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After weeks of the geopolitical equivalent of friendly fire casualties, Ankara has finally allowed U.S. aid to move to Northern Iraq. Two weeks earlier, and after lengthy delays, it permitted the U.S. Air Force to use Turkish airspace for strikes against Iraq. This saved about $1.6 billion in aid to Ankara, but it was too little, too late. At the critical juncture in a run-up to the war, the Turkish government failed to pass the authorization for the use of the Turkish air bases and for transit of the crucially necessary U.S. 4th Infantry Division through the Turkish territory. Despite...

Turkey's Historic Blunder By Ariel Cohen 04/24/2003 TCS After weeks of the geopolitical equivalent of friendly fire casualties, Ankara has finally allowed U.S. aid to move to Northern Iraq. Two weeks earlier, and after lengthy delays, it permitted the U.S. Air Force to use Turkish airspace for strikes against Iraq. This saved about $1.6 billion in aid to Ankara, but it was too little, too late. At the critical juncture in a run-up to the war, the Turkish government failed to pass the authorization for the use of the Turkish air bases and for transit of the crucially necessary U.S....

Crises can be blessings in disguise if they expose long-cherished but dangerous illusions. First, the Iraqi crisis revealed that "Old Europe" had only been in hibernation during the Cold War years. Now Washington has made another sobering discovery: "Old Turkey," too, is alive and well. Turkey's last-minute obstruction of U.S. war efforts and its own threats to invade northern Iraq have "stunned" senior American policymakers - most notably the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Jay Rockefeller. After all, President Bush had just placed a $30 billion aid package on the table in return for Turkey's cooperation in...

The Turkish Tragicomedy of ErrorsBy Michael RaduFrontPageMagazine.com | April 2, 2003 After tortuous months of surprises and confusing signals from Ankara, which have brought U.S. relations with one of its most loyal allies to their lowest point in decades, Secretary of State Colin Powell will finally visit Turkey on April 2. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Powell would discuss with Turkish officials Turkey's possible sending of troops into northern Iraq, the war on terror, Cyprus, and other U.S.-Turkish relations issues. On the eve of his trip, the signals from Turkey are more confusing than ever. How did relations devolve...

ANKARA, Turkey March 21 — Turkey on Friday delayed opening its airspace to U.S. warplanes for strikes against Iraq despite parliamentary approval for the overflights, diplomats and military officials said.U.S. and Turkish officials held talks through the night, but failed to reach an agreement on conditions for the overflights, western diplomats said.Yasar Yakis, a lawmaker in the governing party and the former foreign minister, confirmed that no agreement had been reached but said the two sides would continue talks.Turkey's parliament voted Thursday to allow the United States to use its airspace, a measure that would allow attack jets on aircraft...

Turkish airspace always closed with the American planes Airspace Turkish remained closed with military aircrafts American Friday morning, in spite of green light given Thursday by Parliament, has one learned from source diplomatic occidentale. Les problem would be related to dissension between two country on role military that Turkey intends to play in the north of Iraq, according to observateurs. Le Turkish Parliament approved Thursday the opening of the airspace "to foreign air elements armed" for "a possible military operation" against Iraq voisin. Le daily Sabah affirmed however Friday that Americans and Turks had not managed an agreement on...

US loses its patience with Turkey March 18 2003 By Michael HowardIrbil, Iraqi Kurdistan Thirteen missile-firing US warships have sailed into the Red Sea to obtain a line of fire against Iraqi targets after Turkey's refusal to open its airspace to US forces preparing to attack Saddam Hussein. In a sign that exchanges between the NATO allies have degenerated into political threats, the US warned Ankara to axe plans to send troops into Kurdish-controlled north Iraq. Washington is also reported to have withdrawn war compensation, worth at least $US15 billion ($A25 billion), which had previously been on offer in return for...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is urging Turkey to keep its forces out of northern Iraq (news - web sites) during any U.S.-led military action due to concerns of a possible conflict with the Kurds, Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) said on Sunday.   Powell also held out hope that Turkey would grant U.S. troops access to its bases and airspace for a possible invasion of Iraq. "They are positioning themselves to take the package back to their parliament. Whether it will be in a timely manner or not remains to be seen," he told...

