ATHENS, July 24 (AFP) - The United States will send 150 special agents to protect the American team at next month's Olympic Games, a report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a part of the Library of Congress published here Saturday claimed.
"The (US) State Department plans to spend 2.76 million dollars (2.2 million euros) for 150 Special Agents to be assigned on temporary duty to Athens and environs prior to and during the Olympic Games," the report dated April 30 said.
Citing official documents, the report said that the US Department of State "will seek, to the extent practicable, reimbursement from the US Olympic Committee for the security provided to the US Olympic Team by the Diplomatic Security Special Agents during the 2004 Summer Olympics".
On May 30, Greek daily Vima had published excerpts from a letter by US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to US Congress, requesting 4.5 million dollars for the agents' deployment.
The CRS report did not indicate that the agents will be armed. "The funds cover airfare, per diem, lodging, shipment of armored vehicles, local transportation and other support costs," it said.
Greece said that no foreign, armed guards would be allowed to protect athletes at the Games.
Greek Public Order Minister Yiorgos Voulgarakis said that a declaration he made to an Athens radio Thursday, according to which non-Greek armed guards, licensed to carry arms by their own embassies here, could accompany foreign athletes during the Olympics outside the Games' venues had been "wrongly interpreted".
Tensions in Iraq and the Middle East have heightened fears of an attack on the August 13-29 Games. But Greek and international officials said there is no information on any extremist group having such plans.
Greece is spending 1.2 billion euros (1.5 billion dollars) and will deploy around 70,000 security personnel -- nearly seven for each athlete -- on the Games's security.
NATO will provide stand-by troops outside Greece to guard against a possible terrorist threat against the Olympics, alongside air and sea surveillance and a biochemical warfare batallion on the ground.