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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 
 
ANKARA 00005149  002 OF 002 
 
 
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