1、Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS Web96-140 FUpdated March 7, 1996Greece and Turkey: The Rocky Islet Crisis(name redacted)Specialist in Middle Eastern AffairsForeign Affairs and National Defense DivisionSummaryThe dispute between Gr
2、eece and Turkey over the sovereignty of Imia/Kardak isletescalated rapidly because bilateral relations are hampered by historic distrust andunresolved issues, and because both countries have weak governments. Each marshalledlegal arguments to support its position. The United States acted to defuse t
3、he crisis andrestore the status quo ante, but some State Department comments complicated U.S.-Greek relations. In the aftermath, a politically damaged Greek government temporarilydistanced itself from the United States and sought support from its European Unionpartners. The crisis did not affect eff
4、orts to form a government in Turkey, which soughtto counter Greeces moves in Europe. Crisis ChronologyOn December 25, 1995, a Turkish cargo ship went aground on a small, uninhabited,rocky islet, about 10 acres in size, that Greeks call Imia and Turks call Kardak.Previously, no nations flag flew ther