USIA - Turkish Foreign Aide Discusses Regional Ties, 97-02-20

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From: The United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at <gopher://gopher.usia.gov>

TURKISH FOREIGN AIDE DISCUSSES REGIONAL TIES

(Undersecretary Oymen lauds 'Cooperation' with U.S.) (690)

By George S. Hishmeh
USIA Staff Writer

In a wide-ranging discussion of the "basic elements" of Turkey's foreign policy at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Ambassador Onur Oymen dwelt on Turkey's top foreign policy issue -- its unrelenting drive for membership in the European Union -- and answered questions on his country's dealings with Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Israel.

He assured a questioner who pointed to the rising tide of Islamic fundamentalism in Turkey that his country will remain "a secular democracy .. a western country (and) .. a friend of America." He praised U.S. support of Turkey's desire to join the European Union and cooperation on Bosnia and Iraq.

Describing Syria as a "hostile" neighbor for harboring the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) of Abdullah Ocalan, Ambassador Oymen said Turkey has agreed to give Syria 500 cubic meters of water a second and that its southern neighbor was now consuming about 700 cubic meters of water per second from the Euphrates River.

"They (the Syrians) do not have a water shortage, they have more than they can consume," the Turkish diplomat insisted. "What the Syrians want is not water but water rights (and) they claim that they should have a right to our water -- this is the conflict. ..."

He added that Turkey has told Syria on several occasions "to refrain from using terrorism as a tool of foreign policy, not only against Turkey but against Jordan and Israel."

Without mentioning PKK's Ocalan by name, he charged that "this man is responsible for killing 8,000 persons," including military personnel and civilians.

After noting three neighbors of Turkey were on the State Department's list of countries hosting terrorists -- Iran, Iraq, and Syria -- Ambassador Oymen took credit that his country, with the help of the U.S. and Britain, was able to arrange two months ago a cease-fire among fighting Kurdish groups in northern Iraq. He also pointed out that Turkey has facilitated the safe passage of some 7,000 persons who were working with "American organizations in northern Iraq without any problem."

In reply to a question, he said that if Iraq "fully" implements all U.N. resolutions emanating from the Gulf war, "no one can deny them (the Iraqis) legitimate access to the international community." He, nevertheless, stressed that no one should attempt to "dismantle" Iraq and echoed the need for safeguarding Iraq's "territorial integrity and sovereignty."

He noted that his country is now importing oil from Baghdad as allowed under U.N. resolution 986, the oil-for-food program. He said Turkey is also seeking to import oil from Central Asia.

Oymen described Turkey's ties with both Iran and Libya as purely economic. He said there were over 100 Turkish companies with contracts worth "billions of dollars" operating in Libya. As far as Iran is concerned, he said "tens of thousands" of Turkish trucks transit Iran annually to Central Asian destinations.

Here, he underlined that his country is not investing in Iran -- a key point in the U.S. legislation banning trade with Iran and Libya -- but merely planning to import Iranian oil and natural gas.

"You cannot choose the countries with which you have economic ties," he stated.

Turning to Turkey's ties with Israel, the number two man at the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Israel and Turkey were the only two democratic countries in the region. He said trade with Israel has increased to the level of $400 million a year and the number of Israeli tourists -- over 400, 000 -- has exceeded those coming from Europe.

He said cooperation between the two countries was "extremely important," pointing to the military training program which was signed last year.

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