Turkey signals willingness to let U.S. troops use bases
By Keith B. Richburg and Peter Slevin
Washington Post
ANKARA, Turkey - After weeks of hard bargaining and delay, Turkey signaled Friday that it is willing to allow U.S. troops to use bases on Turkish soil to open a northern front against Iraq in exchange for billions of dollars in aid and help for billions more in loans.
Negotiations continued and were set to go through the weekend, but senior Turkish leaders suggested a deal is all but final. Their statements marked a sharp departure, in tone and substance, from earlier Turkish insistence that the U.S. military could not use Turkey for an attack against Iraq unless all Turkey's financial and political demands were met.