Parliament has closed down yet another chapter

Now, shortly after President Abdullah Gül signs into law the new legislation it will not be a surprise to see the main opposition CHP and the MHP collecting the required 110 signatures among parliamentarians and go to the Constitutional Court with a demand for the annulment of the controversial bill on grounds that under a "clean and operate deal" it allowed the government to lease the border areas for up to 44 years to domestic or foreign companies and thus endangering national security as well as Turkey’s relations with neighboring countries, particularly Syria. While the prime minister and his AKP insisted not to understand criticisms from the parliamentary and non-parliamentary criticisms against the bill and tried to portray the opposition as a xenophobic or anti-Semitic attempt, the issue at the heart of the problem was very serious. All political groups in, as well as out, of Parliament were in a rare consensus on the clearing of the land mines not only in the border areas with Syria but elsewhere on Turkish territory as well.

Yet, clearing the land mines under a "clear and operate" deal, a practice that not a single country anywhere in the world has so far tried, and giving that company the right to use the land cleared of land mines for up to 44 years could pose some serious security threats to Turkey, Syria and other countries in the region, such as Iran.

Why?

Because a company that can clear land mines must have some degree of military capability even if it is not a concealed state agency. Put aside the Israelis who have problems with all countries of the region and perhaps would make Damascus angry to see them right on their border on Turkish territory for up to a 44-year-long period, would the nationality of any non-Turkish company make any difference regarding the security risk posed as long as it was non-Turkish and would operate a territory as big as the total arable land of the island of Cyprus? The first round of debates collapsed in Parliament because of such concerns and when the government called back to draft for a "re-evaluation" it was hoped that it realized the grave mistake it was attempting to undertake and would improve the text. However, it was apparently just an attempt to buy some time, reinforce pressure on the AKP deputies and make sure that they would not join the opposition and kill the draft reintroduced this week as if the text was improved.

Deception in action

Indeed, what was done was to add two paragraphs in front of the "clear and operate" paragraph of article two of the draft and introduce two other options, one giving the Defense Ministry the right to "invite" a national or international agency or company without applying the rules of the state tender law and clear the area of land mines at a price. The other option was empowering the Finance Ministry to invite a tender, the terms and conditions of which would be established by the Finance Ministry in cooperation with the Defense Ministry and the Turkish Armed Forces, for the clearing of the land mines, again at a price.

Naturally, if the overall cost of clearing land mines in the border areas with Syria is to be around 250 and 600 million euros or less and if there is such a high aversion in Parliament as well as among the Turkish people to the idea of "clear and operate" scheme, why the government insisted on having the "clear and operate" scheme as a third option in the bill?

Particularly, at a time when despite repeated demands for clarification from the opposition parties speakers and ministers of the AKP government turned a deaf ear, whether it was correct that after the Davos theatrical show Erdoğan dispatched an emissary to Israel on a fence mending mission and the bill on the clearing of landmines in border areas with Syria came immediately after such a trip, created some serious doubts leading the opposition to accuse the government of treason. Furthermore, is it not worrisome that the just legislated bill stresses that even if the border area was cleared of mines by the Defense Ministry or by the Finance Ministry through a tender and the third "clear and operate" option was not applied ownership of the cleared areas will be "transferred" to the Finance Ministry, the ministry that is also in charge of privatization? Legislation of the bill was just closure of one more episode in this clearing of land mines story. More will come.

Land mines