General Buyukanit: We Cannot Turn A Blind Eye To The Instability In One Of Our Neighbors

GENERAL BUYUKANIT: IF TURKEY'S NATIONAL INTERESTS ENTAIL PRESENCE OF TURKISH SOLDIERS IN IRAQ AND IF THE GOVERNMENT APPROVES IT, TURKEY HAS THE CAPABILITY TO DO ANYTHING

ANKARA - General Staff Deputy Chief General Yasar Buyukanit said on Sunday that a summit meeting would be held at the Cankaya Presidential Palace on Tuesday to take up the issue of dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq.
General Buyukanit hosted a reception at the General Staff Headquarters for press members.
Responding questions of journalists during the reception, General Buyukanit said, ''as you know, General Staff Chief General Hilmi Ozkok and government officials held a meeting on August 5. During the meeting, we presented our political and military assessment. A summit meeting will be held at the Cankaya Presidential Palace on Tuesday to take up the issue of dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq. Later, the government will take its decision.''
Stressing that the Turkish Armed Forces did not have the authority of taking political decisions, General Buyukanit said, ''the Turkish Armed Forces has the capability to fulfill all kinds of missions. No one should use the Turkish Armed Forces for their own political purposes.''
''WE CANNOT TURN A BLIND EYE TO THE INSTABILITY IN ONE OF OUR NEIGHBORS''
When asked, ''there are some speculations claiming that Washington D.C. is waiting for a response from Turkey in September about dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq. Has the government conveyed anything to the General Staff?'' General Buyukanit said, ''as you know, General Staff Chief General Hilmi Ozkok and government officials held a meeting on August 5. During the meeting, we presented our political and military assessment. A summit meeting will be held at the Cankaya Presidential Palace on Tuesday to take up the issue of dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq. General Ozkok will attend the meeting. Later, the government will take its decision.''
Stressing that the Turkish Armed Forces did not have the authority of taking political decisions, General Buyukanit said, ''the Turkish Armed Forces has the capability to fulfill all kinds of missions. No one should use the Turkish Armed Forces for their own political purposes.''
''We read and listened to comments following the vote at the parliament on the motion on March 1, 2003. Some circles claimed that the Turkish Armed Forces was not willing and did not play a leading role. These claims are totally baseless. The Turkish Armed Forces is ready to fulfill any mission. However, the Turkish Armed Forces should not be used as a tool of domestic and foreign policies. We dispatched our soldiers to Afghanistan, Somalia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. We cannot turn a blind eye to the instability in one of our neighbors,'' he said.
When asked whether or not the Turkish Armed Forces would be asked to explain its views during Tuesday's summit meeting, General Buyukanit said, ''the issue will be assessed in detail and a decision will be taken.''
Upon a question about recent statements of Kurdish groups in northern Iraq, General Buyukanit said, ''we do not take these statements seriously.''
When asked, ''a report of the General Staff says that it refrains from a city war. What will you say?'' General Buyukanit said, ''I do not know such a report. There is risk in Iraq. Otherwise, a stability force is not required.''
Responding a question about news stories claiming that Kurdish groups would not allow passage of Turkish soldiers through northern Iraq, General Buyukanit said, ''I do not take such news stories seriously. Meanwhile, I do not believe that Kurdish groups made such statements.''
Upon a question, General Buyukanit said, ''U.S. officials asked us to charge liaison officers in Iraq following detention of Turkish soldiers in Suleymaniyah. On Friday, they asked us to accelerate appointment of Turkish liaison officers. A liaison delegation on the level of generals will be in Baghdad. Another liaison delegation was requested for the headquarters in Qatar.''
Responding another question, General Buyukanit told reporters, ''decisions taken at the meeting of the Higher Military Board are the results of a eight-month work. All the appointments were planned before the event in Suleymaniyah. Our team acted appropriately. This is the view of the General Staff.''
Responding a question about Re-association Law, General Buyukanit said, ''we have been following all developments about the law. I do not have enough information to make a statement for the time being. 14 people surrendered to security forces to benefit from the law. Five of them were released. Meanwhile, 906 people from prisons have applied to authorities to benefit from the law. We attribute importance to surrendering of terrorists hiding in mountains.''
When asked, ''the terrorist organization said that it did not accept the law. What is your point of view?'' General Buyukanit told reporters, ''the terrorist organization PKK/KADEK has been making such threats for 15-20 years. The Turkish Armed Forces is ready to eliminate such threats.''
When asked whether or not any plan to send Abdullah Ocalan, the head of the terrorist organization, to another country was in question, General Buyukanit said, ''there is not such a thing in Turkish law.''
When asked whether or not Turkey had enough financial power to dispatch soldiers to Iraq, General Buyukanit said, ''The Turkish Armed Forces has reached a certain level. We did not receive any support in Afghanistan. Now, the Netherlands and Belgium have been trying to fulfill this mission with the support of NATO. If Turkey's national interests entail presence of Turkish soldiers in Iraq and the government approves it, Turkey has the capability to do anything. There is an unstable atmosphere in Iraq. Therefore, a stability force is required.''
''We have received a political direction from the Prime Ministry Office. We have begun carrying out efforts to facilitate the process of taking a decision by holding talks with U.S. officials. We have sent a document to the United States including our questions. We have been preparing a plan by keeping every possibility in mind,'' he told reporters.
Upon a question about Turkish Armed Forces' transition into a professional army, General Buyukanit said, ''security is a dynamic and endless process. The Turkish Armed Forces exists to prevent changes in secular, democratic and social structure of the Republic of Turkey. Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk determined the main policy of Turkey and this policy is 'Peace at Home, Peace in the World'.''
(UK-AÖ) 11.08.2003