STAR- Columnist Murat Celik comments on Turkey’s role in a possible war against Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:
Review your preparations and complete your final inspections: this is the order that the chief of General Staff sent to all the units of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). The plain meaning of these words in military terminology amounts to, ‘Lace up your boots, be ready to march.’ This order shows that we are in the penultimate stage before war. The order to be issued in the next and last step would be to deploy to your positions –- namely, ‘March!’ Turkey and the TSK haven’t yet reached this stage, but such an order would mean, ‘It’s make or break time,’ that is, ‘Boys, we’re in a shooting war.’ The order that was sent to the military units has certain technical requirements. The main headings of its checklist are as follows:
Go over your preparations again, make sure everything is ready. 2. Wrap up technical matters such as vehicle inspections. 3. Review all military equipment, especially weapons and munitions, and fix any problems. 4. Take full security measures. 5. If necessary, making necessary arrangements concerning personnel’s leaves of absence. Review the units rapid-reaction response.
During the Iraq summit at the Prime Ministry two days ago, the situation was evaluated from all angles. The military officials were present at the highest level during the first part of the summit. During this phase, which was attended by the chief of the general staff, his deputy, and the operations chief, the commanders gave technical information on the orders sent by headquarters to their units. The situation can be summarized as follows: ‘The decisions which will be reached by the government and enacted by Parliament will determine Turkey’s official policy and position in a possible war against Iraq. The TSK is taking a wide range of possibilities into consideration in terms of making its necessary preparations.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION