WASHINGTON - Aegean Army Commander General Hursit Tolon said on Sunday that detention of Turkish soldiers by U.S. soldiers in north of Iraq had no other similarity in the world.
After the Office of General Staff had announced that that it had decided not to attend the hand over ceremony in U.S. Central Forces Command in Tampa, Tolon told A.A that Central Forces Deputy Commander General Michael Delong told the chairman of Turkish liaison team in Tampa that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney by phone and gave the message that he hoped that detained Turkish soldiers would be released in a few hours.
Tolon defined the detention of 11 Turkish soldiers by U.S. soldiers in the north of Iraq as ''an incident which had no other similarity.''
Gen. Tolon, who is currently in Washington, said, ''military personnel of a NATO member country detained military personnel of another NATO member by a move which resembles a raid, without showing any reason and without making any statement, and most importantly, without giving any information to us. This has no similarity in the world and can never be underestimated. The only consolable side of this ugly incident is that members of Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) who were detained behaved with a discipline that fit them and did not cause any armed clash by opening fire on soldiers of an army known to be the army of a friend and ally during the mentioned move.''
Tolon stated that place and number of TSK personnel in the region were notified to U.S. officials since 1997.
''I think that this ugly move which was made although all these facts were known stemmed from the efforts aiming at satisfying personal caprice of some people in the region, to show power unmeaningfully, or to for a part of a scenario being prepared by some groups in the region,'' Tolon said.
Tolon noted, ''I am sure that any reason to be shown for the detention of the Turkish soldiers will not satisfy and end deep sorrow of TSK and Turkish people.''
Upon the order of the Office of General Staff, General Tolon stated that he would not attend the hand over ceremony in the U.S. Central Forces Command to take place in Florida on Monday and announced that two Turkish liaison officers in Tampa would be called back.
Tolon said, ''I am in the United States to represent Office of General Staff and TSK in the retirement ceremony of U.S. Central Forces Command Tommy Franks to take place in Tampa Florida on July 7. I have brought good will message of our Chief of General Staff to General Franks.''
Eleven officers and non-commissioned officers of TSK who were in north of Iraq, and a part of civilian personnel providing the group with administrative support were detained by 100 U.S. soldiers in the region in a very meaningless and ugly way and without any valid reason on July 4, Tolon stated.
Tolon went on saying, ''after being informed about the detention, the Office of General Staff and Foreign Ministry continue initiatives uninterruptedly in not only Pentagon and the U.S. State Department but also in Central Forces Command in Tampa to illuminate the incident and provide release of the detained personnel. Also, Turkey's Embassy in Washington and TSK Attache's Office continue initiatives with officials of the United States in every level.''
''Although all officials noted that information would be given as soon as possible and efforts would be exerted, no response has been received so far. In this process, our government and TSK officials uninterruptedly continued contacts with interlocutors. Meanwhile, the Office of General Staff ordered me and TSK Attache who would accompany me not to attend the mentioned ceremony in Tampa and ordered the liaison team in Tampa to return,'' Tolon said.
Tolon added, ''this decision of the General Staff is conveyed to General Delong by senior liaison officer in Tampa. One and a half hours after this information was conveyed, Delong told head of our liaison team that he knew that Prime Minister Erdogan was speaking to Cheney by phone at the moment. And, he gave the message that he hoped that the detained soldiers would be released in a few hours.''
Stating that ''that ugly incident had no side which could be explained or accepted,'' Tolon said that an ugly incident which was even impossible to imagine occurred between armed forces of two friend and ally countries fighting shoulder-to-shoulder to provide and maintain world peace for over 50 years.
Tolon said, ''I think that one of reasons of continuation of this silence from the outset of the incident and our unanswered initiatives is to gain time to create a made-up scenario about this ugly and unacceptable incident benefiting from the long holiday. I am sure that any reason to be shown regarding the incident from now on will not satisfy and end deep sorrow over TSK and Turkish people.''
When he was asked to evaluate claims that Turkish soldiers were detained because they planned to assassinate Kirkuk Governor, Tolon said, ''the place of these soldiers is definite. Allegedly, they would assassinate Kirkuk Governor. This is out of question and totally made-up. How come can a person do such thing in front of eyes of everybody? The U.S. say that they received such a tip-off. From whom have you received that tip-off? Why haven't you informed Turkey? How you seen what Turkish soldiers did? Are Turkish soldiers murderers, thieves, or do they have a traffic accident that you have detained them?''
Tolon pointed out that when such an event took place in the most underdeveloped country in the world, the embassy of the country in question was informed and a reason was shown.
''Three days have passed but we have not given any information,'' Tolon said.
Asked what situation of package that Turkey conveyed to the United States about Iraq would be and if contribution to stability force in Iraq would be made after that incident, Tolon said that he did not have any information about what the Office of General Staff and Foreign Ministry thought about the issue since he was in Washington.
(BRC-AÖ) 07.07.2003