Turkish Parliament Speaker Says Troop Vote Rejected

Reuters ^

[JohnHuang2]

Seconded.

[areafiftyone]

MSNBC - SAYS U.S. EMBASSY IN TURKEY SAYS NOT YET - STILL WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION.

[smokeyjon]

Fox is running this now.

[areafiftyone]

Has it been confirmed? I HOPE SO. MSNBC said not confirmed but they broke it already.

[RCW2001]

Picking up pieces of wirecopy...

18:54 Turkish parliament votes in favor of allowing U.S. troops to use Turkish soil as springboard for war on Iraq (Reuters)

[Oldeconomybuyer]

08:58 PST ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey's parliament Saturday voted to allow the basing of 62,000 U.S. combat troops to open a northern front against Iraq, ending weeks of delay, private NTV television reported.

There was no immediate word on the vote tally.

[areafiftyone]

Turkish Parliament Approves U.S. Troop Deployment

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's parliament on Saturday approved a long-awaited motion allowing deployment of thousands of U.S. troops here for a possible invasion of Iraq, a deputy told Reuters.

The resolution, which also clears the way for dispatching Turkish troops to Iraq in the case of war, was passed after hours of debate on an issue which has generated widespread opposition in Turkey.

Parliament's decision, which is crucial to U.S. military planners, paves the way for stationing 62,000 U.S. soldiers in Turkey to establish a "northern front" which experts say would shorten any war.

Fearing the economic and political impact of any conflict on its borders, Ankara had been reluctant to agree to any role in the war. A rejection of the U.S. request would however have deprived it of U.S. financial support and any say in the future of northern Iraq, where Turkey has key interests.