U.S. Denies Demand for Additional Base

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul corroborated the U.S. claim: "There is no question of a new US demand for bases and airports, such as Samsun and Trabzon on the Black Sea. All of this is not true. We have a defense cooperation agreement with the United States dating back to 1980. Sometimes, the United States submits certain proposals within the scope of this agreement, and these are assessed. If the proposals fall within this scope, we will comply with them. Other than that, there is no question of a new base, airport, or port, as reflected in the newspapers."