Sunday 15 August 2010

Turkish Foreign Ministry denies Hezbollah arms claims as baseless

Friday, August 13, 2010
The Turkish Foreign Ministry denied Friday claims published in an Italian newspaper that Turkey and Iran were helping Hezbollah obtain new weapons.

“These claims are baseless and should not be taken seriously,” a senior Turkish Foreign Ministry official told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

Iranian and Turkish intelligence officials recently signed an agreement that would guarantee a constant supply of weapons to Hezbollah, a report in Italian daily Corriere della Sera claimed Wednesday.

Hakan Fidan, the head of the Turkish Intelligence Organization, or MİT, met with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Taeb, according to the report. Sources told Corriere Della Sera that Turkey will “send sophisticated weapons, rockets and guns to Syria, that will end up in Lebanon,” where the Iranian Army will ensure the weapons are transferred to Hezbollah.

Turkey’s new spy chief Fidan is a source of concern for Israel whose defense minister earlier expressed the concern that Ankara could pass secret information to Israel's arch-foe Iran, because it’s new intelligence chief supported the Islamic Republic. Turkey communicated its dissatisfaction with the Israeli government by summoning the ambassador to the Foreign Ministry in Ankara to protest against Barak’s remarks.

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