US Troop build up taunts Turkish Parliament

Despite the vote of the Turkish Parliament the movement of US troops on the north front of Iraq is apparently continuing with undissipated energy. Parliament President Buelent Arinc reacted with raging criticism.

Kiziltepe - Arinc criticized the activities on Sunday as disrespecting the Parliament. The television images were unusually disturbing to him, according to citations on Sunday in the Turkish press. This has challenged Parliamentarians in the opposition, who likewise have shown
there disquiet, to put control mechanisms of the Parliament into action.

According to a report of the Turkish newspaper "Cumhurriyet" an incident in Iskenderun on Sunday also caused irritation: At the exit of the harbor toll area 700 American soldiers and units of the Turkish
army had suddenly confronted each other. The Turkish army then took their weapons and forced them to withdraw.

The US Ambassador in Ankara attempted meanwhile, to play down the incidents. It was only military material and soldiers, not "war troops." For this reason [according to the US Ambassador] the Parliaments decision was not violated.

Stronghold Directly on the Border of North Iraq

Arinc's criticism is directed particularly at a new stronghold, with whose buildup the US armed forces near the Iraq border have begun.

The position is going to serve as logistics center for 62,000 US soldiers, in case the Turkish Parliament does eventually agree to the stationing of troops. The stronghold, which Turkey had approved two months ago, is according to official sources about 160 km from the
border.

About 30 trucks with landing vehicles and supplies had left the Turkish harbor on Sunday and they are expected to reach the stronghold 15 hours later. 3500 soldiers are participating in the operation. A civilian airport is a few km from the new stronghold, directly in front runs the largest road in the direction of the Iraq border.

Also the Turkish Army is preparing itself for an offensive.

Despite the No of the Turkish Parliament to an offensive war against Iraq the Turkish army is itself continuing its military preparations.

On Sunday, tanks were sent into northern Iraq, according to a report of the news station NTV. The tanks were brought across the border by trains on the Habur crossing.

The convoy had first under close watch of the security forces of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan passed the small city of Dohuk and then turned towards a Turkish stronghold in the region of northern Iraq.

The television station didn't give an indication of the exact number of the tanks.

During the last few days Turkey had moved about 500 military vehicles, tanks, and other military material on the Iraq border. The Turkish general staff characterized the buildup as contingency measure.

The Turkish Parliament had in the last few weeks refused the US wish to station its troops in Turkey. The government had already hinted a new decision may be forthcoming.

Whether the hint will be transformed into reality, is nevertheless according to the recent re-election vote of the Turkish Parliament still open. The chief of the Turkish reform party AKP, Tayyip Erdogan, went as victor from the elections and thereby could become the Minister
President of Turkey. After the Parliamentary election in November Erdogan was denied the possibility of taking office, since he had been convicted of Islamic propaganda.

Link to German article:
 http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,239423,00.html

Translation by Martin S. White (NAICR)