And here we thought the Turkish accession push was all about an gas pipeline! And of course only the deepest apologies extended for any suggestion that Turkey might have committed genocide.
Taner Baytok, retired ambassador and former Defense Ministry consultant, claimed that the U.S. has tactical nuclear weapons in Istanbul.
According to Baytok, the approximately 100 tactical nuclear weapons are not at the U.S.’s İncirlik Base in Adana as believed but in Istanbul, the most populated city of Turkey.
Baytok explained the difference between strategic and tactical weapons: Strategic ones are continent-to-continent class and they are mostly stored on American soil. The tactical ones were placed during the Cold War, which would be fired to the Iron Curtain countries first as they are attached to faster missiles with shorter ranges. Baytok said some of these weapons are in Istanbul and in some other cities near the Black Sea.
The weapons are fired with a double-key system, said Baytok. “One of the keys is in the U.S. and the other in the host country, in this case Turkey. During war time these weapons are fired with this double-key system.”
Baytok also said the SALT and START pacts signed between the former Soviet Union and the U.S. have resulted in the modification of the nuclear weapons of the latter in Europe. Many of the tactical warheads in Europe were modified to be installed on planes but those in Turkey remain the same.
“The only governmental decision dates back to 1972. That decision is interesting. It says no changes will be made on the nuclear weapons in Turkey unless necessary. This means we haven’t received new nuclear weapons nor we have returned the old ones,” he said.
Hurriyet
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