"UPI Hears ...
Washington, DC, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Insider notes from United Press International for Jan. 18:
In cold comfort for Ankara, the head of the U.S. Army's Central Command, Gen. John Abizaid, said during a visit to Turkey that no U.S. troops could currently be committed to fighting the Kurdish rebels in Iraq due to a lack of troops on the ground. While acknowledging Turkey's concern about Kurdish terrorists near its borders, Abizaid demurred that his forces and Iraqi troops had many other more pressing tasks to perform. Abizaid concluded that eventually Kurdish rebels had to be dealt with. In a bravura display of chutzpah Abaizaid, then told Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul that the United States wanted to make greater use of the Incirlik Airbase in southern Turkey. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, during an earlier meeting last week in Turkey, met with U.S., Iraqi and Turkish officials to discuss how to neutralize Kurdish militias. The tripartite meeting canvassed options other than a military operation, with U.S. participants assuring the Turkish delegates that the group's financial support and supplies would be cut. "
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