OPPOSITION DEPUTIES SLAM U.S., ISRAEL DURING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 005259 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/10/2021 TAGS: PREL PGOV LE TU SUBJECT: OPPOSITION DEPUTIES SLAM U.S., ISRAEL DURING PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE ON TURKEY'S UNIFIL CONTRIBUTION REF: ANKARA 5149 Classified By: Political Counselor Janice G. Weiner for reasons 1.4(b), (d) ¶1. (C) Opposition deputies launched virulent attacks against the US and Israel during the September 5 Turkish parliamentary debate on Turkey's troop deployment to Lebanon. The motion passed (reftel A) and the GOT is readying Turkish troops to join the UNIFIL mission, but the force and tenor of some of the deputies' statements set an ugly tone as Turkey approaches national elections in 2007. ¶2. (C) In repeated statements during the parliamentary debate, opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputies heatedly branded the clash in Lebanon as part of a US-orchestrated effort to create a "new Middle East". Several MPs mischaracterized the Secretary's July comments on the subject as intended to foment war and impose a new order through blood and massacre that brought destruction and injustice to the region. ¶3. (C) PM Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was excoriated by several opposition MPs for, in their words, obsequiously doing America's and Israel's dirty business by sending troops which could be forced to act against fellow Muslims in Lebanon. Rather than defend the interests of the US and Israel, they challenged AKP to stand up to the US and send troops to combat PKK terrorists based in Northern Iraq. As CHP Istanbul deputy Onur Oymen (a former Turkish Ambassador to NATO) put it, "The US wants us to send troops. Which US? The US that obstructs you from sending troops to northern Iraq against the PKK." CHP Ankara Deputy Bayram Meral charged President Bush with demolishing Lebanon, destroying Iraq and feeding terrorists in northern Iraq. "If you are Muslim, why are you going to Lebanon?" Meral demanded. "Who are you siding with? With Israel. Who wants this? The US." ¶4. (C) Attacks of almost equal ferocity were hurled against Israel. One particularly inflamed diatribe came from Sukru Elekdag, a CHP deputy from Istanbul (and a former Turkish Ambassador to the US). He warned of Israeli hawks' strategy to divide Muslim countries that pose a threat to Israel on the basis of ethnicity and religious sects, via politics or bribery. One of Israel's basic objectives, Elekdag alleged, is to divide Iraq into three parts and establish an 
independent Kurdish state that would enter into partnership with Israel. ¶5. (C) MPs also linked purported US and Israeli ambitions. The US administration has integrated Israel's security interests into its National Security Strategy and the "Greater Middle East Project," Elekdag claimed, because it sees the world as democratic Christians and Jews against Islamist fascist Muslims. After "liquidating" Hizbullah in Lebanon, the US and Israel will go after Syria and Iran. Contributing troops to a UN force -- a tool to impose the Israel-US strategy on the region -- makes Turkey complicit in US-Israeli efforts to reshape the Middle East by brutally pursuing US-Israeli interests at the expense of law and justice. While Elekdag noted that a primary goal of CHP's foreign policy has been cooperation with and mutual respect for the US and support for relations with Israel, he railed against UNSC Resolution 1701 as an effort to brutally change the political and ideological map of the Middle East that will set Turkey in the US-Israeli camp against Hizbullah, Syria and Iran. Several deputies echoed the pronouncement of center-right Motherland Party leader Erkan Mumcu, "This nation does not have sons to send away for the security of Israel." ¶6. (C) Deputies from the governing pro-Islam AKP parried the opposition onslaught, reiterating Turkey's regional importance and national interest in a stable Middle East. Erdogan's advisor Egemen Bagis, despite catcalls about his close ties to the US and Israel, emphasized that Turkey has a moral, political and historical duty towards Lebanon and could not remain a spectator while Lebanese citizens are suffering. FM Gul, in his comments, noted that the GOT had ANKARA 00005259 002 OF 002 listened to the criticism and had conditioned Turkey's UNIFIL participation on serving as support for humanitarian efforts. He praised Turkish forces as capable of fulfilling the task and urged all deputies to stand behind the military once soldiers deployed. AKP Konya deputy Ahmet Isik also took the floor, noting that it is in Turkey's interest to preserve peace in Lebanon and the Middle East. Since EU countries will provide a substantial portion of the UNIFIL force, Isik added, Turkey, as an aspiring EU member, should contribute as well. ¶7. (C) Comment. That the opposition deputies launched a spirited attack against the ruling party's motion to deploy troops abroad came as no surprise, given their strategy of opposing the AKP at every opportunity. What is unsettling is their willingness to use anti-American and anti-Israel rhetoric as a weapon against the government that feeds an already bristling public opinion. The fervor of their attacks, which practically jumped out of television screens during the debate, was noteworthy. Post is engaging with opinion-makers where possible to counter these attacks. We are likely to see more atmospherics of this nature as the election season gets underway. End comment. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON