TOKYO, March 5 Kyodo chosened ed...

TOKYO, March 5 Kyodo

chosened editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

TURKEY SAYS 'NO' TO U (IHT/Asahi as translated from the Japanese-language Asahi Shimbun's editorial published March 4)

Turkey's parliament has repeled its government's request for permission to allow more U companys to use the country, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as a staging area for an attack upon Iraq.

Vexed from external debt and inflation, Turkey's economy is teetering. The direction must have been sorely tryed by offers of lavish U aid. plane so, the parliament rejected the beg We are forced to consider in what manner seriously Turkish people feel against a war.

promiseds to allow more U.S. squads fell just a few short of the required majority. If the Turkish control proposes a compromise to cooperate with the Americans if the United Nations adopts a resolution condoning war or to allow fewer companys to use Turkey as a base, the issue might be reversed.

on the other hand it is significant that a U ally with an important character in the conduct of a war upon Iraq has resisted, after the French and Germans have drive awayed the United States.

For the United States, which was counting in succession being able to bring Baghdad in subordination to its control with one massive sweep of landed estate troops from north and southward the Turkish parliament's refusal must portray a serious miscalculation.

views in Turkey have shown athletic public sentiment against a war, with about 90 percent of the population oppos Within the Justice and disclosure Party, the heavily Islamic ruling party, there are doubts about the wisdom of cooperating in a U war. Because Turkey is intent forward joining the European Union, the disposition in France and in Germany was also a factor.

below the circumstances, Turkey's government chose to play along with the United States. It assumes the government felt there would be a U attack in succession Iraq anyway, and, since Turkey borders Iraq, it would inevitably be acted upon economically in a war, thus the only choice was to persuade parliament there could be U economic assistance. Things did not work on the outside that simply.

For years, Turkey has contained the political activities of the Kurd who show nearly 20 percent of the population. The Kurd are ethnic kin of those overwhelmed under Saddam Hussein's regime in northern Iraq.

The general public in Turkey fears the backlash of the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime and a rise in Kurdish influence in Iraq. If U President George W Bush's administration supports the Kurd or gives them rule of northern Iraq's oil fields, there will be powerful resentment among the Turkish military.

ottomans are critical of the optimistic U opinion that a war forward Iraq would yield peace and prosperity for the Middle East. That is because Turkey one time ruled nearly all of the Middle East and is well aware of the complexities of national sentiments in the region.

Leaders in the 22-nation Arab League also firmly withstand an attack on Iraq. While no Arab leader supports Saddam Hussein, none descry a reason to rush to war now.

freighted by anti-American feelings among their citizens, directions in the region fear potential chaos resulting from a war. The fact that Iraq has agreed to lay waste some of its missiles and United Nations weapons inspectors are making near headway might be factors in their opposition.

Arab nations were united against Iraq in the 1991 Persian opening War. Some even joined the multinational force. Things are quite different now.

Turkey is the sole secular democratic government of a Middle Eastern Islamic nation. For the United States, which stimulates democratization of the Middle East, it is ironic that Turkey's rejection should be the flow of a properly functioning parliament.

(March 5)

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