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Turkish, US defence ministers to meet Sunday
Ankara (AFP) Oct 18, 2007 Turkish Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul and US Defence Secretary Robert Gates are to meet Sunday to discuss tensions between the two allies, Gonul was quoted as saying by Anatolia news agency. The meeting will take place in the sidelines of an international gathering in Kiev on Sunday. The talks will cover Turkey's threat to send troops to northern Iraq to strike at Kurdish rebels and a pending US Congressional vote on a resolution labelling the Ottoman massacres of Armenians as genocide, Gonul said. The Turkish parliament Wednesday authorised military operations in northern Iraq for a one-year period to hit bases of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PKK uses the region as a spingboard for attacks in Turkey. Ankara says the PKK -- listed as a terrorist group by much of the international community, including the US -- enjoys free movement in northern Iraq and even support from the Iraqi Kurds who govern the region. Turkish criticism of Washington, already under fire for not cooperating against the PKK, has increased after it emerged that US weapons given to Iraq have ended up in PKK hands. Washington strongly opposes a Turkish incursion, but has lost its leverage with Ankara because of endorsement last week by a House committee of the Armenian genocide resolution. Turkey has warned of reprisals if it is passed by the full House of Representatives. Turkish officials have signalled that Ankara could bar the United States from using the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, a key facility for transporting US cargo to Iraq and Afghanistan. Related Links Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century
Army recruiting, retention near the limit despite growth plans: general
Washington (AFP) Oct 18, 2007The US Army is reaching the limits of its ability to recruit and retain more troops even as it embarks on an ambitious program to increase the size of the force in three years, its personnel chief said Thursday. |
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