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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

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To: Neocon who wrote (467798)10/1/2003 8:08:40 AM
From: zonder  Read Replies (2) of 769670
 
Remember, Turkey, a NATO ally, declined to give us staging privileges because of their fear of the Kurds

Turks fear the establishment of a Kurdish state at their borders that can reignite the nationalistic fervor of their own Kurdish population. If this were the only consideration, the winning strategy for Turkey would have been to support the US completely, in exchange for the promise that addresses this concern.

That was not the only concern.

Let us all remember that the government in power is "moderate religious" - sort of like the "Christian Democrats" of Europe. Helping the US invade another Muslim country would probably not only be against every fiber in their bodies, but, more importantly, constitute political suicide in the eyes of their electorate. Let us not forget more than 80% of the Turkish population fervently opposed this invasion, and half of those didn't even vote for this government.

Hence Turkish parliament refused to let deployment of US troops from their soil, despite the USD 30 bn grants & cheap loans the US dangled under their noses.
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