Turkey suspends F-16 purchase from US over Cyprus ban

Turkey has reportedly suspended negotiations with the US over the purchase of an additional 30 F-16 fighters after Washington set the condition that they not be flown over the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

Military sources close to the Turkish Air Force Command (THK) told Today's Zaman that US technology restrictions, including a ban on their usage by Turkey over Cyprus, irked Ankara. "The US condition that fighters should not be used over Cyprus made us mad," said a source at the THK.

The US has not imposed any such restriction on the around 300 F-16s already in Turkey's inventory, said the same sources, adding that the possible adoption of an alleged Armenian genocide bill by the US Congress sometime in April has no direct links with Turkey's suspension of talks over the F-16 purchase.

Turkey and the US have also been in dispute over the price of the F-16s, estimated at around $2.9 billion. The US Congress approved earlier this year the sale of an additional 30 advanced F-16 Block 50 aircraft as well as associated equipment and services under Foreign Military Sale (FMS) credit to Turkey.

US's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), when it notified the US Congress in late September last year of the Turkish decision to buy additional F-16s, said, "This proposed sale will not adversely affect either the military balance in the region or US efforts to encourage a negotiated settlement of the Cyprus questions." The island of Cyprus has been divided into a Turkish north and Greek south since 1974.

According to well-informed military sources, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have been attaching great importance on the attitude of the US over Turkey's outlawed terrorist organization the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), reported to have been preparing for attacks inside Turkey in their bases in neighboring northern Iraq.“Rather than Armenian genocide bill, the PKK issue has the potential to turn upside down Turkish-US strategic relations on the part of Ankara. If the US does not take action against the PKK in northern Iraq or allow the Turkish military to stage a cross-border operation, the THK may even consider to abandon the idea of buying around 100 JSF fighters from the US,” stated one air force source.

During the American-Turkish Council (ATC) meeting due to start in Washington early next week, both the PKK and the Armenian genocide bill are expected to top the agenda, in addition to the F-16 and JSF purchases.

Source: Today's Zaman

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Tuesday said Turkish anger over proposed U.S. congressional resolutions could have a negative effect on that country’s support for the U.S. military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Our two nations should oppose measures and rhetoric that needlessly and destructively antagonize each other,” Gates said in a speech before the American-Turkish Council in Washington, D.C. “That includes symbolic resolutions by the United States Congress, as well as the type of anti-American and extremist rhetoric that sometimes finds a home in Turkish political discourse.”

Two recently introduced bipartisan congressional resolutions condemn the 1915-1917 mass killings of 1.5 Armenians as “genocide” — something long acknowledged by historians but that Turkey denies.

Gates said that, partly as a result of that tension, the war in Iraq is “one of the most difficult matters we have had to work through as allies.”

Turkey, a NATO ally, would like to wipe out the Kurdish militant group popularly known by its old initials — PKK, for Kurdistan Workers’ Party — that is based in northern Iraq. More than 20 years of Turkish conflict with the separatist group has produced some 30,000 total casualties, according to the U.S. State Department.

The U.S. wants to maintain the relative stability that much of northern Iraq enjoys.

“We recognize that every Turkish citizen killed by the PKK is a setback for success in Iraq, and a setback in our relationship with Turkey,” Gates said. “As President Bush has underscored, the United States is committed to the stability and territorial integrity of Iraq, and opposes policies or groups that would undermine that integrity in any way.”

Gates said that the strategic relationship between the U.S. and Turkey “has undergone some turbulence in recent years,” later adding, “All relationships need work to remains strong.”

But ties remain strong, Gates said, noting that Turkey has provided access to Iraq from its Incirlik Air Base, has commanded two security force rotations in Afghanistan and is a partner in the Joint Strike Fighter project. Gates also said 16 U.S. Navy ships made port calls in Turkey last year.

Turkey, as well as other NATO members, has a vital interest in a successful outcome in Iraq, Gates said.

“Whatever disagreements we might have over how we got to this point in Iraq, the consequences of a failed state in Iraq, of chaos there, will adversely affect every member of the Atlantic alliance, and none more so than Turkey,” Gates said.

Yet while Turkey will continue to play a role in that effort, the U.S. needs other countries in the region to do their parts to help stabilize Iraq, Gates said.

“Iraq’s neighbors will have to play a constructive role going forward, even if they haven’t done so in the past,” Gates said. “Especially in encouraging political reconciliation and reduction of violence within Iraq. This is certainly the case with Syria and Iran, who have not been helpful.” Gates has voiced similar thoughts since becoming defense secretary.

Gates has previously called for greater dialog with Iran. But in his speech, he seemed to express some pessimism over the efforts.

“In dealing with a regime like Iran’s, one has to be realistic,” Gates said. “The American search for elusive Iranian moderates is a recurring and mostly fruitless theme since the revolution in 1979.” But he said the recent regional talks in Baghdad “were a good start” and that the U.S. is open to higher-level exchanges.

“We should have no illusions about the nature of this regime,” Gates said of Iran. “Or about their designs for their nuclear program, their intentions for Iraq, or their ambitions in the Gulf region.”

Even though Turkey is a NATO ally they are treated different, same goes for Greece. Due to all of there conflicts over the years when either of there aircraft visit a US base NATO STANAGS state what we can and cannot provide for them. When any other country visits they just give us a fuel card and we charge them for it, different story for the other two. We have to write "replacement in kind" on there fuel receipts and then what happens is the fuel is replaced. Same goes for other commodities they may need. Those two are treated like two step children.

Purple

Very interesting
I guess that explains a lot of things (why Greece purchase from other countries france or Europe)

They still bought 16's from us. It is really a shame that they can't get along. If they could it would be so good for that region.