ANKARA — Turkey has approved a U.S. request to use its military bases for a possible campaign against Iraq in exchange for the promise of more than $3 billion in aid from Washington.
Turkish leaders agreed to the U.S. use of Turkey’s air space and military bases in any offensive against the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The leaders said Washington would first require United Nations endorsement, but officials said this condition appears flexible.
The Turkish offer of cooperation came during the visit of a senior U.S. delegation to Ankara led by Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman.
Officials said the Bush administration has offered Turkey $3.4 billion in aid. The package consists of about $2.5 billion in military aid and the rest in a low-interest credit. Other elements in the military package include Washington’s pledge to transfer unspecified technology and grant licenses for U.S. defense systems.
Yakis said Ankara would also allow U.S. fighter-jets to launch strikes against Iraq from Turkish air bases. He did not say whether Turkey would fly combat missions against Iraqi targets, but other officials said Washington has asked Ankara for 35,000 soldiers to help contain northern Iraq and its Kurdish and Turkmen populations. Yakis said the deployment of tens of thousands of American troops in Turkey is a scenario he found difficult to envision.
Hours later, the Turkish Foreign Ministry appeared to backtrack from Yakis’s assurances to Washington. The statement said Yakis’s words did not comprise a “commitment on the part of Turkey, because these possibilities have not been the subject of discussion with any country.” Turkey gets $3 Billion from US
Turkey like the rest of the corrupt regimes in muslim countries show there true colors once again only few weeks ago a so called islamic government get into power and first thing they do agree to let another muslim country get bombed by Terrorist rougue nation America!
I love these choice of words: "bribery", "blackmail", "extortion", etc. It's always the same thing. Couldn't one just as easily say that Turkey is extorting money and blackmailing the US? "Give us $3 billion and we'll let you do yada, yada, yada."
Isn't the entire basis of foreign relations obtaining something from one country in exchange for providing it with something else?
words like bribery, blackmail what does it remind you mafia, gansters, criminals. Good because that is exactly what the US is doing they nothing but common criminals balckmailing and bullying other nations!
Didn't the turks provide a lot of help in stabilizing Afghanistan, and helping to train the beginnings of their new National Army? Makes sense that the US would be offsetting some of those costs....Sounds to me like keeping promises.
You like twisting what is so blatantly a bribe its so obvious it makes laugh that you even trying
Heres the deal we want to bomb iraq hmmm problem turkey not so keen to see kurds have homeland solution hows $3 billion bribe sound let us bomb iraq for couple of weeks what do you say Turkey hmmmm ok you got a deal!
AK47-no one cares about your anti US dribble! They look after number 1, like any other nation. Its not there fault the muslim world leaders are so stupid, backwards and begger like as to sell themselves for a petty $3bn!
Thats about 0.75% (if that!) of the US defence budget, yet its enough to buy your muslim ummah. :rotfl"
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by mo_best: *
AK47-no one cares about your anti US dribble! They look after number 1, like any other nation. Its not there fault the muslim world leaders are so stupid, backwards and begger like as to sell themselves for a petty $3bn!
Thats about 0.75% (if that!) of the US defence budget, yet its enough to buy your muslim ummah. :rotfl"
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Mo best obviously you have no link with the muslims with your statements!
You only right on one point the muslim leaders are stupid and backwards something maybe you have a link after all!
Secondly you contradict yourself if no-one cares why respond i must have touched a nerve with my post for you to comment you dont care simple solution don't respond!
Look at Egypt..America's lapdog. Second in Aid only to Israel. The funny thing is that Egyptians were the primary and most vocal backers of assualts on Israelis.
I don't think Turkey is concerned about money at all. Turkey is more worried about the after Saddam Iraq and hence they are collaborating as much as they can so that the Kurds in the northern Iraq don't get much support from the US.
Kurds have been betrayed by the US in 1991 Gulf War when they were expecting that Saddam would be removed and they will get some autonomy but due to the interests of US partners US had to ditch the idea of autonomous Kurd area. It still is a quagmire for the US to deal with that situation of Kurds as well as relations with Turkey. I personally think it would be a miracle if the US can resolve the situation without making one or another enemy of herself.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by RajputFury: *
AK, bro..Turkey is nothing.
Look at Egypt..America's lapdog. Second in Aid only to Israel. The funny thing is that Egyptians were the primary and most vocal backers of assualts on Israelis.
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egypt has large population to feed and has only 2% arable land and depend on massive $ infusion.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by RajputFury: *
AK, bro..Turkey is nothing.
Look at Egypt..America's lapdog. Second in Aid only to Israel. The funny thing is that Egyptians were the primary and most vocal backers of assualts on Israelis.
[/QUOTE]
Rajput
its simple case of what i call the Saudi syndrome you say one thing to the public i.e those israelis terrible lets liberate palestine, we not going to allow america to use our bases blahdy bladhy blah
But there regimes action are totally opposite to there speeches they will allow america to use it bases and then they start having meeting with occupiers.
Egypt, pakistan they all follow same line keep public happy on one hand by liying to them and following orders of america 100%
its simple case of what i call the Saudi syndrome you say one thing to the public i.e those israelis terrible lets liberate palestine, we not going to allow america to use our bases blahdy bladhy blah
But there regimes action are totally opposite to there speeches they will allow america to use it bases and then they start having meeting with occupiers.
Egypt, pakistan they all follow same line keep public happy on one hand by liying to them and following orders of america 100%
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Right! But what really makes me mad is that Egyptians think like they lead the Arab world. They are nothing less than Israelis when it comes to aid, and what are they smoking when they want us to believe tyhat they are impartial? In terms of foreign aid, I respect Syria, Lebanon, and Libya more simply because when they make statements regarding Isreal atleast theyre not b**ches of America (Pardon my language).
please don't angry for pointing this out but isn't talking about Turkey in such tone somewhat hypocritical? Pakistan has traded a number of facilitations for economic pay back such as removal of sanctions, forgiveness / rescheduling of loans, outright aid etc.
Right! But what really makes me mad is that Egyptians think like they lead the Arab world. They are nothing less than Israelis when it comes to aid, and what are they smoking when they want us to believe tyhat they are impartial? In terms of foreign aid, I respect Syria, Lebanon, and Libya more simply because when they make statements regarding Isreal atleast theyre not b**ches of America (Pardon my language).
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Well i would'nt rush to support libya syria etc they suffer from the saudi syndrome i talked about before too ;)
Well i would'nt rush to support libya syria etc they suffer from the saudi syndrome i talked about before too ;)
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True, but to a lesser degree. They are not like the lapdogs of the US (AKA Eygptians). Oh coming back to Turkey, they were once again rejected for the EU talks for membership. It is interesting because of all the Muslim countries, even they could not break into (what seems like) the 'Christian Club.' Hell if I was a Euro, I'd be afriad too...of Turkey's strong military, rising population (majority in EU in a few decades) and that would pretty much end it all for them.
