U.S. makes its final offer to Turkey

SJ Mercury News / Knight Ridder ^ | 2/19/03 | Jessica Guynn, Diego Ibarguen and Martin Merzer

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON - The United States issued a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum to Turkey on Wednesday as a stalemate developed over access to Turkish bases even as ships carrying U.S. troops drew close to the conflicted ally's shores.

A key component of the Pentagon's Iraqi battle plan envisions a two-front attack, one from Turkey on the north, the other from Kuwait on the south. If Turkey refuses to cooperate, U.S. officials said they will have to substantially alter their war strategy.

[Jeff Chandler]

Take it, and you get aid. Leave it, and you get a brand new Kurdish nation.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[Republic of Texas]

An offer they can't refuse.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

On another thread someone commented that Chiraq has his hand in this , telling Turkey, they can get into the EU if Turkey keeps the US out of Turkey!

[NormsRevenge]

Things are happening fast and furious behind the scenes, Im sure.

Rummy will straighten them out.

[Theophilus]

We don't need no stinkin turkeys.

[UncleSamUSA]

I dont think Chirac or the French have much credibility with the Turks right now after the disgrace they pulled at NATO. Besides, can the French come up with an aid package even in the same galaxy as the size of the deal the US is offering? The Turks are playing hardball to get maximum bucks out of Washington right now, and if they walk away from this deal, the Turkish military might just overthrow the Islamic government.

[Moonmad27]

Don't mess with Texas presidents.

[Blood of Tyrants]

It really sucks when you have to bribe "allies" into cooperation.

[NormsRevenge]

We're not quite the Roman Empire some think we are, I reckun.

[Always A Marine]

"Turkey has heard authoritatively what the position of the United States government is and now Turkey has a decision to make," Fleischer said. "But the military of the United States is sufficiently flexible that whatever decision is made, the United States will still be successful in carrying out any military operations."

A textbook example of how to publicly force a stalled negotiation. We clearly need Turkey's assistance, and the clock is ticking on the remaining climate amenable to offensive operations under threat of contamination. So we must force Ankara's hand, and fast.

That said, the "Gulf War Lite" force now assembling in Southwest Asia was constituted for a pincer attack across Iraq's southern and northern borders -- so real difficulties would result if Ankara refused to allow us to launch from Turkey into northern Iraq.

The northern front provides for fast maneuver into key areas north of Baghdad, unimpeded by water obstacles and the further threat of flooding from opened river dams. Without this preferred avenue of approach, we will have to initially secure the northern sectors with lighter forces than are desirable for the mission. Heavier reinforcements will have to cover a much longer approach from the south, and will then be burdened by longer (than planned) lines of supply. Moreover, precious time will be lost if units now nearing Turkey must sail south and redeploy into an already-crowded Kuwaiti-Iraqi frontier.

A Turkish front against Iraq was a foil to Saudi Arabia's refusal to allow maneuver from its frontier into central Iraq (as in the 1991 Gulf War). Now we might be faced with launching the entire invasion from Kuwait's small border and across the marshes of southern Iraq. This is clearly not what we would prefer. But if you've ever been a planner, you expect Murphy to show up at the worst possible time...

[mystery-ak]

Turkey is really screwing this up...we have troops on ships and stateside waiting to be deployed there......

[Bonaparte]

I think it's time to retract all offers of "aid," ie. extortion payments, and instead insist on tribute from Turkey to pay us for getting Saddam off of their border. $26 billion ought to do it. We could send General Franks to collect right after we've secured Iraq.

[Fusion]

Along with Great Britain, Turkey is the best friend the United States has now -- and will have in the 21st century. Considering that much of the UK may be destroyed by the Islamic entente in the next few weeks, Washington would be wise to accept Ankara's very reasonable counter-proposal. Failure do to so will ultimately cost American lives...

