TURKIYE- Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on the Afganistan issue. A summary of his column is as follows:
The Afghanistan issue has apparently been put on the back burner due first to Iraq and then to the Palestine-Israel conflict. However, the country’s situation is still a complex one. Osama bin Laden is not making headlines anymore, but everybody knows that the US intelligence service is hellbent on finding him. It is clear that such a person cannot hide from them forever.
The US administration is making Afghanistan act in line with its wishes. The US has begun to establish bases in regional countries. If 10 years ago someone had told us that the US would establish bases in the Caucasus and Central Asia, and Russia would not object, nobody would take him seriously.
Turkey has decided to take command of the international peacekeeping force (ISAF) to ensure the peace in Kabul and the surrounding area. Waving the Turkish flag in Central Asia is a positive thing.
However, where is Afghanistan is going to? Former King Zahir Shah recently returned from Rome after a 10-year exile. Now, the clan assembly is expected to convene and a new government to come to the power.
Will Zahir Shah and his son be invited back to the throne? I don’t think the Afghan leaders will be wise enough to do that. If they were that smart, they would not have exiled their king in the first place, opened their arms to communism, caused millions of Afghans to lose their lives, brought al-Qaeda to their country, tortured their women and destroyed Buddha statues, enraging the international community.
The king will not rule the country by himself, but represent the unity of the country like a flag. If this unification can be ensured, this important country will finally be able to develop.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION