January 27, 2003	Monday	Ziqa’ad 23,1423

CAIRO, Jan 26: The leader of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has said that United States forces are already present in northern and southern Iraq, the London- based al-Hayat daily reported on Sunday.

In an interview with the paper from Davos, Switzerland, Erdogan also denied reports about US pressure on his country to open its military bases for use in the event of war on Iraq.

He also dismissed media reports that Washington was using promises of economic aid to blackmail Turkey into altering its stated position against any US-led military campaign against Iraq.

Erdogan said “negotiations were ongoing between us” but maintained that Turkey has not made any pledges regarding decisions pertaining to war. “We are awaiting the decision of the security council,” he was quoted as saying.

The Turkish leader further denied reports that his country has “completed preparations to deploy tens of thousands of troops in southern and northern Iraq” in anticipation of a war.

He said the US had reconnaissance aircraft in the area to implement its plans with American forces already in place in the south and north of the country.

passage for us troops: Turkey may allow about 20,000 US troops pass through the country on their way to Iraq but not to be stationed on its soil, the press reported Sunday, as thousands took to the streets urging Ankara to withhold support to Washington.

An agreement on the passage of troops, which would require approval from a largely reluctant parliament, has been reached in talks between Turkish and US military officials, the mass-circulation Milliyet daily reported without giving a source.

Under the deal, the daily said the US soldiers would arrive in Turkey by sea and travel to northern Iraq by land.

Military centres will be established along the border to provide logistical support for the passing troops, with coordination headquarters in Diyarbakir, it added.

Washington is reportedly planning to open a northern front against Baghdad in addition to an invasion from the south.

The deal was expected to be discussed on Friday at a regular monthly meeting of Turkey’s top decision-making body, the National Security Council which brings together the civilian and military leadership.

Turkey, the only Muslim member of NATO, says its “limited” support for a possible US-led war will depend on a separate UN Security Council resolution authorizing military action.

Prime Minister Abdullah Gul on Saturday renewed Turkey’s opposition to unilateral US moves against Iraq following talks with US Secretary of State Colin Powell in the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“We told him that we place importance on international legitimacy... that everything should be carried out within the framework of the United Nations,” Gul said.

Turkey fears that a war next door would hit its fragile economy and spark unrest among Kurds on both sides of the Turkish-Iraqi border.

The foreign ministers of six major Muslim countries convened in Istanbul last Thursday under a peace initiative by Ankara and issued a call on Baghdad to increase cooperation with UN arms inspectors.

But Turkey at the same has reluctantly opened talks with the US on its possible contributions to military moves, wary not to disappoint its number one ally.

A decision to open Turkish bases for use by the US air force or to host US troops on Turkish soil could be politically risky for the country’s leadership, which is facing a staunch public rejection of the war.

Anti-war demonstrations were held across the country Sunday, with activists accusing Ankara of hypocrisy for negotiating with Washington while expending diplomatic efforts for peace.

“If the government is genuinely against war it must immediately cut bargaining with the US and Britain,” a spokesman for protestors in Diyarbakir said in reference to a series of recent visits by US and British officials.—dpa/AFP