Confirming a Commitment

Papandreou changes his mind on U.S. bases

Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou called it "a historic day for Greece." Flanked by his entire Cabinet, he announced last week that his government had just initialed a new agreement allowing the U.S. to keep four major military bases and 20 smaller installations in Greece for another five years. The accord, which climaxed nine months of difficult negotiations, signaled a change of attitude for Papandreou, who campaigned in 1981 on a pledge to close down the bases and pull Greece out of NATO.

Even so, Greeks interpreted the agreement as a major triumph for Papandreou. President Constantine Karamanlis, a staunch advocate of Greece's alliance with the West, congratulated the government on the agreement. Only the Communists expressed dissatisfaction. They sent 6,000 demonstrators into the streets of Athens to protest.

The agreement contains several new provisions. Any U.S. attempt to use the bases for activities in the Middle East or Persian Gulf will require the explicit approval of the Greek government. In the event of a national emergency, Greece will have the right to suspend all activities on the bases unilaterally. Reflecting Greece's longstanding mistrust of neighboring Turkey, the U.S. agreed to help preserve the balance of forces in the Aegean.

American diplomats also expressed satisfaction with the agreement. Said a senior State Department official: "It benefits the U.S., Greece and the NATO alliance." Most important, it reaffirms Greece's commitment to the West. If Papandreou has softened his attitude toward NATO, it is because he realized after taking office that a withdrawal from the alliance would probably result in an increase in Western military aid to Turkey, which Greece feels poses the most direct threat to its security.

Now that negotiations have been completed, the Administration can proceed with its plan to provide Greece with an additional $220 million in aid during fiscal 1984, bringing the total to $500 million. The package is subject to congressional approval, but a State Department spokesman noted last week that in the "good atmosphere" that now exists between the two countries, the request should encounter few problems on Capitol Hill. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.