U.S. Will Decide on Troops From Turkey

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's Governing Council told the chief U.S. administrator Wednesday that Iraqis oppose the deployment of Turkish peacekeepers but would continue discussing the issue with coalition authorities, the council's spokesman said.

But chief administrator L. Paul Bremer reminded the council, which serves as Iraq's interim administration, that the final decision on whether to accept Turkish troops rests with the coalition and not the Iraqis.

The Turkish Parliament voted Tuesday to approve a government request to send peacekeepers to Iraq to help the U.S.-led coalition, a move applauded in Washington. But the decision is likely to increase strains between the United States and its Iraqi partners because of Turkey's often-controversial past role here.

Council President Iyad Allawi told The Associated Press that "important sensitivities" were involved in deploying Turkish troops in Iraq. He said the council would not take a confrontational line on the issue with the U.S.-led occupation authorities.

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