[NYTr] Turkey Wants Answers from Israel on Provocative Overflight

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

AP - Sep 9, 2007 via rick kissell
(no URL supplied)

Turkey Asks Israel About Fuel Tanks

By SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press Writer

ANKARA, Turkey --- Turkey has requested information from Israel about 
fuel tanks found near the Turkish border with Syria that allegedly were 
dropped by Israeli aircraft, an official said Sunday.

The request follows Syria's claim last week that Israeli aircraft 
entered its airspace and dropped "munitions" onto deserted areas after 
being shot at by Syrian air defenses. Israel has not commented on the 
incident.

Turkey requested information from Israel on the fuel tanks Saturday but 
has not received a response, said a Foreign Ministry official who spoke 
on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make media 
statements.

Israel's envoy to Turkey was summoned Saturday to the Turkish Foreign 
Ministry, which issued a formal protest over the fuel tanks, Israeli 
government officials told the Yediot Ahronot and Haaretz newspapers. 
Israel's Foreign Ministry refused to comment.

Warplanes sometimes drop extra fuel tanks to make the aircraft lighter 
and easier to maneuver.

Over the weekend, Turkish TV broadcast pictures of what it said were the 
Israeli fuel tanks found in the provinces of Hatay and Gaziantep, near 
the Syrian border. The tanks did not have any national markings. If 
accurate, the report would be the first concrete evidence that Israeli 
warplanes were in the area.

Israel would have a number of reasons to fly over northern Syria: to 
collect information about long-range missiles pointed at Israel, to test 
Syrian air defense, or to try out a possible air route to its archenemy 
Iran. But the incident has raised questions about why Israel would want 
to heighten tensions with its enemy to the north.

On Sunday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem arrived in Ankara 
for talks with President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip 
Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan. Al-Moallem was expected to 
discuss the alleged Israeli over-flights, Turkish officials said, 
although the visit was planned before the incident.

"We are prepared to defend ourselves against any attack that Israel may 
plan, but our basic priority is a comprehensive peace," the Anatolia 
news agency quoted al-Moallem as telling reporters on arrival.