No US troops without aid deal, says Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister Mr Yasar Yakis said this afternoon that Turkey would not open its territory to US troops without an …

Turkish Foreign Minister Mr Yasar Yakis said this afternoon that Turkey would not open its territory to US troops without an agreement on financial aid to help cover the cost of any war with Iraq.

The United States wants urgent Turkish approval of plans to set up a "northern front" against Baghdad from Turkey's southern border, but Ankara fears it may not be adequately recompensed for its support.

"The question of whether or not we send the proposal [to parliament] will come onto the agenda only after an agreement. I can't give a time because first we have to reach an agreement," Mr Yakis said.

Mr Yakis met US President George W. Bush last week in Washington, where the president presented the package the United States was offering.

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Parliament speaker Mr Bulent Arinc said earlier today that the government would not present a proposal allowing US troops to parliament on Tuesday, when the United States had hoped it would be given the go-ahead for its pre-war plans.