Turkish PM: Turkey will withdraw its soldiers from Lebanon if they are
asked to disarm Hezbollah
AP Worldstream; Sep 02, 2006
Turkey’s premier on Saturday said his government will withdraw Turkish
soldiers from Lebanon if they are asked to disarm Hezbollah, as public
concern runs high that Turkish soldiers could end up clashing with
their fellow Muslims once deployed in Lebanon.
The government on Friday submitted a resolution to parliament to send
peacekeepers to Lebanon as part of an expanded U.N. mission, despite
public opposition to the deployment. The parliament is expected on
Tuesday to vote on authorizing a one-year deployment of an unspecified
number of troops
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured Turks the soldiers would
only be protecting peace and helping with humanitarian aid, not
disarming Hezbollah militants.
"When such a thing is requested from our soldiers, then we will
withdraw our soldiers from there. I’m saying this very openly,"
Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul on Saturday.
The Turkish contribution to the U.N. mission would include a naval
task force to patrol the eastern Mediterranean and prevent arms
smuggling.
According to the resolution, Turkish forces would also help train
Lebanese army troops and provide sea and air transport in support of
other national contingents in the U.N. force.
Europe, the United States and Israel are all eager to see peacekeepers
from Muslim Turkey in Lebanon, in the hopes that strong Muslim
participation would avoid any impression in Lebanon that the
U.N. peacekeepers are primarily a Christian, European force.