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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (75855)	2/20/2003 1:39:32 AM
From: Sig	Respond to of 281500

Ok Nadine, since you mentioned Turkey.........................: I was a bit concerned about Turkey's defense , being on a border to Iraq, but it seems they are well prepared for conventional warfare or threats with lots of US equipment. homepage.tinet.ie In the Gulf war they joined the Coalition only on the first day of activities, so would expect them "come around" about the same relative time Using so much US equipment means they are accustomed to dealing here and can go only so far in asking for more US$'s without being penalized on later contracts It seems the major threat Turkey faces is the same for any country near Iraq- the WMD's that no nearby country could wish him to have A hidden missile site easily positioned within range, an innocent-looking railroad tank car or truck loaded with biological weapons which could even now be on the Turkish side of the border. Turkey would much like a written contract that we would help pay for any resulting hurt from those, but the funding must be approved by Congress to do that which takes weeks. If a war started I suppose approval would be expedited tho Sig The amount of planning, and the political alignments behind this effort boggles the mind. Pork is even being redistributed in the US. As Bush mentioned, if you are not for us, you are against us. Thats also a warning to US companies involved in Military/ government contractors who try to make outrageous profits.

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (75855)	2/20/2003 1:47:33 AM
From: paul_philp	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Nadine, Turky came on board 24-hours before GulfWar1.0. They will be on board this time. Like the joke says, having determined they are whores we are just negotiating price. I'm guessing something like [Turkey_Last_Offer + US_Last_Offer]/2. Paul

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (75855)	2/20/2003 1:55:48 AM
From: NickSE	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 281500

U.S. Is Pessimistic Turks Will Accept Aid Deal on Iraq nytimes.com WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 — White House officials sounded pessimistic today that their offer of $26 billion in aid to Turkey would be enough to win the country's approval for the United States to open a northern front against Iraq if war comes. [....] In private, though, administration officials were fuming, with one senior official calling the Turkish efforts to hold out for more aid — and perhaps access to oil from the Kirkuk region of Iraq — as "extortion in the name of alliance." Another said that despite a stream of aid from the United States, "the Turks seem to think that we'll keep the bazaar open all night." "There comes a moment when plans must be made, decisions must be made," the White House spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said today, adding that negotiation "cannot stretch on indefinitely." [...] Still, an administration official said other issues were in contention in negotiating with the Turks — namely, the future of the Turkish military presence in northern Iraq and the Turkish desire for some oil concession at Kirkuk in Iraq. "The Turks want to control the operation at Kirkuk, at a minimum through a pipeline," the official said. "That's in a way a better deal for them than American aid." But Mr. Bush and his aides have often said Iraq's oil is for the benefit of the Iraqi people, and they realize that any discussion of guaranteeing access to the oil to Turkey — or any other nation — would make it appear that the war is about oil rights, not weapons of mass destruction. The official said giving Turkey guarantees was impossible "without breaking an awful lot of crockery," including "looking disingenuous to our Kurdish friends" in northern Iraq. If talks with Turkey fail to turn around, the Pentagon would have to divert ships full of troops and equipment that are approaching Turkey's coast. American officials said they would send those ships to the Persian Gulf if they did not have a Turkish decision Turks by the end of week. [...]