July 3, 2002	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 21,1423

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ANKARA, July 2: Turkish coastguards have seized 76 illegal migrants after stopping a Greek-flagged boat in Turkish waters and have detained its Greek captain, Turkey said on Tuesday.

The boat carrying the migrants, including Pakistanis, Chinese and Afghans, was found on Monday in waters near Kusadasi on the Aegean coast, the coastguard said in a statement.

“The illegal migrants were transferred to Kusadasi harbour and turned over to justice officials,” it said. A coastguard official said the boat’s captain was in police custody.

Last week Greece accused Turkey of ignoring warnings that 23 illegal immigrants had been detected on a boat in Turkish waters. The Greek coastguard later picked up the group after the boat drifted into Greek waters.

The European Union has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration by improving border controls and pressing third countries to do more to control migrant flows.

Turkey and Greece are major transit points for hundreds of thousands of migrants from Asia, the Middle East and Africa who hope to reach wealthy EU states. The NATO allies have a re-admission agreement to take back illegal migrants, even those from third countries, except people seeking political asylum.

—Reuters