Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

REVUE DE PRESSE-PRESS REVIEW-BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ-RWISTA STAMPA-DENTRO DE LA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZETÎ
Thursday, June 2,1994 turkish daily news
Congress warns Pentagon about Turkey's
possible refusal on Provide Comfort
GAO voices doubts on Provide Comfort and Pentagon's expertise
By Ultur Akmel
Turkish Daily N~s
WASHINGTON- The General Accounting Office
(GAO), a U.S. government agency, has raised serious
questions on the nature and feasIbility of Operation
Provide Comfort in a review it submitted to the U.S.
Congress.
GAO has pointed out the following problem areas
regarding the operation:
1) The open-ended commitment and the high cost of
the operatIons, which is being borne by tiie United
States.
2) The changing nature of the humanitarian aid element
of the operation """':'" from "emergency relief' to a
"development assistance program."
3) The Defense Department's lack of expertise in
administering a humamtarian assistance program.
4) The use of U.S. funds to purchase fuel, which is
then s~pplied to the Kurds in northern Iraq, from Iraqi
refinenes.
S) Uncertainties as to whether the Turkish $overnment
will continue to support the use of the lnclI'lik Air
base tocarry out to the operation.
CaD for sharing costs
GAO's review was discussed this month at the House
Armed Services Committee and inc01'P.0ratedinto the
National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4301) for
Fiscal Year 1995. The Pentagon has so far spent a totar
of $2.1 billion on the 0lX:ration. In its report, the committee
expressed the belief that "the secretary of defense
s.hould.work 'YÎth the secretary of state to ac:quire addi.
tional mternational pledges to the Defense Cooperation
Account for use in supporting U.S. efforts in northern
Iraq."
In the press briefing he held today in Washington
with foreIgn journalists, Assistant Secretary of State
Steph~n Oxm~ (he~d of the bureau of Euro~an and
Canadian Affarrs) SaId that Operation Provide Comfort
~as "very important': for ~e United States. So~es predIct
that the operatIon WIll be one of the tOpICSthat
Qxman and Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary
Ozdem Sanberk will discuss during the latter's visitto
Washington this week.
Tool of 'nation bulldin~'
The House Armed ServIces committee registered its
1 iscomfort\Vi!h.thef~that Operation Provide Comfort
~ad become. a (001. of 'Dation building" innorthern Iraq.
'The C01DDlltteedirects the secretary of defense, in consultation
with the secretary of state .
an.d the direc.tor of the Agency for
fu.~.eQlational~velop-~ent (AID),"
tIie report stated, "to reassess the
program in northern Iraq with a view
to providing basic relief assistance
without fostering 'nation building.'
The committee further directs the
secretary to change the department's
procedures for purchasing fuelto
ensure that the revenue from the sale
does not go to the Iraqi government"
lncirlik and the need
for a contingency plan
The House Armed Services
Committee warned the government
about the repercussions of Turkey's
denialto extend the operation and
asked for contingency' plans to be
~~veloped. '1'h~Inc!rlik Air B~e is
VItal to the continuation of Operation
Provide Comfort ..
The United States and its coalition
partners, however, have no contin-
~ency' plans for continuing the operation
if access is denied.
While it is in the best interests of
Turker, the United States and the
coalitIon partners to continue
Operation Provide Comfort from
mcirlik, it is prudent to have a contingency
plan in the eventthat the
base is closed to U.S. forces.
Therefore, the committee directs
the secretary of defense to begin
developing such plans."
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