Turkey: Turkish Troops to Go to Iraq

With the memory of the rejected March 1 motion, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) made sure to use its majority in parliament to ensure a “yes” vote.

Two people were abroad and one ill. The Speaker of the Parliament Bulent Arinc and session Chair Sadik Yakut did not vote in accordance with the bylaws. In contrast to the March 1 vote that barred U.S. troops from using Turkish soil for their operations in Iraq, most AKP representatives participated in this vote as opposed to the 100 or so that did not on March 1.

Yesterday, the decision to hold the deliberations in a closed session drew criticism from the CHP. CHP representatives demanded that a proposal for a closed session be read, but Yakut ended the session without such a proposal, despite objections.

As the session continued behind closed doors, CHP deputy Kemal Anadol held a press conference and said that the people demanded to know where the troops were headed.