TURKISH PARLIAMENT VOTES TO DEPLOY TROOPS TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 005149

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2021
TAGS: PREL PGOV USUN LE TU
SUBJECT: TURKISH PARLIAMENT VOTES TO DEPLOY TROOPS TO
LEBANON

REF: A. ANKARA 5098


B. ANKARA 5020

C. ANKARA 4978

Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson for reasons 1.4(b),(d)


1. (C) Summary. The Turkish parliament approved the
government's motion to contribute troops to UNIFIL in a
September 5 extraordinary assembly session. PM Erdogan
exerted control over his Justice and Development Party (AKP)
with a well-orchestrated outreach campaign that dissolved or
muted most intra-party dissent and ensured AKP unity on a
publicly unpopular issue (reftels). The opposition used the
session to lambaste the US and Israel in an attempt to paint
Erdogan's government as lackeys willing to sell Turkey out.
It also used continued PKK violence as a reason to vote
against the motion. The PM's team countered the vitriol
calmly, but the opposition will continue to use
anti-American, anti-Israeli sentiment as a club with which to
beat the government. End Summary.


2. (U) After six hours of debate, MPs voted 340 in favor and
192 opposed, with one abstention, in favor of the AKP's
motion to send Turkish troops to Lebanon. The PM was in
attendance. FM Gul, making the case for the GOT, stressed
Turkey's long term interest in regional stability. He
underscored that the three prerequisites for Turkish
participation had been met: a UN resolution authorizing the
mission, Israeli and Lebanese government requests for Turkish
troops, and assurances that the international force would not
be engaged in disarming combatants. Gul added that sending
Turkish troops, who would stand with NATO and European
forces, is also consistent with Turkey's goal of joining the
EU and might put Turkey in good stead in its effort to obtain
a temporary UNSC seat in 2009-2010.


3. (C) Opposition deputies used their allotted speaking
time, plus several other slots they wangled by manipulating
procedural rules, to launch a vitriolic attack against the
ruling AKP, using the US and Israel in particular as weapons
for bashing the government. Deputies of the Republican
People's Party (CHP) repeatedly derided Secretary Rice and
her call for a "new Middle East" and claimed that the US and
Israel aim to re-draw the region's borders. They charged the
AKP with merely doing the bidding of the US, Israel and the
"Zionists" in line with plans for a "greater Middle East".
CHP vice chair Onur Oymen refuted Gul's claims that Lebanon
wants Turkish troops. He warned that Turkish soldiers would
in fact be called on to engage in combat, embroiling Turkey
for the first time in a Middle Eastern conflict. Instead,
Turkish soldiers should be fighting the PKK who are attacking
Turkish citizens, he charged. Motherland Party (ANAVATAN)
leader Erkan Mumcu echoed Oymen's points and accused the US
of fomenting conflict in order to maintain a military force
in the energy rich region. AKP leaders countered opposition
attacks, again emphasizing that it is in Turkey's interest to
play a role in stabilizing the Middle East region.


4. (C) The government's motion specifies that Turkey's
contribution will consist of patrolling naval units, sea and
air transport support, force protection units for Turkish
humanitarian assistance teams and training for the Lebanese
military. Further details may emerge following PM Erdogan's
September 6 meetings with UNSYG Annan and TGS Chief of Staff
Buyukanit. Ambassador has been promised a readout on the
details of Turkey's UNIFIL deployment by MFA Deputy U/S
Uzumcu.


5. (C) Public opposition to commiting troops remains high.
Informal electronic polls on websites of several major media
organizations indicated that 70 percent to 84 percent of
those responding opposed a troop deployment. Large-scale
demonstrations took place outside of parliament and in the
Ankara city center, with between 2,000 and 5,000 people
chanting anti-war slogans. Police were out in force. No
major clashes were reported. Protests also took place in
Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya and Mersin.


6. (C) Comment. The vote went as the GOT had planned. Asked
for comment as he exited parliament, Erdogan said it was as

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he had predicted the previous day: no surprises. He
successfully solidified AKP support on a highly unpopular
issue. The deployment is a political risk for Erdogan - he
has gambled on a regional role for Turkey, expending
substantial political capital. If Turkish troops are killed
and/or the UNIFIL mission fails, AKP will pay a price. Both
Gul and Erdogan acknowledged that AKP knowingly shouldered
this responsibility. The public and opposition alike will be
watching carefully as Turkey's UNIFIL role is further
defined. As much as this vote was an indication of how much
AKP has matured, the debate put on show the secular
opposition parties' reliance on anti-Americanism and
anti-Israeli sentiment as weapons for bashing PM Erdogan's
allegedly Islamist government. Erdogan and the AKP make
their share of gaffes and are themselves guilty of fanning
the public opinion fires too, including on Lebanon during the
war. In this case, however, they have done the right thing
-- despite misgivings among their constituents and the
country at large. End Comment.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON