MADRID - Former Foreign Minister and Parliamentary Adjustment Commission Chairman Yasar Yakis implied on Tuesday that Turkey could send soldiers to Iraq between the Holy month of Ramadan, which would start at the end of October and end at the end of November, and the Christmas holiday, which would start on December 25.
A parliamentary delegation comprised of Yakis, Turkey-European Union (EU) Joint Parliament Commission Co-chairman Aydin Dumanoglu and Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Onur Oymen came to Spanish capital Madrid upon invitation of EU Joint Parliamentary Co-Chairman Josep Borrel Fontelles.
Turkish parliamentarians made a statement on Turkey's Iraq and EU policies in the residence of Turkey's Ambassador to Spain Volkan Vural.
Yakis said that talks between Turkey and the United States continued on dispatch of soldiers to Iraq.
''Repercussions of Turkey's decision to send soldiers to Iraq in not only in Iraq but also in Arab countries and other regional countries will be taken into consideration in talks with the United States. If the fact that Turkey is a country, the majority of the population of which is Muslim is taken into consideration, it is a milestone to take decision to send soldiers after the holy month of Ramadan. At the same time, Christmas holiday is important for the United States. U.S. soldiers would like to spend their holiday with their families. If the United States wants to send its soldiers home for the holiday without any problems, we should expect the United States to lift obstacles in talks. This doesn't mean that Turkish soldiers will go to Iraq at the end of Ramadan and between Ramadan and Christmas. But, these are dates that should be kept in mind,'' Yakis noted.
Yakis listed principles in talks between Turkey and the United States as follows, ''efforts of the United States to mollify the opposition of Kurdish groups in Iraq against Turkey, region where Turkish soldiers will be deployed in Iraq, under which conditions Turkish soldiers will be granted authority to shoot since the United States is responsible for every kind of military operation in Iraq, how and from where Turkey soldiers will be sent to this country, elimination of terrorist organization PKK/KADEK from Iraq, and how economic burden caused due to dispatch of soldiers to Iraq will be shared.''
Turkey was closely interested in Iraq since it was its neighbor, Yakis said.
Yakis added, ''Turkey doesn't want to define itself an occupier force in Iraq. Therefore, the authority of the government to send troops to Iraq is only valid for one year.''
Parliamentarian Onur Oymen said, ''as the opposition, we are against dispatch of soldiers to Iraq at the moment since there is not any international legitimacy.''
Oymen noted that Turkish people, ethnic groups in Iraq and Arab countries did not want Turkey to send soldiers to Iraq and expressed belief that Turkish soldiers would undertake a serious risk.
The biggest threat for Turkey was the terrorists in the north of Iraq, Oymen underlined.
Oymen stated that an agreement could not be reached with the United States on elimination of PKK/KADEK.
Touching on Turkey's EU accession process, Yakis and Oymen both said that the government and opposition were of the same opinion about the issue and Turkey's EU membership was a national issue.
Parliamentarians drew attention that Turkey was the country to which the EU extended the least economic assistance.
Stating that the EU did not extend financial support to Turkey and said that Turkey's income was very low, the parliamentarians defined the move as double standard.
Turkish parliamentarians will meet with EU Joint Parliamentary Chairman Josep Borrel Fontelles and explain Turkey's steps on the road to EU accession.
(BRC) 14.10.2003