New Turkish PM raises US troops hopes

America’s hopes of deploying troops along Turkey’s northern border with Iraq have been given a huge boost by the appointment of the charismatic leader of Turkey’s governing party as prime minister.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who favours the deployment, hinted yesterday that he would reshuffle the Cabinet, but gave no indication if he would get rid of officials who opposed letting in the US troops, as analysts have suggested he might do.