Posted on 03/01/2003 8:54:07 AM PST by RCW2001
Edited on 03/01/2003 10:23:24 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's parliament speaker said on Saturday a motion to allow U.S. troops into the country for a possible war in Iraq had been rejected, a member of parliament told reporters. The issue is crucial to U.S. military plans and Turkey's relations with Washington.
The vote, carried out behind closed doors, ended with 264 votes for and 251 votes against with 19 abstentions -- an apparent slim victory for the government.
But the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) challenged the result on the grounds that the government had not won the 267 votes needed to represent a majority of the 534 lawmakers present in the assembly.
The government must now decide whether to try to present a similar resolution to the assembly again and gather the few votes it needs.
The resolution, which would also have cleared the way for dispatching Turkish troops to Iraq in case of war, had drawn widespread opposition in Turkey.
Fearing the economic and political impact of any conflict on its borders, Ankara had been reluctant to agree to any role in the war. Rejection of Washington's request will however deprive Turkey of U.S. financial support and a say in the future of northern Iraq, where Turkey has key interests.
U.S. ships are currently waiting with supplies off Turkey's Mediterranean coast to unload. For months Ankara and Washington have been working on an agreement which was expected to include some $6 billion in U.S. grants for Turkey and some $24 billion in loan guarantees.
Here's your first billion to pay off the Parliament members.
Don't count on me to disagree with that statement. Somehow I just know that your choice would be easy to make. :)
Colin Powell deserves the blame for this... he is the one that has to get things like this in gear and has failed, along with his UN efforts and, some say, his original influence in not finishing the job in 1991.
I really pains me to say it.
If they are nothing but Islam, they will be accorded very little to nothing in the globalizing and unifying national powers.
I'm wondering why, once we control the skies, we can't just airlift our troops into forward positions already established with the help of the Kurds and have a Northern Front anyway?
Or rather "$15 Billion for 264 votes = $56,818,181.81 per vote". $227 million more is needed.
You are correct Sir/Maam! They don't.
I'm eagerly awaiting your response to enlighten me with how your response to me on this subject is relevant. :)
I was just saying this to Mom-o-veronica. When the US goes on bended knee to the UN, and begs for support for months on end, weakness is the message the world gets. Strength is what is understood, and it's better to be feared than loved. Tuck Furkey...;)...(if they don't change their minds next week.) So we will just have to make it without them. We have plenty of other dependable allies.
All three are possible together.
That Scottich Law really gets around.
IMO, another $5B solves the problem.
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