Turkey may lose battle to win hearts of Libyan opposition

06 March 2011, Sunday
Mahir Zeynalov, İstanbul

While the international community is strongly pushing major powers to take steps to loosen Libya’s tin-pot dictator’s grip over security forces through numerous sanctions, anti-Western sentiments among the Turkish leadership have increasingly isolated Turkey in fight against the Libyan leader’s atrocities against his own people.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi continued over the weekend to lead the struggle against armed rebel groups demanding the end of his 42-year rule, allegedly killing up to 6,000 rebels since the start of the conflict.

The United Nations Security Council slapped an arms embargo, a travel ban and an assets freeze on Gaddafi, his family and top associates during an emergency weekend meeting. It also agreed to refer the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague -- a permanent war crimes tribunal -- to investigate and prosecute possible crimes against humanity. But the UN has not yet included an authorization for the use of military force against Libya.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday firmly opposed any NATO intervention in the Libyan crisis and strongly criticized European countries for their “double standard” towards developments in North Africa. Erdoğan accused European countries of remaining silent on the killings in Libya.

Gaddafi lashed out against Europe and the United States on Wednesday for pressuring him to step down. “We will fight until the last man and woman,” he vowed, warning that thousands of Libyans will die if the US and NATO forces intervene in the conflict. Erdoğan also slammed those who criticized him for remaining indifferent to the Libyan crisis. “We are ruling a state, not a tribe,” he said, underlining that he needs to act responsibly as a statesman to ensure the safety of Turkish nationals in Libya.

Erdoğan also criticized sanctions and interventions in Libya to stop the bloodshed, claiming that this would hurt people instead of the Libyan regime. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, however, has taken a different route in suggesting that Turkey is closely monitoring the latest UN Security Council resolution regarding Libya sanctions and said Turkey will make any kind of effort to contribute to the implementation of the sanctions.

“Erdoğan is trying to protect his nationalist flank in advance of the upcoming elections,” Henri Barkey from Lehigh University said, adding that the prime minister does not want to appear to be working in tandem with the US or Europe. He said Erdoğan seems worried that he will be accused of collaborating with the West “against Muslims.”

Europe outlined fresh sanctions to force the dictator to stop attacks on civilians and step down after 42 years of iron-fisted rule. The European Union issued travel bans and an asset freeze against senior Libyan officials, and ordered an arms embargo on the country. Germany went further, proposing a 60-day economic embargo to prevent Gaddafi from using oil and other revenues to repress his people. Erdoğan’s remarks in Germany might be targeted against this country’s proposed move, but the prime minister did not elaborate on which sanctions he is against.

Shashank Joshi from Harvard University said Erdoğan’s statement was remarkably hostile and particularly provocative in its claim that “when we [Turkey] look at the Middle East, we are not among those who look at its oil.” “This reflects a serious misunderstanding of Western intent and a complacent attitude towards the possibility of intensifying airstrikes by the Gaddafi regime,” Joshi said.

Libya was also suspended from the top UN human rights body this week. The Arab League, the African Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) have recently condemned the Gaddafi regime for its brutal response to protests.

A columnist at a Turkish newspaper who wanted to remain anonymous said he feels “anti-Western sentiment” in Erdoğan’s remark. Turkey vetoed economic sanctions on Iran for the Islamic republic’s suspected nuclear program on June 12 of last year and frequently uses harsh rhetoric against foreign involvement in its vicinity. The columnist said Turkey is against sanctions because the “Western nations have taken the lead.” He also said what Turkey should do now is wait and try to implement UN sanctions as best as it can.

Joshi said as the stalemate continues in Libya, there is every possibility that Gaddafi will deploy helicopter gunships and jet aircraft against heavily populated defensive positions around capital Tripoli and in the East. He said rather than wait for a repeat of Bosnia’s Srebrenica massacre in 1995 or the indiscriminate violence of Kosovo in 1999, it is imperative that responsible states impose a no-fly zone, adding that this would not be a panacea but would furnish the opposition with breathing space and slightly reduce the chance of an atrocity. “In this respect, Dr. Davutoğlu demonstrates far greater foresight and wisdom than his prime minister,” the expert added.

Joshi noted that Erdoğan is calculating that the regional diplomatic stature he has accumulated over the past five years would be put at risk were he to align himself with a narrow Anglo-American alliance, but he has misunderstood or ignored the clear requests for limited assistance made by coordinated rebel groups in Libya. Barkey said the irony is, of course, that it is Gaddafi who is in the process of killing innocent civilians. If Gaddafi survives, Barkey argued, Turkish business interests in Libya will be protected. However, he warned, the danger for Turkey is that the longer it takes for the regime to change and the bloodier it is, the greater is the likelihood that the new regime in Libya will have less than positive feelings towards the Turkish government.

Source: Sunday's Zaman.
Link: http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=237429.