This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002730 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/2025 
TAGS: PREL MOPS MARR TU GR
SUBJECT: TURKEY MOVES FORWARD (AGAIN) ON AEGEAN CBMS 
 
REF: A. ATHENS 1068 
 
     ¶B. ANKARA 1900 
 
Classified By: Political Military Affairs Counselor Timothy A. Betts fo 
r reason 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C)  Summary:  The CBMs announced during Greek FM 
Molyviatis' visit to Turkey are on track after a temporary 
freeze while TGS waited to see Athens' response to a 
mid-April incident when a desecrated Turkish flag was placed 
in the room of a Turkish cadet on an official exchange to the 
Greek military academy.  With a satisfactory apology and an 
incident-free visit by TU navy cadets to the Greek naval 
academy, TGS is prepared to move forward again.  However, 
there are a few backward steps on the horizon as well.  End 
summary. 
 
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After a bumpy patch, CBMs back on track 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Turkish General Staff (TGS) J-5 Greece/Cyprus Chief 
RADM Mucahit Sislioglu told polmilcouns on May 11 that TGS 
was again moving forward with the four CBMs announced during 
the April visit to Ankara by Greek Foreign Minister 
Molyviatis:  A direct line between the two countries' 
national air control centers, the exchange of military 
personnel studying the other country's language, sports 
activities between academies in each country, and disaster 
response training and exercises.  Sislioglu explained that 
work on the last three of these were frozen following an 
incident in Greece at the time of the Molyviatis visit when a 
desecrated Turkish flag was found in the room of a visiting 
Turkish cadet at the Greek military academy.  CHOD Ozkok had 
demanded in an April 20 speech a formal apology and a 
thorough investigation from Greek authorities.  Sislioglu 
reported that a formal letter of apology from the Greek Army 
Chief, a public pledge to find the perpetrators, and a 
successful ("excellent," "perfect") visit by a group of TU 
Navy cadets to the Greek naval academy this month had 
convinced TGS to resume work on these CBMs.  Sislioglu 
intended to write the orders necessary the afternoon of May 
11 to begin planning for the exchange/training activities. 
(The Turks continued their work on equipping the Eskisehir 
National Air Control Center to accommodate the agreed hot 
line without any suspension.) 
 
¶3. (C) In addition, Sislioglu noted that the Greek Army Chief 
had several days earlier sent a formal invitation for Turkish 
Land Forces Commander GEN Buyukanit to visit Greece.  (DAO 
Ankara reported earlier that Buyukanit's staff was already 
preparing for the trip.)  Also, Greece had invited the 
Turkish navy to send a unit to a national exercise in the 
Ionian Sea and Turkey had accepted.  This would be the first 
time in 30 years that the Turkish and Greek navies had 
participated in an exercise outside of the NATO umbrella, 
according to Sislioglu. 
 
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More bumps to come 
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¶4. (C) "Turkey is ready to do everything," Sislioglu 
exclaimed.  However, the Greek side seemed less eager, he 
observed.  The Greeks had recently approached Ankara to get 
the Turks to rescind its acceptance of the invitation to 
participate in an international air show at Tanagra AB this 
September.  (TGS had accepted and announced it would send the 
TUAF aerobatics team to perform -- ref b.)  Instead, the 
Greeks said a static display would be preferable.  Sislioglu 
assumed this was because Greek authorities did not want to be 
seen authorizing high performance Turkish aircraft to fly in 
Greek territory.  He said Turkey was pulling out of the air 
show.  "They should be careful that they only invite us when 
they want us," Sislioglu opined. 
 
¶5. (C/NF) Another potential problem Sislioglu relayed "in 
confidence" was the Turkish Air Force's recommendation to TGS 
that Turkey stop its practice since 2002 of filing Daily 
Flight Schedules (DFS) of its Aegean flights with NATO.  He 
said TUAF argued that this unilateral gesture to the Greeks 
has not only gone un-reciprocated but the Greeks continue to 
complain publicly about the TUAF's refusal to file flight 
plans.  This situation makes it increasingly difficult to 
explain the practice to the troops, TUAF reportedly 
complained.  Sislioglu said TGS was still staffing the TUAF 
recommendation.  He expected MFA would argue against 
rescinding a practice in the Aegean at this time. 
 
¶6. (C/NF) Polmilcouns argued that Turkey had worked hard on 
the Cyprus issue and on its relations with Athens in recent 
years.  While the GOG may not have responded to Turkey's 
filing DFS, neither had it taken any more provocative action 
than it was taking before 2002.  Complaints about TUAF 
violations of the Athens FIR were not new, neither were the 
Greek interception of TUAF fighters in the Aegean.  Taking a 
step backwards risked Turkey's ceding the moral high ground. 
He urged Sislioglu to reject the request. 
 
¶7. (C) Regarding recent Greek press stories alleging 
historically high numbers of Turkish AF violations of the 
Athens FIR and Greek airspace, Sislioglu asserted that Turkey 
has returned to the pre-2003 level of 400-500 flights per 
month in the Aegean.  Sislioglu indicated that he monitors 
the level of Turkish activity closely to ensure it stays 
within TGS-determined bounds. 
 
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Frustrations Normal 
------------------- 
 
¶8. (C/NF) Comment: Sislioglu has warned us before that Greek 
complaints following the 2004 Olympics about increased TUAF 
Aegean flights were increasingly irritating officers within 
TGS.  Nonetheless, we suspect that the frustration is more at 
TUAF headquarters where senior leaders are growing 
uncomfortable defending what they and their troops see as 
Turkey's restraint in the face of continued provocation.  The 
decision to move forward on other CBMs following the flag 
incident suggests this frustration has not yet reached the 
same level in TGS.  However, as even Sislioglu admitted, 
Turks are an emotional people and Ankara, including the 
military, is not above following emotions rather than reason. 
 We will need to continue to encourage TGS to reach out to 
their Greek counterparts.  End Comment. 
EDELMAN