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GV Army truck leave naval ship and drive on to dock
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GV Troops leaving another ship and walk on to dock to be greeted by Turkish officials
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GV Troops marching through streets watched by crowd ( 2 shots)
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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The first of 2,000 Turkish troops to be withdrawn from Cyprus have returned to Turkey.

The troops landed by ship on Thursday (5 February) at the Mediterranean port of Mersin, the point of departure for the force that left for the island more than a year ago.

Senior Turkish officials were at the dock to greet the troops as they landed but the officials declined to specify exactly how many soldiers were in the contingent.

However, the Turkish government last week released a statement announcing that it had withdrawn 12,000 of its estimated 40,000 troops in Cyprus.

The withdrawal of the troops coincides with a debate in the Untied States Congress on the renewing of military aid and financial assistance to Turkey.

A committee recommendation to the Congress has suggested that the resumption of such aid be conditional on the withdrawal of United States weapons from Cyprus.

The Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, has accepted a call by Untied Nations Secretary General, Kurt Waldheim, for the resumption of Cyprus peace talks in Vienna on 17 February.

SYNOPSIS: The first of two thousand Turkish troops to be withdrawn from Cyprus have returned to Turkey. The troops landed on Thursday at the Mediterranean port of Mersin. They were greeted by senior Turkish government leaders. However, Turkish officials refused to specify exactly how many troops were in this contingent. Mersin was the point of departure for the first Turkish troops to leave for Cyprus over a year ago.

A spokesman for the Turkish military command said these troops belonged to a gendarmerie unit.

Turkey announced last week that twelve thousand troops from the estimated Turkish strength in Cyprus of forty thousand men had been withdrawn. The latest withdrawal coincides whit a debate in the Untied states Congress on the renewing of military and financial aid to Turkey. A committee recommendation has suggested that the resumption of such aid be carried out only on the condition that the Turkish armed forces withdraw United states Weapons form Cyprus. Turkish troops, many of them armed with Untied States weapons, were sent to Cyprus during July and August, nineteen seventy four.

The Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, has accepted a call by the Untied Nations Secretary General, Kurt Waldheim, for the resumption of Cyprus peace talks. The talks are due to begin in Vienna later this month.