Bush Offers Turkey 6 Billion cash plus 20 Billion in loans to Support Usa in War!!
 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is offering Turkey an economic aid package that includes about $6 billion in grants and up to $20 billion in loan guarantees in a bid to secure Ankara's support for an invasion of Iraq, sources familiar with the offer said on Saturday.

President Bush met with Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis and others at the White House on Friday, but U.S. and Turkish negotiators have yet to reach a final agreement that would allow American forces to use Turkish bases as a springboard for an invasion of Iraq from the north.

On top of an estimated $6 billion in grants, the Bush administration is offering backing for up to $20 billion in loans that Turkey could secure through private banks. As a condition for U.S. backing, the United States is demanding that the loans fall under the terms of Turkey's program with the International Monetary Fund.

It is unclear whether Ankara will accept the offer, which has ballooned in size in recent days. Turkey, which says it suffered massive economic damage from the first Gulf War, has been pressing Washington for billions of dollars more.

Once a deal is reached, Bush would submit it to Congress for approval as part of an emergency wartime budget request.

Turkey, which has a 218-mile border with Iraq, is allowing the U.S. military to modernize some bases there for possible use in a war, but has not yet given Washington permission to use them for an offensive.

The aid package, coupled with a deal to limit the number of U.S. troops in the country at any one time, could help avoid a backlash from Turks widely opposed to a war against their fellow-Muslim neighbor.

The Bush administration is finalizing separate multibillion-dollar aid packages for Israel and Jordan which, like Turkey, say they would need U.S. grants and loan guarantees to offset the economic shock of military action to disarm Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

An Israeli delegation is due in Washington next week and hopes to quickly finalize the details of its request for $4 billion in military assistance and $8 billion in U.S.-backed loan guarantees.

Under the Israeli proposal, the United States would deduct from the face value of the loan guarantees any Israeli expenditures on settlement activities in Palestinian areas.

Washington has promised Jordan more than $1 billion in aid that could be sent to Congress for approval in coming weeks, officials said.

Egypt is also seeking U.S. help in the form of a free-trade agreement.

U.S. SWEETENS OFFER

At close to $25 billion including the loan guarantees, the Turkish package would be well above the initial U.S. offer of $14 billion, which included grants and the funds needed to support up to $10 billion in loans.

The big increase underscores just how important Turkish basing is to U.S. war-planners.

But it is unclear whether the sweetened offer would win support in Ankara, which stepped up pressure on Washington during two days of intense negotiations.

On Thursday Prime Minister Abdullah Gul backed away from a pledge to hold a parliamentary vote on Feb. 18 on whether to let an expected 30,000 U.S. troops use bases in Turkey to invade northern Iraq, saying the timing of the vote was tied to the negotiations in Washington.

The latest U.S. offer is still far below the amount Turkey was purportedly seeking. According to congressional sources, Ankara at one point asked Washington for close to $50 billion in aid -- an amount U.S. officials dismissed as excessive.

Thats a lot of money!

Somebody needs to look after them. I guess the USA has to pay the majority of funds towards NATO and do all the work.

For $10 Mil he can have saddam killed

Oh BTW, reguarding this upcoming war. Iraq has been given a good decade to disarm. All he has to do is explain how, when, and where his WMDs where destroyed. You cant expect some inspectors to blindly search all of Iraq. Iraq has to have a better explanation towards these missing weapons. Enough missing weapons to kill millions I might add.

As soon as that deal is sealed you know we gonna go do war.

1.Turkey is key for war operations.
2. You dont spend that kind of money to not follow through.

Just hope Turkey doesnt end up using the money for bullshit terrorist politics like all of the other kook countrys that we gave money to out there did.

Hell... they can launch the war from my backyard if they want.. I wont charge then nearly that much. They can launch the missles from my patio.

:ak47:

Dang that's good money.

they got turkey for cheap.

Its killing two birds with one stone. Great military position and Turkey is defended. I guess France knows where they can put their zero NATO military presence and veto ability. And yes it is alot of money but a investment.

I think for less than that. This is crazy. I wish we could just go back to the old days of conquering nations without all of this political dancing.

they definitelly got Turkey for cheap..

Turkey is in the key position and somebody has to take care of them. A strong bomb to Iraque will effect even the capital
Ankara which is in the middle of Turkey and really far away from Iraque.

Don't forget the refugees who will try to get in to Turkey from Iraque in case of a war. turkey will have to give food and accomodation to these people which will cost hell a lot of money and fuck Turkey's economy...

listen thats my price, it includes a website + domain (saddam-is-now-dead.net <-- alone worth $10mil)

Turkey is a close ally of the USA. They took the biggest economic loss from the first gulf war and were recluctant to suffer another big loss in such a short period of time. Good move by the USA to help compensate for another loss.

The USA wrote the book "How to BUY Friends and Influence People."

Anyway you all forget we're Multi-Trillionaires, that's with a "T", so what's $25 Bil, that's pocket change these days . . .

:1orglaugh

:1orglaugh

Good idea... lets give billions of billions of dollars of tax payer money to 3rd world nations that will most likely use the money we gave them to try to destroy us later on.
I think this has already happened many times.

Yes, they will send their killer Kebab missiles at us that they developed with that pocket change. Turkey will never be a threat to us. There's too many of them in Britan so they are kinda like the Jews to the States... extended family only with way less power.

Turks r useless!

Instead of spending all that much money on a war with Iraq U.S. gov could just waive all citizens taxes for a couple years :winkwink: