DUBLIN - NATO has asked support of Turkey under its efforts to seek additional power from the allied countries by taking into consideration that the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul will be deployed throughout Afghanistan, and that elections would be held in Afghanistan in September of 2004.
Diplomatic sources told the A.A correspondent on Thursday that NATO had concentrated on meeting its requirement for additional troops after deployment of the ISAF in whole country.
NATO asked support of Turkey under its call to all allied countries to make additional contributions to the ISAF. However, an official request has not been made yet for dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Afghanistan.
Sources added that Turkey seemed reluctant to send additional troops to Afghanistan since it had already played an influential role in Afghanistan so far, undertaken command of the ISAF for eight months and carried out efforts to set up provincial improvement teams.
Turkey took over the second term command of ISAF from Britain on June 20, 2002. Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) sent nearly 1,500 soldiers to Afghanistan. Turkish soldiers served in Kabul till February 10, 2003.
ERDOGAN: ``I HAVEN`T RECEIVED SUCH A REQUEST``
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that he hadn`t received any request for dispatch of Turkish troops to Afghanistan.
Replying to questions of reporters whether or not U.S. President George W. Bush had requested him to send Turkish soldiers to Afghanistan, Erdogan said, ``I have not received suh a request.``
``Besides, there was not a telephone conversation that I made two days ago. The telephone conversation I made was a few days ago. I made the written statement on it on the same day as Mr. Putin and Mr. Bush made their statements. And I disclosed the content of that day`s telephone conversation,`` he said.
(UK-MS-AÖ) 06.05.2004