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ANKARA, April 8 (AFP) - Turkey ought to scrap a
decade-old policy of viewing any extension of Greek
territorial waters as cause for war, in a bid to
further improve ties, Turkish parliament speaker
Bulent Arinc said in comments published Friday.
"We are in a new era. A decision such as this
between neighbours creates problems," Arinc told
Turkish newspapers.
The Turkish parliament debated in June 1995 a
proposal giving the government authority to take
measures -- including military action -- against an
attempt by neighbouring Greece to extend its
territorial waters to 12 miles (19 kilometres) in
the Aegean Sea separating the two countries.
The proposal was approved by acclamation -- it was
never formally voted upon in the house although it
became a central point in Turkish foreign policy,
Arinc explained.
"We have to reevaluate this," he said. "In this new
era, we need to focus on steps that will reinforce
friendship."
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters
there was no change in Ankara's policy, but stressed
that he favoured resolving disputes through
dialogue.
"Turkey's attitude on Aegean problems is clear and a
change is out of the question," he said when asked
about Arinc's proposal. "We want to resolve problems
between Turkey and Greece peacefully, through
dialogue and in line with the interests of both
countries."
The debate in Turkey came just days before an
official April 12-13 visit by Greek Foreign Minister
Petros Molyviatis, which Gul said would help boost a
significant rapprochement in the two neighbors'
traditionally stormy ties.
Although they are enjoying an unusual period of
warmth in bilateral relations, NATO allies Turkey
and Greece remain at loggerheads over territorial
rights in the Aegean and regularly trade accusations
of violations and harassment.
Athens currently claims that its territorial waters
extend to six miles and its air space to 10 miles
around its coastline, but Turkey says Greece's air
space should extend only as far as its territorial
waters.
In 1996, the two neighbours nearly went to war over
a rocky islet called Kardak in Turkish and Imia in
Greek, but the United States stepped in and defused
the tension.
In January 2002, the countries launched closed-door
talks to resolve their disputes. There has been no
sign of progress so far.
"These problems cannot be resolved easily, but both
sides are pursuing the talks with determination,"
Gul said.
AFP
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