Reflections of Iraq Operation in Turkey

The operation of the United States on Iraq was one of the most discussed item of Turkish agenda in 2003.

Iraq increased its representation in Ankara to embassy level after one year. Talip Abid Salih Al Duleymi was appointed as Iraqi Ambassador to Turkey.

Former Iraqi Ambassador Faruk Hicazi had returned to Iraq in November 2001 after claims that he had met with Muhammed Atta, one of the terrorists that had launched attack on the United States on September 11.

Meanwhile, Turkey which also increased its representation to embassy level in Iraq in 2001, sent new Turkish Ambassador Osman Paksut to Iraq on the first days of January.

The request of the United States to open a second front via Turkey against Iraq was one of the major issues discussed in Ankara in January. Foreign Minister of the period Yasar Yakis said that the United States wanted to open a front via Turkey during its operation on Iraq, but it contradicted with Turkey's interests.

The United States, which continued preparations for war and its deployment in the region, was expecting a rapid response from Turkey for its demands. However, Yakis was saying that Turkey would count its national interests, adding that allies could contradict in some issues and Turkey would tell this to the United States and he noted that Turkey would not fight for the United States.

VISITS TO ANKARA

Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Massoud Barzani who postponed his visit to Ankara for two times came to Ankara on January 8.

Some statements of Barzani against Turkey, who was considered as an important partner by the United States in its the fight against Saddam regime, caused tension in relations and the meetings of Barzani started in such a period.

Barzani was received by the then Prime Minister Abdullah Gul. Barzani stressed that both sides felt the necessity to return the relations to former level and emphasized the necessity to increase the dialogue to prevent some misunderstandings.

British Secretary of State for Defense Geoff Hoon and an accompanying delegation visited Turkey on January 8 and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Shara also came to Turkey on January 13.

Gul had started his active peace diplomacy tour from Syria to solve Iraq issue in peaceful ways. Yakis and Shara had signed a protocol envisaging political consultation mechanism between two countries.

Ankara hosted U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers on January 20, Sharif Ali Bin Hussein, the leader of the Constitutional Monarchy Movement of Iraq, on January 28 and Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) representative Berham Salih on January 29 within the meetings in regard to Iraq war.

RECONNAISSANCE IN BASES AND PORTS

The United States demanded reconnaissance in bases and ports in Turkey regarding its operation on Iraq.

Ankara accepted this demand in principle and started intensive negotiations with Washington to determine the rules for reconnaissance activities.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman of that period Yusuf Buluc noted that the United States wanted to complete its preparation activities rapidly and showed the sensitivity of Ankara about the issue with his statement that Turkey had a national calendar as well.

Ankara decided to sign the understanding to allow the United States' reconnaissance of ports and bases on January 9. Thus, an American team comprising of 150 people was allowed to inspect the ports and bases in Turkey.

Buluc said on those days that Turkey's signing the understanding did not mean that it approved the following steps of the United States.

British Secretary of State for Defense Geoffrey Hoon indirectly conveyed the participation request of Britain for reconnaissance activities as ally of the United States, but Turkey rejected this demand.

Parliament allowed U.S. technical and military personnel to remain in Turkey for three months regarding renovation, deployment and construction activities on military bases, facilities and ports on February 6. Following the memorandum of understanding signed within the scope of this authority, the activities started in Turkey on February 12.

Ankara started a technical activity about Turkey's rights on Mosul and Kirkuk while it carried on negotiations with the United states.

ANKARA'S REGIONAL MEETING INITIATIVE

Ankara, which still had faith on finding a peaceful solution to Iraq problem, held a regional forum covering neighboring countries to Iraq within this scope.

It was stressed in the final statement of the meeting which brought foreign ministers of Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Jordan together on January 23 that war should not be an alternative for the solution of Iraq crisis. Iraqi administration was called to fulfill its responsibilities to restore peace and stability in the region in the final statement.

Meeting of neighboring countries to Iraq was held for four times throughout the year.

NATO PROCESS

Iraqi Vice President Tariq Aziz said in a statement in the end of January that they would take aim at the countries which allow U.S. soldiers use their lands and this flamed up discussions whether Turkey would be the target of Iraq.

The process, which the United States started under the auspices of NATO on sending AWACS aircraft and Patriot missile systems to Turkey within the scope of a possible operation on Iraq on January 14, was opened to discussion due to hesitations of France and Germany on timing.

Ankara told NATO that it should not be late in fulfilling its security commitments about Turkey and that the hesitations of some countries on the issue of timing should rapidly be overcome. Ankara also launched initiatives about France and other countries which broke their silence in NATO and Germany and Belgium.

