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U.S. general expected in Turkey for Afghanistan,
Iraq talks
ANKARA (AFP) -- The head of the U.S. Central
Command is set to hold talks in Turkey on a wide
range of issues, including Afghanistan and Iraq, a
U.S. official said Monday.
General John Abizaid, who is currently in Pakistan,
arrives in Ankara on Tuesday for talks with Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul as well as Yigit Alpogan, who
heads the country's top consultative body, the
National Security Council, a spokesman for the U.S.
embassy here said.
He is set to leave on Wednesday after meeting the
number two at the Turkish general staff, General
Ilker Basbug.
"The talks will focus on many things, but Iraq, as
it progresses towards elections, will top the
agenda," the spokesman said.
Turkey says the January 30 polls in neighboring Iraq
should take place with participation from all ethnic
communities in the war-torn country and produce an
administration that represents all the different
groups.
Ankara is worried that Kurds in northern Iraq could
break away from Baghdad, fanning separatist
sentiment among their kinsmen in adjoining
southeastern Turkey and trigger new turmoil in the
region.
Another issue that is expected to be discussed in
Abizaid's talks is Afghanistan, the U.S. spokesman
said.
Turkey is preparing to take over on January 27 the
command of the NATO-led International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan for a
duration of six months.
Ankara, which had led ISAF for six months as of July
2002, is expected to contribute more than 1,400
soldiers to ISAF, which is made up of 8,300 soldiers
from more than 30 countries serving in Kabul and
nine provinces north of the capital.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press.
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