Due to opposition Turkish troop deployment may be complex

Although the Bush administration had pushed Turkey to send what would be the first large contingent of peacekeepers from a Muslim nation as a show of support for the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the refusal by Iraq’s interim political leaders to accept the Turkish force could complicate the deployment.

The Turkish government is keen not to alienate its neighbor, and the Bush administration is concerned about further antagonizing the Iraqi population. But U.S. officials also say they believe the need for additional troops, particularly from a Muslim country, could outweigh the objections from appointed Iraqi leaders, who remain subordinate to the American occupation authority.