Ankara suspects Iran in terrorist killings of Turkish intellectuals

ANKARA [MENL] -- Turkey has brought its latest dispute with Iran out in the open and has threatened to reassess relations with Teheran.

Turkish government leaders have acknowledged that Iran is suspected of being responsible for a series of killings of Turkish intellectuals targeted by Islamic militants. They have raised the prospect of a Turkish downgrading of relations with Teheran.

"As far as we can see, some separatist groups in Turkey and others exploiting religion have benefitted from Iran's hospitality or have used for themselves its tendency to export the [Islamic] revolution," Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said. "We will evaluate our relations with Iran in accordance with the concrete results of the investigations."

Ecevit said Iran has failed to respond to a Turkish inquiry regarding evidence of Teheran's involvement in the killings. So far, several suspects in the Turkish investigation have detailed Iran's support and financing of the assassinations of secular advocates in the media and academia.

"Unfortunately, Iran has displayed less cooperation than one expects from a neighbor, or sometimes no cooperation at all," Ecevit said. "This upsets us very much. I have always hoped for cooperation with Iran. But at present we definitely have complaints over our ties with them."

Earlier, authorities arrested four Islamic militant suspects in the death of Bahriye Ucok, an Ankara University professor killed by a letter bomb. Another 13 Islamic suspects were arrested in connection with the 1993 bombing that killed a journalist, Ugur Mumcu and in the 1998 assassination of former minister of Ahmet Taner Kislali.

Turkish officials said Ankara has refrained from blaming Iran for the killings until authorities gave evidence. They said that once the evidence is confirmed Ankara will take action.

It was the latest in a series of tiffs with Iran. Turkey has long accused Iran of harboring Kurdish rebels and Islamic insurgency. Officials were encouraged by the victory of President Mohammed Khatami in 1997 and that of his allies in the parliament last February.

But many officials now acknowledge that their hopes for a change in policy in Teheran have dissipated.