WASHINGTON — Turkey's military was expected to improve cooperation
with the United States over the next year.
A report by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International
Studies asserted that Turkey's military command was changing, with the
introduction of senior officers prepared to cooperate with the United
States. The report said several Turkish generals who sought to restrict
military cooperation with Washington were being retired, Middle East Newsline reported.
"We are likely to see an easier relationship between the Turkish and
American militaries in the coming years," the report said.
In August 2006, Chief of Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok was scheduled to resign.
He was expected to be replaced by Land Forces commander Gen. Yasar
Buyukanit, regarded as staunchly pro-American.
In December 2005, Buyukanit and Deputy Chief of Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug
visited Washington and met the Defense Department and the Joint Chiefs of
Staff.
The report described the meetings as successful and expected to pave the way
toward improved military relations.
Entitled "The U.S.-Turkish Alliance at the Iranian Junction," the report
said several generals in the Turkish General Staff had refused to support
the U.S. request to invade Iraq through Turkey in 2003. The refusal by
parliament was said to have harmed Turkish military relations, particularly
between the Pentagon and Turkish Defense Ministry.
"Although Ozkok and Buyukanit were reportedly in favor of assenting to
the American request," the report said, "a number of four-star generals were
opposed, including Gen. Aytac Yalman, then commander of the Land Forces.
Their reservations were apparently tied to their distrust of the AKP
[Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party] and its links to Washington,
as well as to their suspicions of the United States."
[On Monday, the commander of Hizbullah in Teheran said Turkey would
become a target of any Iranian retaliation for a U.S. strike on its nuclear
facilities. The commander warned Turkey not to supply the United States with
air bases for such an attack.]
Yalman has been retired "along with other top generals who shared his
views," the report said. CSIS said this would enable Buyukanit to develop
cooperation with the United States.
Still, the report warned of tensions between the General Staff under
Buyukanit and the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan. Unlike
Buyukanit, Ozkok sought to cooperate with the Islamist Erdogan to the dismay
of other generals.
Erdogan was said to have resisted U.S. appeals for Turkish cooperation
against Iran's nuclear program. The United States was reported to have
pressed Turkey to provide three naval bases, which sparked a rapid denial by
Ankara and the U.S. embassy.
"Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, commander of the Land Forces," the report said,
"has not enjoyed an easy relationship with the government and has publicly
criticized the AKP -- including most recently on the Hamas visit to
Ankara -- as was underlined by the recent controversy relating to the
inclusion of his name in an indictment prepared by a prosecutor in the
southeast about covert military activities in that region."
