March 22, 2003	Saturday	Muharram 18, 1424

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ANKARA, March 21: Turkey has opened its airspace to US warplanes for operations against Iraq, Turkish Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul said late Friday on television.

“It has been determined that it is in Turkey’s interest to open Turkish air space. This decision was recently conveyed to the US secretary of state (Colin Powell) by our prime minister (Recep Tayyip Erdogan),” Gonul told reporters.

But he indicated that there was no deal yet on the possible dispatch of Turkish troops to northern Iraq, the core issue which held up agreement on opening Turkish airspace following Thursday’s parliamentary vote authorizing it.

He refused to say whether Turkish troops would enter northern Iraq, saying only that “the implementation of this decision will be finalized in meetings between our diplomats and the general staff...Talks are continuing on this issue.”—AFP