-Snip!- The decision by Turkey's parliament to reject a U.S. request to station troops in the country is another example in which the current administration has asked for more and expended less effort. In 1990, Baker made three trips to Turkey in five months. Bush's father called the Turkish leader 55 to 60 times after Turkey agreed to shut down an oil pipeline to Iraq before the Persian Gulf War began, said Morton Abramowitz, then U.S. ambassador to Turkey. The Turkish parliament was asked to open its bases to the United States after the bombs began to fall. This time,...

Time's up: Cheney apppeal fails, aid offer to Turkey withdrawn SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COMSunday, March 16, 2003 The United States has withdrawn its offer of $15 billion to Turkey for the deployment of up to 62,000 American troops. U.S. officials said the Bush administration has determined that Turkey failed to respond to the offer in time. They said Washington has implemented contingency plans that do not envision Turkey as a major participant in any northern front against Baghdad. The officials said Turkey was warned several times over the last two weeks that the U.S. aid compensation package would be...

<p>ANKARA, Turkey — As U.S. hopes dwindled of going through Turkey for an attack on Iraq, the Bush administration took back its offer to give $15 billion in aid to Turkey in exchange for military cooperation, officials said Saturday.</p> <p>U.S. commanders have been eager to use the NATO ally to open a northern front in any invasion of Iraq. Staging in Turkey would allow more U.S. troops and heavier equipment to push toward Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit.</p>

<p>As U.S. hopes dwindled of going through Turkey for an attack on Iraq, the Bush administration took back its offer to give $15 billion in aid to Turkey in exchange for military cooperation, officials said Saturday. U.S. commanders have been eager to use the NATO ally to open a northern front in any invasion of Iraq. Staging in Turkey would allow more U.S. troops and heavier equipment to push toward Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. The two countries had negotiated a package of U.S. grants and loans aimed at boosting Turkey's ailing economy, which is expected to suffer even more if there is war. Earlier this month, Turkey's parliament - mindful of polls showing a vast majority of the public opposed war - rejected a government motion to authorize the deployment of 62,000 American troops on Turkish soil. Turkey has since delayed a final decision, and the new prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Saturday a second vote was at least another week off. Now, the $15 billion is off the table, said two senior U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity. Nonetheless, Pentagon officials said Saturday there are no immediate plans to move any more U.S. military forces or equipment away from Turkey...</p>

 <EXCERPT> As a result, the U.S. diplomatic effort in Ankara has shifted to ensuring that Turkey keeps its troops out of Iraq. A diplomatic team led by Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy to northern Iraq, warned Turkey that any incursion would have a "very negative effect" on relations with the United States and pose dangers of fighting between Turkish troops and Kurdish and U.S. forces, the senior U.S. official said. Over the vocal objections of Iraqi Kurds, the administration had agreed to let Turkish troops follow U.S. forces into northern Iraq and take up positions about 121/2 miles past...

ANKARA, Turkey -- The Bush administration told Turkish leaders Friday that it had all but given up on their country as a base from which to assault Iraq, ending months of intense lobbying for the deployment of tens of thousands of American troops to a northern front against Saddam Hussein, a senior U.S. official said. Instead, the official said, the administration is now trying to dissuade Turkey from plans to send its own army into Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, warning that such an incursion could lead to "a war within a war" and further damage Turkey's relations with the United States....

<p>WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sources say the Pentagon is ready to put U.S. troops massed around Iraq on "hair-trigger" alert -- essentially ready to begin a war if Saddam Hussein attacks U.S. troops, his neighbors or his people out of desperation.</p>

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said his government will not consider a bid to deploy U.S. troops in Turkey for an Iraq war until it wins a confidence vote, dashing any remaining U.S. hopes of a rapid decision.Erdogan's comments on Friday evening came hours after he presented a cabinet list to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who approved the government lineup and appointed him prime minister.U.S. officials have already indicated they had little hope of Ankara approving a request to station 62,000 American troops on Turkish soil in time for any conflict with Iraq, which could be...