Rafsanjani holds talks with Turkish

[PeaceNet Middle East Team]

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: Rafsanjani holds talks with Turkish

/* Written  9:29 am  Sep 15, 1992 by mtaghavi at magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu in cdp:soc.culture.ir */
/* ---------- "Rafsanjani holds talks with Turkish" ---------- */

	ATHENS, Greece (UPI) -- Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
held discussions in Tehran with Turkish Interior Minister Ismet Sezgin
Monday and the two sides stressed the need for closer cooperation in
regional affairs, Tehran radio said.
	Sezgin flew to Tehran last week to discuss security matters along the
two countries' common border, following reports that Kurdish rebels
recently infiltrated into Turkish territory from Iran.
	Tehran radio monitored in Athens did not mention discussions on
security matters, but said the Iranian president deplored ``baseless
rumors in sections of the (Turkish) media, and unsubstantiated claims
that harm cooperation.''
	Iran has denied it allows it territory to be used by guerrillas of
the Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, an outlawed Turkisn rebel group
seeking to set up an independent state for the country's estimated 10
million Kurds.
	In Ankara, the Turkish Daily News quoted Sezgin as saying after talks
with other officials on the weekend that he sought Iran's help in
curbing the activities of the PKK.
	Last week, Turkish officials said Sezgin would suggest the two
countries carry out joint operations against rebel groups along their
common border.
	The Istanbul newspaper Hurriyet said Sezgin was accompanied by a team
of intelligence and security experts, with photographs, maps and other
material to prove PKK rebels entered Turkey from Iran to carry out
recent attacks near the border.
	During the weekend, Tehran radio quoted Iranian officials as saying
in talks with Sezgin the Islamic Republic would be ready to cooperate on
security affairs if Ankara stopped the activities of Iranian dissident
groups in Turkey.
	This wss an apparent reference to such Iranian dissidents as the
Mojahedin Khalq, or People's Holy Warrior group, which has a political
office in Turkey.
	The Turkish Daily News quoted Sezgin as saying he has promised
Turkish cooperation against the Mojahedin Khalq, in return for Iranian
cooperation against the PKK.
	The two sides have agreed on ``minimum common interests, including
branding the PKK a terrorist organization,'' the newspaper quoted Sezgin
as saying.
	Present at Sezgin's meeting with Rafsanjani was Iranian Interior
Minister Abdullah Noori, who is concerned with security affairs inside
Iran.
	Tehran radio said Turkish Prime Minister Sulayman Demirel planned to
visit Tehran next month, by which time a solution was expected to be
found to a dispute over a Cypriot ship seized in the Bosphorus strait
with a cargo of arms claimed by Iran.
	Turkey earlier said the arms were destined for PKK rebels, and had
not been declared to the Turkish coast guard before the vessel entered
the Bosphorus.


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