WHEW... The war (against Iraq) is OVER!!!!
December 12, 2002
U.S. Plans for Full Turkey Access Lose Ground
A top official refuses to commit to extensive military support amid signs that Bush's bid to speed Islamic nation's entry into EU is failing.
By Paul Richter, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON -- American plans for moving large numbers of ground troops through Turkey in the event of a war with Iraq seemed in jeopardy Wednesday amid growing signs that President Bush's efforts to bring Turkey quickly into the European Union are failing.
Despite the president's personal lobbying campaign, the European Union is expected at a summit today and Friday to reject Turkey's request for quick entry into the organization. Anticipating this outcome, angry Turkish officials have warned this week that a snub from Europe will make it difficult for them to give extensive military support for a war that most of their citizens would oppose. U.S. officials have said that the preferred war plan for Iraq depends on being able to move troops through Turkey.
The problems emerged Tuesday, when Bush was unable at a White House meeting to persuade Turkey's top political leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to commit to providing the U.S. military the access it wants, a U.S. official said. Erdogan held his ground, though Bush was "angry" and "frustrated," the official said.
And U.S. hopes that the European Union might treat Turkey more favorably were damaged when the Turkish press reported Wednesday that Bush had again criticized the government of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to Erdogan.
The Germans, who have angered the administration by repeatedly criticizing U.S. policy toward Iraq, are the most important obstacle to an early Turkish entry into the EU.
U.S. officials have been conducting a concerted campaign to win Turkish permission to stage a military invasion from Turkey into northern Iraq in the event of a war. If the United States wants to invade northern Iraq, "there is no other option," Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz said last week during a trip to Turkey. On that trip, Wolfowitz expressed optimism that the Turks would agree to U.S. requests.
U.S. forces have already been making extensive use of Turkish air bases, including the huge base at Incirlik, since the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
[...]
latimes.com
But hey, don't despair! Judeofascists still have a joker to play --the assassination of George W. Bush.... |