The problem of Turkey's protection which was one of the most important problems of NATO history was solved with a consensus on February 16. Thus, NATO met the demands of Turkey completely about protection against chemical weapons and its demands about Patriot missiles and AWACS aircraft in case of a possible Iraq operation and it officially functioned the 4th article.

Some groups in the north of Iraq, U.S. President George W. Bush's Adviser for Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad and Turkish officials discussed the future of Iraq in a meeting held in the beginning of February.

Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Jalal Talabani, Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) Chairman Sanan Ahmet Aga, Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official Nechirvan Barzani, Khalilzad and a delegation headed by Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Ali Tuygan attended the meeting. Sides exchanged views on developments during a possible operation on Iraq and scenarios after the operation.

Iraqi Vice President Taha Yasin Ramadan paid a secret visit to Ankara while Iraq operation was closing. Ankara, on the first hand, conveyed the messages to Ramadan which were sent to Iraqi side until that time.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry, which considered security of Turkish citizens due to coming war, suggested limitation of travels to regional countries except urgent and important conditions.

MOTION NEGOTIATIONS

The meetings of Yasar Yakis, Foreign Minister of that period, and State Minister for Economy Ali Babacan in the United States in the middle of February was important in those days while preparations for negotiations on a second motion at Parliament were continuing.
Replying to a question why sending the motion on deployment of U.S. soldiers in Turkey to Parliament on February 18 was important that much for the United States, Yakis said that military planning was a thing that should be made very earlier, adding that the United States made military planning and that was why February 18 was important for them.

Yakis and Babacan discussed the effects of a possible Iraq operation on Turkish economy during their meetings in the United States. Babacan said that they reached an agreement on a package which was in harmony with flexible and changing conditions.

Although U.S. administration conveyed Turkish officials that they were making their military plans according to the second motion on February 18, the motion could be sent to Parliament in the beginning of March. Some officials said that Bush said that they had made their military plans by thinking that the motion would be adopted on February 18 and if they could not take this result until that date, they had to consider other alternatives.

Turkey was continuing activities on humanitarian dimension of a possible operation and was preparing for meeting a refugee flow of 80-100 thousand people during those days.

Turkey decided to temporarily stop the activities of Baghdad Embassy as of February 26. Foreign Ministry called Turkish citizens who had been living in Iraq to leave the region and not to travel to Iraq one day after this decision.

REJECTION TO MARCH 1 MOTION

The rejection of motion on dispatch of Turkish soldiers abroad and deployment of foreign armed forces in Turkey that was discussed at Parliament on March 1 was a turning point for Turkey-U.S. relations and U.S. preparations for operation.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Robert Pearson said that the United States was respectful to democratic process in Turkey and added that friendship which was rooted in the past between Turkey and the United States would continue.

OPERATION STARTS

Abdullah Gul became the 39th Foreign Minister of Turkey in the 59th government formed after Siirt elections and he undertook his mission on March 14.

Opposition to Iraqi administration met with Khalilzad and Turkish officials on March 18 in Ankara and they decided to make full cooperation with coalition forces. The emphasis made to territorial integrity, national unity, independence and sovereignty of Iraq in the joint statement of the meeting was very important for Turkey.

U.S. operation on Iraq started on March 20.

Meanwhile, when the United States urgently wanted Turkey to allow transit passage of U.S. aircrafts from Turkey, the motion which gave the government the authority on sending Turkish troops abroad and opening Turkish airspace to foreign armed forces' planes for six months was accepted on March 20.

Britain officially applied to Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to open Turkish airspace to British aircrafts as well on March 20.

Turkey and the United States carried on negotiations on the issue of Turkish soldiers' entering to the north of Iraq on the first days of war. While Turkey was assuring the United States that Turkey would not be an occupier in the north of Iraq, two countries agreed that Turkish soldiers would enter to the north of Iraq only to protect border security and with humanitarian aims. Khalilzad said that they agreed with Turkey that it would not enter to the north of Iraq just for entering.

POWELL IN ANKARA

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell came to Ankara on April 1.

Powell asked Turkey's support to the operations of the United States in the north of Iraq. For Turkey, the visit of Powell meant to eliminate the doubts of people who were suspicious about Turkey-U.S. relations. Powell wanted Turkey's support for general humanitarian aid to Iraq and demanded to send food, water, fuel and medical equipment to U.S. soldiers in the north of Iraq via Turkey.
Ankara wanted three Iraqi diplomats to leave Turkey as they had activities which were not coinciding with their missions.

News claiming that Kurdish groups entered Kirkuk reached Ankara in the middle of April. When Gul wanted Powell to keep the promises given to Turkey, Powell said that they would send new units to Kirkuk within few hours and assured that they would not allow a fait accompli in the region. Turkish liaison teams were sent to region to observe the removal of Kurdish forces from Mosul and Kirkuk.

