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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-600987,00.html [After a few phone calls from Washington and Brussels, no doubt.] The Times (London) March 6, 2003 Turkish general backs US >From Suna Erdem in Istanbul -"With a northern front, the war will be short. The pain will be less,” General Ozkok said. “If we don’t take part, we will suffer the same damage, but it won’t be possible to get compensation for the losses we suffer . . . or for us to have a say afterwards.” Turkey's powerful military intervened yesterday to break the deadlock over Washington’s request to open a northern front on Iraq through Turkish soil, lending its support to a possible new parliamentary vote allowing US troop deployment. It remains to be seen, however, whether a rare public statement by General Hilmi Ozkok, the Chief of General Staff, which also included a veiled warning against Iraqi Kurdish independence, is too late for an impatient US keen to begin an assault on President Saddam Hussein. “The Turkish Armed Forces’ view is the same as the Government’s and is reflected in the motion our Government sent to parliament. With a northern front, the war will be short. The pain will be less,” General Ozkok said. “If we don’t take part, we will suffer the same damage, but it won’t be possible to get compensation for the losses we suffer . . . or for us to have a say afterwards.” The military’s views could sway MPs. General Ozkok’s statement was welcomed by Abdullah Gul, the Prime Minister, whose Government failed by three votes on Saturday to secure parliamentary approval for a deployment of up to 62,000 US troops. The military had failed to give explicit backing before that vote and General Ozkok’s statement strengthens the likelihood of the Government introducing and passing a new motion on Sunday. The general also told Iraqi Kurds that Turkey would intervene to stop any breakaway. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bdn7KI.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. FREE! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/create/index2.html ==^================================================================
