The Turkish ambassador says the number of Australians and others attending the centenary of the Anzac landing at Gallipoli will have to be “limited”.
Ambassador Murat Ersavci said Turkey was already planning how the April 25, 2015 centenary would be marked, and it had put a proposal to Australia to create a joint committee.
The committee would have to come up with a way to manage the expected huge crowd, Ersavci has told Fairfax.
“Certainly numbers will have to be limited,” the ambassador said.
Ersavci said he hoped a system could be developed that would allow “groups of people coming in and out” to maximize numbers “but we have to work on it”.
Veteran Affairs Minister Alan Griffin said in April this year there was no plan to cap numbers.
Meanwhile, Canberra may seek better communications with Turkish authorities over future roadworks at Gallipoli following another report that human remains were unearthed while a road was upgraded.
The issue first erupted in 2005 after roadworks were said to have uncovered bone fragments and damaged war relics.
In the latest alleged incident, work to upgrade the Second Ridge Road – located along what was no mans land during the Gallipoli campaign – unearthed further bone fragments.
Griffin has called for an investigation of the latest claims.
As soon as Australia became aware of the issue, it asked the Turkish authorities to stop the work, which they did.
The government was looking at whether the current process for alerting Australia to planned roadworks was sufficient, Mr Griffin said yesterday.
