World - Reuters Turkey Expects Troops Held by U.S. to Be Freed

Reuters ^ | Jul 06, 2003

[optimistically_conservative]

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey said on Sunday it expected Turkish troops detained by U.S. forces in Iraq (news - web sites) to be released shortly after receiving assurances from Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites).

"Turkish and U.S. military authorities in the region will discuss the issue in the coming hours. Following that, it's expected special forces personnel will be returned to the Turkish side in Sulaimaniya," a statement from Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's office said after he spoke with Cheney.

Turkey says 11 soldiers were among 24 people detained in northern Iraq on Friday and taken to Baghdad. The U.S. military has said several soldiers thought to be Turks were in custody after a raid in northern Iraq.

The dispute threatened to undermine efforts to improve ties between the NATO (news - web sites) allies after relations soured following Turkey's refusal to allow U.S. troops to stage attacks on Iraq during the war in March.

[optimistically_conservative]

Ping...

[Dog Gone]

returned to the Turkish side in Sulaimaniya

Huh? What Turkish side?

These soldiers should be put on a bus to the Turkish border.

[Cicero]

Good question. Is he implying that there are two opposing sides, Turkish and American? He can't be talking about the border, because Sulaimaniya is in northern Iraq.

[optimistically_conservative]

That's a great question. Sulaimaniya is near Iran, not Turkey, inside Iraq. Maybe it is ethnically divided, but I agree these soldiers should be on the bus to Turkey.

[thinktwice]

These soldiers should be put on a bus to the Turkish border.

Try Rent-a-Truck.

[a_Turk]

The Turks are in Suleymaniah under an agreement made with the USA. The contingent which had been picked up by the US operation has since been replaced in Suleymaniah. That is the Turkish side. The Turks in Suleymaniah.

Picking up 11 of our boys under the pretenses of a friendly visit, and helping yourself to their money, jeeps, and radio are one thing.. Supplanting our 15000 troops in northern Irak is quite another.

Just mind your own business and try to do a good job this time. We're not there to assassinate your puppets..

[a_Turk]

Thanks for the ping..

[Dog Gone]

The Turks are in Suleymaniah under an agreement made with the USA.

That is news to me. I thought all Turkish troops were at or very near the Turkish border. I had no idea they were invited into Kurdish cities, and I question the wisdom of that.

[a_Turk]

>> ..., and I question the wisdom of that.

I don't know if the DoS is taking any applications as of late..

As the Irak war was happening the Turks threatened to enter the theater but settled for observation posts and a variety of assurances.

How could you have missed that?

[shamusotoole]

Did you see this?

http://www.khilafah.com/home/category.php?DocumentID=7734&TagID=2

[Dog Gone]

I don't know. I thought I was following the situation closely.

Or perhaps I'm developing Alzheimer's.

[optimistically_conservative]

I can't find anything on an agreement with the US DoS for this Turkish presence in Northern Iraq, but I don't doubt it either.

---

Turkish Minister: We have Plans to Open Consulates in Erbil and Sulaimaniya May 19, 2003

Turkey plans to open consulates in Southern (Iraqi) Kurdistan to show it wants to improve relations with the KDP and PUK parties, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Sunday, the Anatolia news agency reported.

"It is now time to improve our cooperation ... We have plans to open consulates in Suleymaniah and Arbil. The invitation has come from (the Kurdish groups in) northern Iraq," Gul told reporters in the central city of Kayseri, according to Anatolia.

The minister said Turkey would also open soon hospitals in Kirkuk in northern Iraq and Baghdad. "This means our relations are going on very well," Gul said.

[a_Turk]

Same old AFP report. Retaliation means closing the border, etc. Not what some hiding in the shadows eagerly rubbing their palms might hope for..

[a_Turk]

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Turkey+send+observers+iraq&ei=UTF-8&fr=slv1&vm=i&n=20&fl=0&x=wrt

[a_Turk]

Who do you think really doesn't want the Turkish observers there? The US who invited them in?

Lotsa laffs. Keep those eyes peeled sportsfans! And don't take any wooden nickels..

[optimistically_conservative]

If you see anything more on this, please ping me.

It seems that this was a round up of Turks and Kurds. Not sure how much validity there is to the Gov. assasination story, but perhaps an act to exert US influence on both parties.

I'm thinking it will blow over fairly soon, but ya never know.

[a_Turk]

Will do.

The British Foreign Affairs Comittee has been holding hearings on the reasons for the UK entry into the Irak war and is due to release it's findings tomorrow. I have a feeling Alastair Campbell is going to take the fall for Blair.. Have you been following those hearings?

[optimistically_conservative]

I have a feeling Alastair Campbell is going to take the fall for Blair.. Have you been following those hearings?

That would be an opposite result from what I've been seeing here on FR.

[a_Turk]

Thanks. I was unaware that this had been discussed here. I was following it on CSPAN, however intermittently, I must admit. It will be interesting to see what they have to say in their press release tomorrow.