THE WARNING VOICE INSIDE OF US
BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)
As Ankara and Washington have reportedly finally reached
agreement on a US request to base its troops in Turkey for a
possible northern front into Iraq, the Turkish Parliament is
expected to vote tomorrow on the deal concluded between the
two nations. Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis told reporters
yesterday that a Cabinet meeting is set for today to discuss
the issue and that Parliament would more than likely vote on
the request tomorrow. After an US cargo ship unloaded armored
military vehicles and materiel at the southern Turkish port of
Iskenderun last Thursday, over 50 ships filled with US troops
along tanks and other equipment are on their way to the
region, awaiting only approval from Parliament to disembark. /Turkiye/
The Bush administration has requested that Turkey let it
establish a US airbase in the southeastern Anatolian city of
Batman in addition to the current NATO base at Incirlik, near
Adana, diplomatic sources said this weekend. The request came
at a time when at-times intense Turkish-US negotiations
between were still continuing on whether Ankara would allow US
troops to be stationed in Turkey for a possible northern
offensive into Iraq, yet the sources characterized the request
as a part of a broader US strategy to secure a long-term
military foothold in the wider region of the Balkans, the
Caspian Basin and the Middle East. The plan would have
far-reaching consequences not only for Iraq but also for the
other two countries included in the Bush administration’s
“axis of evil,” namely Iran and North Korea, the sources
added. While mainly US forces use NATO’s Incirlik Airbase,
whose presence in Turkey is established under the nation’s
membership in the alliance, it is not clear what the status of
the Batman base would be. /Cumhuriyet/
Turkey is a democracy, not a kingdom or an empire, so it is
Parliament’s place to decide whether to allow US troops to be
stationed on Turkish soil, declared Justice and Development
Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. “Our
Parliament will make a historic decision on the stationing of
US troops in Turkey, and it’s everybody’s responsibility to
respect that decision,” he stated. “It’s not up to the AKP
alone to decide,” he said. Erdogan later met with Prime
Minister Abdullah Gul, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener,
State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan, and Foreign
Minister Yasar Yakis to discuss recent developments concerning
Iraq. /Milliyet/
Washington should put an economic compensation package on
the fast track once Turkey and the US reach an agreement on
stationing US troops on Turkish soil, since waiting for US
congressional approval could take too long, warned Foreign
Minister Yasar Yakis yesterday. Yakis said that an accord
between the two nations was close, but added that Parliament
wouldn’t hold a vote until the deal was in hand. On the US
compensation for Turkey’s losses, he said that a war’s
negative impact would be felt immediately, so Turkey would
need immediate aid. The US Congress could take two months or
more to approve the funds, he predicted, adding, “But in two
months the war could already be over.” /Aksam/
Appearing on CNN yesterday, Turkey’s Ambassador to the
United States Faruk Logoglu said there should be no doubt that
Turkey wants to support the US efforts in Iraq as sanctioned
by the United Nations Security Council, adding that he
believed a deal on this support was very near. “And over the
weekend, even at this very hour, Turkish and American teams
are talking in Ankara to finalize agreement on three basic
areas: economic, military and political,” Logoglu said on
CNN’s “Late Edition,” a program aired in both the US and
Europe. “If that is in place, then the final decision would be
made by the Turkish Parliament this week, when it convenes its
first meeting, maybe on Tuesday. The talks are still
continuing, it's better to be a little bit cautious, but we
are quite optimistic and confident.” Logoglu added that he
would like to correct the mistaken impression in some quarters
the talks were fundamentally about money. “The economic
package is just one pillar of what we are trying to obtain,”
he stated. “Even if Turkey gets the right economic assistance
package, it will not mean that it's going to be easy to get it
through the Parliament. I think given the fact that we have 95
percent of the Turkish people opposing war, this is a
democracy, and that's one of the main facts about what we are
trying to do in Turkey.” He stated that the two countries were
trying to bridge their gap through creative efforts on both
sides, but declined to address specific numbers on a financial
package since the talks were still continuing. “The Turkish
government is making its best effort to come to a supportive
