[New York Times] December 4, 2002 Turkey Saying No to Accepting G.I.'s in Large Numbers By MICHAEL R. GORDON with ERIC SCHMITT
ANKARA, Turkey, Dec. 3 - Turkey today said that it would not allow the United States to deploy substantial numbers of ground troops on its territory in the event of a war with Iraq. The new Turkish government, dominated by a party with Islamist roots, did say that the United States could station warplanes and use Turkish air space to carry out strikes - but only if the United Nations Security Council adopted a new resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. Turkey's stance was outlined tonight by Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis after meetings between government leaders and Paul D. Wolfowitz, the United States deputy defense secretary. "If we are talking about the extensive presence of American forces in Turkey, we have difficulty in explaining this to Turkish public opinion," Mr. Yakis said. "It may be difficult to see thousands of American forces being transported through the Turkish territory into Iraq or being stationed or deployed somewhere in Turkey and then carrying out strikes in Iraq." While the two sides sought to emphasize areas of agreement, the Turkish position could complicate the Bush administration's planning for a possible war with Iraq. Turkey, a NATO member and Iraq's northern neighbor, views the United States as a key ally and wants to cooperate with Washington, but officials in the new government pointed to their need to deal with public sentiment, which is skeptical about a military campaign. Mr. Wolfowitz said tonight that he was satisfied with his consultations with the Turks but declined to provide details about what cooperation Washington had requested, and the Turkish response. One senior Turkish official, who asked not to be identified, said that the United States Embassy in Ankara had recently forwarded a paper that outlined several areas of possible cooperation. The United States, the Turkish official said, wants access to Turkish air space for combat and support aircraft, and access to about 10 Turkish air bases and ports. The United States, the Turkish official added, also explored the possibility of stationing ground troops on Turkish territory. The official said that the Pentagon wanted to have the option to deploy "tens of thousands of American troops." American officials have declined to discuss options for deploying troops in Turkey. There has been speculation, however, that the American ground forces, possibly the elite 101st Airborne Division, might use Turkish bases as a staging area into northern Iraq, where helicopter-borne infantry would help secure important oil fields in the Kurdish region and prevent Kurds from attempting to seize territory of their own. This would add to the pressure on the Iraqi military in the north while the main invasion came from Kuwait in the south. The request from the embassy also sought the use of Turkish troops to deal with Iraqi refugees and maintain order near the Turkish-Iraqi frontier, Turkish officials said. While ruling out a large deployment of ground troops, Turkish officials today did not preclude the stationing of Special Operations forces and small ground units. The Turkish insistence on the need to return to the Security Council before the American military can make any use of bases or air space in any war on Iraq is at odds with the Bush administration's position. Asked about Turkey's stance, a senior American official said that Washington hoped the Turks would change their minds. One option might be to return to the Security Council for discussion, but not a vote on a new resolution, if Iraq did not comply with the United Nations on disarmament. "We're not convinced that this represents their final position," said one senior American military official. Washington has insisted that the resolution passed unanimously last month - and past Iraqi breaches of United Nations resolutions - confer all the legal authority needed to carry out an attack if Iraq fails to cooperate with United Nations inspectors and take steps to dismantle programs suspected of producing weapons of mass destruction. Obtaining a second resolution from the 15-member Security Council could substantially delay a military operation and would by no means be assured. On the military front, the Pentagon has sought to assemble a potent air and ground combat force in Turkey. Only the deployment of a powerful force, American officials assert, will induce President Saddam Hussein to comply with United Nations demands. If war cannot be avoided, such a force would require Iraq to fight on multiple fronts, they note, and help bring the war to a speedy conclusion. "It's important that he see that he's surrounded by the international community, not only in the political sense, but in a real practical military sense," Mr. Wolfowitz said. During the 1991 Persian Gulf war, Turkey allowed the United States to launch air strikes against targets in Iraq and mount search and rescue operations. Turkey's decision to allow the Americans to use their bases was made at the last moment. American and British warplanes currently monitor the no-flight zone in northern Iraq from bases in Turkey and carry out limited bombing raids against air defense sites that target allied planes. In a war, Turkish bases could be used to mount punishing air raids against Mr. Hussein's government and the security forces that keep him in power. Without Turkish bases, coalition fighter-bombers flying from European or Persian Gulf states would require extensive aerial refueling to reach northern Iraq. To encourage Turkish cooperation in any attack on Iraq, Washington has been pressing the European nations to facilitate Turkey's entry into the European Union. The Americans have also been promising increased support through the International Monetary Fund and direct American aid, while assuring Ankara that the Bush administration does not support establishment of an independent Kurdish state. Mr. Yakis outlined what Turkey would do if Mr. Hussein failed to cooperate with the United Nations. "If it comes to that, then of course, we will cooperate with the United States because it's a big ally and we have excellent relations with the United States," Mr. Yakis said. He said the cooperation would include "the opening of air space, first of all, and the utilization of facilities in Turkey." Asked if Turkey thought a second United Nations resolution was necessary before military action was taken, Mr. Yakis said it was. The Turkish understanding, he said, is that Resolution 1441, passed last month, "does not allow the automatic resorting to armed intervention." That position was endorsed by Omer Celik, a senior political adviser to the new dominant Justice and Democracy Party and a member of Parliament. "We believe if the inspections are prevented by any means, we have to go back to the United Nations to get another decision to launch an attack," he told a group of American reporters today. "We find the United States' struggle against terrorism to be a just struggle," Mr. Celik said. "However, we believe that if the United States acts alone this can create problems in the world." Turkish officials suggested that they were likely to be more patient than Washington about the United Nations inspection process to ensure that war is truly a last resort. The Americans, Mr. Yakis said, "may believe that all stones are turned and we may find out that there is one stone left that has not been turned."
