ANKARA, Turkey — The head of Turkey's powerful military said Wednesday that the army backed the deployment of U.S. troops in Turkey for a possible war in Iraq.
Gen. Hilmi Ozkok said the military respected parliament's rejection Saturday of a motion to allow in the U.S. troops, but stressed that allowing the United States to open a northern front against Iraq would lead to a shorter war, would minimize casualties and U.S. support would help Turkey if there were economic fallout.
"Turkey is not capable of preventing the war on its own ... our choice is between bad and worse," Ozkok said.
Turkey's top political leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, indicated Tuesday that the government is planning to reintroduce the troop deployment bill to parliament and will press for its approval.
Members of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party said they expect the bill to be resubmitted in two or three weeks.
"The Turkish armed forces' view is the same as the government's," Ozkok said.
Ozkok said Turkey had received assurances from the United States regarding Turkey's security and financial concerns, adding that he hoped the issue would be solved in the coming days.
The United States has offered Turkey a $15 billion aid package if parliament approves the deployment of 62,000 troops.
A potential Iraq war is extremely unpopular in Turkey, but many Turks fear the country will lose that aid if it snubs the United States.
Turkey also stands to lose a say in the future of northern Iraq if it does not back Washington.
The military is extremely powerful and influential in Turkey. Military officers have led three coups since 1960.
Turkish Military Head Backs U.S. Troops
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