Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ANKARA140
2003-01-07 09:23:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

GOT PROTESTS PORT VISIT BY US NAVY TO RHODES

Tags:  PREL MOPS MARR GR TU 
pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000140 

SIPDIS


STATE FOR EUR/SE AND PM; OSD FOR DASD BRZEZINSKI


E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/03/2012
TAGS: PREL MOPS MARR GR TU
SUBJECT: GOT PROTESTS PORT VISIT BY US NAVY TO RHODES


(U) Classified by Pol-Mil Counselor Stuart Brown. Reasons:
1.5 (B and D).


C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000140

SIPDIS


STATE FOR EUR/SE AND PM; OSD FOR DASD BRZEZINSKI


E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/03/2012
TAGS: PREL MOPS MARR GR TU
SUBJECT: GOT PROTESTS PORT VISIT BY US NAVY TO RHODES


(U) Classified by Pol-Mil Counselor Stuart Brown. Reasons:
1.5 (B and D).



1. (U) The Embassy recently received a diplomatic note from
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding visits by US Naval
vessels to the island of Rhodes.



2. (U) Begin text of MFA note No. 2002DHGY/485435:


The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey
presents its compliments to the Embassy of the United States
of America and has the honor to bring the following to the
kind attention of the Embassy:


The Ministry has been informed that two MK V type American
naval boats visited the island of Rhodes on 4 November, 2002.


The Ministry would like to emphasize that Rhodes and other
Dodecanese islands have been placed under a permanent
demilitarized status by the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty which
excludes all forms of military presence and activities on the
said islands, including port visits by naval ships.


The Ministry would therefore like to request the US
Administration to abide by the regime enshrined in the 1947
Paris Peace Treaty.


The Ministry of Foreign affairs of the Republic of Turkey
avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Embassy of
the United States of America the assurance of its highest
consideration.


Ankara, 17 December 2002.


End text.



3. (C) Comment: The MFA's position as described in the
diplomatic note is consistent with the long-standing GOT
position on port calls by US ships to Rhodes and other
islands that the GOT considers de-militarized. MFA and TGS
officials most recently raised this issue during the Dec
16-18 High-Level Defense Group (HLDG) Political-Military
Working Group meeting in Garmisch, Germany, and we expect
them to raise it again during the HLDG meeting in the US in
May 2003.
DEUTSCH