ANKARA - Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said on Thursday that they ''thought'' that the decision in the 2002 human smuggling report prepared to be submitted to the U.S. Congress ''was not based on objective data.''
Britain donated two ''heartbeat detectors'' to Turkey within the scope of ''sea project'' formed to prevent illegal migration through sea.
A ceremony was held in the Interior Ministry to deliver the detectors.
Speaking in the ceremony, Aksu pointed out that Turkey had a special geographical location in regard to illegal migration and human smuggling.
Aksu said that crises and economic problems in the region laid a suitable ground for illegal migration traffic via Turkey.
Turkey had become a target country in regard to illegal migrants who leave their countries, especially former east bloc countries to find jobs not only a transit country, Aksu noted.
Aksu said that legal sanctions had been provided against that traffic by amendments to Turkish Penal Code.
Stating that the benefits of that legal sanctions had been seen, Aksu said that there was a decrease in illegal migration and human smuggling since the end of 2002 and the trend in 2003 proved that foresight.
Emphasizing that it would not be sufficient to bring new sanctions and punishment to reduce illegal migration and human smuggling, Aksu said that they would need other preventive measures.
Aksu stated that they had to use advanced technology products and make cooperation in fight against illegal migration.
Interior Minister Aksu recalled that Turkey had signed bilateral agreements with 61 countries regarding security and cooperation.
Human smuggling was developing as a fact threatening the region, Aksu noted.
Aksu said that Turkey had taken all legal measures in the last one year which would constitute an example for other countries.
''This way, we aimed to create an atmosphere which would not enable occurrence and development of human smuggling within borders of Turkey. Despite this, Turkey's name was mentioned together with the countries which can't achieve the minimum standards in fight against human smuggling in the 2002 human smuggling report prepared to be presented to the U.S. Congress. This shows that all these developments have been ignored. We think that this decision is not based on objective data and we regret it,'' Aksu said.
Aksu stated that 3 thousand 616 human smugglers were captured in Turkey in the last five years, adding that the ''heartbeat detectors'' would help Turkey's fight against illegal migration.
British Ambassador to Turkey Peter Westmacott said that Britain attached great importance to prevention of illegal migration and continued efforts to that end.
Stating that Britain also attached importance to cooperation with Turkey, Westmacott said that a new step had been taken in that cooperation the same day.
Westmacott expressed belief that big success would be gained in fight against human smuggling thanks to cooperation in prevention of illegal migration.
Graham Leese, the head of the ''Sea Project'' of the British Home Office, and his assistant David Ellis gave information about the ''heartbeat detectors.''
Leese and Ellis said that the aim of the project was to save human life, capture those who organize illegal migration through sea, and prevent those smugglers from continuing their illegal act.
Graham Leese and David Ellis noted that bodies of 3 thousand dead people were found in the Mediterranean in the last one year, adding that they predicted that the number of people who died in the Mediterranean was more than that.
(BRC-AÖ) 12.06.2003