] Moderate quake on Samos

No damages were reported.

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