PLO Embassy Staff in Athens on Strike Over Unpaid Salaries

Strategic Insights -

The Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) embassy staff in Athens, Greece, has been on strike for 10 days due to unpaid salaries. According to diplomatic sources, the 20 employees have not received their salaries for the past year, dating back to the signing of the Palestinian self-rule document in September 1993. The staff is now considering selling the embassy building to raise funds for their unpaid salaries.

Key Takeaways:

  • The PLO embassy staff in Athens has been on strike for 10 days, with 20 employees participating in the strike.
  • The staff has not received their salaries for the past year, with the issue dating back to the signing of the Palestinian self-rule document in September 1993.
  • PLO Ambassador Abdullah Abdullah is among the staffers who have not been paid, despite being the head of the mission.
  • Diplomatic sources indicate that PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat wants the PLO embassies closed down, and as a result, salary payments to mission staffers were frozen.
  • Some staff members have considered selling the PLO embassy building to raise money for their unpaid salaries.
  • The embassy staff has refused to make a public statement, with a spokesman cited as saying "This is not a political issue."
  • The embassy is located in the affluent Psyhico suburb of Athens, near the Israeli embassy and other Middle Eastern embassies.

Statistics:

  • 20 PLO embassy staff members in Athens are on strike.
  • The staff has not received their salaries for the past year, dating back to September 1993.
  • The PLO embassy is located in the Psyhico suburb of Athens, in a building known as the "Little Middle East."
  • The embassy is surrounded by several other Middle Eastern embassies, including those of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and Libya.

Sources:

  • United Press International (UPI)
  • Diplomatic sources close to the PLO embassy in Athens
  • Palestinian self-rule document signed between PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in September 1993.