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Germany, Turkey Spar Over Patriots
WORLD NEWS
November 26, 2012, 9:55 p.m. ET
By DAVID CRAWFORD in Berlin, EMRE PEKER in Istanbul and STEPHEN FIDLER
in Brussels
Germany is privately pressing Turkey to scale back the scope of its
request for Patriot missile-defense batteries to defend the country's
borders with war-torn Syria, according to a person familiar with
negotiations.
Turkey is seeking help to defend virtually all the towns and cities
within 50 miles of Turkey's roughly 565-mile border with Syria, said
the person familiar with the talks. Germany is privately pressing
Turkey to keep the request to a minimum, the person said.
Germany is one of three countries - along with the U.S. and the
Netherlands - that have indicated their readiness to send Patriot
air-defense batteries to protect from a further spillover of the Syria
conflict into Turkey, after Ankara approached the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization last Wednesday with a formal request for the
systems.
While the assessment of the talks couldn't be corroborated, it is
consistent with positions in each country - Germans' widespread
resistance to deploying such a system, versus a public push in Turkey
to protect civilians from war in Syria.
NATO will work with Turkey's armed forces in a technical study to
"protect the widest swath of Turkey," the country's Defense Minister
Ismet Yilmaz told reporters in the eastern province of Sivas on
Saturday, according to state-run Anatolia news agency.
For decades, German public opinion has opposed participation in
international conflicts, with rare exceptions such as Afghanistan and
the Balkans. Fifty-nine percent of Germans oppose deploying German
Patriot missiles in Turkey, according to a public-opinion poll
published last week by Infratest Dimap.
NATO missile-defense experts are due to begin visiting potential
missile sites near Turkey's border with Syria on Tuesday. The
specialists will work with Turkish experts to help determine the
number of missiles, foreign troops and length of deployment of the
anti-missile units, Turkey's military general staff said Monday.
Batteries would be stationed, according to Turkish media, in three
cities: Malatya, which is home to a NATO radar; Diyarbakir, host to an
air-force base; and the frontier province of Sanliurfa. A foreign
ministry official declined to confirm those reports.
On Monday, Syrian warplanes conducted two bombing raids close to the
border with Turkey. The strikes appeared to narrowly miss a Free
Syrian Army base in Atma, about a mile from the frontier, and sent
hundreds of Syrians fleeing into Turkey. Atma also houses a makeshift
refugee camp that has become home to more than 12,000 Syrians.
Turkey's military reiterated Monday that a deployment of Patriots
wouldn't be used to create a no-fly zone or for offensive purposes,
saying the systems would be used to defend territory against
airstrikes and rockets from Syria.
NATO officials and diplomats said the Patriot systems wouldn't be
configured to shoot down aircraft. Instead, said an official, they
would be "set to shoot down ballistic missiles which threaten Turkish
territory or property."
Within hours of Turkey's formal request for the Patriot systems last
week, Germany Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière recommended support
for the deployment of German troops and missiles to Turkey. During
discussions, German officials have told their Turkish partners that it
wouldn't make sense to provide air-defense for the entire region
"vaguely" outlined by Turkey during the talks, the person familiar
with the bilateral discussions said.
Turkey's request would require about 15 batteries of Patriot missiles,
this person said, adding that Germany's expected share of that request
would be larger than it could fulfill. The Netherlands' contingent of
Patriots is even smaller, this person said, adding that it is also
unclear if the U.S. would offer to fill the gap between what Germany
and the Netherlands can provide and what Turkey says it needs.
A Turkish foreign ministry official declined to comment on the German
position. Turkey's general staff didn't respond to calls seeking
comment.
Each battery of Patriot missiles covers a circle with a radius of
about 16 miles. Each requires roughly 70 to 80 support personnel,
though this can vary according to location and from one country's
armed forces to another. The U.S. stationed Patriot batteries in
Turkey in 1991 and 2003 to protect its NATO partner during fighting
with Iraq.
Deployment may be formally approved at a meeting of NATO foreign
ministers in Brussels on Dec. 4 and 5.
The German contribution could then be approved at a cabinet meeting on Dec. 5.
Patriot units slated for deployment would then finalize preparations
for shipping out while the proposal is debated in Germany's lower
house of parliament. A final Bundestag vote is expected on or before
Dec. 21.
