U.S. Welcomes Turkish Parliament's Decision to Send Troops to Iraq

 

Tuesday  October 7, 2003

Boucher: Details to be worked out with both Turks and Iraqis

The United States welcomed the approval in the Turkish parliament of the Turkish government's initiative to send troops to the stability force in Iraq, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said in response to a journalist's question at the October 7 State Department daily press briefing.

"The United States believes that Turkish troops would contribute stability in Iraq, and we'll be consulting closely with the Turkish government over the details of Turkish participation," Boucher added.

He acknowledged that "there are some on the [Iraqi] Governing Council who have concerns about neighboring forces. We've seen the statements, as you have. We've talked about these things with members of the Council. And we know that there are some issues that need to be worked through. And we will do that. We'll work with both the Turks and the Governing Council as we set the operational details of ... this contribution."

Boucher declined to estimate when Turkish troops might arrive in Iraq, saying "there is a considerable amount of work to do before the deployment can take place, but how long that work takes I don't have an estimate for you at this point."

Following is an excerpt from the October 7 State Department daily press briefing:

(begin excerpt)

U.S. Department of State
Daily Press Briefing
Tuesday, October 7, 2003
12:30 p.m. EDT

BRIEFER: Richard Boucher, Spokesman


TURKEY
-- Turkish Parliament Approves Troop Contributions
-- Iraqi Governing Council Views of Turkish Troops
-- Operational Details of Turkish Troop Contributions
-- U.S. Views of Turkish Membership in European Union


[...]

QUESTION: The Turkish parliament apparently has agreed to allow, send troops to Iraq, but the Iraqi Governing Council seems, at a minimum, to be wary of the idea. What response do you have?

MR. BOUCHER: Well first, let me say very clearly, we welcome the approval in the Turkish Parliament of the Turkish Government's initiative to send troops to the stability's force in Iraq. The United States believes that Turkish troops would contribute stability in Iraq, and we'll be consulting closely with the Turkish Government over the details of Turkish participation.

As far as the Iraqi Governing Council goes, we have not seen any formal Governing Council statement or communiqué regarding the Turkish decision. We are confident that a Turkish contribution could further the process of achieving stability in Iraq for the benefit of the Governing Council and the Iraqi people. And we'll be working with the Governing Council as well as with the Turkish Government on the details of that contribution.

QUESTION: Actually, maybe they didn't come out with a formal statement on Turkey on this recent vote, but the Iraqi foreign minister and many other members of the council have said that they don't believe that any neighboring state should be part of the coalition because they feel as if they would bring their own agendas into their duties and --

MR. BOUCHER: Again, has the Governing Council made a statement? No. Have individuals on the Governing Council said things? Yes. And we expect there to be different views and some debate. This is an issue that, I think, as we said at the time some of those statements were made -- that we will work with the Iraqis, we will work with the Governing Council, and arrive at conclusions, hopefully together, about how Turkish troops might contribute to stability in Iraq.

Ma'am?

QUESTION: I was going to ask the same question, but there was a vote, actually, today or with the local time, yesterday, that they decided they don't want any Turkish troops, period. So if maybe you haven't seen the --

MR. BOUCHER: I'm told by my people that's not the case. We can double-check the facts, but I saw one wire story this morning that was unsourced and didn't have any quotes of anything, that said that that was a Governing Council view. And so I checked with our people in Baghdad, and they said no, they weren't aware of any decision like that.

QUESTION: Is the U.S. confident and, actually, confident to solve this, I mean, to find a solution to this contradiction between Turkish parliament and Iraqi Governing Council?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, I don't -- I don't quite know if we're at the level of contradiction yet, but yes. We have said before, we believe this things can be worked out, should be worked out, because our basic view is that Turkish troops can make a contribution to stability that's good for -- that's good for Iraq and the progress that the Iraqi people want to make, so we will be working on these, all these sorts of details, in order to configure it in a way that contributes to stability and to make sure that the Iraqis agree with us on that.

George.

QUESTION: And if the Turks do wind up sending troops, would there be any cost to the U.S. taxpayer?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't know at this point.

Adi.

QUESTION: In (inaudible), you spoke about, some details still need to be worked out, reference to the Americans and the Turks --

MR. BOUCHER: I think it was probably all the details remain to be worked out -- but most of the details remain to be worked out.

QUESTION: Yeah, all the details. So you have no -- there's no idea yet how many troops the Turks will contribute, or could contribute? And do you know if the parliament has to sign off on the number of troops, as well?

MR. BOUCHER: I think -- I don't know if they have to sign off on the exact number, and I haven't seen the resolution in parliament yet to know if they did authorize some specific amount, but yeah, the size of the force, and the areas of deployment, and how they would get there and a lot of things like that remain to be worked out.

Teri.

QUESTION: The wires are saying that the Governing Council actually agreed on a resolution and that there's a document stating this, but that there was pressure against releasing it from --

MR. BOUCHER: I can't -- I don't know what the sourcing is, but --

QUESTION: U.S. pressure. Well, there's a -- one of the Council members said --

MR. BOUCHER: All I can tell you is that to my knowledge, the Council, the Governing Council has not passed anything. I can, we can all double check on the facts, and maybe it's an evolving situation.

QUESTION: Yeah, could you check on that, because it says the U.S. pressured them not to release it.

