Turks Will Allow U.S. Overflights
A senior State Department official said Friday the U.S. and Turkey had reached agreement for the American military to use Turkish airspace to get troops and equipment into northern Iraq.
Secretray Of State Colin Powell got the OK from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan by telephone, reports CBS News Correspondent Charles Wolfson.
Turkey had delayed opening its airspace to U.S. warplanes, insisting the United States agree to its demands to move troops into northern Iraq.
"It has been established that the opening of Turkish airspace is in line with Turkish interests," Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said.
The agreement on overflights is not tied to Turkey's desire to send its own troops into northern Iraq, said the senior official. Discussions on that issue continue.
The Turkish Foreign Minister said on record Friday that Turkish troops would enter Northern Iraq when they wanted to, reports CBS News Correspondent Allen Pizzey in northern Iraq.
The U.S. would prefer Turkey not do that. The Turks say they need to send their forces into northern Iraq to prevent Kurdish refugees from entering Turkey.
Powell earlier Friday chided Turkey for dragging its feet on the issue, saying "we don't see any need for any Turkish incursions into northern Iraq."
Allowing Turkish troops in northern Iraq would bring them into conflict with Kurdish guerillas there, reports Pizzey. The Kurds say they would welcome U.S. troops, but Turks would only be welcome if they were also under U.S. Control.
"Both Saddam and the Turks are enemies," a guerrilla fighter said.
Indeed the Kurdish guerrillas have spent as as much time fighting the Turks as they have each other and Saddam Hussein.
The Turks also fear that once Saddam is gone, the Kurds would establish an independent state. The Iraqi Kurds say that won't happen.
Turkey's parliament voted Thursday to allow the United States to use the airspace, a measure that would allow strike aircraft on carriers in the Mediterranean to fly more directly into Iraq. The United States could also use Turkish airspace to ferry troops into northern Iraq.
The United States also wants to use refueling aircraft at Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, but Turkey is balking, saying it is not part of the airspace agreement.
U.S. warplanes based in Incirlik have been used to patrol a no-fly zone over northern Iraq, and the refuelers were used as part of that mission.
Thursday's vote granting overflight rights followed intense lobbying by the United States, but fell far short of Washington's original request to send 62,000 soldiers to Turkey to open up a northern front against Iraq.
Polls show up to 94 percent of Turks are against a war, opposition that contributed to months of delays by Turkey's government. Parliament earlier this month failed to pass a resolution that would have let in U.S. ground troops for an Iraq invasion.
The United States had offered Turkey a package of $15 billion in loans and grants in exchange for letting in U.S. troops for a ground war. But the United States withdrew the aid package as war drew closer and it became clear that even if Turkey voted in favor, the military would not have time to bring in the units.