Turkish Troops to Stay One More Year In Lebanon

“The Turkish Parliament on Tuesday voted to extend the mission of its troops with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Anatolia news agency reported.”
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On September 8, 2006; Lebanese Armenians protested the deployment of the Turkish troops in Lebanon.

Since the protest was organized by Zavarian Students’ Association and  Lebanese Youth Association (both follow the Tashnag Party), the issue was politicized and the government (at that time) ignored the demonstration. Today, the Turkish Parliament has extended the mission of its troops which means nothing has changed in the Lebanese politics and the politicians’ respect for their citizens.

Many Lebanese would say that this is Lebanon and not Armenia and ask why Turkish troops should not be included in the peace-keeping forces.

The reason behind the demonstration was not only the Armenian issue.
Turkey has a military agreement with Israel. How come an ally of Israel be part of the peace-keeping forces between Israel and Lebanon?

Here are some of the writings on the banners held by the demonstrators:
“Martyrs’ square is a witness to Turkish inhumanity”
“Turks have passed by here & left behind death and destruction”
“Israeli-Turkish military treaty does not allow Turkey to represent itself as an impartial peace-keeper”
“Turkish troops in Lebanon is an insult to the Lebanese Armenians”
“Genocide, massacre, deportation, rape, annihilation: Turkey’s definition of peace”
“A murderer cannot be a peace-keeper”
“Dear Lebanese: the Turkish dictionary does not include the words ‘Justice’ and ‘peace’”
“Turkey is not welcome in Lebanon”
“Turkey’s Atrocities in Lebanon DO NOT Qualify her as a Just peace-keeper”