STAR- Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli writes on Turkey’s stance on the war in Iraq. A summary of her column is as follows:
The main goals of the US-led military operation against Iraq are to topple Saddam Hussein and disarm the country. However, Turkey wants to participate in this war not so as to overthrow Saddam but rather to protect its territorial integrity and control a possible rush of Iraqi refugees towards its borders. In other words, our two countries are to conduct two quite separate operations within the same country. Let me put it this way: This is an operation within an operation.
Time this around, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is very determined to hold back the flow of Iraqi refugees in northern Iraq. Turkey will allow only 80,000 Iraqi refugees to enter its territories. That’s why Turkey has to deploy its troops in northern Iraq and provide Iraqi refugees with humanitarian aid at the refugee camps established there.
Turkey and the US held detailed discussions during their recent negotiations on the possible deployment of US troops on Turkish soil and reached an agreement at that time. But since the Turkish Parliament rejected the proposal on the deployment earlier this month, the guidelines laid down after those talks no longer apply.
However, when we ask Foreign Ministry officials how coordination between Turkish and US will be ensured, we’re struck by the lack of straight answers. In fact, despite all the intense negotiations, Turkey and the US failed to sign any written agreements covering these issue. Turkish diplomats said that the memorandum of understanding which Turkey and the US agreed would regulate all issues related to coordination between the two countries’ armies. But what about the US? Will the US troops remember their country’s agreement with Turkey?
The greatest challenge that Turkey will have to face is this lack of any written agreement. Conceivably, the two armies might come face to face when holding two separate operations within the same territories.
The second challenge facing Turkey is the Turkmen issue. Neither the US nor Kurdish groups has accepted including ethnic Turkmen groups into the Iraqi Leadership Council to be established in the postwar period. Turkish officials have stated that the Turkmen issue might be resolved after the war ends. How realistic is that? We must wait and see…
In brief, Turkey faces two important challenges which might lead to more serious problems in the future. Under such circumstances all we can say is, ‘May God protect our soldiers in northern Iraq!’
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION