Greece, Turkey Make Deal Agreement Moves Countries Back From The Brink Of War

Greece announced a “disengagement agreement” had been reached with Turkey over a disputed cluster of rocks in the Aegean Sea after the United States intervened early today. Both NATO allies immediately began to withdraw their forces.

“We are retaining our sovereign rights over the islets,” Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said after a six and-a-half-hour emergency Cabinet meeting that ended at dawn.

Defense Minister Gerasimos Arsenis said the situation would return to the “status quo,” ending the worst crisis since the two countries nearly went to war in 1987 over Aegean seabed mineral rights.

“The United States intervened so as to avoid a hot incident,” Pangalos told reporters in Parliament. He said the agreement was reached after President Clinton spoke to Premier Constantine Simitis of Greece and Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller.

The two ministers said Greek troops on Imia, a two-rock barren islet just off the Turkish coast, would be the last to leave. They added that Turkish troops would also withdraw.

The crisis had been fueled by news reports in both countries making possession of the 10-acre islet a point of national honor.

Since the weekend, seven Greek ships have shadowed a seven-vessel Turkish force at the rocky islet, inhabited only by a small goat herd.

Turkish and Greek fighter jets chased one other Tuesday, twice engaging in air duels.

Early Tuesday, Turkey placed soldiers on one of the rock clusters in retaliation for Greece doing the same on Monday, the Turkish foreign minister, Deniz Baykal, said.

Nine Greek soldiers remained on part of the islet. According to private Turkish TV channel D, 20 Turkish navy commandos had reached a rock across from the Greeks.