Government Seeks Advice From Sezer on Troop..

According to Gul, the decision process will be as follows: the consensus reached at the recent Iraq summit at the Prime Ministry will be relayed to Sezer, and he will offer his opinions; Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chief of General Staff Hilmi Ozkok and President Sezer will then review the latest related developments, likely during a round-table at the Presidential Residence; if the meeting produces agreement on the deployment, a proposal to send troops will be brought to Cabinet and preparation for a deployment bill will begin.

Gul stressed that the meetings are for evaluation, not decision. He pointed out that the Prime Ministry summit evaluated the deployment both in military and political terms. He added that when a clear and concise decision had been reached, the public would be told what it was.

Gul emphasized that the US and regional countries shared Turkey’s views regarding Iraq’s territorial integrity. Upon being questioned about the US request for Turkey to reach a deployment decision as soon as possible, Gul replied that there was no time pressure. He said, "Turkey is an independent country. It will evaluate the subject using its institutions and reach its own decision."