Greek PM declares national state of emergency

ATHENS, Aug 25 (Reuters) The Greek government declared a state of emergency for the entire country today after forest fires killed at least 44 people in the southern Peloponnese region.

''All regions of the country are declared in a state of emergency in order to mobilise all means and forces to face this disaster,'' Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said in an address to the nation.

Scores of fires have swept through the Peloponnese and other regions since Friday, trapping hundreds in villages. Greece has asked its European Union partners for help.

''So many fire fronts in so many locations in the country can't be a coincidence,'' Karamanlis said. ''The state will do its utmost to find the culprits and punish them.

''No one has the right to take human lives and destroy the environment ... to destroy our country.'' Karamanlis, who faces a parliamentary election on September 16, announced relief measures for the affected areas.

''I feel deep pain for the dead, for the mother who perished in the flames, with her children in her arms,'' he said.

Reuters GT GC2131