Turkey 'Islamic' Party Declares Win

Monday November 4, 2002 3:10 AM

     ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - A party with Islamic roots won a landslide victory in Turkish elections Monday, and its leader quickly moved to calm fears of a shift away from secularism in this key U.S. ally.
     At a huge celebration at his party's headquarters, Justice and Development Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan told supporters: ``We will not spend our time dizzy with victory. We will build a Turkey where common sense prevails.''
With 97 percent of the ballot boxes counted, Erdogan's party had 34 percent support, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
     The rival center-left Republican People's party had 19 percent, Anatolia reported. Two other smaller parties were hovering just below the 10 percent threshold needed to enter parliament, but with so much of vote already counted, they had almost no chance of making it into parliament.
     Even if one of the parties were to cross the threshold Justice would still be able to form a government in the 550-seat parliament without any coalition partners - a rarity in Turkish politics. The party's campaign was fueled by anger over Turkey's worst economic crisis in decades.
     The Justice party, which has its roots in Turkey's Islamic movement, sought to calm the public and markets by immediately pledging support for secularism, Turkey's EU bid and an International Monetary Fund austerity program. In its campaign the party called itself a conservative party and said it would not pursue an Islamic agenda.
     Erdogan said his government's first priority will be to ``speedily pursue the EU membership process.'' He said that his government will ``follow an economic program to integrate the country with the world.''
     ``We have no intention to challenge the world,'' he told Dow Jones Newswires. ``Under our government, Turkey will be in harmony with the world.''
     Erdogan leads the party, but has been banned by the elections board from standing as a candidate because of a jail sentence he served in 1999 for publicly reading a poem that a court deemed anti-secular. It is not clear who would serve as prime minister if the party wins or if lawmakers would move to change the ban.
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's party had only 1 percent of the vote and his coalition partners were below the 10 percent threshold needed for entry into parliament.
``We committed suicide,'' Ecevit said, referring to parliament's agreement to hold elections 18 months early. Legislators agreed to the vote amid Ecevit's failing health.
     Like many secularists, Ecevit also expressed concern over the Justice party's Islamic roots. They fear the party may try and carry out an Islamic agenda once it is elected. The Justice party has tried to distance itself from its Islamic roots and says that it is a secular, democratic party that is not looking to promote an Islamic agenda.
     ``I carry those concerns,'' Ecevit said. ``I hope this party respects the secular and democratic regime.''
     The last time a leader from the Islamic movement led a government was in 1996, when Necmettin Erbakan became the first-ever pro-Islamic premier to take office in overwhelmingly Muslim but secular Turkey.
     Erbakan angered the powerful military, which regards itself as the guardian of Turkey's 80-year-long tradition of secularism, by emphasizing the country's Islamic heritage. His first overseas visit was to Iran.
     He was forced from government in 1997 amid strong pressure from the military. At the time, Erdogan was a member of Erbakan's party and was mayor of Istanbul.
     The Justice party was established last year by lawmakers from a later banned pro-Islamic party and has already sparked tensions with the staunchly secular establishment.
     The elections come amid the country's worst economic crisis since World War II - a crisis many blame on Ecevit.
     During the campaign, the Justice party says it would concentrate on social welfare, support Turkey's $31 billion IMF-backed recovery program and has hinted that it would support a U.S.-led operation in Iraq if it has U.N. approval.
Voters eager for a change have been flocking to the Justice party.
     ``I voted for Justice because we have no trust left in the other parties,'' Hatice Bilal, 43, a civil servant, said after casting her vote in Istanbul. ``We want an end to poverty.''
     The voting comes as the United States is trying to showcase Turkey as an example of a secular, democratic country that is overwhelmingly Muslim but has cast its future with the West. Washington, for example, strongly supported Turkey's push to take over the international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.
     Turkey is also crucial to an Iraq operation, a point that was underscored when Gen. Tommy Franks, the head of any future Iraq operation, visited Turkey last month.
     A party with Islamic roots taking power could lead to instability and tensions in the region. Observers point out that many of the party's loyalists were members of previous more radical movement and may not be satisfied with the non-confrontational attitude adopted by their leaders.
     But others point out that if the party continues its moderate stance, it could serve as a bridge between the Middle East and Europe as Islamic radicalism is increasing.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002

