Turkish Press
April 29 2005
Nationalist hysteria covers-up US cooperation
29/04/2005 Bianet.org
In spite of discrepancies regarding US occupation of Iraq, Ankara
inks military agreement of USD 1.1 billion value with Washington for
upgrading 117 war planes. “Ankara covers up collaboration with the
aggressor with manipulated nationalism” critics say.
BIA (Istanbul) – Military agreement with the US of USD 1.1 billion
dollar value for the modernization of 117 Turkish air force F-16 war
planes, sparks public debate regarding Turkey’s strategic relations.
Filiz Koçali, head of the Socialist Democracy Party skeptically
points out the coincidence of the recent surge of nationalist
hysteria and the military agreements concluded with the US.
`Whilst public attention was channeled into the ongoing nationalism
frenzy, first the government decree providing broader US use of the
southern Incirlik air base is was issued to be followed by the F-16
upgrading agreement.
`A mutual trade-off: Bush refrains from pronouncing the word
`Armenian genocide’, and gets Incirlik and 1,1 billion in return’.
A joint US-Turkish military installation in the Incirlik district of
the Southern town of Adana, Incirlik air base has been a major US
facility during the Cold War. Its operation for major military
undertakings, by a 1979 `Defense and Economic Cooperation Agreement’
(DECA) between the US and Turkey, is conditioned with special Turkish
parliament decisions. Turkish parliament in March 2002 refused
involvement in the US war on Iraq, thus closing Incirlik base for US
air force flights directed at Iraq.
A recent Turkish government decree, introducing a more liberal
interpretation of the DECA, provides legal framework for broader
usage of the base for US forces operating in Iraq.
Some analysts, like Koçali, are of the opinion that, the abrupt
upsurge of nationalist hysteria across the country, particularly
after official denouncement by Chief of Staff General Hilmi Özkök of
burning of a Turkish flag during, the Kurdish New Year, Newroz
celebrations by kids in the Mediterranean port city of Mersin has
distracted public attention from fundamental issues.
Military analyst Serdar Sen is of the opinion that the recent
tightening of ties with the US should be interpreted within the Bush
government’s scheme of `Cooperation for a Mutual Future and Progress
for the Extended Middle East and the North Africa’ (CMFPEMENA).
Formerly dubbed as `Greater Middle East’ project the initiative was
designated by the Bush government as a reply to the 9/11 events for
`introducing peace and democracy’ to the Muslim world, then
reassessed to include North Africa as well.
Meanwhile, Cengiz Aktar an expert on the European Union integration
process, says that the relations between Turkey and the US cannot be
viewed in the same context since the beginning of negotiations with
the European Union for membership.
Strategic attitudes never changed!
Recalling that the Turkish Armed Forces’ modernization continues for
some time now, Sen believes that a recent speech by Gen. Özkök at the
Military Academy provides significant insight for Ankara’s attitudes.
Sen affirms that Turkey assumes a vital role in the `Greater Middle
East’ scheme and the claims that Turkey was giving the cold shoulder
to the US is nullified with Özkök’s latest speech.
`When we levy the main theme of the speech, we can say that Turkey is
moving ahead towards globalization through regionalism. This firmly
fits the US strategy of the Greater Middle East project. The US,
through this strategy via the military reinvents its historical
relations with Turkey once more.
If Turkey is to become the `fairy tale land’…
For Turkey to become a strong country asserting its might in the
Middle East and Caucasus, `its military infrastructure must be
complete and made comprehensive’ says Sen, and adds, `If Turkey is
going to be the fairy tale land anticipated in the project, it will
require such mighty infantry’.
Sen points out that CMFPEMENA project is not totally `peaceful’, but
foresees a certain dose of conflict. He views this dose as mostly
`armed deterrence’, but not war. According to Sen’s point of view,
Turkey is the most suitable candidate for warding off possible
threats in the framework of its new defense plan, which the US
formulates as a remedy for combating terrorism and security issues.
Underlining Turkey’s role in the process of integrating Syria and
Iran to the world market, Sen says that `If this course of action
cannot succeed as planned, the use of force might come into the
agenda. Hence, the modernization of the Turkish Armed Forces might
have critical importance in intervening to a possible chaos arising
in the Caucasus and the Caspian region’.
There are no problems between the US and Turkey
The leader of the Socialist Democracy Party (SDP) Filiz Koçali states
that the `The course of events shows that, just as the Chief of Staff
Özkök says, we do not have any problems in our relations with the
United States.
`First the government decree on Incirlik is issued, and now the F-16
issue is on the agenda. This is mutual trade-off. In return for
opting out of saying the word `Armenian genocide’, Bush gets Incirlik
base and 1,1 billion dollars’.
In Koçali’s perspective, Turkey does not stick to peaceful policies
in neither its domestic nor foreign policy.
`There are secret agreements between Turkey and the US. For example,
the Incirlik decree will not be published in the Official Gazette.
Among the topics these secret handshakes concern, there is not only
Armenian question, but the Kurdish one as well. We demand such
clandestine agreements become public’.
Turkey cannot step back from the EU path
“The relations between Turkey and the US, which commenced in 1918,
could not continue along the same trail, as negotiations with the
European Union began in 1999.
If Turkey would retain its position a prime US ally, it would not
have gained the support of the European countries. The EU would not
tolerate another Britain within its boundaries’ analyzes the European
Union integration process expert Cengiz Aktar.
Articulating that Turkey must have another look at its foreign policy
priorities, Aktar appraises that the US is not a country that one can
ignore. However, Turkey must maintain fine balances between the two
foremost sources of global power he believes.
In Aktar’s opinion, the new circumstances arising out of Incirlik and
the modernization of F-16’s, are of a `tactical’ not a `strategic’
nature. Turkey does not have strong arguments for shifting towards
any other target than the European Union membership, he told bianet.
In reply to the question regarding Turkey’ presumed role in the
Greater Middle East project and prospective increase in its military
strength, Aktar says: `Could Turkey ever have uphold its political
and economical stability by such policies in its history? How can it
do so now? The Turkish Armed Forces and successive governments must
have realized this reality by now’.
Arms purchases from Israel
In the wake of the F-16 modernization agreement of USD 1,1 billion
dollar value with the US, Turkey is reported to conclude a USD 200
million dollar accord with Israel for purchasing unmanned war planes.
The agreement will reportedly be signed by Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdoðan in May when he pays an official visit to this country.
(AK/EÜ/EK/SAÖ/YE)
BIA News Center