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| Axis of Evil |
| CJCS Gen Meyers Visits Turkey Monday |
| 2003-01-16 |
| The Pentagon's top soldier, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers, is expected in Ankara Monday for hastily arranged talks with his counterpart, Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, to try and nail down Turkish cooperation in military action against Iraq. Ozkok has just held his own tricky meeting with Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, and reports from sources close to the military tell UPI the general informed the premier that "news reports about 'indecision' regarding the Iraq issue had upset the Turkish armed forces." The Turkish generals are keen to support the United States, claiming that since Washington has clearly decided to go ahead, Turkey had better be on the winning side to ensure that it has a major voice in post-war decisions on the future of Iraq and the role of the Kurds. The last thing the Turkish military wants to see is a de facto independent Kurdistan acting as a magnet and inspiration for its own Kurdish minority. By formally asking its NATO allies for support, Washington has made it easier for the Turks to go along -- and the option of a second front for U.S. and British troops to attack from the north is seen as extremely valuable. The last thing you want, if you are the Turkish prime minister, is to have the Turkish military upset at you. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #5 By the way Turkey doesn’t want to become the US diving board for ground operations against Iraq neither. However the plans to deploy 80.000 US ground troops in Turkey does point that the US wants to take that direction. The US has till now 107.000 troops dispersed over the gulf (airforce, navy, troops in Quwait, Qatar, Saudia Arabia etc.) but only around 20.000 troops are suited for ground assault. That’s a clear sign that operation D-day is designed to start from North Iraq unlike the previous gulfwar. |
| Posted by: Murat 2003-01-17 05:01:10 |
| #4 The biggest obstacle which keeps Turkey undecided on a cooperation with the US is the fog that clouds the after war Iraq conditions. You see it is not a big problem for the US if Iraq would fall into anarchy or even civil war, but for Turkey the impact of such conditions in a neighbouring country will be huge. Compare it with Mexico being in a civil war and think about the flux of refugees that enters the US by millions, such would even impact the US economy. |
| Posted by: Murat 2003-01-17 04:41:48 |
| #3 I worry about this because public opinion polls show most Turks against the war. I don't think it's Islamic sentiment (some, certainly) as much as it is a natural disinclination to want a war on one's borders. The generals can certainly make the PM agree to their point of view -- or overthrow him -- but in the long term, the popularity of the military in Turkey comes from the belief that the military is acting to preserve the 1921 revolution and in the best interests of the people. If Turkey is going to be a democracy, the generals had better keep their ears to the ground on this one. Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased that the generals see the need to be with us in Iraq, and it will make getting rid of Saddam, by war or coup, that much easier. But I don't want to see us losing Turkey to Islamism in the next decade, either. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-01-16 22:57:20 |
| #2 That was taken care of Monday. They needed a seperate SOFA (Status Of Forces Agreement) for the visiting troops. The one covering the US Forces stationed would not have covered them. Standard procedure. You fall under local law if you break one off base. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-01-16 15:54:32 |
| #1 There were reports, also, that the 150 man team that was sent to inspect Turkish military facilities got stalled because the Turks were insisting on an agreement that applied Turkish laws to American troops while they were in country. Big problem. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-01-16 15:26:46 |