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.
Turkish Grand National Assembly website(Turkish) -I don't have any translation tools from Turish to English.
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY
III. Provisions Relating to the Activities of the Turkish Grand National Assembly
D. Quorums Required for Sessions and Decisions
ARTICLE 96. Unless otherwise stipulated in the Constitution, the Turkish Grand National Assembly shall convene with at least, one-third of the total number of members and shall take decisions by an absolute majority of those present; however, the quorum for decisions can, under no circumstances, be less than a quarter plus one of the total number of members.
Members of the Council of Ministers may delegate a minister to vote on their behalf in sessions of the Turkish Grand National Assembly which they are unable to attend. However, a minister shall not cast more than two votes including his or her own.
By taking this route Bush is showing, demonstrating effectively, that he does care about consensus -- care about what the euro- and American left thinks.
The logistics arguement is an excellent one -- a game breaker for certain. And perhaps the answer does lie there...but if it does the Bush Administration is guilty of an even worse mistake: Talking too tough way too long before you are able to back up your words with action.
If that was the case (logistics difficulties) there is no excuse for not knowing that in advance and planning your effort accordingly -- and war talk such as he has been giving us since a year ago January and particularly since last September (specifically on Iraq) would be a heinous, devastating, even bone-head mistake. I can't say this strongly enough: You don't talk until you are ready to act. Any third year undergraduate history major should know that.
Now he is in a position where if he doesn't go to war he's toast politically. And he has consistently had pieces of his effort crumble around him. His allies are showing some wobbly (the Blair second resolution was big key there -- though Blair is sitting in the same boat as Bush politically, they sink or swim together). He's at the point where there are no more words that will help him -- in any venue he wishes to use words. Only action now will help. The whole rest of the world may just think this is the time to stand up and stop the "other remaining" superpower in its tracks -- and thus weaken it forever. And if there is any hint that this whole thing is really a bluff on Bush's part, that he isn't completely committed to action -- the allies he has will abandon him like a blind date gone bad.
Agreed. Somewhere along the line we have to tell Turkey that of a time specific we have to have a yes answer; or otherwise we will change our invasion plans,and once changed a yes answer later is to late.
With the billions saved that would have gone to Turkey we can use it for our military, and to help out the countries who went with us, since their troops as well as ours are in more danger beause the northern front attack has to be modified. . -Tom
If so, they needed to have coordinated much better with the Russians, the French and the Germans, who if they were REALLY interested in peace, might have been willing to go along with a giant ruse: if the whole world had talked war and toughness, Saddam may have fled and the war avoided. By going along with the inspection farce, they have instead convinced Saddam to hang tough.
I'd say the US is almost at the stage that they have to go into Iraq just to save their credability...
According to what you posted, the Turks are not following their own rules. Absolute majority who is present NOT the majority of all members in Turkish parliament.
You would think that some of the weasels who voted against or abstained for CYA reasons but really wanted the thing to pass now need to be pressured to vote their conscience in another try.
The USA went to the MAT in NATO for the TURKS, overriding the French pansies, and now the TURKS are screwing us.
No question. If Bush doesn't go in and accomplish regime change in Iraq you'll see Hillary jump into the '04 race faster than her husband can get his hands down the blouse of a 15-year old. Bush is toast now if he doesn't go in, and pretty quickly at that. He's about squandered all the "public's readiness for war" he can.
There was just a huge disconnect between the public ready to go to war (took about 3 hours) and getting military readiness (appartently that is taking more than six months).
Eventually Kurdistan will be much bigger and Turkey much smaller.
The Turkish parliament is going to reconvene and revote this one real soon! Unfortunately for them none of that stuff about money or levels of control/occupation in Iraq are on the table. Best they can hope for now is that we don't give the Kurds nukes!
Right. And the only solution is to remove the jackal in Iraq. They'll be more than afraid--they'll be DEAD if Saddam and his pals keep building up their weaponry. At leat the QATARIS and the Kuwaitis and the Israelis REALIZE this and are willing to fight.
Neville Chamberlain had it wrong. We have it right.
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