HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------
New Turkey PM Dashes U.S. Hope of Swift Troop Move Reuters, Sat March 15, 2003 02:37 PM ET By Daren Butler ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan dashed any remaining U.S. hopes of a rapid decision to deploy U.S. troops in Turkey for an Iraq war when he said his government will not consider it until it wins a confidence vote. Frustrated U.S. officials said in response that Washington had withdrawn its offer to provide a multibillion-dollar aid package vital to shielding Turkey against the economic impact of war. "It's off the table," a senior Bush administration official said on Saturday of the proposed aid package. Erdogan's comments on Friday evening came hours after he presented a Cabinet list to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who approved the Cabinet lineup and appointed him prime minister. He formally took office at a ceremony on Saturday. U.S. officials have already indicated they had little hope of Ankara approving a request to station 62,000 American troops on Turkish soil in time for any conflict with Iraq, which could be just days away. Opposition to a war is widespread in Turkey. Parliament rejected a first resolution on the deployment -- which U.S. military planners say could speed a victory over Baghdad by forcing it to fight on two fronts -- two weeks ago. Asked when a new motion might be submitted to parliament, Erdogan was quoted by the state-run Anatolian news agency as saying: "At the moment there is no such thing on our agenda. All of that (comes) after the vote of confidence." Parliament ruled the government program would be read in parliament on Tuesday, with a debate expected two days later and a confidence vote after another day, pushing any new motion on the troop deployment back to the following week. While hope for an agreement on troops has faded, the United States is still pushing for overflight rights for any conflict, but officials are increasingly pessimistic. In a Friday evening briefing at party headquarters, Erdogan said it was up to parliament to decide on the overflight request. WIDESPREAD OPPOSITION TO WAR In a ceremony at the prime minister's office on Saturday, Erdogan formally took over the premiership from ally Abdullah Gul, who resigned this week to make way for his party leader. Erdogan led the Justice and Development Party to victory in November elections but was barred from the premiership until last weekend because of a conviction for Islamist sedition. He made Gul foreign minister in the new government. Widespread Turkish opposition to an attack on a neighboring Muslim state played a role in parliament's rejection of the initial troop resolution on March 1. More than a quarter of Erdogan's own deputies voted against the motion. The powerful military intervened last week, suggesting parliament should support the United States. But Erdogan might nonetheless be reluctant to risk his authority by submitting a second motion he could yet lose. Soon after taking office, Erdogan met the general secretary of the powerful National Security Council, in which top generals advise elected officials. There was no statement afterward. In the Mediterranean port of Iskenderun, riot police kept tight security as several thousand people protested against a war and the U.S. military use of Turkish ports and air bases. Police blocked roads to stop demonstrators gaining access to U.S. military equipment stored inside the port. In a nearby town square, protesters waved flags and chanted, "Yankee go home." Some 10 ships loaded with equipment for the Fourth Infantry Division, a high-tech body of 30,000 soldiers, is waiting off Turkish shores for the order to disembark or divert elsewhere. Turkey fears a war will cause turmoil in northern Iraq and trigger efforts by Kurds there to seek an independent state -- a move Ankara fears may reignite a Kurdish rebellion in Turkey. U.S. presidential envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met Turkish Foreign Ministry officials on Saturday to discuss the aftermath of any war before a meeting of northern Iraqi opposition leaders, planned for early next week in Ankara. "We are here ... to work out an understanding that can lead to a smooth and orderly transformation should President Bush decide we have to use force to disarm Saddam Hussein and to change the regime in Iraq," Khalilzad told reporters. (Additional reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley and Adam Entous) Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://TOPICA.COM/u/?a84x2u.bdn7KI.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. FREE! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/create/index2.html ==^================================================================
