Turkey fails to open airspace

BBC News, 21 March 2003 10:28:15

Turkey has delayed opening its airspace to US aircraft because of disagreements over its military role in northern Iraq.

The Turkish parliament gave consent for the overflights on Thursday, but overnight talks between US and Turkish officials failed to resolve key issues.

We have taken a break in talks with the US because there are snags both concerning airspace use and movement of Turkish troops into Iraq, a Foreign Ministry official told the Associated Press news agency.

The US does not want Turkish forces to enter Iraq, fearing possible clashes with the local Kurdish forces.

Large numbers of Turkish troops are reported to have massed on the border.

No compensation

Press reports say some units have already crossed over.

The US originally asked Turkey to grant permission for 62,000 of its troops to use the country as a launchpad for an attack on Iraq.

Turkey would have received a multi-billion-dollar compensation package in return.

US officials say the financial package has now been withdrawn.

Turkey wants to send troops into Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq in order to stem a potential tide of refugees and prevent the Kurds forming a separate state.

The US has said its forces will manage the refugee problem, and take control of the Kirkuk and Mosul oilfields just south of the Kurdish-controlled area.

No refuelling

However, BBC correspondent Jonny Dymond says that until Turkey opens its airspace, the US is unable to lift troops or equipment to the area.

Turkish officials say that the agreement for US aircraft to overfly the country does not extend to allowing them to refuel at Turkish airbases.

The Cumhuriyet newspaper quotes a US official as saying: We are having difficulty understanding this.

Turkey has also said it does not want US and UK aircraft patrolling the UN no-fly zone over Iraq to take part in combat operations.