U.S. military looking at alternatives in case Turkey cuts access

>From Barbara Starr
CNN

U.S. military planners quietly have stepped up a review of
alternatives in case the Turkish government restricts U.S. access to
Turkish airspace or cuts off access to the air base at Incirlik,
Turkey, CNN has learned.

Turkey has threatened such action after congressional moves to declare
that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in World War I was
"genocide."

Turkey — now a NATO member and a key U.S. ally in the war on terror
— accepts Armenians were killed but calls it a massacre during a
chaotic time, not an organized campaign of genocide.

The recent rise in tensions between Turkey and the United States has
led the military to increase its planning for alternatives, two
military officials with direct knowledge of the ongoing assessment
said.

"Events have triggered more detailed planning for the curtailment or
closure" of access to Turkey, one official said. The key issue is to
find ways to ship supplies and other critical equipment into Iraq.

The U.S. military already had been considering alternatives to Turkey
because of the growing dependence on that country after the cutback of
U.S. forces in central Asia in recent years.

But now, with more "detailed planning" under way, the military is
considering a variety of options in hopes of being ready for whatever,
if anything, the Turks do.

U.S. officials say Turkey’s options range from a complete cutoff,
including ending overland access routes from southern Turkey into
Iraq, to less drastic options that simply restrict U.S. access.

The initial assessment is that any cutoff from current access to
Turkey would force the U.S. military into longer cargo flights, which
would mean extra costs for fuel and for wear and tear on equipment. It
may also look for other air hubs in Jordan or Kuwait, officials say.
See Turkey’s strategic position »

Defense Secretary Robert Gates earlier this week pointed out, "Seventy
percent of the air cargo, American air cargo, going into Iraq goes
through Turkey. Seventy percent of the fuel that goes in for our
forces goes in … through Turkey …

"For those who are concerned that we get as many of these
mine-resistant ambush-protected heavy vehicles into Iraq as possible,
95 percent of those vehicles today are being flown into Iraq through
Turkey."

Turkey on Thursday recalled its ambassador to the United States and
warned of repercussions in the growing dispute.

On Wednesday, in a 27-21 vote, the U.S. House Committee on Foreign
Affairs passed the measure labeling the killings of Armenians by
Ottoman Turkish forces "genocide."

President Bush and key administration figures lobbied hard against the
measure, saying it would create unnecessary headaches for U.S.
relations with Turkey.

The full House could soon vote on the genocide resolution. A top
Turkish official warned Thursday that consequences "won’t be pleasant"
if it approves the measure. VideoWatch why the resolution stirs strong
emotions »

The resolution arrives at a particularly sensitive point in
U.S.-Turkish relations. The United States has urged Turkey not to send
its troops over the border into northern Iraq to fight Kurdish
separatist rebels, who launched some cross-border attacks against
Turkish targets.

The Turkish military is poised to strike across the border to fight
the group — the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK — a move opposed by
the Bush administration. The Turkish parliament could give approval
for the incursion into Iraq as early as next week.

Source: tml