BY DERYA SAZAK
MILLIYET- Concerning the Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) views on Cyprus, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok recently said, ‘On no other issue have our reason and our feelings been at such odds. We should follow our reason.’ So his statements that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Parliament would have the final say were applauded as a democratic stance. Ozkok’s words can be summarized as follows: ‘If there is a reasonable solution, why would the army oppose it?’ The General Staff’s process of choosing between its feelings and reason came together with Ozkok’s impartial stance. However, it was expected the military would favor TRNC President Rauf Denktas and oppose United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s plan. But Ozkok didn’t do this, instead leaving the political responsibility to the government. This stance was similar to our policy this March on the deployment of Turkish soldiers to Iraq. Back then the decision was shaped not in the National Security Council (NSC), but in the Parliament. In democracies, politicians have the final word. Of course Cyprus is a sensitive issue for the army and we can’t let it become a possible Bosnia or Kosovo. Similarly, Ozkok mentioned important risks that could spoil peace on the island and stressed that with the New York process Turkey had gone outside the framework drawn at a NSC meeting late last year.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated that the decisions of the December 23, 2003 NSC meeting had been bypassed in Davos with the promises made to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan about ‘filling in the blanks.’ Obviously the NSC meeting making reference to a solution using Annan’s plan as a basis was sufficient support for the government. Consequently, it’s natural that our political leadership took the initiative for a solution on Cyprus. In fact, since the beginning of this year Turkey has become a side favoring a solution in Cyprus. After May 1, the green line will be the European Union’s border. If we had been losing Cyprus, of course the General Staff would react against this. In spite of this, Denktas argued in Parliament yesterday that the plan meant Cyprus’ suicide. Gen. Ozkok showed that the military was as sensitive as the civilian leadership to democracy with his cool stance not only on Cyprus, but also on secularism. I wish the Republican People’s Party (CHP) leadership had as progressive a line as Ozkok.