Officials said the administration of President Barack Obama has rejected
a Turkish request for combat unmanned aerial vehicles as well as advanced
munitions. They said the administration's decision came after
consultations with Congress late last year.
"There has been deep suspicion of Turkey in the United States,
especially by Congress," an official said.
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So far, the Senate has blocked a Turkish request for the MQ-9 Reaper
combat UAV by General Atomics. Ankara first relayed the Reaper request in
late 2008, which encountered a cool reception from a Congress wary of
Turkish relations with Iran, Middle East Newsline reported.
"There's an effective arms embargo on some military products," a Turkish
diplomat said. "We don't envision a significant change with the new
Congress."
Officials said the Turkish arms requests would mark a priority on
Ankara's agenda with Washington in 2011. They said the government of Prime
Minister Recep Erdogan was heartened by Obama's appointment of Francis
Ricciardone to the post of ambassador in Ankara, which had been blocked by
the previous Congress.
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