Dear Colleague and Friend,

I have received your letter of 30 December 1997 and given careful consideration to its contents.

We have been following the repercussions of the attempted illegal immigration to Italy. We understand your concerns and we symphatize with them. To be helpful, I would like to convey our views on the points that you raise and on some others which I consider as essential.

1- I do not agree with the repeated analogy made with "exodus" in your text. If the analyses of the recent events is based on wrong presumptions it will be difficult to reach genuine solutions.

I am sensitive on this terminology for Turkey has both historically and contemporarily constituted a safe heaven, a country which "sheltered the exodist".

Let me recall that in 1988 and in 1991, more than half a million asylum seekers from Northern Iraq have found shelter and assistance in Turkey. Iranian masses fleeing the newly founded radical regime, Bulgarian Turks and Bosnians were welcomed in our country, as this was the case in our history, when tens of thousand of persecuted Jews from Spain, Portugal and Germany found tolerance and a home in Turkey.

2- The current problem is a blatant case of illegal trafficking in human beings, an extremely serious form of organized crime. This criminal activity is based on the exploitation of the understandable desire to have a better life. To present this basic cause as a romanticised human rights problem deviates from reality, encourages those who organize illegal immigration and serves their interest. It provides the traffickers with a moral justification. Furthermore, official and ministerial statements reported by the Italian press and which are perceived as promises to grant political asylum to illegal immigrants would probably encourage and trigger new waves of migration.

3- Illegal migration has always been a source of concern for Turkey. We have consistently sought multilateral cooperation against all form of organized crime and international terrorism.

We have drawn attention to their interrelation, to the funding of terrorism by organized crime like the organization of illegal migrations and to networks of crime established in Western Europe under various guises.

4- Our efforts to devise and implement common measures against organized crime including illegal immigration have so far remained inconclusive. This is largely due to false analyses or to miscalculation prevailing in some Western European countries. Their policies meant in practice a tolerance for terror related activities. These acts were, in principle, aimed to Turkey and not considered as a danger to the host country. As a matter of fact, the current case of illegal immigration is just one of the offshoots of the complaisant attitude existing in some parts of Western Europe. The events in Italy are the logical follow up of some 90.000 such smuggled illegal immigrants to Germany in recent years, organized by similar networks and encouraged by similar attitudes (Paul Geitner, "Illegal Migrants Turn to Smugglers", Associated Press, 19/04/1997).

We hope that the countries concerned will be more receptive to our persistent calls for combating international terrorism and organized crime.

5- The illegal trafficking of human beings has been a subject of consideration between Italy and Turkey and it has recently been agreed to make use of and develop the provisions of the existing agreements. We remain committed to such cooperation with Italy and to work for its refinement.

(a) Following our meeting with Deputy Minister Fassino, last November, the Italian Undersecretary for the Interior Ministry had contacts in Ankara. My staff had relevant interviews with your Ambassador in Ankara.

(b) In these contacts, we have proposed the meeting of the Turkish-Italian Joint Committee to look for enhanced cooperation against organized crime and for joint initiatives. It seems that the Italian side has not yet responded to this proposal. We are ready to cooperate with our Italian counterparts on all possible joint efforts.

(c) We are taking all measures needed to stem illegal immigration as an organized crime, through or from Turkey. But I would underline as well the need for dealing effectively with its connections in the favorable environment that it generally finds in its host West-European countries.

Yours Sincerely,