Write to David Crawford at [email protected], Emre Peker at
[email protected] and Stephen Fidler at [email protected]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324784404578143271316436766.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
WORLD NEWS
November 26, 2012, 9:55 p.m. ET
By DAVID CRAWFORD in Berlin, EMRE PEKER in Istanbul and STEPHEN FIDLER
in Brussels
Germany is privately pressing Turkey to scale back the scope of its
request for Patriot missile-defense batteries to defend the country's
borders with war-torn Syria, according to a person familiar with
negotiations.
Turkey is seeking help to defend virtually all the towns and cities
within 50 miles of Turkey's roughly 565-mile border with Syria, said
the person familiar with the talks. Germany is privately pressing
Turkey to keep the request to a minimum, the person said.
Germany is one of three countries - along with the U.S. and the
Netherlands - that have indicated their readiness to send Patriot
air-defense batteries to protect from a further spillover of the Syria
conflict into Turkey, after Ankara approached the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization last Wednesday with a formal request for the
systems.
While the assessment of the talks couldn't be corroborated, it is
consistent with positions in each country - Germans' widespread
resistance to deploying such a system, versus a public push in Turkey
to protect civilians from war in Syria.
NATO will work with Turkey's armed forces in a technical study to
"protect the widest swath of Turkey," the country's Defense Minister
Ismet Yilmaz told reporters in the eastern province of Sivas on
Saturday, according to state-run Anatolia news agency.
For decades, German public opinion has opposed participation in
international conflicts, with rare exceptions such as Afghanistan and
the Balkans. Fifty-nine percent of Germans oppose deploying German
Patriot missiles in Turkey, according to a public-opinion poll
published last week by Infratest Dimap.
NATO missile-defense experts are due to begin visiting potential
missile sites near Turkey's border with Syria on Tuesday. The
specialists will work with Turkish experts to help determine the
number of missiles, foreign troops and length of deployment of the
anti-missile units, Turkey's military general staff said Monday.
Batteries would be stationed, according to Turkish media, in three
cities: Malatya, which is home to a NATO radar; Diyarbakir, host to an
air-force base; and the frontier province of Sanliurfa. A foreign
ministry official declined to confirm those reports.
On Monday, Syrian warplanes conducted two bombing raids close to the
border with Turkey. The strikes appeared to narrowly miss a Free
Syrian Army base in Atma, about a mile from the frontier, and sent
hundreds of Syrians fleeing into Turkey. Atma also houses a makeshift
refugee camp that has become home to more than 12,000 Syrians.
Turkey's military reiterated Monday that a deployment of Patriots
wouldn't be used to create a no-fly zone or for offensive purposes,
saying the systems would be used to defend territory against
airstrikes and rockets from Syria.
NATO officials and diplomats said the Patriot systems wouldn't be
configured to shoot down aircraft. Instead, said an official, they
would be "set to shoot down ballistic missiles which threaten Turkish
territory or property."
Within hours of Turkey's formal request for the Patriot systems last
week, Germany Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière recommended support
for the deployment of German troops and missiles to Turkey. During
discussions, German officials have told their Turkish partners that it
wouldn't make sense to provide air-defense for the entire region
"vaguely" outlined by Turkey during the talks, the person familiar
with the bilateral discussions said.
Turkey's request would require about 15 batteries of Patriot missiles,
this person said, adding that Germany's expected share of that request
would be larger than it could fulfill. The Netherlands' contingent of
Patriots is even smaller, this person said, adding that it is also
unclear if the U.S. would offer to fill the gap between what Germany
and the Netherlands can provide and what Turkey says it needs.
A Turkish foreign ministry official declined to comment on the German
position. Turkey's general staff didn't respond to calls seeking
comment.
Each battery of Patriot missiles covers a circle with a radius of
about 16 miles. Each requires roughly 70 to 80 support personnel,
though this can vary according to location and from one country's
armed forces to another. The U.S. stationed Patriot batteries in
Turkey in 1991 and 2003 to protect its NATO partner during fighting
with Iraq.
Deployment may be formally approved at a meeting of NATO foreign
ministers in Brussels on Dec. 4 and 5.
The German contribution could then be approved at a cabinet meeting on Dec. 5.
Patriot units slated for deployment would then finalize preparations
for shipping out while the proposal is debated in Germany's lower
house of parliament. A final Bundestag vote is expected on or before
Dec. 21.
Write to David Crawford at [email protected], Emre Peker at
[email protected] and Stephen Fidler at [email protected]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324784404578143271316436766.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress