Follows Turkey's Accusation That Greek Pilot "Harassed" Its Plane

After displaying cautious restraint in the first days following Tuesday's midair collision between Greek and Turkish F-16s, the two longtime rival countries have since accused the other side of causing the fatal accident that claimed the life of the Greek pilot.

Perhaps not surprisingly, a Greek inquiry into the accident places blame squarely on the Turkish pilot, who "rammed into the Greek aircraft overhead following a wrong maneuver by the Turkish pilot," said a Greek defense ministry official Friday to Agence-France Presse.

Earlier this week, a Turkish report blamed the deceased Greek pilot for the collision, stating the pilot "harassed" the Turkish aircraft and failed to follow ICAO rules of engagement that require intercepting aircraft to keep a 1,000 foot distance from the target plane, one of two Turkish F-16s escorting a RF-4 reconnaissance plane (file photo of type, below).

Despite trading accusations, relations between the two countries have not appreciably deteriorated following the incident. Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis told the country's Parliament Friday the country had manage to defuse "a dangerous situation", and diplomats from both countries have resumed ongoing talks towards ending decades of hostilities between the countries.

As Aero-News reported, the collision came after Greek fighters were launched to intercept the Turkish planes over a disputed section of the Aegean Sea, which borders both countries. Greece maintains it has authority over an area extending 10 miles out into the sea, while Turkey claims Greece is overstating that authority by four miles.

Despite being formal allies in NATO and the EU, Greek and Turkish fighters have engaged in similar interception incidents -- and even mock dogfights -- over the region for years.

FMI: www.tuaf.mil.tr/default.asp, www.haf.gr/default_en.asp