The United States has offered to help build Turkey's
first nuclear power plant.
Turkish and U.S. officials have discussed Ankara's plans to build up to
eight nuclear reactors for energy production. They said the Bush
administration has offered to help Ankara implement the project.
Over the last year, Turkey and the United States have claimed success in
restoring military relations which have been strained by the election of an Islamist-leaning government in Ankara which resisted U.S. efforts to use Turkish bases to mount its offensive on Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Now, the Bush administration has renewed efforts to use
Turkey as a base for reconnaissance operations against Iran, Middle East Newsline reported.
On Feb. 9, Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler met U.S. Energy Secretary
Samuel Bodman in Washington for a discussion on cooperation. Later, the two
men toured a nuclear reactor at Lake Anna, Va.
[In an unrelated development, the London-based Peninsular and Oriental
Steam Navigation voted for a $6.8 billion takeover by the United Arab
Emirates-based DP World. The vote would enable the Dubai firm to take over
operations of six leading ports in the United States.]
"The rise in petrol prices has also influenced our thinking on this
subject, as we see it is necessary to diversify resources and at the same
time secure the supplies," Guler said. "That is one of the driving forces
behind this visit and we want to put nuclear energy in our basket of supply
sources."