Military work round-the-clock to relieve fuel-starved Greece

Aug 1, 2010, 10:59 GMT

Athens - Greece's armed forces and fuel companies worked around the clock on Sunday to relieve fuel-staved petrol stations, airports and hospitals across the country during an open-end strike by truck drivers.

Authorities in Greece have called in the army to help maintain supplies of fuel and food, after a seven-day old strike by haulage drivers continued Sunday.

To prevent a repeat of clashes with striking drivers, the armed forces are accompanied by jeeps and police cars as they worked around the clock to restock supplies to airports, hospitals, remote islands and electricity centers.

Two people were injured on Friday after riot police clashed with striking truckers' in the northern port city after army fuel trucks attempted to enter an oil refinery.

Meanwhile fuel companies dispatched their own trucks on Sunday in an effort to replenish petrol stations left dry.

Officials said more than 50 per cent of the petrol stations in Athens and in the northern port city of Thessaloniki were fully supplied and expected the situation to normalize by Monday.

More than 35,000 truck drivers have been on strike since the start of the week after disobeying a government emergency order to return to work.

Lorry drivers are protesting against plans to cut licence charges - part of major reforms required of Greece to boost competition and one of the conditions of a 110 billion euro bailout package by the European Union and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Road freight remains one of Greece's most closed professions with no new licenses issued for nearly 40 years.

The reforms will mean drivers will no longer be able to sell their business licences privately - sometimes for as much as 300,000 euros - greatly devaluing the initial investment they made.

Facing arrest and prosecution unless they return to work, a large majority of the drivers have defied the emergency civil mobilization order. The Truckers Association said they will meet later on Sunday to decide whether to continue their protest.

A hauliers decision to continue their strike came as a team of EU, IMF and European Central Bank officials are visiting Athens to monitor progress and decide whether to release the second installment of the emergency package in September, totalling 9 billion euros.

The stoppage has affected imports and exports and seen many tourists stranded as petrol supplies ran dry at the peak of the tourism season, as well as ordinary Greeks stuck without fuel.

Hundreds of rented cars have been left abandoned on the side of the road on many Greek islands after they had run out of petrol.

Meanwhile, thousands of tourists, mainly from Serbia and Bulgaria, who drove to Greece for their holidays have been stranded as petrol stations dried up.