This probably means no war:
msnbc.com
Turkey rejects U.S. troop plan
Vote nullified after opposition objects
Turkish Prime minister Abdullah Gul, left, Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis, right, Justice minister Cemil Cicek, center, and Interior minister Abdulkadir Aksu discuss the measure to allow U.S. troops at the parliament meeting on Saturday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANKARA, Turkey, March 1 — In a serious blow to U.S. plans for a possible war with Iraq, Turkey’s parliament speaker nullified the legisature’s vote Saturday to allow deployment of 62,000 U.S. combat troops to open a northern front against Iraq.
SPEAKER BULENT ARINC voided the vote on constitutional grounds, ruling that a majority of legislators present had not voted in favor. Arinc then closed parliament until Tuesday.
The vote was 264-250 with 19 abstentions, four short of a simple majority.
Washington reserved comment in the immediate aftermath of the see-saw action. But with ships carrying U.S. tanks waiting off Turkey’s coast for deployment, the bill’s rejection was likely to esclalate tensions with the United States.
The Bush adminstration had expected an approval from Turkey, a NATO member and historically strong U.S. ally. In exchange, Washington promised $15 billion in loans and grants to cushion the Turkish economy from the impact of war.
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Still, Turkey’s governing party, the Islamic-influenced Justice and Development Party, had difficulty selling the unpopular measure to its public and to many lawmakers.
‘WILL OF THE PEOPLE’
• Deployments
Polls show as much as 94 percent of the Muslim-dominated Turkish public opposes a war with Iraq. Before the vote, 50,000 Turks staged an anti-war rally near parliament as 4,000 police stood guard. They chanted “No to War” and “We don’t want to be America’s soldiers.” Some carried banners that read: “The people will stop this war.”
After the speaker nullified the vote, hundreds of Turks celebrated in the streets, shouting anti-U.S. slogans.
“We have always said that they cannot carry out policies despite the will of the people,” said Mehmet Agar, the leader of the True Path Party and the party’s only lawmaker in parliament. “They have created a crisis of confidence.”
The motion would have empowered Turkey’s government to authorize the basing of up to 62,000 troops, 255 warplanes and 65 helicopters. In preparation, Washington has thousands of tons of military equipment ready to unload at the southern Turkish port of Iskenderun.
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Using bases in Turkey would allow the U.S. military to open a possible northern front against Iraq and divide Saddam Hussein’s army. Turkish and U.S. generals say the strategy would lead to a quicker and less bloody war.
“President Bush has no chance now of carrying out his war plans,” said Sedat Ergin, a commentator for Hurriyet newspaper. “These plans will be pushed back.”
Hours before the decision, party’s leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan had met with his legislators in a final effort to persuade them to back the U.S. deployment. The party had already bought more time for lobbying by postponing the vote from Thursday to Saturday, fearing the motion did not have enough support. |
