Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on yesterday that Turkey was poised only to open its airspace to American warplanes bound for Iraq, a degree of military cooperation vastly more limited than the US had initially sought.
Erdogan and other senior government officials said a resolution to be debated in the Turkish Parliament, probably today, would not authorize US forces to use Turkish air bases and would not permit the movement of American ground troops through Turkey.
Citing that decision, both Turkish and American officials said yesterday that Turkey would not receive a special package of at least $6 billion in new aid that the US had offered. The aid was tied to full military cooperation, and those officials said it would be either scaled back substantially or eliminated.
PHOTO: AP
Developments yesterday caused an immediate plunge in stocks here. They also represented a setback for American military planning and reflected a serious strain in relations between Turkey and the US, longtime allies and NATO partners.
"These two countries are strong partners," said a senior Turkish government official. But, the official added, "If you said there would be no impact on our relationship, that's unrealistic. There is going to be a sort of mark, especially on the American side. They are more upset than we are."
Even the use of airspace was not entirely settled, because the Turkish Parliament has to vote on it. Almost three weeks ago, the Parliament narrowly rejected an earlier resolution to allow American ground troops in Turkey and the use of Turkish bases and airspace.
The US had wanted to move armed forces across the southeastern border of Turkey into northern Iraq at the start of an invasion, an option that might have expedited a military victory. For months, American officials pushed for such permission and were at times assured by the Turkish government that it was coming.
It is now out of the question. So is the possibility of using American military aircraft at the Incirlik base in southern Turkey for any imminent war efforts. Those jets have long flown from Incirlik to enforce a no-fly zone over northern Iraq.
Asked yesterday if the new parliamentary resolution included American use of Turkish bases or the ability to have planes refuel in Turkey, Erdogan said, "No, none of those are in it," according to the Turkish state-run news agency.
Turkish government officials predicted that the scaled-back resolution for air rights would pass, but several Turkish politicians who strongly opposed the previous measure spoke out just as emphatically yesterday against the new one.
In addition, a senior member of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party said in an interview that the withdrawal of the full American aid package might embitter some members of Parliament.
Both Turkish and American government officials said a new, reduced package could still be negotiated, especially if Turkey decided later to increase its cooperation with American military efforts in Iraq.
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said yesterday that a parliamentary motion to allow American troops into Turkey could re-emerge, prompting financial aid.
Turkish government officials fear that the country could suffer dire economic consequences from a war in Iraq. They say that Turkey lost of tens of billions of dollars in diminished trade and tourism after the Persian Gulf War in 1991.
They also worry that a war could lead to the establishment of an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq and rekindle separatist demands among Kurds in southeastern Turkey, some of whom waged a bloody campaign for autonomy during the 1990's.
The Turkish government is also on guard against any movement of refugees into Turkey. Government officials said the new parliamentary resolution would include authorization for Turkish troops to enter northern Iraq to prevent that.
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