Turkey worries it may be excluded if it doesn’t send troops

Diplomatic sources recalled on Friday that new resolution of the U.N. Security Council permitted dispatch of foreign soldiers to Iraq and said that Turkey could be excluded when other countries sent soldiers to Iraq.

The sources said, "if everybody goes to Iraq, we may remain outside."

The new resolution added new facilities to the resolution no 1,483, the sources noted.

The sources stated that there was an article against terrorism in that resolution and defined that decision which foresaw Iraq’s territorial integrity and envisaged that Iraq should be left to the Iraqi people was "an important step taken in the right direction."

The sources said that in case Turkey did not send soldiers to Iraq, Pakistan and India would not send soldiers either.

Diplomatic sources implied that there was a communication problem with the Americans.

Stating that Turkey was waiting for a reply from the U.S. officials to start talks, the sources said that no reply had been given by the Americans yet.

The sources drew attention that U.S. officials were expressing views through press.

"The ball was in United States’ court," the sources said.

The sources noted that the United States should firstly persuade the Iraqi Interim Governing Council which was appointed by itself.

Pointing out that U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that it would take some time, the sources said that "they had difficulty in understanding the Americans in Iraq."

Diplomatic sources pointed out that there was no doubt that there was need for additional security measures in and around Turkey’s Embassy in Baghdad after a suicide attack had been staged against the embassy earlier this week.