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Vote near on Turkey-U.S. deal
ANKARA, Turkey (CNN) -- Turkey's de facto leader says he expects parliament will debate on Thursday a proposal to let 62,000 American troops use the country as a base in a U.S.-led war with Iraq. The Turkish Cabinet sent the proposal to parliament Tuesday, but Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) delayed the vote while it attempted to garner support for the package. "If nothing out of the ordinary happens, the motion will be discussed in the assembly tomorrow," Erdogan told the CNN Turk television channel. A vote on the package could follow the debate quickly. The AKP has 363 seats in the 550-seat parliament, but 60 party members have said they will abstain from voting. Surveys show 90 percent of Turks are against a war with Iraq. "It would be wrong if we said we have agreed 100 percent with the United States on every issue, there are points we haven't agreed on but we'll have to put up with that," Erdogan said. Under the agreement, the troops could use Turkey's ports and air bases for at least six months, several members of parliament told CNN. U.S. and Turkish officials said certain details remained to be worked out. It was not clear whether those would also be sent to the parliament. Some lawmakers said they needed more information before they could vote on the troop request. Major issues parliament will consider are: • Whether $6 billion in grants being offered by the United States is enough. • What Turkey's role would be during a war and in a post-war Iraq. • What political consequences would result from defying the anti-war feelings of most Turks. U.S. ships are waiting off the coast of Turkey to unload supplies for the 4th Infantry Division, which would lead an armored attack from Turkey into northern Iraq if there is a war. U.S. envoys have been meeting Turkish officials around the clock for days trying to secure the deal. In addition to economic concerns, Turkey has sought assurances that Iraqi Kurds will not get more political or military power during and after any war. Ankara fears separatist ambitions by Iraqi Kurds in northern Iraq could spread to its own Kurdish minority concentrated around their shared border. Tensions between Turkey and Iraqi Kurds, who have controlled northern Iraq since the Gulf War, have risen lately as the Kurds publicly complained about Turkish plans to send tens of thousands of troops into northern Iraq. Turkey says its troops would not fight, but would help contain any refugee crisis and prevent fighting from spilling over into Turkey. -- CNN Correspondent Jane Arraf contributed to this report.
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