The termination process took place as Congress was quietly warning
Ankara of an arms cutoff. Officials said House and Senate leaders said
Turkey's drift from the West and hostility toward Israel could torpedo
billions of dollars worth of weapons requests by Ankara.
Officials said the U.S. defense mission in Ankara recommended the
termination of the FMF program for Turkey in 2009. They said the mission
concluded that Turkey could pay for its multi-billion-dollar military
modernization program without direct American aid.
The State Department has approved the phase-out of FMF for Turkey.
Officials said the department also approved a recommendation by the
mission to increase aid to Turkey for military education and training to $5
million in 2011.
The U.S. military has been paying Turkey tens of millions of dollars for
use of the Air Force base at Incirlik in the south. The U.S. Air Force has
employed Incirlik for non-combat missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf.
Officials said a key element in the decision to terminate Turkey's
participation in FMF was the requirement by Ankara for coproduction and
technology transfer for weapons deals. They said the State Department and
Defense Department have been unable to meet Ankara's demands, thus losing
contracts for American companies to their European counterparts.
The State Department has also been overseeing an export control program
in Turkey. Officials said the program was meant to bolster Turkey's
abilities to identify and seize contraband and suspected weapons of mass
destruction.
"This program is a must because Turkey sits between two of the biggest
WMD proliferators in the world," the official, referring to Iran and Syria,
said.
ShareThis
