NATO says disputes between Greece and Turkey affecting alliance

Aug 27, 2009, 13:32 GMT

Athens - NATO's new chief on Thursday said the ongoing bilateral dispute between Greece and Turkey was affecting alliance efforts in Afghanistan, namely the safety of international troops on the ground.

'I do not think we could allow a lack of security because of all these political disputes - we have to find pragmatic solutions - we have discussed this today and will raise these issues during my visit to Turkey,' Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters.

His address skirted the issue of Cyprus, which is at the centre of the ongoing dispute between the two NATO members.

Rasmussen, who took over the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's top job this month, will head to Ankara later on Thursday as part of a tour of NATO capitals.

He said bad relations between Athens and Ankara were preventing NATO and the European Union from concluding a security agreement, and possibly putting personnel on the ground at risk.

While both NATO and the EU have missions in Afghanistan there is currently no security agreement detailing what task each will carry out or how the two organizations will support each other.

'I hope to see an improvement in the relations between NATO and the EU, who are both represented on the ground in Afghanistan. The fact that they are unable to conclude a security agreement should be a matter of major concern to politicians.'

The former Danish prime minister told reporters that one of the biggest challenges in the coming months and years is to ensure the success of the mission in Afghanistan.

'One of the main goals will be to gradually hand over security to the Afghans themselves - to establish a training mission so that Afghan soldiers can take over security themselves,' he said, adding that alliance members are being encouraged to provide resources for the training mission there.

The eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus has been divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974 sparked by a brief Greek-inspired coup.

Greek Cypriots have lived in the south of Cyprus and Turkish Cypriots in the north, split by a United Nations-supervised buffer zone which runs through the heart of the island's capital.

Turkey refuses to recognize the government of the Greek Cypriot- run Republic of Cyprus, which claims sovereignty over the whole island. The Turkish Cypriots have a breakaway enclave in the north.

Ankara also refuses to allow Cyprus-flagged ships and planes to dock at its ports and airports, despite having signed a customs accord agreement with the European Union.

The EU has repeatedly warned Turkey its accession bid could be at risk unless it lifts the embargo.

'We need a rational use of our forces on an operational level and we need to have common sense when NATO seeks more cooperation with the EU and this is with all its members in respect to international law,' said Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, adding that 'this requires good will.'

Asked whether Greece will contribute to the security reconstruction in Afghanistan, Karamanlis said 'Greece employs its military in missions and participates in reconstructing infrastructure and democratic institutions and the training of the local population.'