"Turkey Remains a Steadfast Ally of the U.S.
Re 'Turkey Drifts Further From U.S.,' Dec. 14: Your depiction of a 'deepening rift' in U.S.-Turkish ties, especially regarding Iraq, mischaracterizes the relationship between Turkey and the United States and is not supported by the facts.
Turkey supports � and is contributing to � U.S. efforts to stabilize Iraq. Turkey was the first Muslim nation to offer peacekeepers for post-conflict Iraq in October with coalition forces. When U.S. military leaders faced a bottleneck last winter in rotating forces in Iraq, Turkey permitted the use of the Incirlik Air Base for the transit of tens of thousands of American troops. And as your article notes, as much as 40% of all noncombatant supplies for U.S. forces in Iraq are produced in � and shipped from � Turkey."
More:Turkey Remains a Steadfast Ally of the U.S.
