Bonni Network

US proposal regarding OPC

CUMHURIYET said that the Western air umbrella protecting Iraqi Kurds would be scrapped at the United States' initiative. The U.S. view to this effect has been officially communicated to the Turkish side. Washington reportedly wants to retain, on the other hand, a "symbolic 45-plane force" at the Incirlik-Adana base in Turkey to protect the region against the possibility of Iraq's Saddam Hussein launching a fresh attack on Iraqi Kurds. ZAMAN indicated that the suggestion to let the Turkey-based multinational Operation Provide Comfort (OPC) force die out at the end of the current year by not renewing its mandate had initially caused a disagreement between the coalition partners. But the difficulty was overcome at the latest National Security Board meeting. The Welfare Party (RP) leader and Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan said it would be better to have the OPC leave. The True Path Party (DYP) leader and Deputy Prime Minister Tansu Ciller asked Chief of Staff Ismail Hakki Karadayi what the armed forces thought on this issue. Karadayi said that the reasons which had necessitated OPC's presence in the region did not exist anymore. And that solved the problem.