Athens to U.S.: Remove Bases by Mid-1990 : Present Pact to Run Out Dec. 31; Greece to Pursue Negotiations

Greece officially notified the United States today that American military bases must be removed from the country by mid-1990, official sources said.

A letter from Greece’s Socialist government said the four major U.S. military bases and 20 smaller installations must be dismantled by June of that year, they said.

The present five-year basing agreement expires this Dec. 31. The Greek government has said it will pursue negotiations for a new pact, but talks which began last November are deadlocked.

About 3,700 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Greece, mostly at a U.S. Air Force supply base near Athens and a naval supply base on the island of Crete.

The letter, delivered to the U.S. Embassy in Athens, gave formal notification that the present agreement will expire and that under its terms the United States will then have 17 months to pack up and go home.

Will Keep Negotiating

Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, who promised to close the American bases when first elected in 1981, has said his government will keep negotiating even after the present pact expires. But eight rounds of talks have failed to make progress.

Greece wants a new pact to include wording which could be interpreted as American backing for its position in a feud over the Aegean region with neighboring Turkey.

The Americans have argued that such political language, however vague, has no place in a military basing agreement. There has been no sign of a compromise.

Finding a compromise acceptable to both sides will become increasingly difficult as the next Greek election, which must be held by June, 1989, draws near.

Western diplomats said it would be extremely difficult, and politically dangerous, for Papandreou to back down. He must have some wording in a new pact that can be portrayed as a victory during the election campaign.

Referendum Pledged

Papandreou, who once held American citizenship and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, has pledged to put any new pact to a national referendum, saying: “Nothing will be done behind the backs of the Greek people.”

The U.S. Embassy declined to comment immediately.

Western diplomats in Athens had predicted for some time Papandreou would go into the next election with the American military under threat of eviction in order to woo left-wing votes.

They had also suggested that an agreement could be reached after the election and that some compromise would be reached--such as closing the high-profile Hellenikon Air Base outside Athens and consolidating some other installations.