Turkey Rejects U.S. Use Of Bases
Vote Could Alter Troop Deployment

     ANKARA, Turkey, March 1 -- In a stunning setback for the United States that could require the Bush administration to alter part of its war plans, the Turkish parliament rejected by three votes tonight a motion that would have allowed U.S. troops to use Turkish bases to open a northern front against Iraq.
     The leadership of the governing Justice and Development Party, which had endorsed the U.S. deployment, could seek another vote when parliament reconvenes next week. But its failure to win approval of the resolution tonight, despite a sizable legislative majority and weeks of preparation, raised questions about its ability to hold on to control of the government if it tried and failed again to authorize the U.S. deployment.
     The Pentagon has been waiting for weeks for permission to begin moving its forces toward Turkey's 218-mile border with Iraq, and warned last week that it was running out of time to decide whether an armada of U.S. ships carrying tanks and equipment, including several cargo vessels already in Turkish waters in the eastern Mediterranean, should change course and sail through the Suez Canal to Kuwait.
     A senior administration official in Washington described the Turkish vote as "absolutely a big deal," and said the administration must now decide whether to wait and see what the Turkish government does next, or immediately move forward with a backup plan to deploy the Army's 4th Infantry Division to Kuwait instead of Turkey.
     The defeat in the Turkish parliament was another setback in U.S. efforts to win international support for a war against Iraq. The U.S. push was further complicated today as Iraq began destroying its banned Al Samoud-2 missiles under the supervision of U.N. inspectors.
     The Justice and Development Party, which took power in elections less than four months ago, holds 362 seats in the 550-member parliament, but managed to muster only 264 votes in favor of the U.S. deployment. The unexpected defection of more than a quarter of its deputies and a unified stand by the opposition resulted in 250 votes against the proposal and 19 abstentions. The other 17 legislators did not attend the session.
     The closeness of the vote, which took place in a closed session after a three-hour debate, threw the legislature into confusion for several minutes before the parliamentary speaker, Bulent Arinc, ruled that the government's motion had failed because it had not won a majority from the 533 legislators present.
     Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, his face drawn and weary, told reporters after the vote that the party was evaluating its options, but he refused to say whether it would pursue another vote. "We all have to respect the decision of the parliament. This is the requirement of democracy," he said. "We will evaluate all this as a party and a government, and do whatever is required. The government is no doubt aware we are in a critical period."
     Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leader of the ruling party, described the parliament's decision as "a completely democratic result." "What more do you want?" the Anatolian news agency quoted him as saying after a meeting with party leaders. "May it be for the best."
     A senior member of the government, who asked not to be identified, said Erdogan has called an emergency meeting of the party's governing board for Sunday. "We haven't come up with a strategy yet," the official said. "We will either renew the resolution and try again, or we will say this is the view of the Turkish people, and we will not be able to take foreign soldiers on Turkish soil. We'll be talking about it very carefully."
     The official blamed the outcome of the vote in part on the U.S. government's refusal to grant more concessions in talks over what economic aid and political assurances Turkey would receive in exchange for allowing its territory to be used as a staging area against Iraq. Negotiators are near a deal involving guarantees about the future of Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq and $6 billion in grants, which could be leveraged into as much as $24 billion in loans, but the agreement has not been finalized.
     U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, had pressed the Turkish government to go ahead with a vote. "It's hard to speculate about what happened," the senior Turkish official said, "but it's partly because the Americans have not come up with a sound agreement that could be signed by everyone and then presented to the parliament."
     Other analysts argued that the Justice and Development Party had been outmaneuvered by a Turkish political establishment -- including the military, government bureaucracy and other state institutions -- that is wary of the new party because of its popular appeal and roots in political Islam. These institutions normally might have backed a U.S. deployment, the analysts said, but instead have remained silent and sought to use the issue to weaken the party.
     "Do not take part in this disgusting war. Do not get crushed under the weight of this misery," one opposition lawmaker, Onder Sav, said on the floor of the parliament. "If only one soldier's corpse must be carried on shoulders [to a funeral], then we will not forgive you. The voters will not forgive you either."
Turkey's cooperation is important to the Pentagon's plan to divide the forces of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein by simultaneously attacking from the south, through Kuwait, and from the north, across the Turkish border. Troops based in Turkey would play a critical role in securing oil fields in northern Iraq and keeping the peace between Kurdish factions, and between Kurdish and Turkish troops.
     If the 4th Infantry Division is diverted to Kuwait, the U.S. military is likely instead to build any attack from the north around lighter forces that are more easily deployed by air. But the loss of Turkish bases could also make it more difficult to re-supply U.S. forces with ammunition, food and fuel.
     Speaking after a meeting at the Foreign Ministry tonight, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Robert Pearson, expressed disappointment in the vote but said the United States would continue to consult with the Turkish government. Months of delays and tough bargaining by Turkish leaders have already strained relations between the United States and Turkey, a historic ally and a member of NATO.
     Fehmi Koru, a political analyst who writes a column for the Yeni Safak newspaper, predicted that the government would not risk submitting the resolution for another vote, in part because so many members of the cabinet had opposed the U.S. deployment. Though the party leadership failed by only three votes, "if they tried again, and they get the same outcome, it would mean the end of this government for sure," he said. "They've already seen almost half the parliament vote no."
     Opposition leader Deniz Baykal urged the government to abandon plans for a U.S. deployment. "I hope the government will respect the will of the parliament," he said. "This situation shows Turkey is not willing to join this war."
     Turkish leaders have only recently begun trying to convince the public that their country might benefit by cooperating in a U.S.-led war against Iraq, by preventing the emergence of an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq and restoring trade with a friendly Iraq freed from international sanctions.
     But public opinion in this predominantly Muslim nation of 67 million people remains strongly against a war. Many people fear it would be a repeat of the Persian Gulf War of 1991, when Turkey was swamped with half a million refugees and its economy was devastated, ushering in a decade of financial instability that culminated in 2000 with a crisis in which the currency collapsed and unemployment skyrocketed.
     Even as lawmakers debated the U.S. deployment, tens of thousands of antiwar protesters massed in the streets of the Turkish capital, their path to the parliament building blocked by riot police and armored cars.
Many demonstrators said they expected their government to ignore them and give in to the U.S. request.
     "The Turkish people are against a war, but the government won't listen to us," said Yasemin Karaoglan, 24, a graduate student among the crowd of chanting, singing protesters. "They can't resist the power of the Americans."

