round and round we go...
Turkish Lawmakers May Reconsider American Presence
nytimes.com
ANKARA, Turkey, March 2 — Under intense American pressure, a senior Turkish official indicated today that his government would ask Parliament a second time to allow American troops to use the country as a base against Iraq, a day after lawmakers here rejected such a plan.
Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said after a marathon meeting of senior officials that his government would take a resolution to Parliament later this week, after the government completes an assessment of the first vote.
"The process will be completed, and then it will come," Mr. Yakis said, referring to a new resolution.
He offered no details, but several Turkish officials said the government had spent much of the day debating whether to try again to secure Parliament's approval for bringing as many as 62,000 American troops into the country. On Saturday, Parliament rejected the measure by three votes.
The defeat shocked American officials, who had been assured by Turkish leaders that Parliament would pass the measure. The first indications that the Turkish officials might seek a new vote followed a telephone call today to the Turkish prime minister, Abdullah Gul, from Secretary of State Colin L. Powell.
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