Turkey won't let U.S. attack Iran from its land

[katty]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3245382,00.html:

Turkey won’t let U.S. attack Iran from its land


Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Sunday that his country refused a request from the United States to attack Iran from its Air Force base in Incirlik, despite the U.S. offer of a nuclear reactor, according to a report in Al Biyan.


In an interview for the United Arab Emirates newspaper, Gul noted that America’s efforts to attack Iran are “imaginary” and that Turkey’s stance is “strategic” and refuses the use of its land for any belligerent activity against neighboring countries. (Roee Nahmias)


(04.30.06, 10:34)

[benburch]

1. If this is true we are in a WORLD of hurt.

My sources still say June 7th is the start of the War. I hope they are 100% wrong.

[katty]

2. yea,hope they're wrong and bush is cut-off at the knees,on Sat

Scott Ritter was at the LA Book Festival on an Iraq panel-with other notables. He stated that we are already at war with Iran, laying the groundwork...and that the actual war is around the corner (paraphrase)- unless Russian/China can throw a rope around bush.

[benburch]

5. That *is* why Hu was here.

He was here to threaten Bush.

[dipsydoodle]

3. Belligerent activity

What a truly wonderful choice of words to sum things up.

[saltpoint]

4. Dangling a nuke plant in front of Turkey so we can use its soil to launch

a mission to kill more people.

If this report is true, the Bush administration is completely evil.

[Bobbieo]

7. Can we blame Turkey for not wanting to get involved in this mess?

If the Divine Strake in Nevada on June 2nd is allowed to take place - the attack on Iran is inevitable

[skids]

6. Screw Turkey.

Now I think Iraq was a big mistake, and a horrendous overreach by the neocons, and for that matter a war crime.

And war with Iran would be an even bigger mistake, if that's at all possible.

But putting that aside for a second, stepping entirely out of my own character, and speaking from a purely hawkish perspective: They did this during the Iraq invasion as well. If neocons had any balls they would have split Iraq into three states in retaliation (and obviously this many years later with the internal strife there, there's a lot to be said for that barely considered alternative.) The Turks would have hated having an autonomous Kurdish state next door, but screw them, they get what they deserve, geopolitically. Why should we be so very nice to the sex trade capital of the world anyway? I mean, other than them being the apple of Hastert's eye...

[enid602]

8. too wrong

I'm hoping this is satire, or someone's idea of a sick joke. The idea of our offering a nuclear reactor to Turkey so we can invade Iran (supposedly to limit their nuclear ambitions) is just too wrong, and shows the length to which this administration will go to invade Iran at any cost.

[Poll_Blind]

13. This administration is flip mode. They're nutters... n/t

PB

[JohnnyRingo]

9. They said the same thing in '03 before Buxh's first adventure

Though the story quickly "went away", they claimed there was a promise of multi-billion dollars in aid for the use of their airbases.
The White House denied it but then suddenly Turkey "changed their mind" and allowed use of their country in the 11th hour.

Pretty transparent to me.
I suppose they seek to up the ante this time from a president they've labeled a "mark".

[slide to the left]

10. Thats what happens in a democracy

Maybe we should have thought of that before we let them become one.

[partylessinOhio]

11. I applaud Turkey for standing up to the "un"elected one!

More nations should stand up together against the self-appointed world emperor.

:applause:

[uppityperson]

12. Debka has story too.

http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=2358

Looks like the same info, presented with a bit different stuff?

The Dubai newspaper Al Bayan (out on April 30) quotes the Turkish leader as disclosing that, during her visit to Ankara last Tuesday, US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice requested the use of the Incirlik air base for an American strike against Iranian nuclear installations. She was said to have offered Turkey in return a nuclear reactor for electricity, but was turned down.

DEBKAfile’s military sources add: Washington’s original request was for permission to build a new air base in eastern Turkey between Lake Van and the Iranian border. From there, US bombers could have reached nuclear targets situated in northern Iran where most of its nuclear sites are thought to be concentrated.

In particular, they could have hit the top secret plant under construction at Neyshabour – first disclosed by DEBKAfile on April 15 - to run 155,000 centrifuges, enough to enrich uranium for 3-5 nuclear bombs a year.

This was the second time in three years that the Turks have spurned an American request to use its bases for attacking a Middle East neighbor. Ankara’s refusal of a second front for the US-led Iraq invasion in 2003 delayed Saddam Hussein’s overthrow by more than a month...(more@link)