[6] Turkish plane crashes into Greek waters, Greek teams continue search for missing Turkish pilot

Greek rescue teams were continuing sea and air searches at press time for the second crew-member of a Turkish F-4 Phantom fighter that crashed off Lesvos island in the eastern Aegean yesterday.

According to National Defense Minister Gerassimos Arsenis, a pair of Turkish Phantoms violated Gre-ek airspace at approximately 2:30 p.m. yesterday without first filing a scheduled flight plan before flying over the Greek island of Hios. The planes were headed in a westerly direction.

Mr. Arsenis said two Hellenic Air Force F-16 Falcons intercepted the encroaching aircraft over Greek airspace in order to identify the violators.

He added that the two-man crew of one of the Turkish fighters abandoned their plane during mid-air maneuvering. Mr. Arsenis said the Turkish fighters were armed.

In turn, Greek rescue units were alerted to the crash of the Turkish plane and picked up one of the two downed Turkish airmen, 35-year-old captain Ogour Kilar (phonetic spelling), before transporting him to Lesvos for first aid treatment.

Doctors at the Vostaneion Hospital in the island's capital said the Turkish airman was suffering from shock and minor facial injuries.

In addition, Greek army officers that debriefed the downed Turk said that, due to his condition, he was unable to shed light on how his plane fell or if his co-pilot ejected.

Mr. Arsenis said the airman was plucked from the Aegean five or six miles west of Lesvos. He said rescue efforts would continue into the evening. The defense minister expressed a hope that the pilot will be found.

Mr. Arsenis said he did not know the reason for the US-made fighter's crash, but stated it was not caused "by an action of ours."

A Hellenic Air Force C-130 Hercules transport plane and a CL-215 reconnaissance plane along with the cruisers "Niki" and "Agon" and the torpedo boat "Andromeda" combed the sea area aided by Hellenic Navy helicopters. A Turkish helicopter was also patrolling in international waters.

In response to press questions, Mr. Arsenis said Greek interceptors launched to recognize unidentified aircraft without a filed flight plan are always armed.

Concerning "confidence-building measures" in the Aegean reportedly being promoted by the US, Mr. Arsenis said these measures could only have a positive effect if Turkey stopped violating Greek airspace.

Meanwhile, an ANA dispatch out of Istanbul cited a Turkish foreign ministry communiqui, which said the Phantom's crash was due to a "mechanical malfunction."

According to the foreign ministry statement, "the F-4 fighter of the Turkish armed forces, during the course of training flights in the Aegean's international airspace, crashed off Mytilini (Lesvos) due to a mechanical malfunction".

"One of the two pilots who abandoned the plane was rescued at sea by Greek helicopters and transported to Mytilene," the Turkish bulletin read, adding: "Search efforts by Greek units are continuing, while Turkish aircraft have been sent to the area for detection of the second pilot."

[7] Opposition

[02] Turkish fighter plane crashes

Athens, 09/10/1996 (ANA)

Greek authorities said the Turkish pilot was taken to a hospital on Hios while Greek rescue boats continued to search for the second pilot on the two-seater training fighter. In a telephone conversation with Athens' ambassador to Ankara, Dimitris Nezeritis, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Inal Batu thanked Greece for the pilot's rescue, expressing hope that the co-pilot would also be found. He also claimed the incident had been an accident.

In statements later in the evening, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said the incident gave cause for concern.

"Today's incident must give cause for concern to all, because the safeguarding of peace between peoples requires measures for the avoidance of such events," he said.

Mr. Tsohatzopoulos expressed his regret over the incident, and added that Athens had accepted a Turkish request for participation in search efforts for the missing co-pilot.

Asked if the two countries could proceed to a military dialogue, the national defense minister said this was a matter bearing no relation to the specific event, which did not lend itself to political interpretations.

09] PILOT BURIED