The U.S. cancellation was relayed to Ankara in August in wake of
Turkey's refusal to invite Israel to Anatolian Eagle. Officials said Turkey
was under pressure from Congress to invite Israel or boycott the exercise,
held as many as three times a year since 2001.
Anatolian Eagle-2010 was scheduled to take place in October. The U.S.
Air Force already participated in the previous editions in April and June
2010.
The Turkish military has not confirmed the U.S. cancellation of
Anatolian Eagle. But the Ankara-based Hurriyet daily quoted a U.S. embassy
spokeswoman as saying that the Oct. 11-22 exercise was a national rather
than a NATO-aligned drill.
"We were part of the planning conferences for Anatolian Eagle 10/3," the
spokeswoman said. "However, there were no other international participants
and because our aircraft were assigned for other missions, we will not be
able to participate in the exercise."
The embassy spokeswoman said the U.S. Air Force has been planning a
conference for Anatolian Eagle. So far, no other foreign country has relayed
its agreement to participate in the October exercise.
Officials said the Turkish General Staff has been banned from inviting
Israel to Anatolian Eagle or any other major military exercise. They said
the decision was relayed by the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan
after the Israeli war with Hamas in January 2009.
Washington was said to have reduced defense relations with Ankara in
2010 amid Turkey's rapproachment with neighboring Iran and Syria. Officials
said the United States has ended military assistance to Turkey while
Congress
was withholding Ankara's weapons requests.
Turkey and the United States, however, have maintained a strategic
dialogue, particularly through its military command. On Sept. 3, Adm.
Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, was scheduled to
arrive in Ankara to meet Turkey's new military chief, Gen. Isik Kosaner.
"We haven't set any agenda items," U.S. embassy spokeswoman Deborah
Guido said. "They will talk about issues in the region."
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