Turkey Protests U.S. Violation of Its Airspace

May 29, 2007 (LPAC)-Tensions between Turkey and US are rising after the announcement by the Turkish General Staff, posted on its Web site last Sunday, that two US F-16s violated Turkish airspace for four minutes on Thursday May 24, in Uezuemlue district near Hakkari province. US Ambassador Ross Wilson downplayed the incident, and said the violation lasted only one minute, according to a report in Turkishweekly.net . Experts report that Turkish airspace has been violated many times since the US occupied Iraq in 2003. This time, however, not only did Turkey make an official complaint, but the General Staff also informed the public.

In a closely related development, in response to the announcement by Turkish Prime Minister Receb Tayyib Erdogan last week, that he would back a Turkish military incursion into Iraq to battle Kurdish PKK guerillas if necessary, US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said on May 24 that any unilateral intervention in Iraq, by Turkey or any other state, "won't solve any problem." Casey suggested instead that Turkey, Iraq and the US should work together.