US Waiting for Turkish Cooperation on Iraq

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, February 21, 2003

US Waiting for Turkish Cooperation on Iraq

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The Bush administration is still waiting for the response from Turkey on whether it would allow US troops use its military bases to open a northern front ina possible war against Iraq, US officials said Thursday.

Talks between Washington and Ankara on cooperation came to a standstill after the two sides cannot agree on a multi-billion-dollar aid package sought by Turkey in return for its support in the war.

The Bush administration said Wednesday that it had made its final offer of economic aid, 6 billion US dollars in grants and upto 20 billion dollars in loans, in exchange for the access to Turkish bases.

The Turkish government has demanded an economic aid amounting to 32 billion dollars, including a 10-billion-dollar grant.

Speaking to reporters at the State Department, Powell said, "I expect to hear back from them before the day is out but I have nothing further to report there."

Powell said there may be some other creative things the United States could do, "but the level (of aid offer) was our ceiling."

But Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis told parliament earlier in the day that the government was not likely to call for a vote on the issue until next week.

"There is no reply to go today," Yakis was quoted as saying by the Anatolian News Agency.

Top Turkish political leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a newspaper Thursday that his country would not open its bases to UStroops unless Washington guarantees economic aid in writing.

"This will not happen without a signature," Erdogan told Yeni Safak, an Islamist-leaning publication. "We don't have a date in mind. Only when we reach agreement will we send the request to parliament."

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer warned Thursday that the United States will pursue other options if Turkey does not allow US troops on its soil ahead of any war with Iraq.

"There is not a lot of time that can pass. This is not a bluff.... We have to deal with realities, and we will," Fleischer told reporters while traveling with US President George W. Bush to Kennesaw, Georgia.

"If basing is not allowed in Turkey, we have no choice, we will pursue other options," Fleischer said.

Pentagon planners want to put up to 40,000 US troops on Turkishsoil to launch a secondary northern front against Iraq, which they say would shorten any war.

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