- The US continues to irritate allies in
its strong arm bid to invade and control Iraq. Most
recently Turkey has become increasingly annoyed about
several recent provocative incidents in northern Iraq
and the border of Turkey. These continued troop
movements further indicate the impending Anglo-US
military onslaught against Iraq is rapidly approaching.
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- The following is a translation of a der
Spiegel article whose link is at the end of the
translation:
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- IRAQ - NORTHFRONT
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- US Troop build up taunts Turkish
Parliament
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- Despite the vote of the Turkish
Parliament the movement of US troops on the north front
of Iraq is apparently continuing with undissipated
energy. Parliament President Buelent Arinc reacted with
raging criticism.
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- Kiziltepe - Arinc criticized the
activities on Sunday as disrespecting the Parliament.
The television images were unusually disturbing to him,
according to citations on Sunday in the Turkish press.
This has challenged Parliamentarians in the opposition,
who likewise have shown there disquiet, to put control
mechanisms of the Parliament into action.
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- According to a report of the Turkish
newspaper "Cumhurriyet" an incident in
Iskenderun on Sunday also caused irritation: At the exit
of the harbor toll area 700 American soldiers and units
of the Turkish army had suddenly confronted each other.
The Turkish army then took their weapons and forced them
to withdraw.
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- The US Ambassador in Ankara attempted
meanwhile, to play down the incidents. It was only
military material and soldiers, not "war
troops." For this reason [according to the US
Ambassador] the Parliaments decision was not violated.
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- Stronghold Directly on the Border of
North Iraq
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- Arinc's criticism is directed
particularly at a new stronghold, with whose buildup the
US armed forces near the Iraq border have begun. The
position is going to serve as logistics center for
62,000 US soldiers, in case the Turkish Parliament does
eventually agree to the stationing of troops. The
stronghold, which Turkey had approved two months ago, is
according to official sources about 160 km from the
border.
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- About 30 trucks with landing vehicles
and supplies had left the Turkish harbor on Sunday and
they are expected to reach the stronghold 15 hous later.
3500 soldiers are participating in the operation. A
civilian airport is a few km from the new stronghold,
directly in front runs the largest road in the direction
of the Iraq border.
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- Also the Turkish Army is preparing
itself for an offensive.
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- Despite the No of the Turkish Parlement
to an offensive war against Iraq the Turkish army is
itself continuing its military preparations. On Sunday
tanks were sent into northern Irak, according to a
report of the news station NTV. The tanks were brought
across the border by trains on the Habur crossing.
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- The convoy had first under close watch
of the security forces of the Democratic Party of
Kurdistan passed the small city of Dohuk and then turned
towards a Turkish stronghold in the region of northern
Iraq. The television station didn't give an indication
of the exact number of the tanks.
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- During the last few days Turkey had
moved about 500 military vehicles, tanks, and other
military material on the Iraq border. The Turkish
general staff characterized the buildup as contingency
measure.
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- The Turkish Parlement had in the last
few weeks refused the US wish to station its troops in
Turkey. The government had already hinted a new decision
may be forthcoming.
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- Whether the hint will be transformed
into reality, is nevertheless according to the recent
reelection vote of the Turkish Parlement still open. The
chief of the Turkish reform party AKP, Tayyip Erdogan,
went as victor from the elections and thereby could
become the Minister President of Turkey. After the
Parlementary election in November Erdogan was denied the
possibility of taking office, since he had been
convicted of Islamic propaganda.
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- Link to German article: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,239423,00.html
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