U.S., Turkey Initial Accord to Renew Defense Agreement, Ending 13 Months of Talks on Aid Terms

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey and the United States initialed an accord Friday on renewal of their defense agreement, ending 13 months of talks on terms for U.S. aid.

Assistant Defense Secretary Richard N. Perle told a news conference that he hopes the deal will allow Washington to make a significant contribution to modernization of the Turkish armed forces.

U.S. Ambassador Robert Strausz-Hupe and acting Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Nuzhet Kandemir, who initialed the document in front of reporters, said the terms were secret and subject to approval by the two governments.

Perle said the accord would renew for five years from Dec. 18, 1985, the earlier Defense and Economic Cooperation Agreement, which expired on that date but which has been continued year by year.

Turkey had earlier said it wanted the new pact to run for only two years in order to be able to fight for a better deal after the 1988 U.S. presidential elections.

List of Requirements

Turkey’s armed forces drafted a list of requirements, and Turkish press reports said 40 F-4 Phantom fighters were among items on offer.

The agreement gives the United States important air base, communications and intelligence-gathering facilities close to the Soviet Union, in return for aid which Turkey has increasingly found insufficient. U.S. grants and loans in the year 1985-86 totaled $868 million.

Ankara also complained about wrangles in Congress that each year bring cuts in Turkish aid, including disputes over Turkish troops in Cyprus and accusations of genocide of Armenians in World War I.

Asked what assurances the United States had given on future aid, Perle said, “We have pledged to do our utmost both in making proposals to the Congress that will meet our common objectives in strengthening the Turkish armed forces, and we have pledged to do our utmost to see that legislation successfully (goes) through the congressional process.”

Defense, Economic Assistance

Perle said Turkey would get $590 million in defense and economic assistance in the financial year which began on Oct. 1, but he would not put figures on promised surplus U.S. defense equipment or credit interest relief.

Turkish officials earlier said the equipment would be worth $300 million in 1987 and the interest relief $800 million over 10 years, but it is unclear whether this was included in Friday’s accord.

Perle said that the Administration was looking at ways to ease the burden of Turkey’s $3.5-billion debt on foreign military sales credits and would “work energetically” to encourage the provision of new medium- and long-term credits to that country.

Turkey had also sought more trade openings in the United States, and a Turkish statement issued after Friday’s agreement said the two governments will seek to expand trade and economic ties. “They will, in this spirit, make their best efforts to remove possible obstacle to reciprocal trade between the U.S. and Turkey,” it said.