STAR- Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli comments on Turkey’s stance on the Iraq issue. A summary of her column is as follows:
The leaders of eight European countries last week issued a joint declaration of solidarity with the United States in its confrontation with Iraq, stating that Iraq's continuing failure to comply with the UN disarmament resolutions threatens to undermine the authority of the Security Council and furthermore represents a danger to world peace. Following this significant development, a very important decision was made closer to home at Friday’s National Security Council (NSC) meeting: The NSC issued an advisory decision that Turkey should lend its active support to the Bush administration in case of a war.
In light of this, Turkey and the US are expected to complete their negotiations on military issues in a very short while. However, a number of political and economic issues still remain unresolved. In exchange for the use of its territory by US troops and fighter jets against Iraq, the Turkish government is asking for significant economic support to make sure there’s no repeat of the recession that followed the 1991 Gulf War. Ankara and Washington recently reached agreement on a ‘flexible, adaptable’ plan. Under this plan, the US is expected to release to Turkey a new loan tranche bearing a minimal interest rate. The exact amount of money to be released has yet to be determined. The Bush administration is planning to revise the plan in line with unfolding developments during its Iraq operation. Therefore, negotiations on economic issues are expected to continue up till the time a new regime is established in Iraq.
The political issues surrounding a US-led operation in Iraq are even more complex. Turkey and the US are currently bargaining on the future of Iraq in a post-Saddam period. Turkey wants a secular and democratic government to be established in Baghdad after the US operation. Our government is extremely concerned about Iraq’s territorial integrity. If a federation based on ethnic or religious foundations is established in the region, Turkey is likely to strongly oppose this new regime. The NSC also made a significant decision on this issue at its Friday meeting: Turkey will recognize a federation based on geographic conditions to be established in the post-Saddam period, if and only if Mosul and Kirkuk are not governed by a single religious or ethnic group. In addition to being oil-rich, those two cities have sizable populations of ethnic Turkmen as well as Kurds.
Although Turkey and the US seem to have similar views on political matters, Washington is choosing to hold back its final word until after the operation is wrapped up. US officials claim that both Turkey and Iraq’s Kurdish groups are fated to play important roles during this time. But if Turkey declines to play a pivotal part in an Iraq operation, US officials have implied that the Kurdish groups are more likely to undertake the responsibility for sustaining peace and stability in the region. They also stress that it would be normal for the Kurdish groups to ask for recompense, a prize if you will, from the Bush administration in return for their support.
Therefore, the Bush administration’s message is quite clear: ‘Turkey will have the right to take part in restructuring post-Saddam Iraq, provided that it actively participates in the military operation.’ The latest decisions of the NSC have shown us that our political and military officials are very well aware of this message.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION