TRKNWS-L Turkish Daily News (April 4, 1996)

From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>

Turkish News Directory

CONTENTS

TURKISH DAILY NEWS / 4 April 1996

[01] Ankara, TRNC shun EU's Cyprus envoy

By Yusuf Kanli

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have separately decided to shun the European Union term presidency's Cyprus coordinator, Italian diplomat Federico Di Roberto.

"He is either ignorant or deliberately arrogant," a top level Turkish official said, stressing that during the visit of Di Roberto to Ankara last month Turkish officials meeting him observed with amazement that the Italian diplomat was "totally alien" to the Cyprus problem or was trying intentionally to create such an image.

A senior Turkish Cypriot official, joining in the comments of his Turkish colleague, said that when the news broke out that a veteran Italian diplomat, who had served as an ambassador to Moscow, was becoming the EU term presidency envoy for Cyprus "we were relieved that someone with wit would assume the post a post we were against anyhow. Now, we observe that we were outright wrong in our assessment. He is an arrogant alien to the Cyprus issue, particularly to the over 40 years of struggle by the Turkish Cypriot people for equality and a decent life on the island."

The sources recalled that appointment of a term presidency envoy for Cyprus was a compromise formula which received Turkish and Turkish Cypriot approval on the condition that the mission of the envoy would be confined to fact finding, and would report only to the term presidency.

They complained, however, that from the first day, Di Roberto acted in a manner way ahead of his mission, refused to treat the two sides on the basis of equality called for in U.N. resolutions, and tried to make the EU get directly involved in the Cyprus problem, despite the fact that he was repeatedly told by the Turkish side that such a development was unacceptable under any conditions as long as Greece was a member of the European club and Ankara a bystander.

Commenting on whether the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot reactions to Di Roberto's recent report to the EU Council was a "little bit over the top," the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot sources said no energy was spared in preparing the texts of reaction to make it a "diplomatic document." A Turkish source said "When the so-called report was evaluated, we concluded that it was a biased one, ignoring the realities on the island and totally turning a blind eye to the partnership rights of the Turkish Cypriot people."

The sources underlined that before Di Roberto's appointment, the EU told Ankara and the TRNC that Di Roberto would be appointed as an envoy of the term president of the EU and that his mission would only be a fact-finding one. That he listen to the views of the two sides and report his findings to the term presidency.

They stressed that Di Roberto's appointment had been accepted by the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey within that framework and he had been received by the Turkish Cypriot and Turkish officials in that capacity.

However, the sources said he acted as if he was unaware of his mandate, and despite being repeatedly reminded of the bounds of his mandate, an examination of the report he submitted to the EU Council has revealed that right from the beginning, he tried to get involved in the Cyprus talks process in contravention to his established mission.

The Turkish Cypriot official recalled that President Rauf Denktas has been explaining that the procession of the Greek Cypriot bid to become a member of the European Union as an end of the efforts to achieve a Cyprus solution because "what the Greek Cypriots failed to achieve with bloodshed and barbarism, will be served to them on a silver plate, and they will de-facto achieve enosis (union with Greece)." "If Europe, ignoring our calls of 'Don't do this harm to Cyprus!' goes along this path, there won't be any other alternative for Turkish Cypriots but to integrate with Turkey.

The more Europe integrates with the Greek Cypriot side of the island, the more we shall integrate with Turkey," the official stressed.

[02] Israeli Warplanes to Train in Turkey

By Kemal Balci

TDN Parliament Bureau

ANKARA- In a landmark move with potential far-reaching results, Muslim Turkey has opened its airspace and military bases to the Israeli air force for training its combat pilots.

The arrangement was a key component of the strategical and technical cooperation agreement signed between the two countries in February, Turkish Daily News learned.

Confirming the deal, Defense Minister Oltan Sungurlu said the facility had been recognized to the Jewish state "in view of its limited airspace" . He said he did not see any direct link between Turkey's deal with Israel and a reported similar facility Syria has granted Greece. Sungurlu said Greek planes would have no need to train in Syria because they had nearly all of the Mediterranean at their disposal.

The minister told the TDN that Athens' reported military cooperation agreement with Syria was against the alliance solidarity within NATO and that it had to be debated at the relevant fora. But Sungurlu said the application to NATO fell into foreign ministry's jurisdiction and the defense ministry would not take direct action.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Omer Akbel said later Wednesday that Syria had denied granting use of its airbases to Greek jets.

Security and water-sharing disputes have kept Turkish-Syrian relations under strong strains for the past decade. Turkey resents the sanctuary Syria has provided to Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which is fighting a soparatist war in southeastern Turkey. Damascus, meanwhile, is vainly lobbying for an agreement that would ensure itself increased volumes of water from the river Euphrates on which Turkey is building large dams and irrigation projects.

Turkey's ties with NATO-partner Greece is also problematic with disputes over the Aegean airspace and seabed rights and the status of some Aegean islands lying close to Turkish coast bringing the two countries occasionaly to the brink of war.

Greek defense minister Gerasimos Arsenis' championship of a set of military allinaces between Greece and the countries surrounding Turkey has fuelled Ankara's anger and suspicions.

While taking care not to comment openly on Syria's motives, Sungurlu said other reasons should underline Greece's intersts in using Syrian airbases.

Political and military sources, noting the cost of sending planes to Syria at great cost not to mention the refuelling and maintenance required at the Syrian air bases for the return trip say it is an illogical policy for Greece when it had almost unlimited airspace and explain it with Athens' attempts to gain a "psychological" advantage in its confrontation with Turkey.

