AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE,
Overriding widespread opposition and protests, the Turkish parliament voted after fierce debate at an extraordinary session to authorize the government to send troops to the UN force in Lebanon.
A government motion to contribute troops to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was backed by 340 of the 533 lawmakers present in the 550-seat house, while 192 voted against and one abstained, deputy speaker Nevzat Pakdil said.
Under the motion, Turkey will send a naval force to patrol the eastern Mediterranean, deploy troops, help train the Lebanese army and support allied countries in naval and air transport.
The motion foresees a one-year deployment, but it is not yet clear how many troops will be sent, nor when and where.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has said the number of soldiers is not likely to exceed 1,000.
Details of the deployment were expected to become clearer after talks here Wednesday between Turkish leaders and visiting UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who arrived in Ankara hours before the vote as part of a regional tour to win support for the Lebanon mission.
The stormy session got under way with hundreds of policemen deployed around the parliament complex as thousands of protestors took to the streets to speak out against a Turkish role in the force.
The government argues that participation in UNIFIL is an historic duty to contribute to regional stability, to help strengthen Ankara's influence in the Middle East and boost its bid to join the European Union.
“The stability in the East Mediterranean is important for Turkey. The conflict (in the region) may affect us tomorrow, if not today,” Gul told the house.
“Providing stability in the East Mediterranean is the duty not only of Italy and France, but also of Turkey,” he said. “We cannot remain indifferent.”
“Our decision is also compatible with our argument that Turkey's entry will turn the EU into a global force,” he added.
The government says the mission has minimal risk since the Turkish contingent will not be a combat force and will not be tasked with disarming the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah militia.
The debate saw unsuccessful opposition attempts to block the motion on procedural grounds and hostile exchanges between rival lawmakers.
Opposition deputies charged that the UN force would serve to protect only Israel and advance US and Israeli interests in the Middle East. Some warned the deployment would pitch Turkish soldiers against fellow Muslims.
“Turkey's participation… will not contribute to peace and stability in Lebanon, but will make Turkey a partner in the United States' and Israel's project to reshape the Middle East by force, overriding all principles of justice,” said Sukru Elekdag of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
Others highlighted increasing violence by separatist Kurdish rebels over the past two weeks and lashed out at the government for failing to ensure security in its own country.
Even though about 20 members of the ruling Justice and Development Party were reported to be against the deployment, the motion was easily adopted thanks to the party's absolute parliamentary majority.
The United States, the EU and Israel — a major regional ally of mainly Muslim, non-Arab Turkey — have welcomed Ankara's support for UNIFIL as a step that will raise the force's credibility among Lebanese Muslims.
But the government's willingness to deploy troops has sparked strong public opposition on grounds that Turkish soldiers could face hostile fire or engage in fighting with fellow Muslims.
About 5,000 demonstrated in downtown Ankara against the planned deployment. Seven high-school students were detained when they tried to block a main road and four other people were detained in a similar protest in Istanbul.
About 50 women protestors held a sit-in in front of the Turkish parliament, displaying banners that read: “We will not send our children to war.”
In a bid to calm fears, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that Ankara would withdraw its troops from Lebanon if they are asked to disarm the Hezbollah.
“If Turkey is asked to disarm any group in Lebanon, we will not stay there — we will pull our soldiers out immediately,” he said.
