ISTANBUL - The Turkish military said Wednesday it was still awaiting an apology from Greece over the vandalizing of a Turkish flag in Athens, warning that it would otherwise reconsider a confidence-building program between the armies of the two troubled neighbors.
"We are still waiting for Greece to officially apologize and find those responsible for the incident," the Turkish chief of general staff, General Hilmi Ozkok said in a speech at the military academy here.
A group of Turkish officers visiting an Athens military academy last week as part of confidence-building measures between the two countries found a vandalized Turkish flag, inscribed with hostile slogans, in their room.
The incident coincided with a visit to Ankara by Greek Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis, during which the two sides announced further steps to bring their armies closer.
Greece's failure to offer an official apology, "may lead to the reconsideration of such (confidence-building) activities," Ozkok said.
Athens has condemned the incident as "regrettable" and promised to find and punish the perpetrators.
Although they are currently enjoying unusual warmth in their ties, NATO allies Turkey and Greece remain at loggerheads over territorial rights in the Aegean Sea and frequently trade accusations of violations and harassment.
Ozkok also denounced what he described as rising Greek military expenditures.
He added, however, that the Turkish army continued to favor defusing tensions in the Aegean and improving rapprochment between the two neighbors.
On the Cyprus conflict, another contentious issue, Ozkok accused the European Union of failiing to keep its promises to ease the international isolation of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
He also lashed at the internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot government in the south of the island, which joined the EU last May, for trying to use Turkey's own membership bid to extract concessions in Cyprus.
"In their view, the success of this policy depends on the continuation of the Cyprus conflict," he said.
The Greek Cypriots last year rejected a UN plan to end the island's three-decade division, even though the Turkish Cypriots gave it strong support.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the north in response to a coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece.
04/20/2005 13:20 GMT