AMERICAN MARINES ON CORFU: Slog concerns vindicated as Athens confirms Ionian oil & gas finds

Yesterday I posted a Smoke Signals on the subject of the oddly secret Corfu visit of American 6th fleet amphibian landing ship the USS Carter Hall (left) twice in the last ten days.
It now transpires that four days ago, the Greek government confirmed that Norwegian seismic surveys in the waters of the Ionian islands have shown that these areas are rich in oil and natural gas. The results were confirmed by the Ministry of Environment, Energy & Climate Change.
Researchers found hydrocarbons in 30% of the samples in a marine area of 225,000 square kilometres.

So, um, that may explain the American marines being “told to get out and get a lay of the land and to get to know the culture”. And, er, the fact that the official online itinerary for USS Carter Hall made no mention of docking in Corfu.
This story is important to me in that it smacks of the ‘Great’ Powers dividing up what they increasingly see as a Vassal State…especially after the quasi-annexation of Cyprus two weeks ago. The first signs of this view of Greece are obvious in last year’s bailout deal.
No wonder Yannis Stournaras, the Greek finance minister, said last night the latest round of Troika talks were ‘difficult’. What Yannis should do is tell the Troika to go f**k their mothers.
http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/american-marines-on-corfu-slog-concerns-vindicated-as-athens-confirms-ionian-oil-gas-finds/