GREECE SCRAPS U.S. BASE CLOSURE REQUEST
Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou has
withdrawn a request to Washington to suspend operations at an
American army base near Athens as a Greek-Turkish row over oil
rights in the Aegean eased.
    A Turkish research ship which Greece had threatened to
tackle if it sailed into disputed waters in the Aegean Sea kept
to Turkish territorial waters yesterday, avoiding a potential
clash.
    Papandreou expressed qualified optimism after briefing
opposition leaders on Aegean developments early yesterday.
    The Greek government later withdrew Friday's request to
Washington to close down its telecommunications base at Nea
Makri, north of Athens, saying that the reasons which had
prompted it to make the request were no longer valid.
    Under the terms of the U.S.-Greek bases accord, Greece has
the right to ask for suspension of operations at times when its
national interests are threatened.
    The row in the Aegean erupted after Turkey said it would
search for oil round three Greek islands off its coast
following an announcement from Greece that it planned to drill
east of Thassos island after taking control of a Canadian-led
oil consortium operating in the northern Aegean.
    Turkey accused Greece of breaching the 1976 Berne Agreement
under which both sides agreed to preserve the status quo in the
Aegean until their continental shelf dispute was settled.
Athens says it considers the accord inactive.
    The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement it had
received an assurance from Greece that it would not carry out
oil activities outside its territorial waters. Greece declined
comment on the statement.
    Papandreou repeated an invitation to Turkey to take the
long-standing continental shelf dispute to the International
Court of Justice at The Hague.
    Conservative opposition leader Constantine Mitsotakis said
he had urged Papandreou to accept an offer from NATO General
Secretary Lord Carrington to help resolve the row.
 REUTER
