lennart
08-01-03, 15:10
Foreign Minister: Turkish parliament likely to reject American troop deployment
Turkey’s parliament will likely reject an American request to station US troops in Turkey or have them transit through the country in the event of a war against Baghdad, Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said Monday.
Yakis told Hurriyet daily that Turkish public opinion was firmly opposed to the "deployment of tens of thousands of American soldiers or their passage (through Turkey) to Iraq."
Parliament has to approve any military assistance for the United States. Yakis said, "such a resolution (for a deployment on the ground) has few chances of being adopted by the Turkish assembly which represents public opinion."
Prime Minister Abdullah Gul told CNN earlier this week that American fighter jets could use Turkish bases to attack Iraq, but that parliament had to give final approval to that proposal. "According to our constitution, there are certain things that only parliament decides," including the US use of airbases for an eventual attack. (Albawaba.com)
Turkey’s parliament will likely reject an American request to station US troops in Turkey or have them transit through the country in the event of a war against Baghdad, Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said Monday.
Yakis told Hurriyet daily that Turkish public opinion was firmly opposed to the "deployment of tens of thousands of American soldiers or their passage (through Turkey) to Iraq."
Parliament has to approve any military assistance for the United States. Yakis said, "such a resolution (for a deployment on the ground) has few chances of being adopted by the Turkish assembly which represents public opinion."
Prime Minister Abdullah Gul told CNN earlier this week that American fighter jets could use Turkish bases to attack Iraq, but that parliament had to give final approval to that proposal. "According to our constitution, there are certain things that only parliament decides," including the US use of airbases for an eventual attack. (Albawaba.com)