Seek to End Historic Enmity at Talks in Athens : Greek, Turkish Leaders Meet on Note of Hope

ATHENS â€”  The prime ministers of Greece and Turkey conferred here Monday on how to put aside the historic enmity between the two countries, but there was more hope than optimism.

On a hot, sunny day 15 months after the two countries nearly went to war over mineral rights in the Aegean Sea, Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and his Cabinet turned out to welcome visiting Turkish Prime Minister Turgut Ozal.

Both sides had cautioned against great expectations, but the mere fact of the encounter--the first visit to Athens by a Turkish prime minister in nearly four decades--showed that change is taking place.

“We have an ensured peace, but we’re striving for the consolidation of peace in the region,� Papandreou told Greek legislators in advance of the visit.

And Ozal said Monday: “We must have realistic expectations. . . . We are laying a strong foundation for expanding cooperation in the future.�

‘Ozal Stay Home’

For a second day, demonstrators massed in downtown Athens to protest the visit. “Ozal Stay Home,� urged a spray-painted message along the route of the Turkish motorcade through a heavily guarded beach resort south of the city. The message was in English, the language of the two leaders’ discussions.

A group of Greek Cypriot women briefly barred the path of tourists at the Acropolis in protest. About 4,000 Greek leftists, Cypriots, Armenians and refugee Kurds jostled together Monday night in a march toward the Turkish Embassy, underscoring the depth of the differences between the two countries. “Freedom for Cyprus,� some of them chanted, and others: “No talks with murdering Turks.�

The three days of meetings, which will take up not only the question of Aegean air, sea and undersea rights but also the issue of divided Cyprus, are the fruit of a Papandreou-Ozal meeting in neutral Switzerland in January.

Both leaders were shocked at how close war seemed in March, 1987, when Greece mobilized after Turkey decided to send a ship exploring for oil on the continental shelf. Ozal called off the exploratory mission and Papandreou subsequently shifted from a no-negotiations policy to a no-war stance that allowed the Switzerland meeting to take place.

Ozal had proposed dealing first with matters like trade, on which agreement and cooperation seemed most feasible, but Papandreou was under strong domestic pressure to deal immediately with Cyprus, the most volatile and divisive problem.

Ties to Cyprus Problem

“It is evident that progress in Greek-Turkish relations is directly affected by the solution of the Cyprus problem, and the solution of that problem is directly linked to the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island,� Papandreou said in a speech Monday night at a state dinner for Ozal.

Turkey invaded the northern third of the island in 1974 after a coup attempt, inspired by Athens, by conspirators calling for union with Greece.

By Greek count, there are 30,000 Turkish troops on the island, although Turkey says the number is closer to 19,000. There are no longer any dealings between Greek Cypriots and Turk Cypriots. Turkey is the only country in the world that has recognized the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which was proclaimed in 1983.