Airspace Vote In Turkey Imminent

Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said Thursday he opposed the United States' "unilateral" strike on Iraq, the Anatolia news agency reported.

The announcement comes hours before Turkey's parliament was expected to vote on a resolution that would open up Turkey's airspace to U.S. warplanes.

The government has asked parliament to grant the United States the right to fly military planes over Turkey in the war against Iraq, a delayed measure that falls short of Washington's initial request to station 62,000 ground troops in Turkey.

A vote was expected Thursday afternoon, hours after the United States fired cruise missiles and dropped bombs on Iraq in an attack that was aimed at - but missed - Saddam Hussein.

Sezer said he did not think "the United States' unilateral action is right," Anatolia said.

Anatolia quoted Sezer as saying that he maintained his position that any strike on Iraq should be carried out with "international legitimacy."

Sezer, who is largely a figurehead, has long advocated a peaceful solution to the crisis with Iraq and has said any military action should be backed by a U.N. resolution.

The government proposal would allow U.S. warplanes based in Europe or the United States to cross Turkey to strike Iraq. The United States could also use Turkish airspace to transport troops into northern Iraq.

The proposal would not, however, allow U.S. planes to use Turkish air bases or refuel in Turkey.

The United States also would not be able to use Incirlik air base, a sprawling facility that houses 50 U.S. fighters used to patrol a no-fly zone over Iraq. In the event of a war, fighters at Incirlik would apparently not be able to fly missions over Iraq.

The United States for months has been pressing Turkey, NATO's only Muslim member, to base the American troops to open a northern front against Iraq.

By four votes, the Turkish Parliament refused to allow the troops into the country in a March 1 vote that stunned U.S. military planners.

But as the date for an Iraq war drew closer, Washington requested the urgent use of Turkish airspace for overflights.

War in Iraq is extremely unpopular in Turkey. As a result, the government of new Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has delayed putting the request before parliament again.

Turkish officials have not ruled out a motion on allowing in U.S. troops at a later date.

"At the moment what they want is the airspace," said Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, who returned from talks in Washington. "We will see what other requests they may have later."

Turkey's shaky markets tumbled Wednesday after the government confirmed that the decision to allow airspace rights would not revive a $15 billion aid package Washington had offered in return for troop-basing rights. Istanbul's benchmark IMKB-100 index was steadier Thursday, losing 1 percent in early trading after the United States said it would nevertheless continue supporting Turkey's economic recovery program.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said overflights are routinely granted without provisions of economic assistance and that the United States expects the overflights above Turkey "will be handled in that manner."

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, Wednesday asking that British warplanes also be allowed to use the Turkish airspace, the Anatolia news agency reported. Gul said a decision on the issue would come after the parliamentary vote.

The resolution also would allow Turkish troops to enter Iraq if there is a war. The government has said Washington had agreed to that in principle.

U.S. officials have said Washington is opposed to a unilateral Turkish incursion in northern Iraq. White House special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad held two days of talks with Turkish and Iraqi opposition officials to try to convince Turks to stay out of northern Iraq — parts of which are Kurdish autonomous territories.

Turkey is concerned about an influx of refugees as well as Iraqi Kurds seeking independence and encouraging similar aspirations among its large Kurdish population.