NATO Defense Planning Committee decided to gradually withdraw AWACS aircraft, Patriot missiles and equipment against a possible biological-chemical attack from Turkey in the middle of April.

MARCH 26 U.S. SET OF QUESTIONS

News on U.S. request of soldiers from Turkey was on the agenda of Ankara. Government members firstly stated that they did not receive such a demand, then Foreign Ministry said that American administration sent a general set of questions to all coalition countries on March 26 asking what kind of contribution they could make on military, security, reconstruction and humanitarian aid fields in Iraq.

Gul said that Turkey accepted U.S. demands on reconstruction of Iraq in principle, but the conditions of this would be cleared later.

Iraqi Ambassador in Ankara Talip Abid Salih Al Duleymi left Turkey in the end of April after Saddam Hussein regime was overthrown in Iraq.

Turkey, on the one hand, was continuing negotiations with the United States on reconstruction of Iraq and participation to stability force in Iraq, on the other hand, it started to investigate the view of Iraq about Turkish soldiers. Balikesir deputy Turan Comez and Mersin deputy Huseyin Guler who went to Iraq to bring five trucks of aid material to Kirkuk and Baghdad prepared a report when they returned to Turkey.

Turkey's Baghdad Embassy, which stopped its activities short time before the operation, was opened again in the middle of May.

STATEMENTS OF WOLFOWITZ

The statements of U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz about the rejection of March 1 motion in the beginning of May caused a revise in Turkey-U.S. relations.
Gul said that the statements of Wolfowitz who claimed that Turkey followed a wrong attitude on Iraq issue were sincere, pragmatic and bringing perspectives directed towards future.

State Department Undersecretary Marc Grossman said that Wolfowitz was a friend to Turkey and recommended to take his statements serious. First Army Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit said regarding the criticisms of Wolfowitz about Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) that TSK fulfilled and had been fulfilled and would fulfill its responsibilities always with democratic ways and appropriate to the methods.

Ankara welcomed U.N. Security Council's lifting on May 22 economic, commercial and financial sanctions which had been imposed on Iraq for 13 years.

Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal went to Washington to evaluate Turkey-U.S. relations again on June 15 after the war. Ziyal made preliminary preparations of Gul's visit to the United States during his meetings in Washington and conveyed a package including what Turkey had done in Iraq until that time and suggestions about what it could do in the future.

Ankara allowed the countries which would have contributions to reconstruction of Iraq to benefit from Turkey's facilities in accordance with resolution No. 1483 of U.N. Security Council in the end of June. Combat troops were not included in this permit.

Turkey-U.S. relations were strained one more time when American soldiers raided Turkish Special Team Office in Sulaymaniyah and detained 11 Turkish soldiers and brought them to Kirkuk.

It was claimed that the soldiers were detained upon news claiming that some Turkish people would launch an assassination attempt to Kirkuk Governor.

Both Ankara and Washington launched intensive initiatives although July 4 was holiday.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan wanted U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney to intervene in the issue on the phone. Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok had the same conversation with NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe General James L. Jones on the phone, while Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul wanted the same thing from U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell again on the phone.

Foreign Ministry wanted the United States to release the soldiers rapidly and to start necessary procedures about American officials who caused this incident to happen.
While Gen. Ozkok was saying that the incident caused the biggest confidence crisis between Turkish and U.S. armed forces, Aegean Army Commander Gen. Hursit Tolon who was in Washington during the incident said upon the order of General Staff Headquarters that he would not attend command hand-over ceremony of U.S. Central Forces Command to be held in Florida and that two Turkish liaison officers would be withdrawn from Tampa.

Detained soldiers were released and brought to Baghdad on July 6 and to Suleymaniyah on July 7. Prime Minister Erdogan said that the incident was overcame with a diplomatic courtesy.

Meanwhile, a delegation from Foreign Ministry investigated the office in which Turkish soldiers were detained.
Gen. Jones came to Ankara after those developments and held meetings with high-ranking military officials. Two countries decided to establish a joint commission to investigate the incident upon the suggestion of Gen. Jones. The commission convened for four times with the participation of Supreme Allied Deputy Commander General John Silvester. Meanwhile, Gen. Jones and U.S. Central Command Chief Gen. John Abizaid held meetings in Ankara.
General Staff Headquarters said after the Commission completed its activities that they decided to make a better coordination and cooperation in Iraq and agreed to take every measure to prevent the repetition of similar incidents in the future. Same statement was later approved by the United States as well.

Meanwhile, it was learned that U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sent a letter to Prime Minister Erdogan regarding the detention of 11 Turkish soldiers in the north of Iraq.

Rumsfeld's writing the letter to Erdogan instead of his interlocutor Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul also caused discussions. The letter mentioned that Washington administration was not aware of the incident.

