Sending Turkish Troops to Lebanon Could Unleash New Bloodshed

In the past four weeks, hundreds of innocent men, women and children have been killed and thousands injured on both sides of the Lebanese-Israeli border. While the bulk of the blame for the fighting falls on the warring parties, the United States, as the only superpower, has its share of responsibility in this bloody affair.

The disastrous situation in the Middle East is about to get even worse, thanks to officials in Washington who have other agendas than bringing peace to the region. David Ignatius revealed in his July 21 column in the Washington Post that the Bush administration, within days of the outbreak of hostilities, started pushing the idea of deploying a multinational "stabilization force" in southern Lebanon, composed of troops from Turkey and several other countries. Unlike a traditional United Nations peacekeeping force, this would be a robust peace-enforcement unit that would be ready to shoot it out with Hezbollah fighters or anyone else in their way.

The United States and Britain, with their forces bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, and unwelcome in Lebanon due to their tendentious approach to the Middle East conflict, are looking for others to die in place of their soldiers. The Turkish Daily News quoted a Washington analyst stating that sending Turkish troops to Lebanon "involves a major risk of serious casualties while doing somebody else's work."

Turkish officials, on the other hand, despite the obvious dangers posed by such an engagement, are eager to send thousands of their soldiers to Southern Lebanon. They are more interested in extending Turkey's influence in the Middle East than bringing peace to Lebanon. Turks know that, up until a century ago, Lebanon was a part of the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately for the Turks, the people of Lebanon have not forgotten the despotic rule of that infamous Empire. The ancestors of the inhabitants of today's Lebanon, be they Syrians, Lebanese, Palestinians, Armenians or Kurds suffered untold deprivations and outright massacres under that repressive Ottoman regime.

Another serious concern is the appearance of Turkish troops in a country with a sizable Armenian population --the direct descendants of the 1.5 million Armenians massacred and expelled during the 1915 Genocide. In the 1970's and early 80's there were scores of attacks by young Lebanese Armenians against Turkish diplomats in Lebanon and elsewhere. The stationing of thousands of Turkish troops in the proximity of a large Armenian community, for the first time since 1915, contains the ingredients of a bloody clash in the making. In the process of trying to quell one conflict, the Bush administration is sowing the seeds of a new confrontation.

In addition, most Arabs view with deep concern the strategic alliance between Israel and Turkey. These two countries along with the United States conduct periodic joint military exercises in eastern Mediterranean. Consequently, Turkish troops are not looked upon as a neutral party between the Arabs and Israelis.

The other problem is that the Turkish soldiers and the people of southern Lebanon belong to two different, often rival, Islamic sects. The Turks are Sunni, while the Hezbollah fighters and their followers are Shia.

Fortunately, not everyone in Turkey is as eager as Prime Minister Recep Tayyıp Erdogan to send Turkish soldiers to southern Lebanon. Several opposition leaders have expressed their objection to Turkey entering "such a swamp."

An international force is probably necessary to maintain the peace on the Lebanese-Israeli border, but does it have to include a problematic Turkish contingent? There are plenty of other countries that could send troops to Lebanon without risking a confrontation with the natives. When Turkey offered to contribute troops to the coalition in Iraq, the Iraqi government, despite pressure from Washington, wisely refused to accept them, in order to avoid clashes between Turkish soldiers and Iraqi Kurds. The Lebanese government should refuse them likewise.

It is simply unacceptable that in the pursuit of their political agendas, the neocons in Washington encourage sending Turkish troops to Lebanon. The international community should not allow such irresponsible action that would bring more bloodshed to Lebanon rather than peace and stability.