Opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said yesterday that if Turkish troops are sent to Lebanon, nobody can assure that no clashes will occur with Hezbollah.
Stressing that up to now Turkey has sent soldiers many times to contribute to UN missions, Baykal said 731 Turkish troops had lost their lives during those missions, adding that Turkey cannot send troops just because the US asks.
Speaking at his party's Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting, Baykal criticized the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) policies on the Lebanon issue. He said that no one other than the government favored sending troops to Lebanon. Saying that the UN had assigned the peacekeeping force a main mission of disarming Hezbollah, Baykal said that the UN forces are being asked to take apart Hezbollah, something which neither Israeli nor Lebanese forces have been able to do up to now. "No one can guarantee that Turkish soldiers will not face clashes," added the CHP leader.