|
Iraq’s Governing Council Opposes Turkish Deployment
|
|
CHP's deputy chairman Kemal Anadol raises his hand against the government motion on sending Turkish troops to Iraq
|
BAGHDAD,
October 7 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Although the
U.S.-handpicked Iraq’s Governing Council unanimously opposes any
deployment of Turkish troops in the country, the Turkish parliament
voted overwhelmingly Tuesday, October 7, in favor of making a military
contribution to Iraq.
"The
council is unanimous in issuing a communiqué against the sending of
Turkish forces to Iraq," council member Mahmud Othman stressed.
"It
is the wrong thing to do. It does not add to security. It is not
useful," said Othman, whose Kurdish group has a long history of
bad blood with the Turks, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"The
Governing Council's stand is against the presence of troops from
neighboring countries without exception, and Turkey is one of these
countries," said Nabeil al-Moussawi of the Iraqi National
Congress (INC), whose leader Ahmad Chalabi holds the current rotating
president of the Council.
U.S.
administrator Paul Bremer has the final say on policy-making in
occupied Iraq, but the Council's position will make it harder to
persuade Iraqis to accept Turkish soldiers, Reuters said.
Kurdish
Fears
The
possible deployment of Turkish troops also drew criticism from Iraqi
Kurds, who suspect Turkey wants to gain a foothold in their northern
enclave - a claim which the Turkish government has denied.
Barham
Saleh of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said Turkish troops
would "face some difficulties if they enter Iraq because the
majority of Iraqi groups do not want any military participation from
any neighboring country".
"The
presence of foreign military forces in Iraq will not guarantee
security for the Iraqi people but will be a factor for the
deterioration in the security situation," said Saleh.
Deployment
Okayed
|
|
Turkish peace activists shout anti-war and anti-U.S. slogans |
Despite
the clear position of the Iraqi council, the Turkish parliament
endorsed sending troops to neighboring Iraq, voting 358 to 183 in
favor of a government request.
Two
lawmakers abstained, while seven others were not present for the vote,
said legislator Faruk Celik of the ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP) which holds the majority of seats.
The
government motion, which was welcomed by the U.S., limits the duration
of the deployment to a maximum of one year, but does not specify how
many soldiers would be sent and to which part of Iraq.
"The
situation in Iraq continues to be a threat to international peace and
security," said the motion.
"It
would not be a competent and responsible political approach for Turkey
to ignore developments that could jeopardize its own security and
basic interests," it added.
Turkey's
decision might help to redeem relations with Washington that had been
earlier strained by Ankara’s refusal to allow U.S. forces to use
Turkish bases in waging war on Iraq.
The
Turkish government seems to have put more pressure on MPs, many of
whom appear to have seen the logic of repairing strained relations
with the U.S. and giving Ankara more influence in Iraq, the BBC News
Online reported.
Ankara
and Washington are to hammer out the details of the deployment in
ongoing negotiations, but the popular Vatan daily said 6,000 Turkish
soldiers would initially be deployed to Iraq, starting in November.
Home
Protests
Anti-war
activists from several Turkish civic organizations took to the streets
of Ankara ahead of the vote, calling on the government to scrap its
plans.
"Damn
the USA and collaborator AKP! This country, these people are not for
sale," chanted about 100 demonstrators who were prevented by
police from marching on parliament.
In
return for Turkey's cooperation in Iraq, Washington has granted Turkey
a loan of 8.5 billion dollars in a deal which was harshly criticized
by the opposition.
The
leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Deniz
Baykal, lashed out at the government.
"By
sending soldiers to Iraq, Turkey will be taking part in an operation
which has no international legitimacy and which is wanted neither by
the Turkish nor by the Iraqi people," he told a parliamentary
group meeting before Tuesday's vote.
Washington
has been trying to drum up support in the U.N. Security Council for a
resolution encouraging world countries to send troops to Iraq to help
ease the burden on American forces, suffering daily resistance
attacks.
|
