Turkey to decide soon on troops for Iraq

More than six months after it refused to help the Pentagon overthrow Saddam Hussein, Turkey is again a key to U.S. military plans in Iraq.

U.S. officials hope that, even as other countries drag their feet, Turkey will agree within two weeks to provide as many as 10,000 peacekeeping troops in Iraq.

Turkish troops could help the United States avoid – or at least minimize – the call-up of more reservists, and could provide the core for an Islamic force officials would like to field.

Turkish officials say chances of cooperation are considerably better than they were March 1, when the Parliament threw American invasion plans into confusion by refusing to allow 4th Infantry Division troops to pass through Turkish territory into Iraq.