(irishexaminer.com) - Turkey became the second Muslim country to commit troops to the expanded United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, with the Ankara parliament voting in favour of deployment despite widespread public opposition, reports Trend.
MPs voted 340-192 in favour of sending troops to Lebanon yesterday, with one abstaining, after a lengthy debate. Earlier, thousands of Turks protested outside against deployment.
The decision was timed to coincide with the arrival in the Turkish capital two hours earlier of UN secretary general Kofi Annan, who has urged Muslim nations to take part in the force monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. He will meet Turkish leaders today.
The vote is also expected to please Europe, the United States and Israel. All are keen to see peacekeepers from Turkey in the UN force in the hopes that strong Muslim participation particularly from Natos only Muslim nation will dispel any impression that the force is primarily Christian.
The decision is a victory for prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who called Turkeys participation a moral duty that would contribute to regional stability and raise the countrys profile on the international stage.
We are the children of a nation that has always extended a helping hand to the needy. We could not remain indifferent to the sufferings of children and women in Lebanon, said legislator Egemen Bagis, an Erdogan aide, after the vote.
It is good for our interests to contribute to the peace and stability in the region, foreign minister Abdullah Gul said.
Erdogans government has sought a chance to play a bigger role in the Middle East a region the Turks ruled for centuries during the Ottoman Empire and to win favour with the West as it seeks European Union membership.
But the decision is not expected to be popular with everyone at home. Many Turks were outraged by the deadly Israeli strikes on Lebanon during 34 days of warfare and are wary of the mission they see as a force deployed to protect Israels interests one that could lead Turkish troops to take up arms against fellow Muslims.
We dont think it is right to send Turkey into an adventure with so many unknowns, Erkan Mumcu, chairman of the opposition centre-right Motherland Party, said.
I have no child to sacrifice for the security of Israel.
More than 10,000 people turned out in Ankara yesterday in protest. Police blocked streets with armoured personnel carriers to prevent the marchers from reaching the parliament building.
We wont be the soldiers of the US and Israel, demonstrators banners read. Mehmets blood is not for sale, read others, evoking a nickname Turks affectionately call their soldiers.
The Turkish contribution to the 15,000-member UN mission is expected to include a naval taskforce to patrol the eastern Mediterranean and prevent arms smuggling, as well as officers to train Lebanese troops.
According to the resolution, Turkey would also provide sea and air transport in support of other national contingents in the UN force.
The government has not specified the number of troops, but Mr Gul has said it likely would not exceed 1,000.
The premier assured Turks that its force would focus on reconstruction and peacekeeping, and said Turkish troops would be withdrawn if asked to disarm Hezbollah. The resolution passed by parliament states that Turkish soldiers will not be used in disarming local armed elements (Hezbollah) in the region.
Mr Erdogans governing Justice and Development Party has a majority in parliament, but yesterdays vote was an important victory for him. In March 2003, parliament voted against his governments request to allow US troops to use Turkish land to open a northern front for the invasion of Iraq, ushering in a tense era in US-Turkey relations.
Contributing to the force is also likely to boost Ankaras efforts to join the European Union. European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso last week highlighted Turkeys strategic role in the UN force, praising the significant reforms Ankara had made on democracy and the economy.
Turkey has won plaudits in the international arena for leading peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan and Somalia and for sending peacekeepers to several UN missions, including Bosnia and Kosovo.