[A-List] Turkey allows US to use its territory

["Sabri Oncu" <soncu@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.turkishpress.com/turkishpress/news.asp?ID=9784

General Staff: A Total Of 204 Unarmed Hummers Have Been
Transferred To Northern Iraq

Anadolu Agency: 4/2/2003

ANKARA - The General Staff stated on Wednesday, "a total of 204
unarmed Hummers, which were brought to Turkey for site
preparation, have been transferred to northern Iraq for last few
days. There have not been any weapon or equipment transferred to
the region."

Releasing a statement, the General Staff Information Center said,
"there were news stories in some press organs claiming that
military equipment had been transferred from Turkey to northern
Iraq."

"It is known that the United States had begun sending some
military vehicles and equipment, which were brought to Turkey for
site preparation, to certain regions after the second motion was
rejected by the parliament. There is not any opportunity of using
204 unarmed Hummer vehicles which were brought to Turkey for site
preparation. These vehicles have been transferred to northern
Iraq for last few days. Transfer of any weapon or equipment to
the region is out of question. Meanwhile, transfer of Hummers is
not related with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit and
his contacts in Ankara," the statement added.

(UK-MS) 02.04.2003

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http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en21375&F


Headline: Turkey allows US to use its territory: Supplies for
troops in Northern Iraq -- Detail Story

ANKARA: US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday secured
Turkish logistical support for US operations in northern Iraq,
and again warned Ankara against sending troops over the border
into the Kurdish-held region.

"We have solved all the outstanding issues with respect to
providing supplies through Turkey to those units" in northern
Iraq, Mr Powell told reporters at a joint news conference with
Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul.

The agreement came after weeks of bilateral tension triggered by
the Turkish parliament's refusal last month to allow the
deployment of 62,000 US soldiers to open a "northern front"
against Iraq - a move that, military strategists say, might have
helped to shorten the war and minimize casualties.

Mr Powell said Washington was "disappointed" by the rejection,
but he described Turkey as an "important member" of the coalition
against President Saddam Hussein and praised its decision to open
its airspace to US planes.

A senior Turkish official said the agreement between the two
sides included the passage of humanitarian aid through Turkey, as
well as food, medical supplies and fuel supplies for the US
troops airlifted or parachuted into northern Iraq.

Turkey is also allowing wounded US soldiers to be treated in
Turkey, the official said on condition of anonymity. However,
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters later that
supplies to US forces would not include weapons or ammunition.

The announcements came after Mr Powell met President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer, Erdogan, Gul and army chief Hilmi Ozkok to resolve the two
countries differences over Iraq.

The two sides have agreed on an "early warning process" to inform
each other of any possible problem situation in northern Iraq,
and will set up a "coordination committee" to work out how to
respond to such a situation, he said.

Mr Powell, who arrived in Turkey late Tuesday, left on Wednesday
afternoon for Belgrade where he was to express support for the
Balkan country following the assassination last month of prime
minister Zoran Djindjic.

After a brief stopover, he was to travel on to Brussels for
discussions on Thursday on Iraq with NATO and EU ministers.

US ARMY JEEPS: The Turkish army said on Wednesday that some 200
US army jeeps were crossing into northern Iraq after the Turkish
parliament refused to allow the deployment of US troops here.

A statement from the general staff said that the 204 unarmed
Hummer jeeps had been sent to Turkey within the framework of
Ankara's permission for the United States to upgrade Turkish air
bases and ports in preparation of a war against Iraq.

"In line with the approval of a request by the US, these vehicles
have been in shipment to northern Iraq for sometime in batches,"
the army statement read. "No other weapons, military supplies or
equipment have been shipped," it added.

The army statement coincided with a one-day visit to Ankara by US
Secretary of State Colin Powell, during which the two sides
agreed on the transfer of supplies to US troops in northern Iraq
through Turkey. But the general staff denied that the shipment of
the jeeps was related to Mr Powell's trip.

The United States was forced to airlift troops to Kurdish-held
northern Iraq after Ankara rebuffed Washington's demands for its
troops to use Turkish territory as a launching pad for attacks on
Iraq. Turkey later opened its airspace to US warplanes for
overflights.