position,” he added. /Hurriyet/
Stressing that ethnic Kurds had no desire to establish an
independent state in northern Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic
Party (IKDP) foreign policy chief Hoshyar Zebari claimed
yesterday that there was no need for Turkey to send troops
into the region. In a press conference in Arbil in northern
Iraq, Zebari stated that if Turkish troops enter northern Iraq
by force, there would be fierce clashes between them and the
region’s Kurds. /Turkiye/
Turkey is right to be wary of the unforeseen consequences
that war in Iraq could bring, warned former Russian Foreign
Minister Yevgeny Primakov from Baghdad yesterday. Primakov, a
Mideast expert and current head of Russia’s Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, made the comments to Hurriyet while on
a mission from Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to head
off war. On the eve of 1991’s Gulf War the ex-top Soviet
undertook a similar, and unsuccessful, mission to avert
conflict. “No-one can guarantee that Iraq would not fall apart
after a war,” commented Primakov. “Like Russia, Turkey cannot
avoid feeling the effects of any war in Iraq, so it’s normal
that our peoples are both opposed to war. One huge risk for
Turkey is Iraq breaking into several pieces, with could result
in a Kurdish state being founded in northern Iraq. If that
occurs, the Kurdish minority in adjacent areas of Turkey could
also try to break off and join that state.” /Hurriyet/
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday
arrived in Ankara to discuss the Cyprus issue with Turkish
officials. At a press conference, Annan said that Ankara was
the first stop of a tour which would also include Greece and
the island of Cyprus. Pointing out that the European Union is
due to meet on April 16 with 10 incoming members -- including
Greek Cyprus -- to sign accession agreements, Annan stated
that he hoped that the agreement was signed in the name of a
united Cyprus. Towards that end, the UN and EU have set a
deadline of this Friday, Feb. 28, for a Cyprus accord. While
in Turkey, the secretary-general is scheduled to meet with
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, and
Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis, as well as ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Meanwhile, Annan’s Special Cyprus Envoy Alvaro de Soto last
night met with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal.
/All Papers/
A historic accord making natural gas sales from Turkey to
Greece and the rest of Europe a reality is set to be signed
today, according to Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources
Ministry. A ministry statement said that recent negotiations
between Turkish, Greek and European Union officials over a
natural gas pipeline connecting the neighboring countries had
borne fruit. The accord is to be signed by Energy and Natural
Resources Minister Hilmi Guler and Akis Tsohatzopoulos,
Greece’s development minister. EU Commission Vice Chairman
Loyola De Palacio was also involved in talks paving the way
for the agreement. /Hurriyet/
Media mogul Cem Uzan was re-elected leader of the Young
Party (GP) again at its extraordinary congress over the
weekend. During the congress, Uzan criticized the ruling
Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) policies on Cyprus,
Iraq, and the International Monetary Fund. Last November, the
GP failed to reach the threshold for representation in
Parliament. /Aksam/
Columnist Taha Akyol comments on recent developments on the
Iraq issue. A summary of his column is as follows:
“This weekend, Prime Minister Abdullah Gul met with
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Chief of General Staff Gen.
Hilmi Ozkok to discuss recent developments on a proposal due
at Parliament authorizing the US to station its troops here
for a possible Iraq war. Sezer considers it vital that the UN
Security Council pass a new resolution to provide
international legitimacy for any Iraq war. For his part, Gen.
Ozkok believes that Parliament should pass this proposal to
protect Turkey’s national security.
Gul recently told the Bush administration that it would be
very difficult to persuade Parliament on this issue since most
of the deputies and Cabinet members are opposed to war. Gul
stressed that the US should fulfill Turkey’s requests so as to
facilitate the Parliament’s authorizing the US troop
deployment.
It seems that the Bush administration heard Gul’s message
loud and clear, as developments over the weekend demonstrate.
Washington has offered $6 billion in grants, or a
substantially larger sum if Turkey opts for loans. The US is
planning to take control of all Iraq’s oil revenues and
national assets to destroy Saddam’s economic infrastructure
and force Iraq to pay war indemnities! Turkey’s losses will be
compensated from a ‘war indemnities fund’ to be established in
the postwar period.
