Greek minister to tour Middle East for Jerusalem patriarchate talks

ATHENS - Greece's Deputy Foreign Minister Panagiotis Skandalakis is to visit Tel Aviv, Ramallah and Amman next week for talks with officials on a land sale scandal surrounding the Greek Orthodox patriarchate of Jerusalem, a ministry source said Wednesday.
Skandalakis' visit is aimed at ascertaining the nature of pledges made to Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian officials by Jerusalem's embattled patriarch Irineos I, who has been accused of selling politically sensitive Old City church land to Jewish investors.
"Some of these pledges may be contradictory," the source said.
Skandalakis is to meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, and could also hold talks with Palestinian Authority prime minister Ahmed Qorei and Jordanian minister for education and religious affairs Ahmed Heleil, the source said.
The minister's trip will take place in the middle of next week, the source said, without elaborating.

04/06/2005 10:40 GMT