Turkey bill agrees to U.S. troops
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U.S. soldiers stand next to vehicles in the Turkish port of Iskenderun on Monday as equipment is offloaded.
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SPECIAL REPORT
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ANKARA, Turkey (CNN) -- Turkey's Cabinet is sending a motion to parliament to allow U.S. troops to be deployed for a possible invasion of Iraq but it has yet to agree terms of the deal with the United States.
The resolution could be passed as soon as Tuesday, but Turkey could delay admission of U.S. troops to ports and air bases until it signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States settling financial and military terms.
"An important section of the cabinet was not satisfied by the developments, but at the end of the discussions it was decided to send the resolution to parliament," cabinet spokesman Abdullatif Sener told Reuters.
"At this point, talks with the U.S. on military, political and economic issues have reached a significant stage but they continue," Sener said.
A parliamentary vote would be a big step forward for Washington which is eager to seal a deal for a "northern front."
Washington wants to use Turkish territory and military bases to launch a secondary, "northern front" that would relieve a main invasion into Iraq's south. A second front could shorten any war and cut the number of American casualties, military planners believe.
The troop deal envisages some $6 billion in grants and about $10 billion in loan guarantees to Turkey to shore up its economy against the impact of any war, U.S. officials have said.
Turkey feels it was never properly compensated for damage it suffered because of the 1991 Gulf War and is determined to ensure its interests are protected this time.
The United States has expressed frustration over a delay in a parliamentary vote on the issue, which was initially expected last week.
