(Zaman) - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan defended his party's decision to send Turkish peacekeeping troops to Lebanon, arguing that it would be an act of treason to the history and the future of the country if Turkey refrained from taking action, reports Trend.
In a televised address to nation on Thursday evening, Erdogan said that the Turkish nation lies in a geography where instability and conflict prevail. "It will be hard to restore order in the world unless peace and justice are established in the Middle East."
The Turkish parliament will convene for an emergency meeting Tuesday to discuss and vote on the motion for a Turkish troop deployment in south Lebanon.
Erdogan said that Turkey could not be just be a spectator to the events taking place within its vicinity. "Turkey will not be a spectator to the developments in the region as it was not to the tragedies that occurred in Bosnia and Kosovo."
Prime Minister Erdogan avowed that Turkish soldiers would be behind the innocent women, children and elders in their peace mission in Lebanon.
Despite strong public opposition, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), encouraged by the U.S. administration, favors sending Turkish troops to the region.
Most Turks believe that Turkish troops in southern Lebanon would only serve to protect the Israelis and that they may be forced into clashes with Hezbollah.
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