June 21, 2008 at 11:33:52

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Coming war against Iran: Increasing Anglo-American pressure on Turkey

By Cem Ertür (about the author)     Page 1 of 9 page(s)

opednews.com     Permalink

For OpEdNews: Cem Ertür - Writer

Covering the period of March-June 2008, this article will try to highlight the political pressure applied by the US and UK governments on Turkey in view of their war plans against Iran. It is complementary to an earlier article titled "Will Turkey be Complicit in Another War Against Another Neighbour?" [1]


"[The Middle East] is capable of a very bright future:... a place of innovation and discovery, driven by free men and women. In recent years, we've seen hopeful beginnings toward this vision. Turkey, a nation with a majority Muslim population, is a prosperous modern democracy. Afghanistan under the leadership of President Karzai is overcoming the Taliban and building a free society. Iraq under the leadership of Prime Minister Maliki is establishing a multi-ethnic democracy."

-- US President George W. Bush (World Economic Forum, Sharm el Sheikh, 18 May 2008) [2]

Turkey was the last stop of US Vice President Dick Cheney's tour in the Middle East in March. Coverage of the event by the Turkish press gave the impression that Mr Cheney did not make any demands from Turkey's President, Prime Minister or Chief of General Staff, concerning the US foreign policy in the Middle East and/or Afghanistan. Given the increasingly evident Anglo-American hostility against Iran on all fronts, this wasn't very plausible. In fact, all the evidence since then suggests otherwise.

Shortly after Mr Cheney's visit, the US-based RAND Corporation published a report on the US-Turkish relations:

"Given its growing equities in the Middle East, as well as the current strains in U.S.-Turkish relations, Turkey will be even more reluctant to allow the United States to use its bases in the future, particularly the [U.S.] airbase at Incirlik, to undertake combat operations in the Middle East... Turkey is unlikely to support U.S. policies aimed at isolating Iran and Syria or overthrowing the regimes in either country." [3]

Frequent visits by senior US officials continued after Mr Cheney. In April, US Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Gregory Schulte commented on Iran's Shahab-3 ballistic missile:

"Shahab-3 could strike most of Turkey and the Middle East, and the longer-range missiles would reach deeper into Europe." [4]

The following month, in a conference held in Washington, Ambassador of Turkey to the US Nabi Sensoy echoed Mr Schulte:

"Iran has run 'clandestine (nuclear) programs for more than two decades,' and those programs are 'a threat to Turkey as well as to the U.S.' " [5]


QUEEN ELIZABETH'S IMPERIAL VISIT

In a press conference with his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan in April in London, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said:

"Bilateral relations are deep, excellent and sincerely felt... Turkey had a pivotal role to play on regional issues, such as the conflict in Iraq and concern over Iran's nuclear programme." [6]

The following month, Queen Elizabeth II and Mr Miliband held a state visit to Turkey. On May 13, she gave a speech at the state banquet in Ankara:

"For us, Turkey is as important now as it has ever been... Abroad, Turkey is uniquely positioned as a bridge between East and West at a crucial time for the European Union and the world in general... [Mr President Abdullah Gul], you are playing a key role in promoting peace, political stability and economic development in some of the world's most unsettled areas." [7]

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