In contrast, Sungurlu said the facility granted to the Israeli air force was a part of the recently-started process of cooperation with Israel. "The Israeli airspace is so narrow that an Israeli plane exits it immediately after take-off. Hence, they do not have such things as flight corridors or training areas," Sungurlu noted, adding that "Turkey's inclusion of Israel as a goodwill gesture and purley with peaceful aims to the list of some NATO partners enjoying training facilities in Turkey, has nothing etraordianry about it." Under the existing facilities, the U.S. jets and warplanes from some of the European NATO countries arrive periodically in Turkey for target practice, mainly near the central Turkish city of Konya and at Incirlik air base near the southern city of Adana.

The minister said details of the deal had not been worked out between the two side and it was not clarified yet when the Israeli jets will arrive for training, their numbers and the duration of their stay.

[03] Damascus assures Ankara

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- Syria assured Ankara that the defense agreement between Athens and Damascus did not give Greece a right to use Syrian air bases, a Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday.

Responding to the remarks of the Greek defense minister that Greece would use Syrian air bases in the case of conflict with Turkey or Turkish Cyprus, Spokesman Omer Akbel said that "Syrian high level officials have told us that the accord did not give Greece any such right." Greek Defense Minister Gerassimos Arsenis, who is a political rival of Prime Minister Costas Simitis and is expected to challenge him during the upcoming party convention, has said that Greece should conclude military alliances with Iran, Iraq, Syria, Armenia, Russia and Bulgaria to establish an anti-Turkish bloc.

Arsenis' remarks, made during an address to university students in Salonika, also contained an admission that Greece, a NATO country, had secured landing rights from Syria for the deployment of its fighter jets.

But the remarks, which had surfaced as early as last year after the two countries signed what was known as a "defense training agreement," was met somewhat sceptically in Turkey.

Recalling that Greece was also a NATO member, Sungurlu suggested this prevented Athens from such military accords with non-NATO members.

"I hope that this remains just a claim," Sungurlu said.

Turkish diplomats said that they had discussed the claims with Syrian officials last year, when the rumors first started, and were assured then that the Greek media's claims were not true. After Arsenis' remarks, another request for information was made and the answer was the same.

Arsenis, meanwhile, criticized Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Foreign Minister Theodoras Pangalos (whom Turks consider a hard-liner) for adopting too soft a policy toward Turkey.

"Turkish expansionism should be fought with the Greek armed forces, not with soft reactions," he said in Athens. "We may even need to fight for our independence." But Foreign Ministry spokesman Akbel said Turkey was still waiting for a response to Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's call for dialogue with Greece to solve the disputes between the two countries.

Yilmaz's offer, made on March 24, was conveyed to Greek Foreign Minister Theodoras Pangalos by Turkey's Ambassador to Athens Umit Pamir.

Pamir gave Pangalos detailed information about Yilmaz's policy on bilateral relations on Tuesday.

"Our relations with Greece are a top priority," Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay told the Parliament's Plan and Budget Commission late Tuesday.

He said that Turkey, until the remarks of Yilmaz, was seen as the party blocking a solution. "With the last initiative, this is no longer the case," he said.

Gonensay said that Turkey was not against going to the International Court of Justice in the Hague if "a joint decision was taken." Asked by a deputy on what would happen if Greece did not reciprocate positively to the Turkish initiative, Gonensay said that such a possibility did exist.

"But Turkey would lose anything," he said. "Turkey has consistent aims and it has not taken any step backward. It is Greece who will lose its international credibility." Gonensay's spokesman, Akbel, when asked the same question in a weekly press conference the next day, gave Greece the benefit of doubt. "The Prime Minister has said that Greece should be given time to assess the offer," he said.

Turkish diplomats say they expect Greece to make a formal reply to Turkey before Prime Minister Costas Simitis leaves for his official visit to Washington.

Reports from Athens indicate that Simitis is preparing energetically for his meeting with President Bill Clinton.

Simitis, anticipating that the bulk of talks would be on Turco-Greek relations, is taking with him various maps of the Aegean, which show Kardak (Imia to Greeks) as Greek territory.

Simitis is also expected to reject U.S. proposals for confidence building measures between Turkey and Greece, the Anatolia news agency reported. It also reported that Simitis would give Clinton an extensive briefing on the Cyprus question.

For that purpose, he has sent Alexander Philon, a senior diplomat who had served as ambassador to Turkey, to Cyprus to obtain the views of Greek Cypriots.

[04] Eduard Shevardnadze lauds Turkish-Georgian relations

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said on Tuesday that it would not be possible for peace and stability to be restored in the Caucasus without Turkey's contributions.

At Shevardnadze's welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace President Suleyman Demirel said that the Georgian president's visit to Ankara would contribute to furthering the already good ties between the two countries.

Characterizing Shevardnadze as a "great statesman who has a great knowledge of world and regional affairs," the Turkish president said that he would find an opportunity to discuss regional issues with his Georgian counterpart.

"The close cooperation of Turkey and Georgia on regional issues is closely tied up with the close interests of the two countries," Demirel said.

He added that alongside political issues, economic cooperation would also be discussed during the talks with the Georgian side, and said that a host of agreements would be signed in this framework.

Georgian President Shevardnadze for his part told those gathered for the ceremony, including Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and his wife Berna Yilmaz, that he was "happy to be among friends." Also expressing his satisfaction that the ties between the two countries is increasingly turning into a state of "continuous dialogue." Indicating that he had unfolded an initiative titled "Peaceful Caucasus," aimed at bringing peace and stability to this turbulent part of the world, Shevardnadze added that this would be one of the topics discussed during his talks with Demirel.

Shevardnadze, whose country is wracked with separatist strife, also thanked Turkey for the support it has shown for Georgia's territorial integrity.