"They did what?" blurted one State Department official
Turkey's Refusal Stuns US
Matthew Lee , AFP, March 1, 2003

WASHINGTON -- US officials appeared stunned by the Turkish parliament's refusal Saturday to allow the deployment of 62 000 US troops for a possible war with Iraq.

The officials, who had been prepared to hail the parliament's approval of the deployment based on initial reports that the vote had succeeded, expressed consternation when told that it had in fact been defeated.

"They did what?" blurted one State Department official.

That official and others declined to comment on the nullification of the close vote and were seeking clarification from the US embassy in Ankara as well as Turkish authorities. [...]
- posted by ARYABHATT @ 9:17 am