ANKARA Ñ Turkish officials said the U.S. refusal to discuss war plans has angered
both the military and government in Ankara. They the lack of details provided in recent talks has increased
Turkish suspicion of U.S. intentions concerning the future of Iraq and
whether a Kurdish state will be established in northern Iraq.
Ankara wanted a discussion of details of the U.S. war plan during
military talks over the last week with the United States. The talks included
Central Command chief Gen. Tommy Franks and Defense Department officials, Middle East Newsline reported.
But Turkey was not provided with any documents or significant details of
the expected U.S. offensive. Officials said Ankara wants to know what role
Turkish military bases would have in the offensive, the role of the Kurdish
allies of the United States in northern Iraq and the operation of Iraqi oil
fields after the toppling of the Saddam regime.
"We have not been briefed about this in the past and we are frustrated,"
a senior Turkish military source told the Ankara-based Turkish Daily News.
A Turkish official said the U.S. delegation kept assuring Ankara that
its interests would be considered and that any compensation request would be
examined. But the visiting U.S. delegations did not detail the Pentagon's
use of Turkish air bases or acknowledge that war against Iraq is a
certainty.
"On the one hand, President Bush states that the United States might
carry out a military operation at any moment," Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit
said. "On the other, he says that according to the United Nations, an
operation will be the last alternative."
The officials said Franks and his delegation sought to ensure Turkey's
contribution toward any war effort. They said they hope the level of details
will increase when Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok arrives in
Washington on Nov. 4.
Turkish Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu said neither Franks nor
his aides requested anything specific from Ankara. "The meetings were not
political in nature," Cakmakoglu said. Instead, the U.S. commanders
discussed military and technical issues with our officials."
Meanwhile, Turkey and the United States have continued joint training of
their air forces. On Thursday, the two countries, along with the United Arab
Emirates, conducted the "Anatolian Eagle" exercise in the central province
of Konya. Turkish sources said 54 warplanes participated in the exercise.