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Turkey may vote on Lebanon troops next week |
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Written by Reuters
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Wednesday, 30 August 2006 03:49 |
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Turkey's government said on Tuesday it wanted parliament to meet on Sept. 5 to approve sending troops to join a U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
The United States, Israel and Lebanon have urged Ankara to take part in the peacekeeping force. NATO member Turkey is a largely Muslim country with a secular constitutional system and has close ties with Israel and Arab states.
Parliament, which is currently in summer recess, is expected to approve the plan because the ruling AK Party has a large majority of seats.
The request for the debate will be sent to parliament on Thursday and the AK Party will meet on Monday to discuss the issue, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek told reporters.
Salih Kapusuz, acting head of the AK Party's parliamentary group, told reporters lawmakers would vote on the issue on Tuesday. He said the mission would last one year.
The size and type of the Turkish contingent is not yet clear. Media reports have speculated that Turkey will contribute between 500 and 1,000 non-combat troops towards the total force of some 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers.
The AK Party, whose leadership has roots in political Islam, is keen to boost Turkey's role in the Middle East but has been concerned about the U.N. force's rules of engagement.
Some AK Party lawmakers are worried that Turkish troops may be asked to help disarm Hizbollah in southern Lebanon and could get dragged into the conflict with Israel.
Turkey's staunchly secularist President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and the main opposition Republican People's Party have come out against sending Turkish troops to Lebanon.
During a visit to south Lebanon on Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged Israel and Hizbollah to move swiftly to settle disputes impeding a permanent ceasefire.
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