Staff writer Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report.


© 2003 The Washington Post Company

 Turkey disaster slows advance on Baghdad, will extend war

 SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
 
     "The U.S. Defense Department has cited the absence of Turkish military cooperation as a leading reason for the painstaking advance toward Baghdad.
     "Pentagon officials said the absence of a northern front stems from the refusal of Turkey to allow the deployment of 62,000 American troops in that country. They said Iraqi Republican Guard divisions were able to withdraw from the north and focus on a defense of Baghdad and Tikrit in central Iraq.
     "Goods already unloaded in Turkey must now be reloaded and shipped to the Persian Gulf.
     "The U.S. military has been ordered to collect a huge amount of material and vehicles unloaded over the last few days at Turkish ports as part of now-defunct plans to move American troops through that country to the Iraqi border. The material is now headed for U.S. ships that will sail for the Persian Gulf. Officials said the diversion of the material as well as more than 20,000 U.S. troops meant to enter Turkey has hurt the war effort. They said this could extend the war against the regime of President Saddam Hussein for up to another two weeks.
     ""We're doing it [the movement of troops and military material] from the south instead of from the north," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said. "And it's not anywhere near as convenient or helpful."
     "Officials said the United States has changed its approach toward Turkey in wake of its refusal to allow the deployment of American troops for the formation of a second front. They said Turkey has forfeited a U.S. pledge for up to $15 billion in grants and loans in compensation for the war against Iraq. They also warned Turkey against deploying troops in northern Iraq.
     "Ankara has granted the United States use of Turkish air space for attacks on targets in northern Iraq. But U.S. officials said the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has tried to place a series of restrictions on such flights and banned the use of Turkish air bases for any U.S. military aircraft deployed for the war against Iraq.
U.S. officials said Central Command will form a northern front without Turkish cooperation. They said about 5,000 U.S. troops have landed in three airports in northern Iraq, but many of them have been reserved to help fight Kurdish battles against Al Qaida-aligned forces.
     "The State Department and other elements of the administration are said to have rejected a proposal to use other U.S. allies in the Middle East to help form a second front. Officials said the proposal that had been considered by the Pentagon was to divert the U.S. Fourth Infantry Division — meant to be hosted by Turkey — through Israel and Jordan for deployment in northern Iraq.
     "The officials did not rule out a reassessment in U.S. relations with Turkey after the war with Iraq. They said the administration will examine a range of options. "I think one of the mistakes they made, frankly, was turning down our proposal for a cooperative action in the north which would have been useful," Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said.
     ""It looks as though maybe we don't need it. We're getting lots of people into the north by the southern routes and we'll try to make sure that the kinds of problems that would in any way prompt a Turkish intervention are just not going to happen."

Obtained from WORLD TRIBUNE.COM

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