FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19
ATHENS, GREECE
Arrival Statement
Athens Airport
Meet with Greek American Community Leaders and U.S.
Congressional Delegation
Athenaeum Inter-Continental Hotel
The 543-room Athenaeum Inter-Continental Hotel was built in the early 1980s in an otherwise decrepit part of south-central Athens, amid 1920's-era housing for Greek refugees from Asia Minor -- a sharp contrast with the modern hotel. The Inter-Continental's Club Room offers a view of the Acropolis and Philopapou Hill.
The Athenaeum Inter-Continental was the target of a terrorist bombing in April 1999, which killed one Greek guest and injured an employee. "Revolutionary Nuclei" claimed responsibility for the attack.
State Dinner
Presidential Palace
Designed by German architect Ernst Ziller, the new Royal Palace, as it was once called, was commissioned by King George I in 1890 to celebrate the marriage of his son, Crown Prince Constantine, to Princess Sophia. Separated from the old Royal Palace (now the Parliament) by the National Gardens, Ziller's structure became, after its completion in 1897, the official residence of the Greek royal family. Since 1975, following the abolition of the monarchy, the building has housed the offices of the President of the Republic. Typical of Ziller's neo-classical style, the three-storied Presidential Palace elegantly combines elements of Greek, Roman, and Renaissance architecture.
The State Dinner will take place in the Palace’s Dining Room. Before proceeding to the State Dinner, President Clinton and the President Stephanopoulos will head the official receiving line in the adjacent Credentials Room.
Bilateral Meeting with President Kostis Stephanopoulos of
Greece
Presidential Palace
Bilateral Meeting with Prime Minister Konstandinos
Simitis
Maximos Mansion
The Maximos Mansion is situated in the center of Athens near the old Palace, now the Parliament building. The mansion was built in 1924 as the residence of Demetrios Maximos, a prominent Greek economist and politician who served as Governor of the National Bank of Greece, honorary member of Parliament, and Prime Minister in 1947 during Greece’s Civil War.
After Demetrios Maximos’ death, the Greek government renovated the mansion for use in hosting foreign leaders and other official visitors to Greece. Since 1982, the Maximos Mansion has been used as the official residence and office of the Prime Minister.
The architect Anastasios Chelmis designed the mansion in the spirit of the 1920s and in the sumptuous architectural style of the large detached houses in the neighboring area. The mansion is a luxurious, single-story neoclassical residence built in the pattern of the urban Palais. Gardens and lawns allow for expansive open external space while the interior is characterized by spacious reception rooms, central staircases, and ample sitting rooms.
Joint Press Statement with Prime Minister Simitis
Prime
Minister’s Office
Departure Ceremony
Presidential Palace
Speech
Inter-Continental Hotel
Meeting with the Opposition Leader
Inter-Continental
Hotel
Embassy Event
Inter-Continental Hotel
After the embassy event, the President and the First Lady will depart Athens for Florence, Italy.
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