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Turkmenistan looks for a quick end to allied air offensive

Sergeant Ali Muhammad walks home after work, passing fountains adorned with gold-colored statues, and parks dotted with trees trimmed into the shapes of swans, eagles and butterflies.

Turkmenistan's capital has a lavish look fed by wealth from natural gas, and Muhammad does not want to see that change. As violence engulfs next-door Afghanistan, he makes clear his concerns about the US-led strikes just across the border.

Turkmenistan, which has so far pursued a policy of neutrality, says it is interested in the quick completion of the campaign against Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, who are sheltering Osama bin Laden, chief suspect in the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the US. It is also concerned over casualties and fears an influx of refugees.

The Central Asian nations around Afghanistan could be crucial to carrying out humanitarian work, and Turkey's Foreign Minister Ismail Cem is visiting three of these countries -- Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan -- to seek support for an aid campaign for Afghanistan.

The support of Turkey -- NATO's only Muslim member -- for the US-led campaign is seen as vital to ensure that the strikes do not appear to be directed against Muslims. Turkey has offered to give military training to anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan, it allows transport aircraft to land at Incirlik air base, and says it could lead a future peacekeeping force for Afghanistan.
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