Turkish Daily News, 96-05-02

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From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>

TURKISH DAILY NEWS
2 May 1996

CONTENTS

[01] Bucharest meeting provides no hint of breakthrough in Turco-Greek ties

[02] Turco-Israeli military accord on agenda during visit of Egyptian FM Moussa

[03] Peres praises Turkey as 'leading Muslim country'

[01] Bucharest meeting provides no hint of breakthrough in Turco-Greek ties

By Semih D. Idiz

Turkish Daily News

BUCHAREST/ANKARA- The much billed meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay and his Greek counterpart Theodoros Pangalos in Bucharest last Saturday -- on the eve of the Feast of the Sacrifice holiday -- did not give any indications that a breakthrough might be in the making in Turco-Greek ties.

Turkish officials, clearly not wanting to give the impression of a fruitless enterprise, were putting on a brave face after the meeting and saying that the fact that such a get-together had taken place at all, and whats more, had resulted in a decision to meet again in June, was already "beyond expectations."

Addressing a press conference on his own after the 45 minute meeting, 30 minutes of which he spent alone with Pangalos, Gonensay said it was possible to assume that the tensions between the two countries were now subsiding as a result of this get together.

Curiously though, Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos was nowhere to be seen all day and was unavailable to the press both before and after his meeting with Gonensay, even if a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart might have been too much to expect.

He also tried to ensure that no pictures were taken of him with Gonensay, ostensibly because he had promised Greek journalists, who he had told not to come to Bucharest, that he would not give other journalists there an unfair advantage.

The few such pictures that did emerge did so because the two men's paths were bound to cross at some stage, even if fleetingly, seeing as they were in the Romanian capital to attend a Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC) meeting of foreign ministers.

This "lopsided" impression throughout Saturday, with a Turkish foreign minister much in presence, and an almost nonexistent Greek foreign minister, was considered by those following the meeting as the main reason for taking reports of a "good meeting" with a pinch of salt.

This was nevertheless the first such meeting since the two countries nearly went to war in late January-early February over an uninhabited islet in the Aegean known to Ankara as Ikizce or Kardak and to Athens as Imia.

All the Turkish side would let out after the meeting was that it had taken place in a "frank and fair atmosphere" and that the sides had decided to meet again during the first week in June in Berlin during a NATO gathering of foreign ministers.

Briefing the press after his talks with Pangalos, Gonensay said the two sides had also decided to appoint two senior officials each to prepare the basis of the Berlin meeting.

Not saying anything that he had not said before the meeting Gonensay indicated that he had given detailed information to Pangalos about the offer made by Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz on March 24 to Greece.

This was a reference to Yilmaz's call to Athens for "unconditional talks" on disputes between the two countries over the Aegean with the option that they seek third party arbitration if bilateral talks give no results.

Gonensay, added that he had informed his Greek counterpart that the Lausanne Treaty and other relevant treaties between the two countries were a good basis for the "status quo of equilibrium" in the Aegean.

He indicated however that there were some "grey areas" concerning certain islets and rocks that had to be clarified and said Turkey was prepared to negotiate this bilaterally or to go to third party arbitration in this regard if bilateral talks failed to produce any results.

Gonensay said he had told his Greek colleague that Turkey had no intention to use the threat of force in Aegean disputes but would also not accept any faits accomplis with regard to the such disputes.

Referring to these points, Greek government spokesman Dimistris Reppas was quoted by the Anatolia news agency on Monday that Gonensay's remarks to the effect that Turkey was against force in the Aegean were welcome but they did not agree there were "grey areas" concerning certain islets in that sea.

This appeared to indicate that whatever Gonensay and Pangalos talked about during their "tete-a-tete" of 30 minutes, positions on basic problems still remained firm on both sides.

Now it is up to the four senior diplomats, two from each side, who will meet in the first half of this month somewhere in Switzerland, most probably Geneva, to prepare the groundwork for the meeting of foreign ministers in June in Berlin.

According to Turkish sources these senior diplomats will try and prepare the infrastructure of the Berlin talks.

Optimistic concerning headway having been made in Bucharest, these officials were already speculating about the future course of Turco-Greek talks and how these should take shape.

For example they are now suggesting "synchronized talks" on the various disputes between the sides where the "results obtained in one area are linked to other problem issue."

They are also referring to an approach in the talks where some issues are taken up bilaterally, some by means of arbitration and some by going to the International Court in The Hague.

They are also referring to the need to have an arbitrator or the Hague court, announce the verdict on specific issues all at the same time in order not to allow one side to take advantage of a positive verdict on a specific issue and walk away leaving other issues unresolved.

Most analysts however agree that discussing these modalities is an exercise in "jumping the gun" at the present time and "looking to far into the future."

They say there are some serious doubts as to exactly how propitious the environment will be in June for the meeting of the foreign ministers in Berlin.

They indicate that the uncertain domestic political situation in both countries will remain a complicating factor in terms of the prospects for any breakthrough in Berlin also.

Greece has an upcoming convention of the Pan Hellenic Socialist Party (PASOK), planned for late June, which is expected to see a bitter race for the leadership of the party between hardliner Gerrasimos Arsenis, the current defense minister, and the party's present leader, Prime Minister Costas Simitis, who is considered to be potentially more conciliatory vis-a-vis Turkey.

