From Zaman:  Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül, who held talks with his counterparts from the US and other allied countries during a NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday, told reporters in Ankara on Friday that the ongoing talks were on how to “NATO-ize” the missile shield plans , meaning that all 28 allies should be able to debate it and benefit from the protection it provides. …

Gönül, who, along with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, had a brief meeting on Thursday with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, reiterated on Friday that the planned system did not target any country. “NATO does not target any country. NATO is an organization that works for the defense of the Europe-Atlantic area,” he told reporters.

Turkey insists that the missile shield should provide defense from missile threats to all NATO members in Europe so that it would not be perceived as an offensive, but as a defensive, instrument by any non-NATO country in the region. …

A second concern in Turkish officials’ minds is how the NATO missile shield would affect Ankara’s plans to create its own national missile defense system. “This [national anti-missile plan] is an expensive project and we can significantly reduce costs if the NATO missile defense system covers the entire territory of Turkey,” Gönül said.

The United States would foot most of the bill for building and operating the shield over Europe. The combined cost for other NATO members to link into the system is projected to be about $200 million over 10 years, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said during Thursday’s meeting of defense and foreign ministers. …

In addition to these conditions, Ankara fiercely opposes the naming of a particular country as a threat against the alliance, while endorsing such a plan.  (photo: Getty)

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