BY YILMAZ OZTUNA
TURKIYE- Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on Turkey’s situation after Parliament authorized the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:
On Tuesday Parliament passed a government motion requesting one-year authorization for the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq. Our national interests require this, and actually we’ve been late on it. Israel started the Syrian operation by bombing territory inside the country. This way it gauged Syria’s military reaction. But Damascus might accept the US’ conditions, and this might defuse the threat of war with Syria.
Ankara should follow a considered and reasonable policy with the US. If Washington puts more pressure on Iraq, more serious incidents will follow and Turkey will have to act in line with this new atmosphere. Our economic indicators are good. As we’re once again officially a US ally, Europe will respect us much more. If we just solve a few problems, we’ll be able to start negotiations with the European Union late next year. Turkey will have full security and confidence in all respects.
The first step toward this is to set foot in Iraq firmly and with the largest number possible. Turkey’s importance in Iraq’s reconstruction should be seen and emphasized. There is no reason for Arabs and Kurds to be afraid of Turks. If they move in our direction, we’ll be two steps closer to them. If they can grasp this, the anarchy in Iraq will end to be replaced by peace and welfare.