ANKARA - The Turkish parliament on Thursday voted to provide initial military support to the United States ahead of a possible conflict in neighbouring Iraq, according to lawmakers coming out of the closed session.
A total of 308 lawmakers in the 550-seat parliament voted to allow the United States to send military specialists to Turkey to upgrade ports and airports that could be used for a war against Iraq.
But 193 lawmakers voted against the motion, according to deputies.
It was not immediately known how many deputies did not attend the session.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has 363 seats in the parliament.
The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), which has 177 seats, had announced prior to the vote it would reject the government's request to authorize the deployment of US engineers.
The parliament's approval gives three months to US military and technical staff to engage in "renovation, development, construction, expansion and infrastructure work at military bases, facilities and ports."
It was not immediately known how many US specialists would be dispatched or how many facilities upgraded.
The debate and vote were held in closed session at the request of the ruling AKP, which recently signalled it was willing to line up behind US plans against Iraq after months of anti-war rhetoric.
The government is planning to ask parliament on February 18 to authorise the deployment of US fighting troops on its soil and the dispatch of Turkish soldiers to northern Iraq in case of a war.
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