BEIJING, 13/07/2005 (ANA/S.Aravopoulou)
Alternate Culture Minister Fani Palli-Petralia continued her visit to China on Tuesday, described as a 'major success' by China's Vice President Chen Zhili, with an official dinner held in her honor.

"Although you have been in Beijing for only a few days you achieved a major success - to make Greece the 'guest of honor' during the 2008 Beijing Olympics," Zhili said, referring to the relevant memorandum of cooperation Petralia and China's Culture Minister Sun Jiazheng signed on Monday.

"As a result of your visit, our Olympic Games preparations will proceed further," Zhili said.

On her part, Petralia said: "There is an impression that we politicians talk a lot and do little, but we proved that in just a few days we achieved a lot."

She also conveyed Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis' positive feedback on current developments. Karamanlis, who has accepted the Chinese government's invitation, will be visiting China by the end of the year.

Earlier on Tuesday, Petralia shared Greece's Olympic experience with Chinese and Asian viewers with interviews she gave CCTV and BEIJIN TV.

She said that the 2008 Olympic Games would be an excellent opportunity for China to show its dynamic presence and explained how important it is to have citizens involved in preparations and the staging of the Games, through volunteerism for example.

Furthermore, Petralia stressed the need for hard work right to the end, with particular emphasis needed on issues such as security, hospitality, organization, transportation and coordination.

Finally, Petralia also visited China's National Archaeological Museum, which will host an exhibit in 2008 dedicated to the history of the Olympic Games. The museum's curator Pan Zhenzhou gave Petralia a guided tour.

Source: Athens News Agency

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