US lawmakers on Tuesday, October 2, said it was time to improve cooperation with Turkey, a key ally in Washington's global war on terrorism, and urged forgiving Ankara's five billion dollar military debt.
"They have been unwavering in their support" of the United States, explained Republican Representative Curt Weldon as he briefed journalists on his recent trip to Turkey, Russia and Italy.
"We were there to let them know that Turkey in fact is playing a critical role for the United States" as it prepares to strike against Taliban-ruled Afghanistan in response to September's terrorist attacks that left around 5,700 people dead on US soil.
The five billion in Foreign Military Financing debt dates from two decades ago when the United States was giving loans to Turkey for the purchase of US arms and equipment. If approved, wiping the debt from the books would be significant for Ankara, which faces dire financial conditions, and a significant concession by the US Congress.
Weldon also recommended that some $10-$20 million in development assistance to a post-Taliban Afghanistan be "funneled through" Turkey. "As they already have modest humanitarian aid programs in United Front zones of Afghanistan, they would be willing to be a facilitator of US aid," he said.
Turkey, whose population is 99 percent Muslim but whose government is strictly secular, is a staunch pro-western ally at a strategically important juncture between the volatile Middle East, the Caucasus and the Balkans.
Ankara has said that its airspace and airports would be at the disposal of US transport planes if necessary and that it would provide Washington with intelligence on Afghanistan. Weldon headed a delegation of 11 congressmen to Moscow, Rome and Ankara, where they met with high-level Turkish military officials and diplomats over the US-initiated campaign against terrorism that Ankara has pledged to back.
Weldon also called for greater intelligence cooperation and establishing a Congress-to-Parliament working group with Turkey. Turkish Economy Minister Kemal Dervis said here Monday that his country would adhere to an International Monetary Fund austerity program aimed at restoring market stability following a financial crisis that erupted in the early part of the year. The IMF has pledged assistance to Turkey in the amount of $19 billion. ― (AFP, Washington)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
