LAST-MINUTE ASSURANCE
The New Anatolian, Turkey
Sept 5 2006
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that Turkish forces will
be sent to Lebanon to keep the peace, stressing that refusal to send
the forces would be a strategic mistake.
Speaking to news channel NTV, Gul urged all concerned sides to look
at the bigger picture in the Turkish troop deployment issue and said,
"Sending forces and attaining peace and stability in the region is in
the interest of Turkey. If there is a contribution made to stability,
we shouldn’t have reservations about sending troops."
Gul stated that the defeated March 1, 2003 motion before the Iraq
war is very different from the motion for Lebanon which will face
a Parliament vote today. "In the March 1 motion, the deployment of
foreign countries’ forces in Turkey and their launching attacks
on another country were at stake," Gul said, referring to the
U.S. invasion of Iraq which was then imminent. "However, the motion for
Lebanon paves the way for sending Turkish forces to a mission which
is participated in by the international community. Therefore, in the
name of my party, I don’t see any resistance to approving the motion."
Stressing that the Turkish forces will be sent to Lebanon as parts of
efforts to find a lasting peace in the region, Gul also assured that
Turkish forces won’t take part in any operation disarming Hezbollah.
"Hezbollah is part of Lebanon and the Lebanese government which
was established to end the occupation," Gul added. "But then it
turned into an armed movement. Hezbollah said ‘yes’ together with
the Lebanese government to the deployment of UN peacekeepers in
the region. Hezbollah will be disarmed by the Lebanese army and if
something unexpected happens, we’ll withdraw our forces."
Gul also assured the public that all the groups in Lebanon want the
presence of Turks in the country. "We had talks with Lebanese Prime
Minister Fuad Saniora, and all others including the Shiite and Sunni
groups," Gul said. "All of them want Turks in the region. Only the
Armenians have different views on the issue."
‘Number of Turkish forces limited to mission’
Foreign Minister Gul stressed that the number of forces that will
be deployed to Lebanon if Parliament approves the decision will be
limited to the activities they undertake there.
Stating that he doesn’t expect the deployment of more than 1,000
soldiers, Gul said, "The naval mission is much firmer. We have also
things to do concerning the training of the Lebanese army. The duty
area of the Turkish forces will be determined by the UN."
Govt seeks Annan’s political support for Lebanon mission
Meanwhile, the Turkish government has turned its eyes to this week’s
visit of the United Nations secretary-general to find political
support for its stance towards sending Turkish troops to Lebanon.
UN chief Annan will arrive in Turkey on late Tuesday after Parliament
has gotten the motion for a vote. However, diplomatic sources
told The New Anatolian that no matter the decision of Parliament,
the political support and encouragement that will be voiced by the
highest UN authority for the Turkish government’s stance on deploying
troops to Lebanon will strengthen its hand in the public and against
the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which strongly
opposes the mission. "Annan during his visit will probably praise
the Turkish government’s contribution to efforts to attain peace in
the Middle East and will thank Turkey in the same way that he gave
political support to other countries during his tour of the region,"
said one source.
During his contacts in Ankara on Wednesday, Annan will meet with
Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. In wake of the latest
developments, Sezer’s talks with Annan will also be in the spotlight
since they have opposing stances on Turkey’s sending forces to the
UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
Touching on the upcoming visit of Annan to Turkey during his speech,
Foreign Minister Gul stated that Ankara will learn from Annan about
the needs of the Lebanese people and army after the decision of
the Parliament.
Diplomatic sources also told TNA that Annan will discuss a range
of issues including deployment of Turkish forces in Lebanon, Iran’s
nuclear crisis and the Cyprus dispute. According to the sources, the
operational aspects of the mission that could be taken by Turkish
forces in Lebanon will be discussed, but not the details since the
specifics of the issue will be determined by the donor countries.
"Turkish leaders might brief Annan on their preferences about the
activity area and role of the Turkish soldiers planned to be deployed
in Lebanon and will get Annan’s views on the issue," a source said.
Gul: US steps against PKK terrorism not enough
Foreign Minister Gul stated that although there have been some positive
steps by the U.S. towards eliminating the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK) threat from northern Iraq, Ankara doesn’t find them
satisfactory.
"There are some positive developments, but they don’t meet our
expectations," said Gul.
Touching on debates on the Iraqi flag issue, Gul stated that Iraqi
Kurdish region President Massoud Barzani’s move to replace the Iraqi
flag by a Kurdish one is not only unacceptable for Turkey but also
for other groups in Iraq and urged all concerned sides to voice
their concerns.
FM: Turkey to determinedly continue EU process
Brushing off European Union accusations that Ankara Turkish has become
indifferent to its accession process, Gul stressed that the government
will continue its process to join the Union with decisiveness.
"The steps that we will take for EU membership will strengthen our hand
in the Cyprus dispute," said Gul stressing that Turkey’s bid to join
the Union is not an issue that should be blocked by the Cyprus dispute.
Underlining that he doesn’t expect a crisis in Turkey’s relations with
the Union by the end of the year, Gul also stated that he doesn’t see
criticisms of Turkey’s chief EU negotiator Ali Babacan as justified.