TURKPULSE No:8 ............................NOVEMBER 7th, 1999
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AND TURKEY
Turkey is neither dealing with WMDs, nor is it sleeping about the potential danger from others dealing with them. As security cannot be left to chance, Turkey, with its vital geo-strategic location, had to take measures against the possibility of such abuses and developed its own WMD two decades ago.Turkey’s state policy ("state policy" being the equivalent of the American "federal policy") towards weapons of mass destruction (WMD) has always been the wise behaviour of meticulously steering clear of chemical and biological weapons. It is because they are inhumane and hideous weapons dangerous not only for the potential enemy, but also for those who use them.
Despite this care and responsible conduct, Turkey has occasionally been subjected to either claims of dealing with these weapons or provoked by systematic press reports that while its neighbours are being armed with WMDs Ankara is sleeping.
The latest of these claims came from some German TV channels and the MFA issued the following statement on Monday (1st):
"It has been seen that Channel 2 of the German State Television, ZDF, broadcast on October 27th, 1999, certain untrue claims about our country. In this context, it has been found useful to stress the following points:
Turkey adhered on May 12th, 1997 to the Chemical Weapons Convention concerning the ban on the development, manufacture, storage and utilisation of chemical weapons. Turkey has thus pledged not to develop, manufacture, store or use chemical weapons and it has been meticulously fulfilling its commitments within this agreement. In fact, it has been learnt that the Federal German Foreign Ministry has also rebutted the ZDF’s claims.
Likewise, the claim in the same dispatch is untrue that Turkey has used these weapons against the secessionist terrorist organisation. It had already rebutted such news. It is also illogical that Turkey should be able to use a kind of weapon which does not exist on its territory."
Security cannot be left to chance
Even though it is a fact that Turkey has never dealt with chemical or biological weapons, it does not mean that it has taken no measures against the possibility that WMDs may find their way into the hands of some irresponsible neighbours or a potential enemy and be used against this country. Two decades ago Turkey developed its own WMD - nuclear weapons, the lesser of two evils when compared with chemical and biological weapons.
In official documents, Turkey figures as a non-nuclear country and Turkey’s western allies categorically deny that Turkey has its own atomic bomb, even though they know very well that this is not the case. The Turkish Government, on the other hand, does not boast about it and when approached with such a question, official sources say, "We do not have nuclear weapons." When pressed about the danger that its neighbours may have these weapons and may use them against Turkey, they say, "We do not have them, but we can manufacture them within a matter of days."
To be able to have an atom bomb, a country must have plutonium, i.e. the ashes that come out of a reactor. Yet other than a small research reactor in Kucukcekmece near Istanbul, Turkey has no reactors. How can it possibly have a nuclear bomb then?
Annoyed by some disinformation mongers playing up the danger of nuclear armament around Turkey, Pulse gave the answer to that question four years ago. The following is an article published in the newsprint Pulse on September 29th, 1995. uras@ada.net.tr, November 7th, 1999
(Reproduction of an article published by Pulse on September 29th,
1995) Please click here 