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Today's Zaman, Turkey
Sept 14 2011
Turkey, US sign agreement on NATO radar deployment
14 September 2011, Wednesday / TODAYSZAMAN.COM,
Ambassador Francis Ricciardone signed the agreement on behalf of the
US. (Photo: AA)
Turkey and US officials have signed a memorandum on the deployment of
US radar as part of a NATO-backed missile defense system designed to
protect European members of the alliance from missile threats.
According to the memorandum, the X-band radar system will be deployed
at a military base in the eastern province of Malatya, private NTV
television reported on Wednesday. It also said the agreement was
signed by Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun SinirlioÄ?lu
and US Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone at the Turkish Foreign
Ministry on Wednesday morning.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the radar system would be
deployed in Kürecik, Malatya. `The site surveys and relevant legal
arrangements have been finalized, and accordingly a military
installation in Kürecik has been designated as the radar site,' a
statement from the Foreign Ministry said.
NATO members agreed to an anti-missile system over Europe to protect
against Iranian ballistic missiles at a summit in Lisbon last year. A
compromise was reached with Turkey, which has cultivated close ties
with its neighbor Iran and had threatened to block the deal if Iran
was explicitly named as a threat.
At the NATO summit of heads of state and government in Lisbon last
year, Turkey formally backed NATO plans to build a missile defense
system, saying it will also contribute to national defense against the
growing threat of ballistic missile proliferation.
The summit came after months of discussions between Turkey and the US,
in particular over some aspects of the proposed shield, most notably
whether countries such as Turkey's neighbors Iran and Syria should be
named as potential threats. Ankara insisted that the proposed system
should provide protection for all territories of member states and
that reference to any country would undermine the defensive nature of
the shield by antagonizing countries singled out as a threat. Turkish
insistence paid off in the end as the NATO summit endorsed the missile
defense system plans without naming any country as a potential threat.
Ankara on Sept. 2 announced its decision to host the early-warning
radar system as a contribution to NATO's missile defense system.
Turkey's decision annoyed Iran, which said Tehran would not tolerate
any aggression against its national interests. `The West claims the
radar system [in Turkey] is to confront Iranian missiles, but they
should be aware that we will not tolerate any aggression against our
national interests,' Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi was quoted
as saying by Iranian state TV.
The Turkish and US governments say the radar system will help spot
missile threats coming from outside Europe, including potentially from
Iran. The system, provided by the United States, is to become
operational later this year.
Sept 14 2011
Turkey, US sign agreement on NATO radar deployment
14 September 2011, Wednesday / TODAYSZAMAN.COM,
Ambassador Francis Ricciardone signed the agreement on behalf of the
US. (Photo: AA)
Turkey and US officials have signed a memorandum on the deployment of
US radar as part of a NATO-backed missile defense system designed to
protect European members of the alliance from missile threats.
According to the memorandum, the X-band radar system will be deployed
at a military base in the eastern province of Malatya, private NTV
television reported on Wednesday. It also said the agreement was
signed by Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun SinirlioÄ?lu
and US Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone at the Turkish Foreign
Ministry on Wednesday morning.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the radar system would be
deployed in Kürecik, Malatya. `The site surveys and relevant legal
arrangements have been finalized, and accordingly a military
installation in Kürecik has been designated as the radar site,' a
statement from the Foreign Ministry said.
NATO members agreed to an anti-missile system over Europe to protect
against Iranian ballistic missiles at a summit in Lisbon last year. A
compromise was reached with Turkey, which has cultivated close ties
with its neighbor Iran and had threatened to block the deal if Iran
was explicitly named as a threat.
At the NATO summit of heads of state and government in Lisbon last
year, Turkey formally backed NATO plans to build a missile defense
system, saying it will also contribute to national defense against the
growing threat of ballistic missile proliferation.
The summit came after months of discussions between Turkey and the US,
in particular over some aspects of the proposed shield, most notably
whether countries such as Turkey's neighbors Iran and Syria should be
named as potential threats. Ankara insisted that the proposed system
should provide protection for all territories of member states and
that reference to any country would undermine the defensive nature of
the shield by antagonizing countries singled out as a threat. Turkish
insistence paid off in the end as the NATO summit endorsed the missile
defense system plans without naming any country as a potential threat.
Ankara on Sept. 2 announced its decision to host the early-warning
radar system as a contribution to NATO's missile defense system.
Turkey's decision annoyed Iran, which said Tehran would not tolerate
any aggression against its national interests. `The West claims the
radar system [in Turkey] is to confront Iranian missiles, but they
should be aware that we will not tolerate any aggression against our
national interests,' Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi was quoted
as saying by Iranian state TV.
The Turkish and US governments say the radar system will help spot
missile threats coming from outside Europe, including potentially from
Iran. The system, provided by the United States, is to become
operational later this year.