From Praveen Swami, the Telegraph: Turkey’s government has been told that its relationship with the West could be seriously damaged if it rejects Nato’s request to house part of a £165 million ballistic missile-defence shield that is being built to protect Europe from nuclear attack.
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state and Robert Gates, the US secretary of defence, have held out the warning in behind-the-scenes talks with Turkish officials ahead of a Nato summit to be held in Lisbon on November 19, where a final decision is expected to be made on the missile-defence plan.
"Essentially we’ve told Turkey that missile-defence is an acid test of its commitment to the collective security arrangements it has with its western allies," a senior US official told The Daily Telegraph. …
Turkey is critical to the project, since its geographical location means radar sited on its soil will be able to detect Iranian ballistic missile launches early.
The November 19 deadline has left Recep Erdogan, Turkey’s Prime Minister, torn between his Islamist supporters and his country’s western allies. Mr Erdrogan has made improving his country’s relationship with Iran a central foreign policy. …
In this case, though, US diplomats believe western pressure is working. Turkey’s military has already mapped locations for specialised radar which would detect ballistic missile launches in Iran. It is also considering acquiring the US-built Patriot PAC3 interceptor missile. (photo: Erdogan)
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