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TITLE: Turkey Reproaches U.S. Over Iraq Attack |
AUTHOR: Elif Unal |
PUB: Reuters |
DATE: February 17, 2001 |
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Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit reproached NATO-ally Washington on Saturday for not informing Turkey beforehand over a U.S.-British aerial attack on Iraq on Friday. Ecevit, whose country has recently forged closer ties with Baghdad, urged the U.S. administration to consult with Ankara as soon as possible over the issue. U.S. and British aircraft attacked targets near Baghdad late on Friday and U.S. President George W. Bush said Washington would take "appropriate action" if Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein produced so-called weapons of mass destruction. "There are special ties between Turkey and the United States over the Iraq issue. The U.S. administration should have informed us beforehand," Ecevit said in remarks broadcast live on NTV news channel. Iraq said on Saturday that two civilians were killed and more than 20 others were wounded in the attacks. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said Turkey hoped such attacks on Iraq would not be repeated and he regretted the civilian casualties in the assault. "We hope such incidents do not happen again," Anatolian news agency quoted Cem as saying. Turkey hosts U.S-led warplanes at its southern Incirlik base that patrol a no-fly zone north of the 36th parallel to protect breakway northern Iraq from any attacks by Baghdad. In return, Turkish cross-border operations into the Kurdish-controlled enclave in pursuit of its own separatist Kurdish rebels receive tacit approval from its allies, most notably from the United States. Ecevit said Cem had met U.S. ambassador Robert Pearson and conveyed Turkey's concerns over the attack, but he himself had not contacted U.S. officials. "The American administration's re-assessment with Turkey over the Iraqi problem at the first opportunity will be beneficial. This a message we have sent to the U.S.," he said. "The Incirlik airbase cannot be used without our permission," said Ecevit in response to a question about whether Turkey would allow the use of the base if the attacks go on. Turkey, which has joined forces with Western powers against Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War, last month restored diplomatic ties with Iraq to ambassadorial level. The NATO-member country's move drew criticism from Washington, potentially casting shadow on Turkish -U.S. cooperation against the Baghdad administration. Ankara complains that it does not receive adequate compensation for losses to the Turkish economy arising from the U.N. sanctions. Iraq was Turkey's top crude oil supplier and third biggest trading partner before the imposition of U.N. sanctions. END |