Flyovers, fence mar Greek PM's visit to Turkey

Allegations that Turkish fighter jets have been flying over half a dozen Greek islands in the Aegean Sea soured a "gesture visit" by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou to Turkey late last week. Speaking to a conference in Erzurum of Turkish ambassadors, Papandreou criticized the alleged flyovers, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's response was conciliatory. "We have to find a solution to the problems in the Aegean based on mutual benefits, and we will," he said at the conference, adding that Papandreou is Turkey's friend. "We have to get into the spirit of consensus. There's no reason why we can't solve this problem." One Foreign Ministry official said, "Generally, 2010 was a great year for the Turkish-Greek relationship. There were several high-level successful visits." Another recent glitch in ties is Athens' plan to build a 12-kilometer fence along its land border with Turkey in order to stem illegal immigration by third-country nationals. "We need highways, not walls," Erdogan told the conference.