GOT PROTESTS PORT VISIT BY US NAVY TO RHODES

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