March 12, 2003
TURKEY FEATHERS RUFFLED:
Baykal: Government Made A Secret Agreement With U.S. (Turkish Press, 3/11/2003)Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal asserted on Tuesday that the government made a secret agreement with the U.S....Baykal said that setting up new bases in Mardin and Gaziantep ... "is not an issue which will be decided by the government on its own because base means accepting a regulation that foresees deployment of 'soldiers.' Our Constitution is very clear. The parliament gives decision about deployment of foreign soldiers in Turkey and sending of Turkish soldiers abroad. Thus, we can't accept the government's giving a decision about formation of a base in Mardin."...
Baykal said that the parliament didn't approve deployment of foreign soldiers in Turkey and their launching an operation to another country from these territories....
Despite that, the activities ... were speeded up, Baykal commented, adding "Turkey is not a 'Banana Republic.'"
The CHP is the leading opposition party. Looks like Turkey's not going to let a legal technicality disrupt a good alliance.
MORE: Yakis: No Official Request (Turkish Press, 3/12/2003)
Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said on Wednesday that ... "we have not received an official request of the United States to use our air space yet."...Responding another question, Yakis said, "when we receive such an official request, we will assess whether or not it requires decision of the parliament."
I doubt it'll require a decision from the parliament. Posted by Paul Jaminet at March 12, 2003 11:25 PM
Not unpredictable. Indeed "some decisions are too imporant to be left to politicians".
But this kind of behavior may tend to come back to haunt a country down the road.
Let's hope Turkey can remain stable and responsible.
Sheesh. I am glad I am not an American
commander trying to fight my unit in a foreign
country where the government cannot be
trusted, where the populace is overwhelmingly
opposed to my being there, where a good
fraction of them are probably ready to
sabotage me in solidarity with the religious
brothers on the other side.
Does anybody remember the French in Spain?
Evidently not.
Harry - There was a little tiff a few days ago, a Turkish major got upset that American soldiers were carrying their rifles around the port town, and had the weapons confiscated. A day later the major was reassigned to a different position.
But I don't think there will be problems. We're only passing through.
Yeah, that's what Marshal Massena thought,
too.
Turks are not Arabs. They actually know how
to fight and are willing to do so.