Cohen arrived Turkey

US Defence Secretary William Cohen arrived Incirlik airbase, as his first stop of his one day visit to Turkey. Cohen was later to fly to Ankara ahead of official talks today expected to deal, among other issues, with a Western push for a settlement of the Cyprus issue.
Leaving Greece, before heading to Turkey, Mr. Cohen said "I leave with great confidence that Greece and the US are entering an even stronger relationship and partnership in the future". "I am very encouraged on the way to go forward, working side by side," he added.
In his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, Mr. Cohen also discussed the Cyprus issue. The US official reacting to Turkish accusations about pressure beign put on Ankara over Cyprus, stressed that the US "does not intend to pressure anyone."
"What we do is to encourage Greece and Turkey to find a way to resolve disputes that have been pressing for some time." The US did not seek "to become in anyway an arbiter or any way pressure either governments," he said.