Greek P.M. rejects culture minister’s ...resignation

ATHENS (AFP) ― Greek culture minister Pavlos Geroulanos’s offer to resign over a major robbery at a museum in the city of Olympia has been rejected by the country’s premier, an official statement said Wednesday.

Geroulanos had submitted his resignation on Friday, after robbers made off with scores of artefacts including items dating back over 3,000 years from a museum in the ancient Greek city of Olympia.

But in a meeting between Geroulanos and Papademos, the culture minister was told his resignation had not been accepted, a statement from the prime minister’s office said.

Papademos instead asked the culture minister to “exhaust all avenues” in the probe.

Police and the culture ministry have released a list of 77 items stolen from the Ancient Olympic Games museum.

They include a 3,300-year-old gold ring, a bronze statuette of a victorious athlete, a 2,400-year-old oil jar, clay lamps, bronze tripods and miniature chariot wheels, as well as dozens of idols of charioteers, horses and bulls.