MILLIYET- Columnist Fikret Bila comments on Parliament’s rejection of the proposal. A summary of his column is as follows:
The Parliament’s rejection of the proposal concerning the deployment of the US soldiers caused two results: the US understood Turkey and realized its mistake. The fact that the US reached this conclusion is understood from the phone call between Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and US Secretary of State Colin Powell. The Parliament’s decision showed the US that Turkey isn’t one of those countries which can be directed by pressures. The US learned through the proposal that pressure put on Turkey by ignoring Turkey and its public, without considering its pride important might turn upside down. It understood that there was a public and Parliament in Turkey but it’s too late now. Anyway, Parliament’s decision caused the US to realize its mistakes. It showed that it was a great mistake to consider Turkey a kingdom in the Middle East or an emirate and to put pressure on it as if the prime minister makes all the decisions alone. It was also understood that Turkey isn’t panicked and frightened that it will be ruined and destroyed if it doesn’t do what the US wants.
Gul’s calm stance showed it as well. He told Powell that Parliament’s decision required a new process from now on. Gul neither promised to bring and pass the proposal, nor said that everything is over. Stating that Turkey was a democratic country, Gul said that following Parliament’s decision, a new process of evaluation had started. Gul attaches priority to the solutions to remove possible negative effects of the decision. Then he’s planning to start a new process concerning the Iraq crisis. He recalled that the US shouldn’t repeat its mistakes in this new process.
Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal thinks that Parliament corrected a mistake with the decision it made. He emphasized that the government harmed Turkey and put it into a difficult situation with a mistaken policy. Baykal thinks that the government and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) have always had a mistaken stance. Baykal said, ‘With the decision it made, Parliament acted in accordance with the public’s wishes and provided the government with the opportunity of correcting its mistake. The policies followed by the government and the AKP have always been mistaken and wrong since the beginning. They followed a policy hesitantly and took certain steps without waiting for the will of the public and Parliament. For example, they passed the first proposal, gave permission for the preparations for a great military operation and caused the US to trust Turkey. However, when they were doing these things, they didn’t take Parliament’s will and inclinations into consideration.’
Now the US has two alternatives. Washington will either wait for Turkey or carry out its plans without Turkey. It knows what Ankara thinks. This evaluation shows that a new proposal won’t be brought to Parliament in a few days and a new evaluation and process are necessary. The US understood Turkey but it’s a little late. Now the US will decide to wait or not.”
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION