Turkey in Undeclared State of War With Syria EHIND TURKISH THREATS
October 3, 1998 - 0:0
TEHRAN Turkey's top military commander has said that an undeclared state of war exists between his country and Syria, a Turkish newspaper reported Friday. There is an undeclared state of war, the daily Sabah quoted Huseyin Kivrikoglu, chief of Turkey's General Staff, as saying at a reception in Ankara late Thursday. Air Force Chief Ilhan Kilic told reporters at the reception that a crisis committee at the Prime Ministry was presently dealing with the situation, several Turkish papers and the NTV news channel reported.
I am dealing with the military side of the matter, Kilic added. The Hurriyet daily reported that Air Force units in Diyarbakir and Malatya had been placed on red alert and that flights in the border area had been increased. The Air Force is ready for conflict, Hurriyet quoted Kilic. Turkey's President Suleyman Demirel on Thursday warned that Turkey reserves the right to respond against Syria. I declare to the international community that we reserve the right to respond against Syria, which persists in its hostile attitude to Turkey, in spite of our peaceful efforts and our repeated warnings, Demirel told Parliament's opening session Syria blamed Israel Friday for a war of words waged by Turkish officials in recent days rejecting Ankara's complaint that it was providing support to Kurds fighting the Turkish government.
Turkish officials are insisting on creating problems which do not exist, the ruling party's daily Al-Baath said. Syria has no connection with Turkey's internal conflicts but it seems that Turkish officials want to export their domestic crises by provoking problems with their neighbors, particularly Syria, the paper said. We are convinced that the official Turkish position does not express the feelings of the Turkish people but is the result of connivance between Ankara and Tel Aviv in accordance with the treaty of alliance between these two countries, Al-Baath The Israeli government is behind the Turkish threats aimed at strengthening the Israeli postition against Syria which opposes the Zionist plan being pursued by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu. Turkey and Israel signed a bilateral military accord in February 1996 which Syrian Defense Minister Mustapha Tlass described on Wednesday as a satanic alliance.
I am dealing with the military side of the matter, Kilic added. The Hurriyet daily reported that Air Force units in Diyarbakir and Malatya had been placed on red alert and that flights in the border area had been increased. The Air Force is ready for conflict, Hurriyet quoted Kilic. Turkey's President Suleyman Demirel on Thursday warned that Turkey reserves the right to respond against Syria. I declare to the international community that we reserve the right to respond against Syria, which persists in its hostile attitude to Turkey, in spite of our peaceful efforts and our repeated warnings, Demirel told Parliament's opening session Syria blamed Israel Friday for a war of words waged by Turkish officials in recent days rejecting Ankara's complaint that it was providing support to Kurds fighting the Turkish government.
Turkish officials are insisting on creating problems which do not exist, the ruling party's daily Al-Baath said. Syria has no connection with Turkey's internal conflicts but it seems that Turkish officials want to export their domestic crises by provoking problems with their neighbors, particularly Syria, the paper said. We are convinced that the official Turkish position does not express the feelings of the Turkish people but is the result of connivance between Ankara and Tel Aviv in accordance with the treaty of alliance between these two countries, Al-Baath The Israeli government is behind the Turkish threats aimed at strengthening the Israeli postition against Syria which opposes the Zionist plan being pursued by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu. Turkey and Israel signed a bilateral military accord in February 1996 which Syrian Defense Minister Mustapha Tlass described on Wednesday as a satanic alliance.