Turkey will prosper regardless of the DC decision. If Washington continues to lowball Ankara then the Turkish military will annexe Northern Iraq when the US strikes from the South. This option provides much more long-term economic advantage and political security for Ankara then the paltry billions now being offered.

In fact a Turkish Mechanised Infantry division has been deep in Northern Iraq for several weeks now -- presenting an excellent opportunity to exterminate the murderous Kurdish thugs that now roam with impunity in the outlaw Iraqi nation.

If the US is short of cash and doesn't want to print some more money to reimburse Ankara for their heroic sacrifices in the Gulf War and World War III -- then so be it, no problem. Everyone can still be friends and Turkey will liberate Northern Iraq while handling the light work for the US around those very profitable oil fields.

Mr Gul a modern-day statesman without parallel. The Foggy Bottom tea-drinkers have 24 hours to sign the deal or else the magnificent Turkish military will take care of business themselves...

Only a fool goes into a Turkish bazaar and refuses to negotiate...

The forces of freedom on the move. Europe trembles.

[F.J. Mitchell]

This is very damn disappointing. Here is Turkey, whom we have been led to believe is our friendly and supportive ally, exposing itself as nothing more than an opportunist leech, extorting as much as it possibly can. They seem to think we are the Turkeys and apparently we are.

THere is not one nation on earth that would stand by our side, even to protect their own asses, if we were ever to become so needy that we had nothing with which to bribe them. That is something we need to keep in mind as we beg the UN to allow us to defend ourselves.

It is time to close our borders, toss out the invaders presently here, end foriegn aid and dues to the UN and look out for ourselves for a change. The ungrateful sonovabitches who expect us to buy their loyalty and then denie even that to us when the chips are down, can go to hell!

THe most pathetic thing about this whole charade is how hard we try to be loved and get only rejection and contempt. What a pitiful groveling specticle we must be to the whole damn world. Americans would be no uglier-the contempt heaped upon us could be no viler-the rejection we suffer could be no more humiliating-our lack of even one genuine friend would be no more evident-If we just told the whole damn world to kiss our asses and spent our entire income looking out for own affairs and ignoring their incompentence.

[RummyChick]

"Turkey is the best friend the United States has now -- and will have in the 21st century. Considering that much of the UK may be destroyed by the Islamic entente in the next few weeks"

How are they going to take UK out?

[section9]

I strongly suspect that the Turkish military might be slightly concerned.

If our friends in Ankara force us into a bloody one-front war, there won't be a door in Washington that is open to them. They won't have a friend in this town. There won't be a Turkish aid package passed in this or any century. Bush will find a way to screw them six ways from Sunday.

He has gone more that halfway to meet their price. He should probably go up to thirty billion dollars and say "take it or leave it". If they don't, we need to cut them, and their officers, out of the loop and show them the damn door.

This is Turkish land, I know. But it's our boys who will be taking the casualties, not the Turks. The Turks should take the deal and run with it. This is money in the bank for them. Besides, the Turks get to walk in and protect the Turkoman minority anyway. What the hell are they worried about? They will be major players at the Peace Conference. If they play ball, they will have more influence than the Frogs or the Hun. This is a no-lose proposition for them. They get to walk into northern Iraq with 80,000 guys and scare the shit out of the entire Arab world-a gathering of tribes with flags that lives with a racial fear of the pissed off Turk.

Let's put it this way: if the Turk plays ball, at the end of the war, when the Turkish PM snaps his fingers, the Boy President of Damascus will come running, the Saudis will mind their manners, and the Iranians will STFU. They have so much to gain. And when we leave Iraq, and we will, who besides the Israelis will be the Big Dog in the region.

That's right: the Turks. This is a no-brainer.

I know it's their country, but damn, we need a helping hand, here.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[NormsRevenge]

we tried isolationism.. it got us two world wars.

I agree, we need to look within our own borders and shore up our own household first.

We have sent untold billions overseas for years... of late, we have sent a lot of our jobs overseas, too... and now, we end up having to send our troops overseas as well...