DoD News Briefing
Thursday, February 4, 1999 - 1:50 p.m.Presenter: Captain Mike Doubleday, DASD PA
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Q: Do you know when the next joint [exercise] of the U.S., Turkey, and Israel will take place in the Eastern Mediterranean?
A: I can't give you a date when that is going to take place. Let me just see, I think somebody handed me some material on that one also.
This exercise called RELIANT MERMAID II is still being considered -- no details yet on where it will take place, when it will take place, and who the participants will be. They have some regularly scheduled bilateral scheduling meetings that occur from time to time where they discuss this issue, but at this point there is no date that has been set for the exercise.
Q: Are they going to invite Greece to participate?
A: As I say, they have not gotten to the point that they've decided on participants or that level of detail.
Q: Are you planning to propose for Greece to participate in that exercise?
A: I think we will await to hear from those who are involved in the planning of the exercise.
Q: It was reported today by the New York Times that the U.S. asked the Greeks to install the Russian S-300 missiles to the Island of Crete instead of Cypress. Why in Crete and not Thrace? Is any particular reason?
A: We think that the decision not to deploy the missiles on Cypress was the right thing to do. Deploying them on Crete was a Greek option. We appreciate the helpful role Greece has played in resolving the S-300 issue. The decision to place these missiles on Crete is something you'll have to ask the Greek government about.
As you recall, the U.S. has long opposed the deployment of the missiles to Cypress. Our longstanding view is anything that increases the tensions between these two allies does not serve the interests of Greece, Turkey, the United States, or NATO.
Q: The question is that the New York Times states that you asked the Greeks to do that, to go the missiles, instead of Cypress to the Island of Crete. So what is your answer?
A: I cannot tell you whether we played that active a role in this issue or not.
Q: In the same story the New York Times are thinking about a phantom military alliance consisting by the United States of America, Turkey, and Israel and (unintelligible) Greece not to form (unintelligible) with Iran, Iraq, Syria, and the emerging Palestinian state.
Since you are involved, according to the story, do you know what type of alliance is this, and do you have any information on the formation of such of a (unintelligible)?
A: I know of no such alliance.
I do know, and as everyone else does, that we consider both Israel and Greece and Turkey our allies, but I know of no alliance.
Q: And the last one. It was reported in Italy that you have nuclear weapons in Greece and Turkey. Do you know what that is all about?
A: I think you know our longstanding policy is we neither confirm nor
deny the presence of nuclear weapons in any location.
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http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Feb1999/t02041999_tasd0204.html
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