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Turk PM says US must wait for Iraq support decision
( 2002-12-31 17:00 ) (7 )

Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul was quoted on Tuesday as telling the United States not to expect a quick decision from its NATO ally on how much it would support a war on Iraq.

Gul told Turkish newspapers he planned to send a high-level delegation to neighbouring Iraq soon to press President Saddam Hussein to cooperate with United Nations resolutions.

US officials visited Turkey last week offering financial support and pushing for a clear stance from Ankara on how far it would back military action if Washington went to war over alleged weapons of mass destruction programmes.

Turkey, whose army is second to the United States in terms of numbers in NATO, would be an important logistic base in any Iraq war and could provide airbases, troops and other help.

Turkey, opposed to war but unwilling to offend its close ally, says it will make no decision until the results of UN arms inspections are clear in late January.

"Unfortunately there is frustration on this. We are trying to do this without breaking the china. As I said, we have a public and a parliament, but we can't offend America," the Hurriyet newspaper quoted Gul as saying.

"Of course they (the United States) say decide immediately. But we say 'you haven't decided yet so why do you expect us to rush?'

"Turkey is an open society. We have to inform parliament. For that we will hold a closed session of parliament in the coming days," he said.

Turkey sees possible war in its southeast neighbour as a threat to regional stability and to its own economy, recovering from a financial crisis in 2001 that shrunk it by 9.5 percent.

Gul said Ankara was doing all it could to prevent war and force Iraq to comply with the United Nations.

"In the coming days we will send a strong delegation at ministerial level to Iraq," he said.