TURKEY: Government mulls second vote on US troop deployment

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Att.Editors: The following item is from the Qatar News Agency (QNA)

ANKARA, Mar 10 2003 (IPS) - The Justice and Development (AK) Party is consulting with the government the viability of presenting another motion to the Parliament in the hope of winning a vote on the deployment of US troops in Turkish territories, Turkish Foreign Minister Yashar Yakish disclosed.

With the passage of time, things are getting clearer and easier for the government to take the right decision, he said.

In statements aired over Ankara radio today, Yakish made it clear that Turkey will not join a war against Iraq, but do every thing possible to prevent the war from being diverted into a war against the national interests of Turkey.

Pressures would neither speed up nor slow down any possible new memorandum, he said.

Ankara and Washington maintain good understanding, they respect one another, he said.