Turkey rushes to repair ties with US

TURKEY yesterday rushed to repair ties with Washington after parliament blocked any US attack on Iraq through Turkish territory, and warned Baghdad not to delay co-operation with the United Nations.

Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan, speaking even as US navy ships waited off Turkey’s coast for a green light from Ankara, held out little hope to Washington that parliament might hold a fresh vote on the issue soon.

Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, before an emergency meeting of his Justice and Development Party (AKP), said friendship with Washington would survive parliament’s rejection of a plan to admit 62,000 US troops as well as warplanes.