Jet deal expected to anger Greece

Press, 13 July 1984, Page 6

Jet deal expected to anger Greece

By

WILLIAM SCALLY,

of

Reuter (through NZPA) Washington

The Reagan Administration is turning the other cheek to a blast of criticism from Greece while privately considering how to handle its latest quarrel with the Socialist Government of Dr Andreas Papandreou. While Athens has accused the United States this week of launching an offensive against the Greek Government, the State Department has emphasised the importance of United States-Greek ties. But at the same time Washington was expected to bar the transfer of surplus United States-made Northrop F 5 interceptor aircraft .from Norway to Greece, and authorise the transfer to Turkey, officials said. The Papandreou Government has long been at odds with the United States and other N.A.T.O. countries over attitudes towards the Soviet Union and American military aid to Turkey, Greece’s long-standing foe. On Monday Greece accused the United States of overarming Turkey. It said that preserving the GreekTurkish power balance was

essential to good relations between Athens and Washington, “which include hosting U.S. bases as well as hosting the ‘Voice of America’.” The State Department has refused to reply to the accusations. A spokesman, Alan Romberg, merely said yesterday that the United States was ready to resume negotiations on the lapsed agreements covering the two Voice of America transmitting stations in Greece. Officials said that Turkey had submitted a request for the Fss — delivered to Norway in 1966-67 — long before Greece expressed interest. But the expected transfer of the planes to Turkey is bound to provoke another blast from Athens. Greece has long been able to count on strong support from the United States Congress, which has members of Greek descent and others representing sizeable GreekAmerican communities. Turkey lacks similar allies in the United States and has aroused hostility with its military occupation of northern Cyprus. But a key congressman, Lee Hamilton, (Dem., Indiana), recently raised ques-

tions about Greek policies, including a speech by Dr Papandreou in May denouncing the United States as imperialist and praising the Soviet Union. Mr Hamilton said that there was “a rising frustration” in Congress with Dr Papandreou’s attacks on the United States that could not continue, “without at some point eroding the Congressional support for Greece.” An Assistant Secretary of State, Richard Burt, told Mr Hamilton that the United States had exercised “a great deal of patience” in dealing with Dr Papandreou.

“We have tried to be in a position to argue credibly that if there is a real break in the United States-Greek relationship, that it has come about because of intemperance on the part of Dr Papandreou and not on the part of the U.S. Government,” Mr Burt said. It was frustrating he said, to deal with an ally that defended the Soviet Union and criticised the United States, and that supported Soviet arms control proposals but refused to join a N.A.T.O. consensus on deploying new nuclear weapons.