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[Turkey indeed has a sub-imperial role to play in NATO's grand chess game, from the Balkans to Cyprus, from the Caucasus to Northern Iraq, from Central Asia to Afghanistan. With the dissolution of the former Warsaw Pact in 1989, all of the old Western Cold War military alliances - NATO, CENTO, SEATO, ANZUS - have, rather than returning the favor, revived and expanded themselves, now taking in fifty nations in Greater NATO and even incorporating Japan into the Southern and Far East Asian war alliance.] March 12, 2002 Turkey to discuss Afghan force command with US, UK (AFP) - ANKARA: Turkish, US and British officials will meet here Thursday over a proposal for Turkey to take over command of the multinational security force in Afghanistan, a Turkish diplomat said on Tuesday. The meeting will be held at the headquarters of the Turkish armed forces, said the source, who requested anonymity. The talks had been expected to take place last week, but were pushed back for logistical reasons. NATO member Turkey is the only Muslim country contributing troops to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), tasked with providing security in and around the Afghan capital Kabul. Ankara has said it is ready to take over leadership of the force from Britain on April 1, but has requested financial support and clarification of the scope and terms of the mandate before doing so. Financial aid from its allies will be particularly crucial for Turkey, which is suffering from the worst recession in its history. Ankara is also concerned about becoming bogged down in inter-ethnic conflicts in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has said that Turkey sought "solid assurances" that NATO partners would maintain their presence in Afghanistan and that Turkey would receive adequate logistical support and financial assistance. Ankara, which has contributed some 260 soldiers to the ISAF, also wants to know whether the force's area of responsibility will be expanded, or whether it will remain confined to operating in and around Kabul. The UN-mandated multinational force began deployment in Kabul just days before an interim administration was sworn into office on December 22, following the ouster of the hardline Islamic Taliban regime. Britain undertook to lead the force for its first three months of existence. Turkey on Thursday will welcome 20 Afghan diplomats to a seminar focusing on international diplomacy, due to last several weeks at the Turkish foreign ministry, the Turkish source said. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Try FREE Yahoo! Mail - the world's greatest free email! http://mail.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
