[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 4, 1997)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 30737-30738]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-14762]



[[Page 30735]]

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Part IV





The President





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Presidential Determination No. 97-24 of May 23, 1997--Waiver of 
Statutory Restrictions To Permit Assistance to Turkey
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  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 107 / Wednesday, June 4, 1997 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 30737]]

                Presidential Determination No. 97-24 of May 23, 1997

                
Waiver of Statutory Restrictions To Permit 
                Assistance to
                Turkey

                Memorandum for the Secretary of State

                Pursuant to subsection (b) of section 620I of the 
                Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, I hereby 
                determine that it is in the national security interest 
                of the United States that assistance be furnished to 
                Turkey without regard to the restriction in subsection 
                (a) of section 620I.

                You are authorized and directed to transmit this 
                determination and justification to the Congress and to 
                arrange for its publication in the Federal Register.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    Washington, May 23, 1997.

[[Page 30738]]

                Memorandum of Justification Regarding Determination 
                Under Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
                1961, as Amended

                The Administration fully supports the goal of 
                maintaining open humanitarian aid corridors and has 
                actively worked through diplomatic channels to 
                encourage the speedy and efficient flow of humanitarian 
                goods. The application of section 620I requires a 
                careful consideration of the circumstances in each 
                case. This is particularly true with respect to Turkey.

                Strong feelings of ethnic kinship exist between the 
                Turks and Azerbaijanis, and the Turkish government has 
                resisted public pressures to become directly involved 
                in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Until March, 1993, 
                Turkey permitted U.S. humanitarian and other non-
                military shipments destined for Yerevan to transit 
                Turkish territory in response to the grave situation in 
                Armenia. However, Turkey closed its land borders to 
                Armenia in 1993 when local Armenian forces seized large 
                areas of Azerbaijan despite UN Security Council 
                resolutions calling for the withdrawal of all occupying 
                forces and cessation of hostilities.

                Since 1994, Turkey has taken several unilateral steps 
                to improve its bilateral ties with Armenia while 
                balancing its relations with Azerbaijan and supporting 
                the OSCE's Minsk Group talks on resolving the Nagorno-
                Karabakh conflict. Most notably, Turkey reopened an air 
                corridor to Armenia in 1995. In another positive step, 
                in March, 1996 Turkish Prime Minister Yilmaz publicly 
                expressed willingness to reopen the land border with 
                Armenia once Armenia and Azerbaijan agree upon a 
                statement of principles for a settlement of the 
                conflict. Turkey's land border with Armenia, however, 
                remains closed for the present. A large volume of 
                assistance--mostly food and oil--as well as an 
                increasing volume of commercial traffic flow by ship 
                through the Turkish Straits to Georgian ports for 
                shipment by rail to Armenia. Should the border be 
                reopened, we are likely to continue to ship most 
                assistance to Armenia through Georgia to take advantage 
                of its more developed rail network.

                It is very much in our national security interests not 
                to terminate U.S. assistance programs for Turkey. Such 
                a termination would create significant difficulties in 
                our bilateral relations, affecting a broad range of 
                national security interests. Such a termination would 
                also reduce prospects for the successful resolution of 
                the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

                Turkey is at the nexus of a number of issues that are 
                critical for the U.S. on the Eurasian continent: 
                securing peace in the Balkans, advancing a settlement 
                in Cyprus and resolution of Aegean issues, containing 
                Iraq and Iran, bringing stability to the Caucasus, 
                implementing the CFE treaty, addressing the future of 
                NATO and bringing Caspian Basin oil to the West. Turkey 
                hosts the continuing U.S.-led coalition effort to 
                protect the Kurdish populations of northern Iraq, and 
                has increasingly important and useful relationships 
                with Israel and the moderate Arab states of the Middle 
                East. Finally, Turkey is important for U.S. trade and 
                investment, and has been designated as one of the ten 
                big emerging markets for U.S. companies by the 
                Department of Commerce.

                There are over 3,000 uniformed military and civilian 
                DoD personnel (excluding dependents) stationed in 
                Turkey, a democratic, secular nation in a region with 
                weak democratic traditions, and widespread political 
                instability. Incirlik, the easternmost NATO Air Base, 
                and other NATO-dedicated bases in Turkey are essential 
                for the projection of U.S./NATO power into an unstable 
                region having critical oil resources. Some 2,700 
                sorties were flown out of Incirlik during the Gulf War.

[FR Doc. 97-14762
Filed 6-3-97; 8:45 am]
Billing Code 4710-10-M