In Turkey, on the other hand, the future of the Motherpath coalition remains in the balance. Analysts say that such a situation is not conducive for major initiatives by Ankara either.

[02] Turco-Israeli military accord on agenda during visit of Egyptian FM Moussa

By Nazlan Ertan
Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- The much-criticized Turco-Israeli military training accord will be taken up once more between Ankara and Cairo during the visit of Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa which starts today.

Moussa, who arrives in Turkey today to realize a twice-postponed meeting with his Turkish counterpart Emre Gonensay, is expected to take up the issue of the accord and what it entails for Israel with Defense Minister Oltan Sungurlu.

The Turco-Israeli military training protocol, which gave Israeli jets the right to use Turkish airspace for training purposes, was signed in February but became public two months later, in April. Since then, it has spurred angry reaction from the Muslim states, including Egypt, for upsetting the balances in the region.

The contents of the controversial accord were explained to Egypt during a visit of the Onur Oymen, the foreign ministry undersecretary who went to Cairo last week.

But conflicting remarks continue on what the accord entails. Turkey's neighbors fear that the Israeli planes will use Turkish airspace to gather intelligence on Iran and Syria -- a claim Tel Aviv has ridiculed. The Turkish Foreign ministry, for its part, insists that the Israeli planes will only use Turkish airspace free of electronic monitoring equipment and arms, but Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres said in Washington that the agreement was signed "to exchange information" and "to learn from each other."

The conflicting statements also indicate discord between the Turkish chief of General Staff and the Foreign Ministry. The ministry, late to explain the agreement to the public, remained unclear on a number of issues regarding its content, as well as when the Israeli jets would come to Turkey.

Against this background, it seems hardly surprising that Moussa would like to discuss the issue with the Defense Ministry as well as with the Foreign Ministry.

"The agreement is still an issue which is of interest to all the countries in the region," an Egyptian diplomat said.

But Turkey and Israel, faced with the outrage of a number of Muslim countries including Egypt, has become increasingly testy toward any criticism.

"No country at all has the right to, or will be allowed to ask any question to Turkey on the military training agreement Turkey has made with Israel," Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay has said last month, after his meeting with Israeli Ambassador Zvi Elpeleg.

Elpeleg himself has repeatedly said that no country had any say in Turco-Israeli relations. "Many countries have signed deals with Israel. But when Turkey does, it creates an outrage. Why?" Elpeleg asked journalists during the celebration of Israeli National Day last week.

Cairo has made no secret of its intention to debate the accord at the first opportunity, but the Gonensay-Moussa meeting -- the first scheduled for April 15 in Ankara, then for April 22 in Luxembourg -- has been postponed due to the Israeli Operation "Grapes of Wrath" on south Lebanon.

Now, with the establishment of a cease-fire in south Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt are expected to discuss what the two countries can do to help the peace process in the volatile Middle East.

"The peace process is important for both Turkey and Egypt, two important countries of the region who have a role to play and a responsibility in the Middle East," a Turkish diplomat said.

Both countries agree that terrorism in the region is the major threat to the peace process and urge joint action. President Suleyman Demirel, who went to Aswan for a one-day working visit in March, has presented his Egyptian counterpart with an eight-point proposal to counter terrorism.

The question of terrorism will come on the agenda during this visit with new urgency, followed by an attack against a Greek tourist bus in Cairo by Gama al-Islamiyah gunmen.

The talks between Moussa and Gonensay will have an open agenda, which means both ministers may bring anything to the table. Moussa will also meet with Turkish President Suleyman Demirel and Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz.

[03] Peres praises Turkey as 'leading Muslim country'

By Ugur Akinci
Turkish Daily News

WASHINGTON- Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres praised Turkey's leadership in the world for "democracy, modernism, and market economy" and added that Turkey and Israel had common interests in fighting Iranian fundamentalism.

Turkey vs. Iran

During an address he delivered at the Washington Institute for Near East policy, Peres said there are two tendencies in the Muslim world. "One is the fundamentalistic one headed by Iran, and the other one is the modern one, shall I say the democratic one, headed by Turkey. Clearly, we are on the side of the Turkish leadership in that struggle, as clearly we are against the Khomeini-like attempt. So the political basis is very clear. It is not because we are party to the problems and conflicts that Turkey may have. But Turkey is the leading Muslim country in the Muslim world today, in my judgment, for democracy, modernism, and market economy," Peres said in Washington on Tuesday.

Turkey and Israel

Turkey and Israel signed a military cooperation agreement on Feb. 23, 1996 that roused the ire of Syria, Iran and Egypt.When he was asked his evaluation of such reaction to the Turkish-Israeli accord, Peres said it was a "technical" agreement, signed "to exchange information, to learn from each other," and not a "military alliance." "It is not aimed against anybody, against any other country," he said.

Reaction

Concerning the Syrian, Iranian and Egyptian reaction, "I don't understand, why should they be nervous about it?" Peres asked."Neither Turkey nor Israel aim to attack anybody or even to pose a threat. We want to cooperate to develop our countries. We have a common interest to see that fundamentalism will not win the day."

"And I think I read somewhere that Turkey has 16 agreements like it with different other countries. So I do not see any reason for worry," Peres added.

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