Congress Members Rep. Maloney and Rep. Bilirakis Send Letter To VISA CEO!

For Immediate Release: December 12, 2008

Contact: Nikolaos Taneris, New York, Tel. 1-917-699-9935,
Ioannis Fidanakis, New Jersey, Tel. 1-973-464-0211

NEW YORK--The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) and the Hellenic League of
America are proud to announce today that the Co-Chairs of the Hellenic Caucus in
the US Congress, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney [D-NY] and U.S. Rep. Gus M.
Bilirakis (R-Fla.) have co-written a letter sent today to VISA CEO Joseph
Saunders based on our actions to stop the false historical revisionism of the
“United Macedonian Diaspora UMD” and to stop the VISA “Macedonian” Card with a
Star of Vergina, that belongs to Greece.


We thank our Members of Congress and encourage our grass-roots to continue
writing letters and to please take the time to personally thank our Congress
members for their commitment to historical truth and Hellenism.

Please find the PDF original letter from the Co-Chairs of the Hellenic Caucus,
Reps. Maloney and Bilirakis to Visa CEO Joseph Saunders on links in our
homepage: www.cyprusactionnetwork.org

(Copy of Original Letter Sent Today By Members of U.S. Congress)

CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES
Washington DC, 20515
December 12, 2008
Mr. Joseph W. Saunders
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Visa, Inc.
P.O. Box 8999
San Francisco, CA 941 28-8999

Dear Mr. Saunders,

As co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues and the
congressional
Representatives for large Greek-American constituencies, we are writing to
express our strong
concern about a Visa card portraying the Star of Vergina to be issued by UMB
Bank on behalf of
the "United Macedonian Diaspora."

We have long been concerned about efforts by the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia (FYROM) and its diaspora to adopt symbols and images significant to
Greece as part
of a propaganda campaign. We believe that the "United Macedonian Diaspora's"
efforts
regarding this credit card may be yet another example.

The Star of Vergina, unearthed in the 1970s during archaeological excavations in
the
Greek province of Macedonia, is copyrighted exclusively by Greece and protected
by the Paris
Convention for the Protection of State Emblems, and Names, Abbreviations and
Emblems of
International Intergovernmental Organizations under the WIPO (World Intellectual
Property
Organization). All historical and archaeological evidence demonstrates that the
ancient
Macedonians were Greek. Macedonia is a Greek name that has designated the
northern area of
Greece for 2,500 years.

Therefore, we would strongly urge Visa, Inc., to reconsider issuing this credit
card with
the Star of Vergina on it, and to work with Greek-Americans to ensure that this
type of situation
does not occur in the future.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
-

Member of Congress
CAROLYN B. MALONEY

Member of Congress
GUS M. BILIRAKIS
####

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Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA)
2578 Broadway #132
New York, NY 10025
New York: Tel. 917-699-9935
Email: cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org
www.cyprusactionnetwork.org
========================

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