TURK ARSONshocking claims that Turks burnt Greek forests***.
News in English, of 04/06/1996The Greek government intends to ask Turkey to explain what's behind reports that Turkey's secret services burnt forests on Greek islands.
The shocking admission that Turkish underworld figures methodically burnt Greek forests was made by a Turkish parliamentarian.
In a TV interview, Sentat BoutsAk, an MP for Tansu Ciller's Correct Path party, makes the shocking claim that the Turkish secret services and special forces are behind the systematic burning of the forests on the Greek islands.
Boutsak was riding in the same car as a policeman and right-wing underworld figure Abdullah TsatlI, when the latter was killed in an accident.
Boutsak claims that TsatlI took part in Turkish sabotage operations to burn Greek forests.
The day after Boutsak's interview allegations, the right-wing Turkish paper YenI SafAk carried the title, "We Burnt Rhodes". All copies of that edition of the paper were themselves burnt up in a fire at the paper's offices, of unknown cause.
Boutsak is the leader of a group of Kurds loyal to the Turkish state. Thousands of his Kurds staff the Turkish national guard.
It has been claimed that setting fires is one of the methods used by the special forces to get Kurds to abandon their villages.
The claims about TsantlI are only the latest in a series of revelations tying right-wing nationalist underworld organisations like the Grey Wolves to the state. Some claim the alleged bond between the Turkish state and the extremist groups was created in response to the Kurdish problem.
As for Abdullah TsatlI, Tanus Ciller defends him, saying that all Turks will always remember those who bear arms or are wounded in the service of their country.
Ciller opponent Mesout Gilmaz says Ciller is trying to cover up the activities of right-wing groups.
Responding to the report about the Greek forests, alternate Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou says the revelations are "worrying, because Boutsak's statements constitute evidence of criminal acts of sabotage by Turks in Greece". Papandreou adds that the Greek government will ask Turkey for a full explanation.
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas says Greece has some evidence that some forest fires are acts of carefully-planned-out sabotage. Turks have been suspected of carrying out acts against Greece for some time.
Two bombs went off in Rhodes in July of 1994. They were a blow to toursim on the popular island. Five days later, a forest fire broke out on the island of Samos. Then public order minister Stelios Papathemelis said he had information that Turkish extremists carried out such acts.
Following the latest developments, Athens wants to hear what the Turkish authorities have to say. Reppas doesn't rule out at this point that the whole story could just be a part of political games being played in Turkey.
http://www.hri.org/news/greek/ant1en/19 ... nt1en.html
