LEFKOSA - Turkey and TRNC will hold a joint manoeuvre on Thursday.
''Sehit Tegmen (Martyr Lieutenant) Caner Gonyeli 2003 Search and Rescue Operation'' will be exercised as a sign of the fact that no concessions will be given from Turkish rights and interests in the sea and air over Cyprus and East Mediterranean.
The capabilities and capacities of TRNC in search and rescue field will be tried in the manoeuvre.
Speaking in a news briefing, TRNC Security Forces Commander Gen. Necmettin Baykul said that the claims of the Greek Cypriot side which unilaterally announced that search and rescue activities in Cyprus and East Mediterranean fell within its responsibility, were unacceptable.
Gen. Baykul stated that the mission of search and rescue was given to British bases as the ''Cyprus Republic'' which was founded by 1959-1960 Agreements didn't have any organization to perform that mission, adding that British bases still had that mission in Search and Rescue Coordination Centre in Episkopi base and the south of Lefkosa FIR line.
Recalling that Turkey and TRNC announced by issuing two NOTAMs (Notices to Airmen) that it would not accept the statement issued by Greek Cypriot side announcing that it would take over the responsibility of search and rescue operations by the centre it formed near Larnaca Airport in 1996, General Baykul stressed that it was announced that the authority to carry out rescue and search activities in airspace and territorial waters of TRNC belonged to TRNC, and the responsibility to carry out such activities in the open air north of Cyprus fell within the responsibility of the Turkish Search and Rescue Region.
Gen. Baykul stressed that TRNC reached the power to carry out all kinds of search and rescue activities which fell within the sovereignty field of TRNC and in East Mediterranean in cooperation with Turkey.
TRNC President Rauf Denktas will also watch the exercise that will be carried out off Erenkoy and Girne and it will be open to the press and foreign observers.
(Öª-AÖ) 18.06.2003