Turkey Allows US Site Survey of Bases for Iraqi War

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, January 10, 2003

Turkey Allows US Site Survey of Bases for Iraqi War

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The Turkish government has decided to allow some 150 US military personnel to conduct site survey of bases and ports in preparation for a likely war against Iraq, reported Turkish daily Milliyet (National) on Friday.

Concerning the legal status of the US military personnel, Turkish and US officials came to an agreement on a document similar to the Internal Service Law of the Turkish Armed Forces, the report said.

The 150 US military personnel are reported to be in Germany waiting for approval. Turkey's Anatolian News Agency reported that the two sides may sign the document any time this week.

The document will only be valid for the site survey group. According to the document, if an American military official commits acrime outside the military establishments, a legal process will be launched, which includes treatment of the US personnel under the Turkish law system in the legal problems based on a lack of discipline outside their mission.

The legal authorities of the related region will launch an investigation into the American officer in the framework of the Turkish Penal Law.

If the prosecutor decides that the crime of the officer necessitates arrest, he will pass the file to the court.

If the court rules arrest, the US officer will be imprisoned in a military jail. He may serve his sentence term in his home country in case that the court allows.

The United States has asked NATO ally Turkey for use of airports and ports and station of some 80,000 troops to launch an assault on Baghdad.

Under heavy pressure to give a quick response to the US demand, the Turkish government insists in waiting for a result of the UN weapons inspection on Jan. 27 before making a final decision.

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