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>From the Chicago Tribune
Jordan, Turkey warn U.S. of perils in attacking Iraq By Howard Schneider The Washington Post
March 11, 2002
CAIRO -- Jordan and Turkey on Sunday warned the United States that a military strike against their neighbor Iraq could destabilize the region and undermine the economies of two of America's closest allies in the Muslim world.
The warnings from two countries whose cooperation would be essential for any attack on Iraq came as Vice President Dick Cheney flew to London to begin a 10-day trip to the Middle East to bolster support for the campaign against the Al Qaeda terrorist network.
The comments by Jordan's King Abdullah II and Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit suggest a growing consensus among regional leaders that the risks of an attack on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein far outweigh any threat he may pose.
In contrast to the coalition built prior to the 1991 Persian Gulf war, this opposition could greatly complicate any assault.
President Bush has labeled Iraq part of an "axis of evil" along with Iran and North Korea and said it must face unspecified consequences if it does not allow UN inspectors back into Iraq to determine whether it possesses or is developing weapons of mass destruction.
"An attack on Iraq will seriously affect Turkey. . . . Turkey's economy is resting on very sensitive balances," including a $16 billion International Monetary Fund bailout, Ecevit said on state-run television.
Ecevit said he will discuss his concerns on Iraq "very openly" with Cheney when the vice president visits Turkey on March 19. U.S. planes stationed at Turkey's Incirlik air base likely would be involved in any assault on Iraq. Jordan and Turkey also could serve as a host for dissident Iraqi politicians planning a new government.
Cheney is scheduled to visit Jordan on Tuesday. He was preceded there Sunday by Izzat Ibrahim, vice chairman of Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council, who briefed Abdullah on recent talks with the UN about the possibility of allowing arms inspectors to return.
Abdullah said afterward "that striking Iraq represents a catastrophe to Iraq and the region in general and threatens the security and stability of the region," the official Petra News Agency reported. The king "stressed Jordan's rejection of using force against Iraq," the agency said.
Cheney is likely to hear a similar refrain throughout the region as he tours nine Arab countries, Israel and Turkey--the highest-level U.S. visit to the Middle East since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Regional officials have become vocal in arguing that the safer strategy is to continue containing Iraq, and allowing it to atrophy.
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