A rchive Date
[ 02-03-2003 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Turkey ]
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[http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2003/03/01/34702-ap.html
Turkish refusal to allow U.S. troops in hampers U.S. war plans in Iraq
By SELCAN HACAOGLU
Sun, March 2, 2003
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey's prime minister said parliament's failure to approve the deployment of U.S. troops should not jeopardize relations with Washington, and warned Iraq not to try to take advantage of the vote.
Abdullah Gul spoke before a party meeting to decide whether to resubmit the motion to parliament, which is due to reconvene Tuesday.
In a move that shocked the United States, parliament failed to muster enough votes to pass the deployment, which the United States wants so it can launch a northern front in a possible Iraq war. Lawmakers on Saturday voted 264-250 in favor of stationing U.S. troops, but they fell three votes short of a simple majority needed to approve the deployment.
"Relations between Turkey and the United States are strategic. We will continue these relations with mutual friendship and mutual understanding. These (relations) shouldn't be bound to a motion," Gul said.
"If (Iraqi leaders) understand this wrong and take advantage of it ... they make it hard for peace to exist. No one should misunderstand this decision by parliament," Gul added.
Parliament's failure to approve the motion is likely to strain relations with the United States, which had been counting on Turkish support.
Washington has been pressing Turkey for weeks to agree to a deployment which could be used to open a northern front, splitting Saddam Hussein's army between the north and the south and possibly making a war shorter and less bloody.
Ships carrying U.S. tanks have been waiting off Turkey's coast for deployment and the U.S. military has hundreds of trucks of military equipment ready to unload at the southern Turkish port of Iskenderun.
But Turkey's public overwhelmingly opposes any war.
"Turkey is the only democratic country in the region ... the democratic process was at work," Gul told reporters. "Parliament has put its will forward. We have to respect this."
U.S. Ambassador Robert Pearson expressed disappointment.
"We had certainly hoped for a favorable decision," Pearson said Saturday. "We will wait for further information and advice from the government of Turkey about how we should proceed."
The White House withheld official comment, but officials said privately that the administration remains convinced it ultimately will get its way.
Asked if the government was considering drafting a new parliamentary resolution, Gul said: "Without doubt, we're considering this."
The motion would have empowered the Turkish government to authorize the basing of up to 62,000 U.S. troops, 255 warplanes and 65 helicopters.
Washington promised $15 billion in loans and grants to cushion the Turkish economy from the impact of war. That money may now be lost.
Turkey also risks losing Washington's support which was crucial in securing billions in loans from the International Monetary Fund that rescued the country during an economic crisis in 2001. The United States has also pushed Turkey's candidacy in the European Union and is the main supplier of arms.
If Ankara does not agree to host U.S. forces, it also loses a say in the future of neighboring Iraq if there is a war. That is a critical issue for Turkey, which fears that a war could lead Kurds in northern Iraq to declare an independent state and in turn inspire Turkey's own Kurdish minority.
But the governing party's failure to approve the deployment, despite its strong majority in parliament, was a reflection of the overwhelming opposition in Turkey to a war in neighboring Iraq. Tens of thousands of Turks held anti-war demonstrations while lawmakers discussed the motion. Many Turks fear retaliatory attacks from Baghdad.
"Parliament has said peace," the daily Yeni Safak headlined Sunday.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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