Grossman: Government Was Sincere, but..

Saying that Wolfowitz’s statements were very important and needed to be taken seriously, Grossman said that although a note requesting approval to deploy U.S. troops in Turkey was rejected by parliament, nobody could act as if nothing had happened. Grossman commented that the fate of the parliamentary note was the result of democracy, differing significantly from Wolfowitz’s critical remarks. He also admitted that Washington’s persistent requests and date changes had contributed to the final fate of the parliamentary note. He added that it was wrong to think Turkish-U.S. relations had ended, adding that the relationship should be maintained in a useful manner for both sides.

While Grossman, like Wolfowitz, reiterated the disappointment over the rejected note that lingers in Washington, observers noted that he did not hold the government responsible for the March 1 crisis sparked by parliament’s decision to reject the deployment request. "I think the Turkish government went to parliament to win, not to lose; however, it was unable to [win]." The U.S. diplomat implied that there was no resentment against the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.