US Asks for Long-term Military Presence in Turkey

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, December 26, 2002

US Asks for Long-term Military Presence in Turkey

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The United States has asked Turkey for allowing establishment of an operation center in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir in case of a war against Iraq, the mass-circulated Turkish daily Hurriyet (Freedom) reported on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Abdullah Gul told opposition Republican People's Party Chairman Deniz Baykal on Tuesday that Washington had demanded 80,000 American troops be deployed in southeast Turkey.

In a one-and-half hour meeting, Gul briefed Baykal the latest contacts between the United States and Turkey on the Iraq issue, stating that Turkey had not yet given green light to these requests.

According to the US demand, American soldiers who will enter Iraq through southeast Turkey will take position there during the war and use the center as a launch pad.

The United States has also requested the use of Turkish air bases and ports in south and southeast Turkey to launch the operation against Iraq.

The report said the US military units will participate in the process of reconstruction of Iraq in the aftermath of the war. The whole process is predicted to last at least five years.

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