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Turkey delays vote on U.S. troops
ANKARA, Turkey (CNN) -- Turkey has delayed a crucial vote on whether to allow 62,000 U.S. troops onto its soil for a possible war against Iraq. The Turkish Cabinet sent the proposal to parliament Tuesday, and a vote had been expected Thursday. Sources said one of the reasons for the delay was that parliament wanted to await the conclusion of a National Security Council meeting. The council, which comprises the nation's top military officials, plans to discuss the U.S. troop issue Friday, sources said. "U.S. officials have made the Turkish side aware at a high level that time is critical and further delay is not helpful," a U.S. official told Reuters. AKP deputy chairman Salih Kapusuz said there was new information that needed to be investigated, but he did not provide any details. "The motion will come to parliament Saturday," he said. Another reason for the delay is continued disagreement among lawmakers and officials over the financial aid the United States is offering Turkey. Sources in Ankara told CNN on Wednesday that the deal with Washington included giving U.S. troops access to Turkish ports and air bases for at least six months. Major issues parliament has so 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. The latest delay to the vote comes on the same day Turkey's Foreign Ministry recommended its citizens leave Iraq. Most Turkish diplomats in Iraq have been pulled out of the country, and cross-border trade has essentially shut down.
In a sign of just how critical the matter is to the United States, Secretary of State Colin Powell telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul to impress upon him the urgency of Turkey's approval. "We've done our best," Gul told Powell in a Tuesday night phone conversation after a lengthy Cabinet meeting that forwarded the package to parliament. Ships carrying base supplies for the 4th Infantry Division are already in the Turkish port of Iskenderun, while troop transports are over the Mediterranean horizon out of sight. On Wednesday, U.S. troops began unloading Patriot missile batteries from the Dutch merchant ship Rosana, part of a NATO defense package to protect Turkey in the event of a war with Iraq. Nearby, the U.S. Navy ship Cappella was unloading equipment that would be used to upgrade Turkish bases in preparation for U.S. forces. The issue of Turkey's involvement in any possible war with Iraq is a sticky one -- polls show that 90 percent of the Turkish population oppose war, but the United States has offered $6 billion in grants -- and refusal to participate would severely limit Turkey's role during a war and in a post-war Iraq. 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 the border with that country. Tensions between Turkey and Iraqi Kurds who have controlled northern Iraq since the Gulf War have risen lately as the Kurds publicly complained about Turkey's plans to send tens of thousands of troops into northern Iraq. But Turkey says its troops would only help contain any refugee crisis and prevent fighting from spilling over into Turkey and would not participate in the war itself. The AKP has 363 seats in the 550-seat parliament, but 60 party members have said they will abstain from voting. A majority of the members present must vote in favor of the proposal in order for it to pass. -- CNN's Jane Arraf contributed to this report.
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