OPERATION PROVIDE COMFORT: ORIGINS AND OBJECTİVES

The presence in Turkey of foreign forces (A'!1erican, British, and French) deployed under the code-name of Operation Provide Comfort [OPC] has been a thomy issue not only for Turkish domestic politics but also for Turkish foreign policy. As far as the domestic politics is concemed, it caused acute divisions and criseswithin the coalition govemments at least during the debates in Turkish Grand National Assembly [TONA]. Similarly, it caused some disputes and tensions in Turkey's relations with its neighbours. particularly Iraq. Another problem is the duration of the OPC forces in Turkey. When they were first deployed in northem iraq and later moved to Turkey af ter the 1990-1991 Gutf war to end the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, they were supposed LO stay "temporarily" until September 30, 1991.1 But TGNA has extended their stay several times since December 1991, thus making it amuline issue.