USIA Transcript (Excerpt): Pentagon Spokesman's Regular Briefing, 97-04-10
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TRANSCRIPT: PENTAGON SPOKESMAN'S REGULAR BRIEFING
DoD News Briefing
Captain Mike Doubleday, USN, DASD (PA)
Thursday, April 10, 1997 - 1:30 p.m.
CAPTAIN DOUBLEDAY: Good afternoon.
[...]
Q: As I asked you before yesterday the Turkish Embassy circulated that your
Department of Defense accepted finally the Israeli's proposal for a joint
military exercise with Israel and Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean.
Could you please confirm this information?
A: As I understand it, you're asking if there is an exercise involving
Turkey and Israel which the U.S. will also participate in, is that
correct?
Q: That's correct.
A: My understanding is that there is a proposal for such an exercise, that
we are right now in the process of considering the timing and the scope of
an exercise, but it has not gone beyond that.
Q: So far, this is not something on a permanent basis, to do that as long
as long as the agreement exists between the other two countries.
A: There is... If there is such an exercise, we are willing to participate
in it, but the timing and the scope of the exercise have not yet been
determined.
Q: But Captain, it was reported that in this agreement Turkey and Israel
(inaudible) legally, the Greek Island of Zavdos, Z-A-V-D-O-S,
which is located south of the Island of Crete. Since you are going to
participate, as you said, could you please confirm this information?
A: I am certainly not aware that that island is involved in the exercise,
and since we're still looking at the parameters of the exercise, I can't
really go any further than that.
Q: But did you see the context of the agreement between the two countries?
A: I don't know that it involves that island at all.
Q: Thank you.
[...]
Q: As you said, the decision (inaudible) to participate in the joint
military exercise between Israel and Turkey. Could you please check for me
if in the text of the proposed agreement the other two contracted parties,
(inaudible) included also the Greek island of
Zavdos, Z-A-V-D-O-S, and if those exercises will take also the Aegean Sea
and the vicinity of the Republic of Cypress.
A: Let me see what we can find out. But again, I think the problem that I
have in answering your question is that it is so preliminary at this point,
the outlines of the exercise are so preliminary at this point, I'm not sure
that we have identified the location that the exercise is going to take
place.
Q: One more question since you are in the decisionary process to find out
what's going on. According to DoD legal experts, it is prohibited by the
law for DoD to participate in exercises when the contracting parties,
include illegally the soil of another country allied to the U.S. Could you
please confirm this legal citation, too?
A: I would certainly agree that we are not going to be involved in
exercises where the exercise takes place in an area where we have not been
invited or do not have the authority to exercise.
Q: So this thing relates also to my question as far as the island of
Zavdos.
A: Before I answer that, I don't accept your premise that that island is a
part of this exercise. We will try and make a determination. But let us
look into that. I believe that at this point the exercise is in such a
preliminary stage that we don't know exactly where the exercise is going to
be taking place.
Q: This is not only one exercise. They say it will be eight of them around
the (inaudible) in '97. That's why I'm very concerned as far as what on
with that particular island.
A: We'll look into it and see if we can get any further insights into
it.
Press: Thank you.
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