We arrived this morning to a glorious dawn over the Aegean Sea as our jet landed at Athens International Airport. After a country briefing with the US Embassy team here in Greece, our bipartisan delegation traveled to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet with the Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece, Yannis Valinakis. Sitting at a table overlooking the famed Acropolis where stand the ruins of the Parthenon and other structures of the ancient world, we talked about current events…specifically Iran.
I expressed to the Minister the important role that the United States envisioned for Greece as a member of the UN Security Council in resolving our present impasse over Iran’s nuclear program. I told him that the United States was hopeful that Greece would support a strong United Nations response and he assured our delegation that they would.
Minister Valinakis said that the world community must have “a strong and unified message on Iran” adding that this was, in their view, “the one and only way out of the present situation.” He expressed optimism about the possibility of achieving a diplomatic solution saying that Greece, “believes that there is still room for a diplomatic effort” adding that “Greece believes the international community can achieve a peaceful solution.”
At the close of the meeting, I left with a sense of renewed confidence that the world community is aware of the dangers posed by Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and that many nations, even some who have not always seen eye to eye with America in the recent past, are prepared to speak with one voice to achieve a peaceful solution. For this southern Indiana boy from a city called “the Athens of the Prairie,” that will be my prayer this day in the cradle of democracy.