Posted on 02/28/2003 11:22:29 AM PST by Happy2BMe
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Turkey will have twice as many troops as U.S. in northern Iraq |
Turkish sources said Ankara and Washington have also reached understanding on troop levels in northern Iraq. They said Turkey would be allowed to have twice the number of U.S. troops in the area.
Under the agreement, officials said, the United States would be allowed to deploy 62,000 troops in Turkey for six months, Middle East Newsline reported. Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said the military portion of the accord has been completed and the entire agreement has been scheduled for a vote by parliament on Saturday.
Turkish sources said the memorandum of understanding drafted by Ankara and Washington in February satisfies concerns of the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and the military.
The MoU defines Turkey's military role in northern Iraq, the sources said. They said Turkey will have command over its troops in Iraq and will coordinate and cooperate fully with U.S. commanders. A Turkish military liasion was sent to Qatar to ensure round-the-clock coordination with U.S. Central Command.
"The forces of the two countries will carry out their duties under their respective national commands," the MoU was quoted as saying.
The troops would be accompanied by tanks, armored personnel carriers and fighter-jets based in up to six military bases in Turkey. Officials said the more than 300 U.S. aircraft would be allowed to arrive in Turkey. They would comprise 255 fixed-wing aircraft and 65 helicopters.
In return, officials said, Turkey would receive a compensation package worth about $20 billion. Turkish Economy Minister Ali Babacan said this would comprise a grant of $6 billion dollars as well as an $8.5 billion loan that would be offered to Ankara as soon as the war against Iraq begins. The rest of the package would await congressional approval.
The sources said the MoU, which has yet to be signed, fulfills Ankara's demand that the thousands of U.S. troops planned for deployment in Turkey will be under Turkish law and be confined to specified areas.
'Turkey and the United States have reached a consensus on military matters concerning Iraq because Ankara got what it wanted from the United States in this area," analyst Murat Celik wrote in the Star daily.
"We've substantially completed the negotiations with the Turkish government on the economic, political and military documents that will outline the U.S.-Turkish cooperation with respect to Iraq," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Thursday. "There are still maybe one or two final details to be worked out."
Turkish sources said the military agreement was resolved far more quickly than the negotiations on an economic aid package as well as the future of northern Iraq. They attributed this to the close military relationship between the two NATO allies as well as the approach of the Turkish General Staff.
The accord details military cooperation between the two NATO allies in Iraq and Turkey. Under the MoU, U.S. soldiers arriving in Turkey will come under Turkish law. The accord also addresses the routes used by U.S. soldiers, restrictions on passage and a framework for briefings by U.S. and Turkish commanders.
"U.S. soldiers will be subject to Turkish law within Turkey's borders and in terms of their relations with citizens of the Turkish Republic, and they will be subject to U.S. law within themselves," the MoU was quoted as saying.
A key point not addressed in the accord is the level of troop deployment in northern Iraq. The MoU does not list how many soldiers either Turkey or the United States can deploy in northern Iraq. The sources said this reflected an understanding that troop deployment would be determined by the conduct of the war against Iraq.
The MoU also sets a timetable for U.S. military deployment in Turkey. Under the draft accord, the U.S. Army will be given two weeks to disembark from ships and aircraft arriving in Turkey until they reach the Iraqi border. Under the MoU, U.S. ships will anchor in the Mediterranean port of Mersin.
Turkish sources said the hardest issues comprise the future of Iraq after the toppling of the regime of President Saddam Hussein. They said Ankara wants guarantees that Iraq will have one military and security infrastructure. In contrast, the United States wants the Kurds to have a separate military force in northern Iraq.
Ankara also wants the Turkmen minority to be granted a formal role in any new political system in Iraq. The United States is opposed to any special role for the ethnic Turks.
The sources said the United States has doggedly bargained over every item in the MoU. At the same time, Washington has prepared for options should Turkey fail to agree to U.S. deployment.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard Myers, suggested that Turkey has become the biggest challenge to war planners. He told the New York-based Economic Club on Wednesday that the military seeks any agreement that allows for U.S. soldiers to land in Turkey and be granted safe passage to Iraq.
"That's everything we really want," Myers said.
Turkey to the United States:
You have two weeks to get in and get out. While you are here, it will cost you tens of billions of dollars and we reserve the right to execute any of you. When you are done removing Saddam, we demand commanding roles in the Iraqi gubberment.
OK - in all fairness to the Turks, I'm glad to see them finally coming through. And I agree they should have a weighted voice in the outcome of the northern regiions of Iraq (formerly Kurdistan).
For now at least - let's believe Turkey proceeds in good faith and another bloodshed can be avoided over the Kurdish territories.
Problem is, the Turks don't see it as Kurdish property and vice-versa.
Turkish troops have two priorities:
#1: Repel anything coming out of Iraq towards Turkey.
#2: Repel any growth left from Saddam's fall by the Kurds.
All of this will be happening in Northern Iraq, regadless of the size of line we bring down from Turkey (which is already quite substantial).
As mentioned earlier, Turkey lives there - we don't. So they have much greater vested interest in future regional powers and how they may develop for or against it.
We have to focus on Iraq, and for the time being so do the Turks. The Kurds on the other hand may become opportunists and attempt to "squat" on lands vacated by Iraqi forces.
President Bush has made it clear there will be no "slicing up" of Iraq - and both the Turks and Kurds know where we stand on this.
I'm not too terribly concerned about the north anymore, Iraqi moral is waning heavily there as evidenced by the beginnings of defections (which will become a flood after we begin our strikes).
That leads to yet another problem for the Turks: mass defections by both military and civilians fleeing the war.
There are many factors at play here, but something tells me we have more of a handle on each of these elements than CNN is able to get their hands on.
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