And what about political issues? The Bush administration is
planning to establish a transitional administration in the
post-Saddam period as follows:
A transitional military administration to be led by a US
general will be established to ensure peace and stability in
the region. A Turkish general is expected to represent our
country within this structure.
A transitional civilian administration will be formed, one
that will include a Turkish bureaucrat and ambassador.
A consultative assembly will be set up with the
representation of Sunni and Shiite Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen and
other ethnic groups.
Upon Turkey’s insistence, the US has recently agreed to
change Iraq’s Turkmen groups’ constitutional status to let
them take part in the postwar political structure. In
addition, Turkey and the US have also reached an agreement on
the Kurdish issue. The number of weapons to be given to
Kurdish groups will be limited and strictly controlled by US
officials. After the war, there is to be a single, united
Iraqi army.
Although the two countries have agreed on a number of
sensitive issues, the negotiations are still continuing. I
believe that the most important negotiations lie ahead, during
the period of restructuring Iraq. Why is Turkey still being so
reluctant and extremely cautious? The main reason is we
already know that Kurdish groups in northern Iraq want to
establish an independent state, a development which would very
likely threaten our national security.
As far as these developments are concerned, this is the
most critical period for Turkey since the Lausanne Treaty, the
1923 peace accord signed by Turkey. The diplomatic efforts and
negotiations of Gul and his Cabinet are going well. Our
parliamentarians should lend them their full support.”
Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on the complex situation in a
possible postwar Iraq. A summary of her column is as follows:
“British Prime Minister Tony Blair isn’t the only person
saying, ‘Our goal is to remove Saddam from power.’ US
Secretary of State Colin Powell also told reporters, ‘Our aim
is to put an end to Saddam’s regime, which is squandering the
wealth of the Iraqi people on weapons of mass destruction.’
The Pentagon last week established an Office for Restructuring
and Humanitarian Aid to Iraq, and the US’ preparations for the
post-Saddam period show that no matter what Baghdad does from
this point onward, the conclusion is pre-ordained.
Understanding that the US has such a secret agenda makes it
impossible for us to take the stated goal of disarming Iraq
seriously. If the situation had been the opposite, maybe the
inspectors would have been successful and regime change would
have been accomplished without a war. History won’t forget
this nagging doubt. The situation isn’t good. The combination
of the US mobilizing the United Nations for the disarmament of
Iraq but also having a hidden agenda is threatening all the
world’s gains of the last century. The UN, NATO and the
underpinnings of all alliances are losing their meaning.
An Iraqi friend of mine recently sent me an article written
by a dissenter living under the Baghdad regime. I don’t know
his name because it’s secret. The article basically emphasizes
the risks of the post-Saddam period. The writer says that the
Iraqi people wouldn’t tolerate a ‘temporary international
coalition administration,’ headed by a US general or a similar
figure. The article stresses that people shouldn’t be deceived
into believing that the nation, even though it is suffering
under Saddam’s administration, would thereby welcome foreign
invaders with joy.
Washington is planning to distribute aid packages to the
nation together when dropping its first bombs. I wonder if
it’s considering whether this initiative, which may be
welcomed with joy by extremely poor people, will be also
welcomed by experienced Iraqi people who became poor following
the 1991 Gulf War. ‘The opposition living in exile can’t
represent us and thus it shouldn’t be included in any postwar
government,’ the dissident continued. ‘The Iraqi people can’t
stand either the presence of foreign soldiers or a government
formula that they didn’t ask for. The insistence on such a
formula would cause armed conflicts.’
We have armed Kurdish groups in Iraq’s north, Islamic
Shiites with Iranian support numbering 10,000 in the south,
many opposition forces spending their lives waiting for the
day they will be in power, and millions of others who believe
that they are Iraq’s real owners… The situation is very
complex. It’s very difficult to predict what will happen
during the post-Saddam period. How long will the instability
continue? When will a democratic and unified Iraq be
established? Even if it’s established, will it have any
staying power? Nothing is obvious yet. No matter what some
people say, instability is sure to persist for a long period
to come.”
