EU chief inspects damage caused by Greek wildfires - Haaretz

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Sun., September 02, 2007 Elul 19, 5767

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Last update - 01:08 02/09/2007

EU chief inspects damage caused by Greek wildfires

By The Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso toured fire damaged areas in southern Greece by helicopter, and promised aid to relieve areas where 64 people died and an estimated 190,000 hectares (469,000 acres) of mostly forest and farmland were destroyed.

Fires also forced the evacuation of two villages yesterday and the rescue of a group of firefighters surrounded by flames, authorities said.

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"We are with you and we will stay with you ... we will do everything we can to support Greece," Barroso said after a two-hour tour of the ravaged Peloponnese peninsula with Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

"The Greek problem is a European problem ... Now we must rebuild what has been destroyed," Barroso said. "This was a very exceptional situation considering the number and intensity of the fire fronts."

On Friday, the European Union said Greece would probably receive $237 million in emergency aid and could be eligible for another $546 million, after the government issues an official assessment of the damage - currently estimated at more than $1.6 billion.

Barroso said aid would be paid out of the EU's Solidarity Fund, created in 2002 to deal with major natural disasters. "We can, if necessary, mobilize other funds," he said.

All major fires in the Peloponnese and the island of Evia have been generally contained since Wednesday - after burning for a week - but firefighters continue to battle nightly rekindled blazes that have destroyed more homes and forced village evacuations.

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