Turkish Daily News, 96-06-06

Turkish News Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

TURKISH DAILY NEWS
6 June 1996

CONTENTS

[01] UN chief has 'nothing but' positive feelings for Turkey

[02] Ankara 'surprised' by Egyptian remarks on Turco-Israeli accord

[03] Turkey and Greece at odds over yet another island

[01] UN chief has 'nothing but' positive feelings for Turkey

ISTANBUL- U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's "feelings toward Turkey are nothing but the most friendly, warm, cordial and respectful," his spokesman said Wednesday.

Ahmad Fawzi made the comment in responding to reports in the Turkish- language press quoting various Turkish political figures as attacking Boutros- Ghali for referring to the "Federal Republic of Turkey" at Monday's opening session of the Habitat II conference. The issue is particularly sensitive because some have suggested granting "autonomy" to the restive Kurdish minority in southeast Turkey. This autonomy conceivably could take the form of decentralization, or even federalization in what has been since its founding a unitary republic.

Fawzi himself felt "not anger, really disappointment" at the quotations from the Turkish side because the secretary general "has not missed the opportunity ... to sing Turkey's praises," he said.

Fawzi had apologized on Monday for the "inadvertent" use of the word "federal," but some Turkish politicians nonetheless jumped on it. Some Turks regard the U.N. Secretary General with jaundiced eyes, anyway, alleging he has "anti-Muslim" attitudes -- as evidenced in the U.N.'s asserted failure to protect the Bosnian Muslims.

In again raising the matter without a question being asked at Wednesday's daily U.N. press briefing at the Habitat II conference, Fawzi said he was "quite disturbed" at the Turkish-language press reports. He said the reference to Turkey as a "federal republic" was included in notes prepared by the conference secretariat and "put in front of the secretary general seconds before" he was to introduce Turkish President Suleyman Demirel on Monday.

The notes contained this mistake four times, Fawzi said, but Boutros- Ghali caught it on the second reference. Fawzi "once again" apologized on behalf of the secretariat for making the error and on behalf of the secretary general for "not having caught the mistake the first time." (TDN's reporter heard "federal" used twice.)

The misuse of "federal" did not, however, "justify the barrage of attacks (on Boutros-Ghali) that appeared in the Turkish press," Fawzi said.

He cited the U.N. leader's previous statements of appreciation for the Turkish contribution to U.N. efforts. These include providing peacekeepers or observers in five U.N. operations from Bosnia to Georgia, and its seconding of Turkish officials to head U.N. activities such as the peacekeeping force in Somalia.

And he pointed to the mutual expressions of regard and support expressed during Boutros-Ghali's official visit last week to Ankara, where he met with Demirel, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Parliamentary Speaker Mustafa Kalemli.

Asked by a Turkish reporter whether the responsible person in the secretariat would be identified and punished, Conference Spokesman Ayman El-Amir said a "group of people" had been involved.

[02] Ankara 'surprised' by Egyptian remarks on Turco-Israeli accord

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- Ankara has expressed "surprise" over remarks by Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa concerning the military cooperation accords concluded between Turkey and Israel.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Omer Akbel, addressing a regular briefing on Wednesday, said that the Egyptian Ambassador in Ankara had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry for an explanation.

Amr Moussa was quoted by the Anatolia news agency on Tuesday as saying in a statement to the official Syrian daily Tishreen that Turkish-Israeli military cooperation would cause the establishment of new pacts and subsequently new clashes in the Middle East.

"When Amr Moussa was in Ankara (in May) he met with President Suleyman Demirel and Turkish Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay. After these meetings Moussa expressed his satisfaction over the information furnished him about the Turkish-Israeli agreement. We cannot understand these remarks of his now and meet them with great surprise," Akbel said.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek told a joint press conference with Syria's Hafez Assad earlier this week that they had not, to date, received any satisfactory answers from Turkey concerning its military accords with Israel.

These accords, which foresee cooperation in military training and, according to the statements of Turkish military officials, also allow for joint maneuvers to be held between the two countries, have been met with great concern in the Arab world.

Gen. Erol Ozkasnak, the secretary-general of the chief of General Staff, told reporters on Tuesday that there was nothing special about the accords concluded between Turkey and Israel.

He said that the accords were the same ones Ankara had concluded with a host of countries including such Arab countries as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

[03] Turkey and Greece at odds over yet another island

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- Greece has accused Turkey of contesting its sovereign rights over another Aegean island and has submitted a protest note to NATO on the subject.

The two countries came to the brink of war in late January over the uninhabited islet known as Kardak to Ankara and Imia to Athens. The island involved this time is Gavdos, south of Crete in Aegean sea.

The crisis this time reportedly arose when Turkish military officials asked during the planning of a NATO exercise last week that the inhabited island of Gavdos south of Crete should not be included in the manoeuvres because it was disputed territory.

"Turkey has no limits," Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas was quoted on Tuesday by Reuters.

"It acts as an international troublemaker and this should be taken very seriously by the international community" he added.

Clarifying the matter Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Omer Akbel told reporters on Wednesday, during a regular briefing, that the trouble arose when Greece attempted a "fait accompli" and tried to have Gavdos included in the NATO exercise. He said that the Turkish side had opposed this on the grounds that the status of the island in question had to be investigated.

"Our representative at the NATO meeting did not make a political but a technical announcement that an investigation on the legal status of this island was needed," Akbel said.

"It should be investigated whether this Gavdos Island is also among the islets whose status needs to be determined," Akbel said.

Akbel indicated that the issue of Gavdos had "not reached the stage of being disputed territory yet."

"After the investigation, if necessary, the status of the island might be the subject of dispute," he said.

The NATO exercise in question will take place this autumn in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea and military officials from the 16-member alliance met in Naples last Friday to plan it.

Turkish News Directory - Previous Article - Next Article