Greece to Demand Turkish Explanation on Entry Ban Issue

Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou would ask his Turkish counterpart, Ismail Cem, for explanation concerning the entry ban on nine Greeks, including Archbishop of Athens and All of Greece Christodoulos, the Macedonia Press Agency (MPA) reported Sunday. A Turkish newspaper report said that Turkey had barred Archbishop Christodoulos, seven Greek deputies and a retired Greek naval commander from entering into the neighboring country for their anti-Turkish sentiment, including support for Kurdish autonomy.

Commenting on the issue, Papandreou said that such actions were the product of fanatic circles in Turkey which wanted to halt the Greek-Turkish rapprochement process.

If the newspaper report was confirmed, he said, the Greek government would undertake every necessary action towards Turkey and the European Union (EU).

For decades, Greece and Turkey, both NATO members, have been at odds for their territorial dispute in the eastern Aegean Sea and the Cyprus problem, but the two neighboring countries have since last June begun to improve their strained relations.

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