Turkey On Board Against Iraq

Turkey's foreign minister said Tuesday that his country would approve the U.S. use of military bases in Turkey if the United Nations approved military action against neighboring Iraq.

Yasar Yakis spoke as U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was in Turkey to lobby for Turkish support in an Iraq operation.

Yakis said Turkey was against a war, but "if it comes to that, then of course, we will cooperate with the United States because it's a big ally and we have excellent relations with the United States."

When asked to define cooperation, Yakis said, "the opening of air space, first of all, and the utilization of facilities in Turkey."

"The military authorities of the two countries are consulting on the assumption that such a cooperation may be necessary one day," Yakis said.

Turkey has repeatedly said any action in Iraq must have U.N. approval. Yakis said another U.N. resolution would be needed if there was to be a war in Iraq.

"The present resolution ... does not allow the automatic resorting to armed intervention," he said.

Ankara's support is considered crucial in any war. Turkey already hosts some 50 U.S. aircraft that patrol a no-fly zone over northern Iraq and its bases would be needed if Washington were to open a northern front against Iraq.

But mostly Muslim Turkey has been hesitant to commit to supporting any armed action. Turkey fears a war in Iraq would destabilize the region, harming its fragile economic recovery program and encouraging Kurdish nationalists in the border region who have battled the state for 15 years.

Yakis said Ankara would have trouble supporting a large U.S. presence. U.S. military planners have spoken of the possibility of sending large numbers of combat troops to Turkey to open up a northern front against Iraq.

"It may be difficult to see tens of thousands of American forces being transported through Turkish territory into Iraq or being stationed or deployed somewhere in Turkey and their carrying out strikes inside Iraq," he said.

Earlier, Wolfowitz did not answer directly when asked if the United States had asked for permission to station U.S. troops in Turkey during a possible war.

"Military and diplomatic planning must proceed because Saddam Hussein must see that we are serious ... that he is surrounded by the international community," Wolfowitz said.

"One thing we did talk about is the deep concern in Turkey about the condition of the Turkish economy," Wolfowitz told reporters after an earlier meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul.

"We're determined to support Turkey, whatever comes, to make sure that the Turkish economy continues to recover," Wolfowitz said. "If there is a crisis in this region, we know that Turkey is going to be one of the countries most affected and we want to make sure we deal with that."

Wolfowitz gave few specifics, but said Washington had been working with the International Monetary Fund, which has given Turkey US$16 billion in loans to help its economic recovery. Washington played a crucial role in helping Turkey secure the loans.

Turkey is concerned that a war in Iraq could lead Kurds in northern Iraq declaring a separate state, which could encourage Kurds in Turkey's southeast, where the military battled Kurdish guerrillas for 15 years in a fight that left 37,000 people dead.

As part of its strategy to win Turkish support, Washington has been pushing Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

"We've been doing everything that we can," Wolfowitz said.

The visit comes as U.N. weapons inspectors are working in Iraq to check for chemical, biological and nuclear arms.