Turkey Has Not Committed to Supporting U.S. Actions

U.S. and Turkish officials are discussing Turkey's potential role in the event of a war with Iraq in Ankara. Paul Wolfowitz, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, told reporters today that he is confident Turkey will play a major role in any military operations related to Iraq. He mentioned that the U.S. might invest several hundred million dollars in Turkish air bases to equip and prepare them for U.S. military needs. Yesterday, Yasar Yakis, the Turkish Foreign Minister, stated that Turkey would allow U.S. military access to its airspace and bases, emphasizing that Turkey wants the United Nations Security Council to issue a resolution permitting the use of these bases against the Iraqi government. However, the Turkish Foreign Minister later issued a statement saying that Turkey has not committed to supporting U.S. actions. In response to a question about whether U.S. forces would be stationed in Turkey, he said it is hard to imagine tens of thousands of American soldiers being stationed on Turkish soil. He noted that the Turkish government would have difficulty justifying such a situation to the Turkish people. Paul Wolfowitz had stated yesterday that war with Iraq is not inevitable. He dismissed insinuations that if Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader, does not submit a complete list of his weapons programs by next Sunday as mandated by the UN Security Council, the U.S. would directly attack Iraq. Mr. Wolfowitz said the U.S. prefers to address the Iraq issue with as many of its allies involved as possible.