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Press Conference by HM King Constantine 5 December 2002 Category: Interviews On December 5th 2002, King Constantine invited members of the Greek and foreign press to Claridges Hotel, London, in order to respond to the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights regarding his legal battle with the Greek government. The following text is the basis of the statement made by HM King Constantine. Before I begin, I would like to thank the legal team who helped me prove that my human rights were indeed violated. I want to reiterate that the only thing that my family and I have asked for all this time was for our home and the graves of our forefathers to be returned to us. Whatever figures have been presented by the government or press as my demands, have simply been estimates of the properties in question, as demanded by the Court. I would also like to emphasize, that the only defeat in this case has been the government's persistence to give me money instead of what was proven to belong to us. Other than that, whatever the amount of compensation, our intention had always been to return it to the Greek people. To utilize this money in the best possible way in the interest of Greeks. My family and I have decided therefore, to establish a trust. Its purpose would be to identify and provide help to those areas and peoples with most needs. I won't bore your viewers with the intricacies of the war that the Greek government has declared upon me? What I can tell you is that I am fed up with the distorted facts and propaganda that members of the press and the political world in Greece have so easily fabricated. Additionally, the web site of the Greek Royal family will soon be hosting an account of those terrible days of the coup, in answer to accusations that the King was responsible for the general's uprising. Ladies and Gentlemen, Greece is in the middle of negotiations that will determine the future of my country. It is facing two vital dates in the next week -and I mean Iraq on the 8th and of course the issue of Cyprus on the 12th. Insisting on issues they know do not exist, is therefore negligence and an effort to divert the public's focus from the important issues to petty ones. I will continue to be involved in the matters that most affect my country, and I will answer once more to the government's condemnations, that I always was and always will remain, Greek.  The following media files are available for this item:
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