Topic: trkn
Subject: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 95/03/24 DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
From: "Demetrios E. Paneras" <dep@bu.edu>
 
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
95/03/24 DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN



                       U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
                         DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

                               I N D E X

                       Friday, March 24, 1995

                                       Briefer: Christine Shelly


[...]

TURKEY
Incursion into Northern Iraq
--Possible Creation of Buffer Zone ..................2-3
--Assurances of Withdrawal ..........................2
--U.S. Contact with Turkish Gov't. ..................3-4

[...]

IRAQ

[...]

--Report of Turkish Gov't. Efforts to Release Amers .8
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                      U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
                        DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

                                              DPC #39

                  FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 1995, 1:22 P.M.
                 ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)


     MS. SHELLY:  Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to the State Department Briefing.

     I have no announcements.  I'd be happy to go directly to your  
questions.

[...]

     Q     Speaking of equipment that might be used for purposes it was  
not intended, it seems that that may be happening in Turkey.  Was this  
building notified by the Turks of their decision yesterday to maintain a  
buffer zone and possibly occupy part of Iraq?

     MS. SHELLY:  As to the notion of a buffer zone or a possible  
creation of a buffer zone, a general answer to that is that some senior  
Turkish officials, including the Prime Minister, have assured us that  
their forces will withdraw from northern Iraq in short order.  We are in  
regular contact with the Turkish Government and are stressing the  
importance of honoring these assurances.  I understand that the  
Europeans are making similar approaches.

     We have seen some reports that Prime Minister Ciller has called for  
an international solution to the situation in northern Iraq, and that  
might be some type of buffer zone.  But at this point we do not have any  
details on this idea.

     Yes, Judd.

     Q     What is short order on Monday, when this started, you were
saying a couple of days.  It's now going on a week.  What would be a  
timely withdrawal?

     MS. SHELLY:  We would like them, of course, to be able to withdraw  
as soon as possible.  I don't think it would be very meaningful for us  
to try to put a time limit on it, except to say that we hope that they  
will withdraw at the earliest possible date.

     Q     In erecting a buffer zone, I think the comments were  
something like "Israel has in southern Lebanon."

     MS. SHELLY:  Yes.  Again, we don't have a lot of details about what  
they have in mind.  I'm sure that we are certainly mindful of the  
problem that they face from the terrorist attacks which do take place  
against Turkey which are launched from the territory of Iraq.  We are  
certainly very mindful of that problem; and I think that if there were  
some specific proposals that were put forward by the Turks that would  
try to address that, I'm sure we would give them a fair hearing.  But as  
I don't have any details yet on this idea, I'm really rather constrained  
to provide more specific
commenting.

     Q     Yes, but what about, I mean, a buffer zone?  Do we reject the  
idea of a buffer zone, or could we under some circumstances perhaps  
accept it?

     MS. SHELLY:  Sid, I can't give you a precise answer on that at this  
point.  If Turkey has a proposal for a buffer zone or for anything else  
-- any other kind of international solution to the problem which they  
face, which is terrorist attacks coming from the PKK which do come  
across the Iraqi-Turkish border -- we would certainly want to listen to  
what that proposal was and give it a fair consideration.

     But insofar as we don't have any details yet of that type of  
proposal, I'm simply constrained from being more specific in our  
response.

     Q     In the case of just special equipment?  Do you mean to say  
that if they propose a buffer zone, we'll give it a fair hearing?

     MS. SHELLY:  No.  Again, you're then getting me into the  
hypothetical question -- if they propose, then we would support or not  
support -- and --

     Q     That's precisely what you just said.

     MS. SHELLY:  I've said they have a problem -- okay? --

     Q     In Turkey --

     MS. SHELLY:  -- and that they face terrorist attacks.

     Q     -- that's a proposal for a buffer zone, if you'd be careful.

     MS. SHELLY:  And I said if they put forward proposals in detail  
that suggest a solution to the problem, those are certainly proposals  
that we would look at.  But I'm not signaling what our position would be  
on something that hasn't happened.

     Q     Including a buffer zone?

     MS. SHELLY:  I'm not being specific one way or the other on the  
idea of a buffer zone.

     Q     Well, you're on the record saying it now.

     MS. SHELLY:  That isn't my interpretation of what I said.

     Q     All right.  It's mine.

     Q     Is it fair to say you're inviting Turkey to make a proposal?

     MS. SHELLY:  No.  I think it's up to Turkey to signal what it would  
like to do vis-a-vis proposals to deal with the longer term problem.

     Betsy.

     Q     A different subject?

     Q     You can't reject out of hand one country occupying its  
neighbor, the idea of one country -- having a permanent occupation of  
its neighbor.

     MS. SHELLY:  Sid, we are not supporting the notion that involves a  
kind of permanent presence of the Turkish troops which have crossed into  
Iraq.  We have already said that we would like to see those troops  
withdrawn as soon as possible.  We will watch to see whether the Turkish  
assurances that they have given -- which is that the operation would be  
limited in scope and duration -- we will watch that very closely.  We'll  
also watch the assurances that they've given about minimizing effects,  
to the extent possible, on innocent civilians.

     Those are the things which we are watching very carefully, and we  
recognize the need for their desire to be able to deal with the problem  
and the threat that they face from PKK terrorism.

[...]

     Q     Have you heard about that the Turkish representative in  
Baghdad -- they are contacting with the Government of Baghdad to release  
the two Americans.  Do you have anything about that?

     MS. SHELLY:  On Turkish Government efforts to try to secure the  
release?

     Q     Yes, to release two Americans.

     MS. SHELLY:  No, I have not heard anything specifically on that.   
We indicated a couple of days ago that we hoped that other governments  
that might be in a position to influence this would certainly work  
toward that end.  As we stood by our assertion, and certainly very  
strong belief, that it was just an honest mistake and not something that  
had any other objective in it.

     So if any other government can be helpful in securing their  
release, it's certainly something we would welcome.

[...]
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