US Secretary of State Colin Powell has cancelled a controversial trip to Athens to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.
The US State Department said today that Mr Powell would not be able to attend 'due to the press of business in Washington'.
Mr Powell's planned trip to Greece, which was to have started today, had sparked protests with hundreds of demonstrators marching in central Athens yesterday to denounce his arrival.
A huge banner bearing the message 'Powell killer go home' was draped over the Acropolis hillside overnight by militants of the Greek Communist Party.
Hours earlier, hundreds of demonstrators surrounded by a large
number of police officers had rallied in central Athens carrying banners that read 'Powell Out' and 'US out of Iraq'.
Riot police meanwhile used tear gas to disperse a group of anti-globalisation protesters trying to march to the US embassy in Athens.
The protesters had planned to use a road set aside for official Olympic cars only.
Rallies also took place in seveal other cities.
During his brief trip, Colin Powell was to have held talks with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.
The Greek foreign ministry said the cancellation was not related to the protests.
Bush campaign ad to continue
President George W Bush's re-election campaign will continue to run a television ad that mentions the Olympics by name, despite objections from the US Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee.
USOC officials had protested that federal law gives them the exclusive rights to the name.
The ad shows a swimmer and the flags of Iraq and Afghanistan.
‘In 1972, there were 40 democracies in the world. Today, 120,’ a voice says. ‘Freedom is spreading throughout the world like a sunrise. And this Olympics there will be two more free nations. And two fewer terrorist regimes.’
Bush campaign staff say that the law gives the USOC exclusive rights only to sell goods or services or to promote athletic competition. The campaign avoided using the symbol of five rings in the ad, they said.
Some of the players on the Iraqi Olympic soccer team, and their coach Adnan Hamed, have complained about the ads.
A spokesman for the team said the ad and comments by President Bush put the lives of Iraqi athletes in danger.
Most of the team comes from Sadr City, the Baghdad slum where fighters loyal to Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr frequently clash with US forces.
