Aircraft to be on guard over NATO summit

NATO will deploy AWACS early warning aircraft to enforce a no-fly zone over Istanbul during the alliance’s summit in the Turkish city later this month.

About 30,000 security personnel will be on duty during the June 28 to 29 summit which President George Bush and other leaders are scheduled to attend, Turkish officials said.

Police in the Turkish city of Bursa announced last month that they had foiled a plan to attack the summit and courts have charged nine people in connection with that plot.

The AWACS planes will enforce a 24-hour no-fly zone over a roughly square mile area dubbed the ”NATO valley”, where the summit venue, press hall and hotels housing the dignitaries are located, the officials said.

NATO has several AWACS planes based in the central Anatolian Turkish city of Konya.

The periphery of the summit area will be blocked off with concrete and steel barriers and only delegates, accredited journalists, conference personnel and people who can prove that they live or work in the area will be allowed to cross, they said.

Hotels where dignitaries will stay are to be vacated on June 26 to allow security personnel to carry out security sweeps, according to the officials.

Traffic through the Bosphorus, the strait that divides Istanbul, will also come under strict control, and authorities, if necessary, will search boats carrying dangerous substances, the officials said.

Barriers will also be placed in the Bosphorus to protect palaces that line the shore.