Turkey has agreed to allow an unfinished Chinese aircraft carrier to pass through the Bosporus despite concerns over its safety, a Turkish minister said Friday.
Turkey's Cabinet has decided that the 309m long Varyag can pass through the strait on its way to the Mediterranean "as soon as possible, after ensuring that technical and meteorological conditions are suitable," State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel said.
He did not give a date for the Varyag's passage. Chinese officials have asked Turkey to allow the carrier through the Bosporus before Oct. 15.
Turkey has refused passage to the motorless Varyag, saying it could cause a major accident in the Bosporus. Turks call the 33.7km strait, which passes through Istanbul, one of world's most dangerous waterways.
Gurel said that China had adequately addressed Turkey's safety concerns.
"We have found the guarantees given by China to reduce the risk to a minimum are sufficient," he said.
Turkish and Chinese officials held tests Thursday to rehearse shore security measures and the positioning of the tugboats that will pull the Varyag through.
A Macau-based company bought the Varyag from the Ukraine intending to convert it into a floating leisure center. The ship set sail for Macau last year, but has remained in the Black Sea because of Turkish objections.
The crowded Bosporus has been the site of several accidents in the past decade. A 1994 collision between a tanker and a cargo vessel killed 29 people and blocked shipping in the waterway for five days.
Although international treaties allow commercial vessels free navigation through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles in peacetime, Turkey has in recent years tried to limit the passage of large vessels, fearing spills or ships slamming into the heavily populated shores.
Turkish environmental groups have strongly opposed the Varyag's passage.
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