Greece, Turkey join hands to sign land mine pact

Long-bitter rivals Greece and Turkey joined hands at the United Nations on Thursday to sign a treaty banning land mines and said the ceremony showed their commitment to peace in their region.

Ratifying the pact "takes on special importance by the fact that we are actually doing this, not one country, but two neighboring countries, Greece and Turkey," Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou said.

"I hope and believe this will pave the way for further cooperation in other areas as well," Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul added.