U.S. arms at Games get OK

ATHENS, Greece -- Under intense pressure from the United States, Greece will allow 400 U.S. Special Forces soldiers to be present at the Olympic Games next month under NATO auspices and will also permit American, Israeli and possibly British security officers to carry weapons, Greek and American officials said.

The delicate arrangements, which the officials say will not be formally acknowledged for fear of roiling anti-American sentiment, represent a significant departure from Olympic tradition, as well as from Greek law, which prohibits foreign personnel from carrying weapons within the country.

In addition to the Special Forces, the agreements call for 100 American armed agents to be used largely as bodyguards for American athletes and dignitaries. The FBI is also sending a hostage rescue team, as well as evidence-gathering and analysis personnel who will be pressed into service in the event of an attack. They, too, will be armed, said an American law enforcement official.

Despite the agreements, Greece and the United States are still in prickly negotiations over the rules that will govern the American security agents -- how many there will be, what kind of weapons they can carry and when they can use them, and where they can operate, American and Greek officials said.

"I am certain we are going to be able to carry our guns," an American official said. "I'm not sure what we're going to own up to. The Greeks had made a number of other concessions on security matters that the Americans will not admit to, he said. "We must do this in a way that gives the Greeks their national pride."

Intelligence agencies have not picked up information that al- Qaida is planning an attack at the Games, officials from several countries said in interviews over the last few days.

The biggest concern remains that some Greek anarchist group will set off a small explosive device in a public area removed from the Olympics and cause a panic that could affect the Games. The Greeks are not sufficiently prepared to deal with this, foreign officials said. The Greeks are worried that even though the armed American forces will all be required to operate in the presence of Greek police officers, there is potential for confusion between the various armed forces. A European law enforcement official said he agreed with the concern. "If we all go in expecting to take care of security on our own, it's going to be a disaster," he said.

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