Ozyurek: There Are Different Points Of Views In The Turkish Armed Forces About Dispatch Of Turkish Soldiers To Iraq

ANKARA - Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Group Chairman Mustafa Ozyurek said on Thursday, ''there are different points of views in the Turkish Armed Forces about dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq. Some commanders' reacting to dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq to die instead of U.S. soldiers is their duty as a citizen.''
Holding a press conference at the parliament, Ozyurek said, ''those who earlier defended that the army should not be intervened in politics, now force the army to make statements by claiming that dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq should be a state policy. Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul is among them. Those who want the army to follow an active policy about dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq, cannot complain when the army follows an active policy on other issues.''
''Dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq is an issue that should be assessed carefully. Some commanders' reacting to dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq to die instead of U.S. soldiers is their duty as a citizen. Turkish soldiers can be deployed abroad not to satisfy the United States and Britain, but to protect our national security and to fulfill our international commitments,'' he added.
(UK-AÖ) 21.08.2003