‘Get Tough With Turkey’

I was astonished that a leading newspaper such as The Times would publish a column as strongly biased as Claudia Wright’s (Editorial Pages, April 1),”It’s Time to Get Tough With Turkey.”

Wright is certainly entitled to her opinion about Turkey. But she has made a series of false assertions that she represents as fact. The assertions Wright has made are so outrageous that I can only conclude she has never been to Turkey nor spoken with a Turk. I recommend she do both. It would do much to clear her vision.

But for those readers who may not have the opportunity to make their own assessment of Turkey based upon firsthand knowledge of the country or its people, I hope the following information will dispel any doubts about Turkey that may have resulted from her column.

Turkey’s manpower commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, i.e. the number of men in uniform dedicated exclusively to the defense of NATO, stands at approximately 550,000 men. This is second in size only to the United States. It is more than any other European member of NATO. These Turkish armed forces are responsible for the defense of fully one-third of NATO’s land borders with Warsaw Pact countries.

I am sure Richard Burt of the State Department, when he asked Congress to “put yourselves in Turkish shoes,” was asking how Congress would like to have to defend those borders with an army equipped with Korean War vintage tanks and weapons, more than half of which are wholly non-operational and the rest, at best, are no match for the modern equipment of the Soviet Bloc nations.

In spite of the enormous economic burden of maintaining such a large army solely for NATO, Turkey has never wavered in its support of the alliance. Requests for aid in modernizing that army’s equipment are reasonable and necessary if Turkey is to be able to fulfill the responsibility NATO has given her.

Trade relations between Turkey, Iran, Libya and Russia are painted in sinister hues by Wright, as if to imply something subversive. She also implies that other NATO nations refrain from such trade. Really! The United States sells millions of dollars in wheat to Russia. All of the European NATO countries--but especially West Germany and Italy--have thriving trade with Russia, Iran, Iraq and Libya. In deed, of all NATO countries, Turkey’s trade relationships are the most benign!

As a net food-exporting country (one of only seven in the entire world), Turkey’s exports to her trading partners are primarily agricultural--fruit, vegetables, livestock, etc. Furthermore, Turkey has common borders with Russia, Iran and Iraq. Clearly, it is reasonable and prudent to supply food to her nearest markets.

Apparently Wright prefers to see anarchy and rampant street violence in Turkey! Or is she unaware that 5,000 people were killed and more than 25,000 injured in random street violence between right and left factions, which paralyzed the nation in the decade from 1970-1980? The present government has widespread support throughout the country and is making a conscientious effort to adhere to traditional legal procedures in dealing with those who were incarcerated during the process of restoring civil order. Any observer in Turkey today can see, with his own eyes, that human rights are not at all subject to “systematic terrorism.”

I ask Wright to address her remarks about “systematic terrorism” to the Armenian terrorists who continue to kill and maim Turkish diplomats, and who do not hesitate to threaten violence against the people of Toronto in trying to achieve their terrorist goals. That is truly systematic terrorism!

NEJAT MUNISOGLU

Beverly Hills