Turkey opposes strike against Iraq

BBC. 17 July 2002

ANKARA -- Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has restated his government's opposition to any US-led military intervention in Iraq.

"It is possible to ameliorate the situation... without military action and we have explained our concerns to the United States," he told the BBC.

He was speaking after talks in Ankara with US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz.

"We want to have good relations with all our neighbours - among them Iraq of course," Mr Ecevit said.

"I believe that also many countries in the region and the United States and possibly the United Kingdom want to solve the so-called Iraqi problem without military action," he added.

Turkey, a key US ally in Nato and a base for US and British aircraft patrolling the air exclusion zone over northern Iraq, would be crucial to any major operation.

The base at Incirlik, in south-eastern Turkey, is the only established US Air Force forward-operating base in the region.

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