"Turks want a hard bargain with the US
By M K Bhadrakumar
The conflict in Lebanon is beginning to have an immediate effect on Turkish-US relations as Washington is in great need of involving Ankara in a lead role in Lebanon.
Turkey's credentials are unmatchable - its geographical location bridging Europe and the Middle East, being a Muslim country with secular background, a long-standing member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and least of all, its profound Ottoman legacy in the Levant. "
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