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Turkey Won’t Send Troops to Iraq
Wotta surprise.
Turkey will not send troops to Iraq to relieve U.S. forces there, a government official said Friday, after local Iraqi officials made clear they didn’t want Turkish soldiers to join the coalition.
"Nononononononononononononono...
Turkey’s parliament voted last month to allow a contingent of Turkish troops to join the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. American officials had pressed Turkey, the only majority Muslim nation in NATO, to approve sending troops. But a government official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that his administration will not use the authority granted by parliament to send troops to Iraq under current conditions.
"Seeing as the Kurds would like to pot us, and the 4ID wouldn’t let us shoot back."
Private NTV television said Turkey’s military has stopped preparations for deployment. Turkey’s ambassador to the United States, Osman Faruk Logoglu, said this week that his country would not send peacekeeping troops into Iraq without an invitation from the Iraqi Governing Council. Some members of the council have expressed opposition to Turkish deployment, citing atrocities ethnic tensions and uncomfortable memories of the Ottoman empire, which ruled Iraq for about 400 years. The Pentagon had been counting on a third multinational division, possibly led by Turkey, but that has not materialized. It announced plans Thursday to alert an additional 43,000 National Guard and Reserve support troops that they may be sent to Iraq as well. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed the matter in a phone conversation late Thursday. ``Powell called Foreign Minister Gul. They talked about the current condition in Iraq, and the possible troop contribution,’’ the U.S. official said. ``Foreign Minister Gul said the government was reconsidering its offer’’ to send troops. Asked if Turkey was still sending troops, the U.S. official said: ``At this point, it appears ’no.’’’
Turks get to play this both ways at home, and probably will.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Dirioz said in a written statement that Powell thanked Turkey for its offer to help ``efforts led by the United States to ensure security, stability and economic development in Iraq.’’ ``Foreign Minister Gul and U.S. Secretary of State Powell agreed that Turkey and the U.S. would continue to work together for the Iraqi people and that Turkey would assume a key role in Iraq’s stability and restructuring,’’ Dirioz added.
"Mr. Secretary, how did that phone call with the Turkish Foreign Minister turn out?"
"Marvin, it ain’t good. We have a problem here. We can activate about 43,000 Guard soldiers, or we can bring the Turkish army into Iraq."
"Pardon me for asking, Mr. Secretary, but are these the Turks that used to rule the place?"
"Yep."
"The Turks that thumped the Kurds to the north?"
"Yep."
"The Turks that committed atrocities against Kurdish civilians?"
"Yep."
"The Turks who would cause an insurrection in Iraq?"
"Yep."
"I’ll get Mr. Rumsfeld on the phone for you."
"Right now, Marvin."
Posted by: Steve White 2003-11-07
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=20933