MR. BOUCHER: As I said, we can all check on the facts, and the reporters in Baghdad, I'm sure, will be asking the Coalition how they've been interacting with the Governing Council. But -- and it may be evolving still, but at this -- as of the moment I came out here, there didn't appear to be any formal decision of communiqué from them.

At the same time, I think the situation remains fundamentally what I just said, that these things -- we are aware that there are some on the Governing Council who have concerns about neighboring forces. We've seen the statements, as you have. We've talked about these things with members of the Council. And we know that there are some issues that need to be worked through. And we will do that. We'll work with both the Turks and the Governing Council as we set the operational details of these -- of this contribution.

Okay, Jonathan.

QUESTION: I realize it's premature and no decisions have been taken, but -- on the deployment. But have you given the Kurds any assurance that no Turkish troops will be deployed in their areas? And if so, and likewise for the Shiites who apparently are equally wary of having Turkish troops in their midst?

MR. BOUCHER: I'm not in a position to give you any details at this point. It hasn't been worked out.

Eli.

QUESTION: It's a simple question, but who, ultimately, has the authority to invite the Turkish troops into Iraq? Would that be the CPA or would it be the CPA in conjunction with the IGC?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't know what the formal answer is to that, but I've said here today that we're working with the Turkish Government and the Governing Council on the issue, and we want to work it through with both of them.

QUESTION: But you could -- I don't want to ask a hypothetical, but the United States Government, in so many words, has invited the Turks and negotiated with the Turks on this. So it's the U.S. -- I mean, is it wrong to say that the U.S. is inviting the Turks to Iraq?

MR. BOUCHER: It's not a quest -- it's not wrong -- but it's not the only, it's not the only way we're handling the issue. Certainly, we've approached the Turks about making a contribution to stability in Iraq. We've said that for weeks, months -- right? The Turks have now said yes, they're willing to contribute. Now we're going to work the details with the both the Turks and the Iraqis to make sure that it happens in a way that everybody understands is a contribution to stability.

QUESTION: Well, in --

MR. BOUCHER: That's what we're doing. We're not making assertions of one kind or another. We're working it with both of the parties.

QUESTION: Okay. Can I just ask one more? How do you convince the United Nations, as you are making this push, that -- and you're saying, you know, that you were already transferring a lot of authority to the Iraqis, that in this particular instance the Governing Council is not just an afterthought to a grand deal that you've struck with Ankara?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, first of all, we are working and talking to the Governing Council about this issue, and have been since we started hearing their views. Some of these things were discussed when the Secretary was in Baghdad and in the north, where he talked to various leaders, including members of the Governing Council about the potential contribution of Turkish troops. So we have been talking to them all along about this.

Second of all, I didn't assert that every single aspect of responsibility has already been transferred. As you know, the full achievement of that transfer can't really come, for a variety of reasons, until there has been a constitution and constitutionally based elections.

QUESTION: It's not your intention, though, Richard, is it, to ignore the Governing Council opposition to this and try and ram Turkish throats down their throats -- Turkish troops down their throats?

MR. BOUCHER: Is there anything that I've said in the last 20 minutes that goes in that direction? No.

QUESTION: I want to make sure -- no.

MR. BOUCHER: No. Everything I've said in the last 20 minutes says we're going to talk to them about it and we're going to work this with them.

QUESTION: Richard --

MR. BOUCHER: Not we're going to ram anything down anybody's throat.

QUESTION: Okay. Well, then --

QUESTION: In the end, though --

QUESTION: Whoa, hold on. And how soon would you like -- is this something as soon as possible that you'd like to see any -- a deployment as the?

MR. BOUCHER: One could say "as soon as possible." That really doesn't give you a timeframe, because there are a lot of aspects of this that need to be worked out with the Turks in terms of the deployment. So it's not just, you know, they can show up tomorrow.

QUESTION: Well, no, no. I mean, are you looking for, like, next January or --

MR. BOUCHER: We'll have to see. That's really -- those kind of details have yet to be worked out. Some of that will be between the militaries. Some of that will be the governments. There are aspects of this that we need to talk to the Turkish Government about. So there is a considerable amount of work to do before the deployment can take place, but how long that work takes I don't have an estimate for you at this point.

Charlie.

QUESTION: Richard, will you take a question, as a follow-up to George's before about whether Turkish troops in Iraq, if it comes to pass, will involve any payment by the U.S. taxpayer, any cost to the U.S. taxpayer?

MR. BOUCHER: I'll see if we have any information on that at this point.

QUESTION: I mean I can't believe it hasn't been part of some discussion.

MR. BOUCHER: Do you guys want to do this, or you want to change the subject?

The row back there.

QUESTION: New subject.

MR. BOUCHER: Okay, we've got one change back here.

QUESTION: Richard, the Turks for quite a while have wanted in to the EU, and prior to the war they wouldn't let our troops or deployment come south. Did we, in talking with Ankara, enter into any of those type discussions? Anything changed? In other words, can there be troops --

MR. BOUCHER: Nothing has really changed on our support for Turkey in the EU.

QUESTION: No, but I mean can our troops now come from the north? American troops be there?

MR. BOUCHER: Again, that's questions of deployments that are not settled yet that I don't have answers for. There's been some discussion of those, and I think the discussion generally focused on Turkish troops going to southern Iraq. But I don't think all that's settled yet.

[...]

(end excerpt)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

HOME

Copyright 2014  Q Madp  www.OurWarHeroes.org