Flame of hope

[24 July 2004] PIERIA - As the Olympic torch bearers made their historic way through the Greek homeland where the Olympic games were born, the theme of peaceful coexistence was prominent in the ceremonies of the many towns and villages through which the torch passed from Macedonia in the north to Athens in the south.

In Pieria, a hospitable town which embraced and warmly applauded its torchbearers, Mayor Apostolos Dimitriou made a wish for world peace and and a global Olympic Truce.

"This Flame is the condensation of the entirety of Greek culture throughout its course and it demands a global truce and peace. May these events unfold in just such a fashion."

In Kolindros, near the Aliakmonas River delta, the Olympic Flame with Macedonian dances and songs.

"Each torchbearer becomes one who communes with the light of peaceful coexistence; a ray of light that will warm the hearts of all mankind and give Greece the opportunity to make her light stronger throughout the world, uniting regional communities with the string of culture," said Mayor Thomas Solopotias.