Betrayal: How the Clinton Administration Undermined American Security - EXCERPTS By Bill Gertz Support World Tribune.com. Purchase "Betrayal" online at a discount.

Turkey sees U.S. huddle with Iraqi opposition as threat

ANKARA [MENL] -- Turkey is concerned over the meetings between Iraqi opposition leaders and U.S. officials.

Officials said the concern is that a U.S.-funded Iraqi opposition effort to topple President Saddam Hussein would come at Ankara's expense. One scenario they are raising is that the Clinton administration and Congress will ask Turkey to limit or suspend its campaign against Kurdish separatists in the southeast.

Ankara, officials said, was unhappy that it was ignored in the current meetings of the Iraqi National Congress with U.S. Congress and senior U.S. officials.

On Tuesday, the Hurriyet daily quoted Shazad Saib, representative of the Kurdistan Patriotic Union, as saying that Turkey would be also used as a base to help overthrown Saddam.

U.S. officials said the Clinton administration plans to release some of the $97 million allocated to the Iraqi opposition in July but won't provide it with military help to topple President Saddam Hussein. They said the aid would begin to the Iraqi opposition after the leadership convenes a meeting in northern Iraq. The meeting is expected to decide on strategy and organizational structure.

"We're not prepared to take action that is premature or that puts people's lives needlessly at risk," State Department James Rubin said, explaining the U.S. refusal to provide military aid. "There are a number of steps that have to be taken before we're in a position to provide lethal assistance."