ANKARA(A.A) - 02.04.2002 - Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Group Chairman Bulent Arinc said on Tuesday, ''Turkey should cancel the tender for M-60 tanks due to recent developments in the Middle East.''
Holding a press conference at the parliament, Arinc referred to recent developments in the Middle East. He described what was happening in Palestine as ''genocide''.
''Yasser Arafat, the president of a legal state recognized by the world, may be living his last days under bombardment. Recent developments have revealed that there was not any difference between Adolf Hitler and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon,'' he stressed.
''Turkey cannot award an Israeli company in a tender for modernization of M-60 tanks in an atmosphere where 304 people lost their lives in clashes. Turkey should cancel the tender as soon as possible,'' he told reporters.
GUVEN SAYS AGREEMENT FOR MODERNIZATION OF M-60 TANKS SHOULD BE SUSPENDED
True Path Party (DYP) Deputy Chairman Turhan Guven said on Tuesday, ''in an atmosphere in which inhuman developments have been occuring in Palestine, Turkey should suspend its agreement with Israeli company for modernization of M-60 tanks.''
Holding a press conference, Guven said, ''children and grandchildren of the Jews who had experienced the terrorism of Hitler's fascism some 65-70 years ago, are applying the same terrorism on Palestinians today. Israeli army imprisoned Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in his own house, and left him without food and water. It is unacceptable. Israel should abide by the resolution approved by the United Nation Security Council for withdrawal.''
''In such an atmosphere where inhuman developments have been occuring in Palestine, Turkey should suspend its agreement with Israeli company for modernization of M-60 tanks,'' he added.
NATIONAL DEFENSE MINISTER CAKMAKOGLU SAYS ARMY PLANS TO USE M-60 TANKS FOR AT LEAST 20 MORE YEARS
National Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu said on Tuesday that the army planned to use M-60 tanks which will be modernized for at least 20 more years.
Responding to the question with notice by Felicity Party (SP) deputy Zeki Celik on behalf of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit about modernization of M-60 tanks, Cakmakoglu said that the cost of the investments that will be undertaken in military factories and installations in Turkey for the modernization of the tanks will be reduced from the payments to be done to the Israeli firm IMI.
Cakmakoglu said that M-60 tanks are still used in European countries, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
Noting that Turkey has sufficient number of M-60 tanks, Cakmakoglu said that the modernization will be carried out in Turkey.
Cakmakoglu noted that no M-60 tanks were given to the Israeli firm as the modernization will be carried out in Turkey, adding that IMI also modernized the tanks of its country.
Pointing out that the Israeli firm was supported by the Israeli state as it is a public institution, Cakmakoglu said that ''the cost of the investments that will be undertaken in military factories and installations in Turkey for the modernization of the tanks will be reduced from the payments to be done to the Israeli firm IMI thus the maximum part of the payment will be kept in the country. The technology that will be acquired in this way will be used in other projects in the future and the cost of production will be decreased.''
The technology which Turkey owns will be totally used and the aim is to provide less dependency on other countries in respect of technology, he said.
The necessary investigation about the Israeli company was also carried out, he added.
NATIONAL DEFENSE MINISTER CAKMAKOGLU SAYS TANK MODERNIZATION ISSUE IS AN ISSUE THAT IS ON AGENDA FOR 1,5 YEARS
National Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu said on Tuesday that the tank modernization agreement with Israel is an issue that is on the agenda for 1,5 years.
Responding to questions of journalists before the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) meeting, Cakmakoglu said that ''the tank tender is the issue of modernizing the M-60 tanks.''
Noting that the decision about the tank tender was taken up in the March meeting of the Defense Industry Executive Committee, Cakmakoglu said that that committee was composed of National Defense Minister and Chief of General Staff headed by Prime Minister.
''This organ gives the final decision, this is the procedure regarding the purchases from the Defense Industry Fund,'' said Cakmakoglu and noted that the proposals except the one given by Israeli IMF firm didn't meet the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces while reading out the press release signed by Prime Minister Ecevit.
Cakmakoglu said that the Committee decided to give the modernization of 170 M-60 tanks to the Israeli firm, adding that ''the Defense Industry Undersecretariat carries out the implementation of this decision.''
When a reporter said that there was a debate within the government about the suspension of the agreement, Cakmakoglu said that ''the Executive Committee is authorized in this issue. I can't tell anything about this issue by myself. Besides, the military relations and the agreements with Israel are not related to the decision we recently took. The public opinion should know the previous dimenisons of the issue. The modernization task of F-14, F-15 and F-4 aircraft was given to Israel before. Various military agreements were signed during the term in office of the former government and they are carried out.''