Whither Turkey
The Washington Post reported:
Turkish ruling party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking on national television after an election victory that clears the way for him to become prime minister, suggested tonight that he would let U.S. troops in Turkey only if the United States provided stronger assurances that the interests of his nation would be protected in a postwar Iraq.Erdogan also indicated he was in no hurry to call a second vote on the issue in parliament, despite growing pressure from the United States for a decision that would allow the Pentagon to go ahead with plans for a northern front against Iraq by moving troops into southern Turkey. U.S. ships carrying tanks and equipment have been waiting near Turkish ports for weeks, and U.S. officials have threatened to give up on Turkey and send the ships to Kuwait instead
Erdogan said that a vote would likely not take place until after March 19th, unless the Bush administration addressed concerns immediately:
In the interview, Erdogan blamed the United States for rushing him to go to parliament last week before he had gathered enough support, and for alienating the Turkish public with statements that cast their resistance to the U.S. deployment as a bargaining ploy for more economic aid. Now, he said, the Bush administration would have to wait for these bad feelings to ease."I shouldn't give a definite date right now, but the U.S. has to take certain steps," he said. "As long as these steps are not taken, it is difficult for us to soften this climate in Turkey."
Meanwhile, preparations go on.
...via TalkLeft