Perle: Turkey’s sending troop is not vital

WASHINGTON (AA) – US former Deputy Secretary of Defense Richard Perle said today that his personal opinion was different than Bush administration and the US not needed additional troops in Iraq.

Delivering a speech at American Enterprise Institute (AEI) on Turkey, Perle stated that if they would make Iraq an international area, the additional units would need help of the US.

He went on to say, "Bush administration asked for more troops in Iraq, less additional soldiers wouldn’t create problem there, but it is not a vital issue."

REFUSED PROPOSAL GETS BACK

Asked the future of Turkish-US relations following refusal of proposal that allowing US troops in Iraq, Perle responded that the issue was not such a big event to create a crisis between Ankara and Washington.

A Pentagon official in the Reagan administration, Perle says one of the most valuable lessons that should have been learned in the Iraq war is that the United States can handle the job alone.

"The ability to operate more or less independently, working only with those who are willing to join us, is of enormous political importance for the future," Perle stressed.