The letter expressed the importance attributed to Turkey-U.S. strategical partnership and friendship, the respect to Turkish Armed Forces and the views that the results of the incident would be revealed and also expressed the sorrow over the incident.

SENDING TURKISH SOLDIERS TO IRAQ

First official demand of the United States for soldiers from Turkey became definite during Gul's meetings in Washington after the incident in Suleymaniyah. Gen. Abizaid conveyed the demand during his meetings in Ankara.

Ankara said to Washington which wanted Turkish government rapidly to take decision on sending Turkish soldiers to international stability force in Iraq that the government would give an answer after evaluating the issue and receiving the view of General Staff Headquarters.

Washington gave a document to Gul as an answer to the package of Turkey including the contribution suggestions about the reconstruction of Iraq.

While, a new process was starting between two countries on the issue of sending soldiers, Ankara said that Turkish soldiers could go to Iraq to restore peace and stability, not as an occupier.

Ankara, on the one hand, was speeding up its dialogue with the United States, on the other hand, increased contacts on possible reactions in Iraq.

Ankara sent a delegation comprising of officials from Foreign Ministry, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and General Staff Headquarters to Iraq, while hosting representatives of various groups from the region.
According to reports of Turkish officials, Iraqi people would welcome Turkish soldiers who would go to region for peace and stability, while the views coming from the region were different. Turkmens were positive towards Turkish soldiers, but Kurdish groups said that they did not want foreign soldiers in the region. Those groups wanted support for economic structure instead of soldiers.
While the United States gave answer to the set of questions of Ankara regarding the issue of sending soldiers to Iraq, Gul said that Turkish and U.S. military delegations reached a consensus on giving a separate sector to Turkey under its own command.

INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS

Recent developments in Iraq and Middle East were taken up in the Tenth Ordinary Session of the Mediterranean Forum (FOROMED) Foreign Ministers which was held under the term presidency of Turkey.

Final statement of the meeting touched on the importance of Iraq's territorial and political integrity, while it was stressed that Iraq should rapidly reach peace, stability and sovereignty.

The statement noted that U.N. should play a central role in the stabilization and reconstruction of the country and the presence of foreign forces in Iraq should be of a temporary nature and that their gradual departure should be completed in a certain time frame.

The fourth meeting of neighboring countries to Iraq was held in Damascus, Syria.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari was officially invited to the meeting, but he did not participate in as the invitation was made late. The final statement of the meeting called Iraqi administration to make cooperation with its neighbors in fight against terrorist groups.

Prime Ministry motion on sending Turkish soldiers to Iraq was accepted at Parliament with 358 votes against 183 votes and two deputies abstained from voting on October 7. A total of 543 deputies participated in the voting.

General Staff Headquarters and Foreign Ministry announced the possible mission region as Salahaddin state and the part including Firat (Euphrates) axis of el-Anbar state, but did not mention the number of soldiers clearly.
Turkey and the United States decided to start negotiation process after the acceptance of the motion, but the negotiations could not start. While, Ankara was saying that it was not very eager to send soldiers to Iraq, Washington noted that it had some hesitations and incapability in itself in regard to the issue of deployment of Turkish soldiers in the region.

Possible reasons for the delay in the process in spite of Ankara's being ready were shown as the United States' being unprepared as the motion was accepted faster than expected and its not convincing the groups in Iraq and its concerns that Turkish soldiers could cause an instability in the region.

Following those uncertainties, the government decided not to use the authority it had taken from Parliament on sending soldiers to Iraq on November 7.

NEGOTIATIONS ON TERRORISM

While the process between Turkey and the United States on the issue of sending Turkish soldiers to Iraq was continuing, negotiations on eradication of PKK/KADEK terrorist organization from the north of Iraq started between two countries in Ankara.

Carrying on two process in parallel to each other caused discussions. Ankara and Washington stated that two issues were not directly related with each other.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Lynn Pascoe headed U.S. delegation in the first meeting, while Turkish delegation was chaired by Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Nabi Sensoy. U.S. delegation was headed by U.S. Coordinator for Counterterrorism for the Department of State J. Cofer Black in the second meeting.

Sides reached a consensus on a joint action plan on eradication of PKK/KADEK terrorist organization from the north of Iraq. It was stated that none of the alternatives was out of the agenda regarding the elimination of the terrorist organization.

SUICIDE ATTACK ON TURKEY'S BAGHDAD EMBASSY

A suicide attack was launched against Turkey's Baghdad Embassy in October while the issue of sending soldiers to Iraq was on the agenda of Turkey.

Three officials of the Embassy were injured and two people including the assailant died.

Ankara condemned the attack. The attack showed one more time the necessity of international cooperation on fight against terrorism. World leaders also condemned the attack which was considered as the continuation of terrorist activities in the region.

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