Turks protest deployment

Ankara: More than 10,000 anti-deployment protesters gathered in Ankara on Tuesday as the parliament was set to vote on a proposal to send Turkish troops to Lebanon.

Hundreds of riot police were deployed to disperse the crowd, some of whom climbed on top of a police vehicle to wave a Lebanon flag.

Earlier, at least 50 women from a village near Manisa city yelled anti-government slogans and accused the leadership of sacrificing their children for a cause that has little support in Turkey.

Police detained a group of seven youths who attempted to block traffic in protest of the government's plans.

"We won't become America's soldiers," the group shouted before being taken away.

The government says Turkey's involvement in Lebanon will not involve fighting but will strengthen Ankara's influence in the Middle East.

"We believe that we have to be there to make Turkey's presence felt," said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, adding that Turkey has a moral obligation and strategic interest in sending troops.

Protesters in Turkey said deployment of troops to southern Lebanon could pitch Turkish soldiers against fellow Muslims.
Europe, the United States and Israel are keen to see peacekeepers from Turkey, in the hopes that strong Muslim participation in the force would avoid any impression that the UN peacekeepers are primarily a Christian entity.

If approved, the Turkish contribution to the UN mission is expected to include a naval task force to patrol the eastern Mediterranean and to prevent arms smuggling, as well as officers to train Lebanese army troops.

The government has yet to decide how many peacekeepers it would send. The figure is expected to be less than 1,000.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said details of the force would become clearer following a visit by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who arrives late Tuesday for talks on Wednesday.