Turkey allows Americans to inspect bases for campaign
The Bush administration has become increasingly frustrated by Turkey’s reluctance to take part in a possible US-led campaign to topple Saddam Hussein.
Turkey played a pivotal role in the 1991 Gulf war when it opened its bases to US and British aircraft launching bombing raids against Iraqi targets and is virtually certain to do so once again in the event of another war.
But this time, Washington is asking Turkey to allow the deployment of about 80,000 US ground troops, who would cross Turkish territory into Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq.
Britain made a similar request when Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, visited Turkey this week. It is expected to be announced next week that British ground troops are deploying to the region, but it remains unclear whether they will go to Turkey, Kuwait or Jordan.
The increase in allied air raids in southern Iraq has not been mirrored in the northern no-fly zone, where authorisation for every raid has to be sought from the Turkish Defence Ministry.
Turkey’s powerful armed forces harbour deep suspicions over US plans for the future of some three million Iraqi Kurds in northern Iraq. They fear that under US protection the Iraqi Kurds would be allowed to form an independent state that would serve as a magnet for Turkey’s already restive 12 million Kurds.
Although Washington has repeatedly dismissed such claims, saying it is committed to preserving Iraq’s territorial integrity, it has failed to sway the generals. They are reported to be insisting that Turkish troops should lead any operation in the north, one that would be strictly non-offensive and aimed at stemming a potential mass exodus of refugees. According to recent opinion polls, some 90 per cent of Turks are opposed to Turkish participation in a war against Iraq.That is one of the arguments being put forward by Turkey’s newly elected government, formed by the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party. Turkey says it cannot commit itself to any war effort until United Nations weapons inspectors issue their final report on Iraq at the end of this month and the UN authorises the use of force against Baghdad. But US officials counter that they need to have Turkey on board now in order to complete their military planning and that the end of January "is simply too late", as one diplomat put it.
Turkey also has powerful economic arguments against a war, saying it has lost as much as £55 billion worth of trade with Iraq. It is reported that the Bush administration has offered up to £9 billion in soft loans to Turkey in compensation for losses arising out of another war. Washington also played a key role in securing £20 billion in international loans to rescue Turkey from a two-year recession.
